What Wire / Blade Glue Do You Use?

[Gwhite]

Everyone seems to have their favorite. I've tried to list all the ones I could think of. I suspect cyanoacrylates will be the favorite, but there are different flavors of that as well. I also have no idea if everyone uses the same glue for both epees & foils, although I don't see why not.

Thanks for everyone's input!

[telkanuru]

Zap CA, usually. Ducto cement if I don't have any Zap around.

[remise]

Lok-Tite Epoxy. Easy on - Easy off.

[Purple Fencer]

Thickened CA for me....switched to Instaflex from Bob Smith Industries (pink label)...rubberized CA and a touch thicker than the blue label Instaflex so it doesn't run as much.

Also use NCF water based accelerator

[Robert Smith]

Regular crazy glue for foils, usually with reconstructed wires, now using Radio Shack's - sorry, "The Source's" - wire wrap. A little moer reliable than "magento wire". Rarely a popped wire. I bought a spool of teflon-coated wire wrap from someone on eBay, but the stuff's just too slippery, and when it comes astray, it invariably breaks.

Epoxy for epee, from someone's recommendation way back. Rebuilt wires there, too, where possible. Tempted to try crazy glue next time around.

[mrbiggs]

Crazy glue. Why? It's the easiest to find at 10 PM the night before a tournament.

[parryDoh]

Originally Posted by Robert Smith

, now using Radio Shack's - sorry, "The Source's" - wire wrap. A little moer reliable than "magento wire".

I use liquid nails clear for small projects repairs. I also make my own wires and use magento wire, what is this wire wrap your speaking of, tell us more....

[Gwhite]

Wire wrap wire is a 30 gauge (~0.01" diameter) silver plated wire with a thin, tough plastic insulation. The wire itself is pretty close to the size of commercial foil tip wire, it might be slightly thinner. The insulation is probably slightly larger outside diameter than the typical foil wire.

I don't know how much it is used as originally intended in electronics anymore. It used to be the prefered method for building prototype digital circuits. An inch of insulation was stripped off the wire, and the bare end was inserted into the nose of a motorized tool. The nose of the tool was then placed over a 0.025" square gold-plated post where you wanted the wire connected (typically the back of an IC socket). When the tool was turned on, it would rapidly wrap the soft wire around the post. In theory, this would form many dozen cold welds between the wire and the metal corners of the posts. I once spent most of a January in college wire wrapping the backplane of a satellite computer, so it was pretty rugged & reliable if done right. They also had manual tools for repairs & modifications, including an un-twisting tool.

You can buy it at almost any decent electronics store, and it comes in several colors. One company (C&K?) sells little spools in clear plastic housings with a cutter & stripper built in.

I still use the wire for fine general purpose connections in breadboard circuits. The insulation is quite tough, and you might be able to get away without spaghetti when wiring up a weapon, but I wouldn't risk it. I would think the adhesion of the glue to the plastic wouldn't be nearly as good as to the woven cover used on most tip wire. One advantage is that with the right wire strippers, you wouldn't have to mess with scraping the varnish/film insulation off the wire to make a connection.

[foily]

Originally Posted by Gwhite

Wire wrap wire is a 30 gauge (~0.01" diameter) silver plated wire with a thin, tough plastic insulation. The wire itself is pretty close to the size of commercial foil tip wire, it might be slightly thinner. The insulation is probably slightly larger outside diameter than the typical foil wire.

I don't know how much it is used as originally intended in electronics anymore. It used to be the prefered method for building prototype digital circuits. An inch of insulation was stripped off the wire, and the bare end was inserted into the nose of a motorized tool. The nose of the tool was then placed over a 0.025" square gold-plated post where you wanted the wire connected (typically the back of an IC socket). When the tool was turned on, it would rapidly wrap the soft wire around the post. In theory, this would form many dozen cold welds between the wire and the metal corners of the posts. I once spent most of a January in college wire wrapping the backplane of a satellite computer, so it was pretty rugged & reliable if done right. They also had manual tools for repairs & modifications, including an un-twisting tool.

You can buy it at almost any decent electronics store, and it comes in several colors. One company (C&K?) sells little spools in clear plastic housings with a cutter & stripper built in.

I still use the wire for fine general purpose connections in breadboard circuits. The insulation is quite tough, and you might be able to get away without spaghetti when wiring up a weapon, but I wouldn't risk it. I would think the adhesion of the glue to the plastic wouldn't be nearly as good as to the woven cover used on most tip wire. One advantage is that with the right wire strippers, you wouldn't have to mess with scraping the varnish/film insulation off the wire to make a connection.

I believe you can still get wire-wrapping wire and tools etc at Radio Shack. It is indeed neat stuff, and I often come across the "good" stuff, WL Gore and all that. I also come across tons of teflon tubing, which seems so much cooler than the stuff on my foil right now. I'd better stop now before I get into a tinkering mood and it's late.

[yeoldearmourer]

Over the past 30 years I have used about every one of the glues mention in your pole. I keep going back to old faithful cemitte the swiss glue. I do use ca glue if it a rush job. Now I pefer the PBT wires over anything else because the contacts are sodler and not crimp. Now Cuz Allen perfer flecthing glue

[Gwhite]

Originally Posted by foily

I believe you can still get wire-wrapping wire and tools etc at Radio Shack. It is indeed neat stuff, and I often come across the "good" stuff, WL Gore and all that. I also come across tons of teflon tubing, which seems so much cooler than the stuff on my foil right now. I'd better stop now before I get into a tinkering mood and it's late.

I'd be careful using Teflon tubing in wiring weapons. Most Teflon tubing is fairly soft, and will cold-flow away from any steady pressure, eventually resulting in a short if the wire is bare. A pinched Teflon wire bundle was suspected of causing the Apollo 1 fire. There are lots of insulation materials that are more rugged. The big advantage in a lot of circuit work is that it doesn't distort or melt at soldering temperatures, which isn't an issue in most fencing applications. Newer Teflon insulated wire is more rugged than it used to be, but most tubing is still pretty soft.

[Purple Fencer]

Originally Posted by yeoldearmourer

Over the past 30 years I have used about every one of the glues mention in your pole. I keep going back to old faithful cemitte the swiss glue. I do use ca glue if it a rush job. Now I pefer the PBT wires over anything else because the contacts are sodler and not crimp. Now Cuz Allen perfer flecthing glue

So are the German foil wires I get from Gary Spruill...I'll only buy an Uhlmann wire if I'm running out and haven't placed an order with Gary.

We're working on epee wires as well....buy I need to get the new contact design drawn and a prorotype made...it's NOT the 2 nailheaad type...

[Smyles]

Originally Posted by Purple Fencer

...it's NOT the 2 nailheaad type...

But Purple... does that mean that it's not going to be compatible with current designs

[Purple Fencer]

Originally Posted by Smyles

But Purple... does that mean that it's not going to be compatible with current designs

Nope....it's designed to work with existing French and German style points...mwwhhaaaaaa....

[KD5MDK]

Details please, details! (Well, when you figure it out. Or I can just ask him)

[hpfencing]

Originally Posted by Purple Fencer

So are the German foil wires I get from Gary Spruill...I'll only buy an Uhlmann wire if I'm running out and haven't placed an order with Gary.

What company does Gary work for, can you put me in contact with him?

[Purple Fencer]

Originally Posted by hpfencing

What company does Gary work for, can you put me in contact with him?

He's a single person operation....and only sells to vendors....so you'd have to buy them through me. I sell them at retail for $5 each, but I think I offered you 25% off of that for any gear you buy from me, which would mean $3.75 each. I don't know that he'd sell to you until you get your store front up & running.

I'll see if I can remember to send oyu a wire or two when I send you a sample of my cord.

Here are the pertinent points:

1) The wire is made in the US to Gary's specifications...in other words...fro the armorer's pov (like the gear I'm working on)

2) A german wire has a double insulation...the outer silk wrap and the inner chemical coating that you have to sand off. The problem with the Uhlmann wires is, you can't really see if the inner layer's gone! On Gary's wires, the inner layer is red....so it's EASY to see when you have bare copper.

3) The inner layer is too tough to be sanded...you'll break the wire. You have to burn it off....but it doesn't affect the temper of the wire like on an Uhlmann. I sande off the outer layer, run a lighter down the exposed wire, and lightly sand off the remains....never had a problem.

4) The insulating cup is taller than usual, which minimized spring wobble.

5) The base of the cup has a small plastic tail that the wire emerges from...heping to keep it away from the tip.

6) The wire commection is soldered...not crimped like Uhlmann or Prieur.

7) The contact itself is wider, so the spring fits better around it...again, minimizing spring wobble.

I have been very pleased with these wires so far....and when the epee contacts are finalized, Gary will be making the wire assembly for me.

[Mergs]

Originally Posted by Purple Fencer

2) A german wire has a double insulation...the outer silk wrap and the inner chemical coating that you have to sand off. The problem with the Uhlmann wires is, you can't really see if the inner layer's gone! On Gary's wires, the inner layer is red....so it's EASY to see when you have bare copper.

Oh, great! And for those of us that are red-green deficient are going to be able to tell.........How? Nice, really f***ing nice. Guess well have to get the ADA invovled. Sheesh. ;-)

[KD5MDK]

I'm R/G colorblind, and I can tell the different between red and copper wire, unless you let it get corroded...

[fencerbill]

Originally Posted by Purple Fencer

3) The inner layer is too tough to be sanded...you'll break the wire. You have to burn it off....but it doesn't affect the temper of the wire like on an Uhlmann. I sande off the outer layer, run a lighter down the exposed wire, and lightly sand off the remains....never had a problem.

Coarse emery cloth sands off the insulation from Allstar/Uhlmann wires quite well.