How to Clean an Epee tip

[PirateWolfBlade]

Recently, both of my blades needed to be re-wired so I figured I should also clean the different parts of the tip of my epees. What kind of cleaner should I be using for this task?

[DHCJr]

Many use tuner cleaner. Make sure it says 'Safe for Plastics'. Avoid from oil based products and solvents.

[RPI Epeeist]

No solvents? Why is that? I've always used isopropyl alcohol and a cotton swab to clean a tip. I haven't had any problems so far... should I be expecting a long term problem?

[DHCJr]

That is what I love about the English language, how precise words are. For what I was talking about isopropyl alcohol is not a solvent. By solvent, I was thinking about items like glue or tape removers.

[RPI Epeeist]

Ahh I gotcha.

[wheeringa]

After i clean my tips i always get a cotton bud and soak it in silicone oil and coat the inside of my barrel. It makes the tip slide super easy.

[jjefferies]

Originally Posted by PirateWolfBlade

Recently, both of my blades needed to be re-wired so I figured I should also clean the different parts of the tip of my epees. What kind of cleaner should I be using for this task?

From best to less I use lacquer thinner (Ethyl alchohol) or Rubbing alchohol (isopropy alchohol). But I've also used acetone (finger nail polish remover without lanolin), and tuner lubricant. What I"ve found works best with the german/french tips is to take 2000 grit wet/dry abrasive (extremely find sand) paper, chuck the tip in a cordless drill and spin the tip inside a loop of the abrasive paper. Likewise for the barrell I've taken a dremel bit wrapped enough of the 2000 grit abrasive paper around the bit and attached by a very small piece of tape then spun that inside the barrel. Then clean the tip and barrel with a Q-tip soaked in ethyl or iso-propyl alchohol.

[CvilleFencer]

Originally Posted by jjefferies

But I've also used acetone (finger nail polish remover without lanolin)

I would strongly suggest against anything with Acetone in it for cleaning a tip unless you are trying to get rid of glue residue that somehow made its way into the barrel. It will soften, score or disolve plastic, like the cup and parts of the tip depending on exposure and dilute of the Acetone.

I use rubbing alcohol to clean them and if they need it I will polish them similiar to what jjefferies mentions, except without the Dremmel. I just use bore brushes and if needed stick the sandpaper onto the brush and run it around.

I think I am also one of the few armoury types that uses (or that will admit to) using a lubricant for tips as well. Sure it can trap grit and will break down and if you use to much it will cause problems. Also certain kinds of lubricants can do not nice things to the plastic or even ground out (graphite comes to mind) under the right circumstances. Still, I like to have nice smooth tips before a tourney so a little bit of a good lubricant helps keep them that way. I usually clean and adjust them after before and after a tourney anyway so it works out for me.

I like LPS1 for a lube. It is used fairly often in the aircraft industry and among other things it displaces water, seals and protects metal, dries very quick, will not hold dust and has no electrical resistance. Nice stuff, but hard to find...

[Allen Evans]

Once, at Nationals, an armorer told me that lubricant should never be used on epee tips. Because of the way they were made (he said) lubricant was unnecessary. I found that a pretty strange notion.

At the end of my time fencing epee (late 90's) I was using Break-Free CLP on my tips, applying it with a cotton q-tip. I felt that I had good success with that, but I don't think I used it long enough to see if it had any effect on the plastic parts. Since then, there are probably better, and cheaper products out there, yes?


Allen

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

Ive always used a cue tip.

The majority of your resistance is going to come from little imperfections that develop in the metal, which cant really be fixed. If you sand it, you just make a crappier fit for the tip.

Do yourself 2-3 points of good and replace your tips and barrels every 6 months (or even sooner if you fence often).

[glowstix]

don't forget some teflon powder in the tip to improve the travel smoothness,

[DHCJr]

Originally Posted by glowstix

don't forget some teflon powder in the tip to improve the travel smoothness,

That sounds like an interesting idea I would like my opponent to use. Think have some insulating powder in the barrel. I could see it coat one or both of the contacts causing a very smooth tip that can't get a touch.

I also saw at a Worlds a fencer almost get a black card. They had enough graphite in their tip that it poured out and got stranges touches while they were testing it. Instead the Armorers cleaned the tips and gave the fencer a warning that they would be watching.

[glowstix]

Originally Posted by DHCJr

That sounds like an interesting idea I would like my opponent to use. Think have some insulating powder in the barrel. I could see it coat one or both of the contacts causing a very smooth tip that can't get a touch.

I also saw at a Worlds a fencer almost get a black card. They had enough graphite in their tip that it poured out and got stranges touches while they were testing it. Instead the Armorers cleaned the tips and gave the fencer a warning that they would be watching.

well you're not using THAT much, it doesn't take a lot to smooth the travel out and i've had no problems with conductivity.

[DHCJr]

Originally Posted by glowstix

well you're not using THAT much, it doesn't take a lot to smooth the travel out and i've had no problems with conductivity.

The problem is you didn't say that. People have the habit of if some makes it better, more would make it even better. I have seen fencers use teflon and they did have problem with insulation.

[brtech]

I use alcohol, although I do see some folks using contact cleaner. The aerosol types shouldn't be taken on a plane, and tool kits always get a good inspection from TSA, but they don't seem to have a problem.

One minor tip with alcohol is to check the alcohol content on the label. You really want 80% or more. Some of the cheap stuff is 60%. I use Q-tips. With epee, the real thing is pretty good, but if you also maintain foils, you want the cheap generic swabs and not the name brand because they are smaller and fit the foil barrel better. I see lots of people who clean the barrel and not the tip. Dumb.

The "spin the barrel" folks are really in to squeaky clean. I've never even tried going that far. I don't use lubricants. If I clean it well, both sides, and it isn't smooth, then I'm looking for something wrong and not just dirt or surface roughness. but as always, YMMV.

[Mergs]

A note on the use of lubricants. If you use them, be sure that you regularly clean them out (with IPA, preferably) and re-apply. The problem with using lubricants is that they collect dirt and dust VERY well, thus over time negating the benefit of using it.

I like the notion of using 2000 grit to polish barrels and points and NOT using lubricants. But, regularly cleaning is still necessary.

Just my $0.02.

[Fechter1]

Regular cleaning is definitely necessary, especially for the higher-quality points.

My method:
- Remove tip (duh...)
- Moisten Qtip with contact cleaner (frim RadioShack, dunno what the active ingredient is...)
- Clean out inner surface of the barrel
- Use dry qtip to, well, dry out the barrel
- Moisten 2nd qtip and wipe the tip base (the part that's inside the barrel)
(I haven't seen anyone else do this yet, but it definitely helps)
- readjust contact and pressue springs (if necessary)
- reassemble.

I haven't used any lubricant in the barrels yet, because I've never needed it (I choose my point assemblies with care), but also because I was warned about certain undesirable side effects, such as what DHC was describing.
(BTW, I use German parts exclusively)

[remise]

At our club we call the use of lubricants the "Cinderella Effect". Your tip will have a smoothe travel, but only for a while because it attracts dirt and/or will block the contacts as Donald said.

Once in tournament, a young man's epees suddently went dead in the midst of his pools. He could not understand why. Later, we learned that he had applied a lube to his tips more than a week earlier. Once his tips were cleaned, his weapons roared back to life.

[Cookeit]

REVIVED!

Rather than creating a new thread...

I was wondering how often you clean your tips?
Before every major tournament?
If fencing 3x a week + competitions, every month? 2 months?

Also, any differences between cleaning a foil tip vs. an epee one?

[Purple Fencer]

Originally Posted by Cookeit

REVIVED!

Rather than creating a new thread...

I was wondering how often you clean your tips?
Before every major tournament?
If fencing 3x a week + competitions, every month? 2 months?

Also, any differences between cleaning a foil tip vs. an epee one?

If you compete heavily, I'd do it the day before each tournament, just to play it safe.

As for cleaning foil vs epee...using a Q-tip in an epee is no problem due to the size (rubbing alcohol and an air cannister to blow any excess stuff out).

For foil barrels it's pretty much the same technique, although you may have to remove some of the q-tip material to get it to fit.