stretching foil wire during glueing

[neal white]

any views on best practice? Stretch in advance? Can you overbend blade? One of the armourers at NAC Miami thought extreme bending during gluing had a downside -- wire could be more inclined to pop when blade is then straightened.

[Purple Fencer]

any views on best practice? Stretch in advance? Can you overbend blade? One of the armourers at NAC Miami thought extreme bending during gluing had a downside -- wire could be more inclined to pop when blade is then straightened.

Overbending IS possible...and for the reasons the NAC armorer stated. I usually set my wiring chain so the cup at the tand end is even with the shoulder of the blade....puts enough of a bend in to pre-tension the wire, but not so much that it would encourage popping out.

As far as the stretching itself...once the barrel is cranked down, I wrap the tang in some tape (to give the wire something to grag on to...and to protect it fro the threads), pull the wire snug (not really tight because it may break the wire, a problem when it's crimped into the cup insteasd of being soldered), wrap thatg stretched wire around the tang and tape it down more....THEN put it in teh jig and glue it.

[Chafunkta]

Man, Purple, you must have been dog-tired when you wrote that post; I've never seen you make so many spelling errors.

Good advice though. My wires tend to pop out, and I guess I can now point to overbending the blade. I'll probably go out and get the end cap and chain system you use.

What's the best thing I could find at a hardware store for endcaps?

[Purple Fencer]

Man, Purple, you must have been dog-tired when you wrote that post; I've never seen you make so many spelling errors.

Good advice though. My wires tend to pop out, and I guess I can now point to overbending the blade. I'll probably go out and get the end cap and chain system you use.

What's the best thing I could find at a hardware store for endcaps?

Heh...pretty much...plus I was taking a break from working on an Uhlmann reel (my first!!) and wasn't really with it!

Overbending is only one element in making a wire pop...the PRIME cause is a dirty groove...it's gotta be clean, clean CLEAN!

As for the end caps, I use 1/2" slip caps from Home Depot or Lowes. The best part is, if you're in a rush and have a pop on a French-gripped weapon, the pommel should fit into the cap....holding the weapon in the jig without requiring it to be partially taken apart.

My chain has attachment points for three different tang lengths (French #5, French #2/pistol #5, and pistol #2). When I get back to the office tomorrow I'll give the measurements....probably take a picture as well.

[telkanuru]

Heh...pretty much...plus I was taking a break from working on an Uhlmann reel (my first!!) and wasn't really with it!

What's wrong with yours

The ones at my club are so old and broken, I have to fix at least one a day. Normally simple stuff, but the wires coming out of the mercotac were shorting to the case, and therefore the C-line on one today. That was fun. I find I prefer the LP reels because they are much more simple and mechanically elegant. The team is contemplating buying Faveros, though, and I am heasitant because I've never worked on one. It's a thread-jack, but any opinions on that?

[PeterGustafsson]

Hi!

What's the best thing I could find at a hardware store for endcaps?

I have polyethylene blocks, with one hole drilled for the tip or tang, and one hole drilled for a 7-part steel wire. The PE block ensures that the blade and tip will not be damaged by something harder, and the large size of the block (about 10*5*5 cm) ensures that it can take the load from the bent epee blade.

Each wire from the block is connected to a turnbuckle in the middle. In this way, I can attach the bending set to the blade without being it all that much, and the easily and continuously adjust the total bend after mounting. Also, when I take off the bending set the blade will not hop out from released load.


Have a nice time!

Peter Gustafsson

[SJCFU#2]

The team is contemplating buying Faveros, though, and I am heasitant because I've never worked on one.

I was tempted to start a new thread to answer this, but it has all been discussed before. Try running a search for "Favero". Somewhere in all the threads regarding scoring machines, chip upgrades and body cords are a couple of that discuss reels.

To summarize, most people seem satisfied. The reels have only been available for a few years so there is little long-term data upon which to judge theri reliability (ask in another decade or so). When the reels eventually do require repairs it may take a bit more effort since most connections are soldered.

Favero also provides an owner's manual that includes instructions for major repairs like spring pack or cable replacement, so that first repair may not be quite so nerve racking.

[DHCJr]

I do not have a standard amount of bend for the blade when rewiring. I do it based on the fencer using the blade. For someone who hit very softly, I do not bend as much. For those who flick or hit hard and bend the blade more when fencing, I bend more when rewiring. Otherwise I agree with all the above.

[Purple Fencer]

What's wrong with yours

Broken C line in the cable....about 8 inches back from the plug...the cable casing got cut and it went through the wire.

The most difficult thing was making swure the strain relief knot was in the right place.

Re my wiring chain...my camera's on the fritz, but here's the lengths per weapon (measured fro the inside of the end caps)

For a #5 blade with a French tang: 35"

For a #2 blade with a French tang or a #5 with a pistol tang (since they tend to be arond the same overall length): 32"

For a #2 blade with a pistol tang: 29"

[ReverseLunge]

There is no need to stretch if you use cement instead of super glue. There are some idiots who put the wire down on a layer of cement then bend the blade and then put another layer of cement on. Then there are the real idiots who use thick super glue and then run a q-tip with super glue accelerator down the grove. All that does is make the wire pop out faster.

The best thing to do is lay the wire flat and just run fletch-tite platinum down the groove. Anyone who tries fletch-tite will never go back to super glue.

[Purple Fencer]

OK....here's aq pic of my wiring chain...you can clearly see where I have a lopp for the different tang lengths.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...p/AUT_0726.jpg