Armoury/Fencing Shop

[Rick]

I just started competing this year in foil and epee. After just a few tournaments, I've come to realize that learning how to do my own armoury is, pretty much, an essential part of fencing. Hence, I would like to setup a small "shop" in my apartment to be able to do some armouring. Any ideas on what 'tools' I need to be able to do some periodic maintenance, as well as full blown surgery, on my foils and epees? I'm not looking to have a "Rick's Fencing Repair While You Wait" setup, just a setup that allows me to efficiently and ergonomically work on my gear. Also, are there any recommendable books out on armoury?
Any help you can give is much appreciated. Thanks!

[neevel]

Rudy Volkmann's Big Book of Fencing (which has a link on the front page of this site) includes a very good section on equipment maintenance and repair.

-Dave Neevel

[Moonitic]

Ugh...you should talk to my hubby about this one! He's got himself a fully functional traveling workshop...all in a tackle box! There is a meter, a weight tester, steel wool, a large screwdriver, jewelers screwdrivers, a hex wrench (whatever half this stuff is called!), extra wire, extra tips, tip tape...you name it! People from other clubs go to HIM when they need something!

At home, to rewire a blade, he has an untwisted metal coathanger with an old Playdoh cup on one end. It keeps the weapon bent so the wire can dry in it!

[BarryTice]

Rick --

If you're just looking to do maintenance and adjustment on your own blades (and maybe for a few club mates) and not getting into full-fledged weapon assembly (yet...), then you'll want:

1. Wrench of whatever type is needed for your grips. This will likely either be an 8mm deep socket (or the equivalent) or a 6mm Allen wrench. If you're using French grips, you will need smething like an awl to poke through the hole in the pommel to unscrew it. If working on other people's weapons, have all three handy.
2. Multimeter. Really, you only need an ohmmeter, but you can't just buy one of those, can you? Go ahead and get one that beeps as a continuity tester, and some banana-plug leads.
3. A good set of jeweler's screwdrivers. Don't get the cheap stuff. You'll just end up hating yourself.
4. A good set of wire snips, and a good set of needlenose pliars. (see above.)
5. A roll of tip tape, if you do foils.
6. More springs and screws than you can keep track of. Remember that there are two kinds of springs in an epeé tip, and one in a foil tip.
7. Vice grips.
8. Someone above recommended steel wool, but I suggest one of those scrubbing pads that they sell as a steel wool substitute. It will get the rust off your blades without adding any of its own rust to your tool box. Also, you can disassemble a tip over it, and if any screws fall they don't bounce off of it.
9. White dish towell to spread out over your work area, so when the screws and springs do bounce, you can find them.
10. Test weight and shims.

Optional equipment:

11. Mask test punch (if you're serious about being an armorer)
12. Buzz box, for testing weapons. The continuity tester in the multimeter works well for epeé, but not too well for foil. If you're so inclined, you can make your own foil box. You can find a schematic for one at http://www.pointcontrol.com/foilbox.pdf
13. Continuity tester for body cords.

So far, this all assumes you're only fixing body cords and tweaking and adjusting blades that are, for the most part, in working order. If you're going to get into rewiring blades, you'll need a vice and a solid support to attach it to, a Dremell for cleaning wire grooves, glue, etc., and a wider assortment of wires, tips, screws, springs, and plugs and sockets than you would have thought existed.

Good luck -- b.r.t.

[Mergs]

I would add one thing to the list of "tools" and that is a mangnet, preferably one of those business card sized things that you can stick on your refrigerator. Disassemble your tip over this and your screws and springs won't go all over the place.

[neevel]

Radio Shack sells 4"x6" magnet sheets that are ideal for armouring purposes-- the larger size allows it to catch screws or springs that you might drop while working on the point.

-Dave Neevel

[Stryder]

How do you people keep getting rust on your blades? Do you keep them in the same garbage bag as your sweaty clothes?
In nine years of fencing, I've never had a rusty blade!

My grandfather used to say "You can tell what a man is worth by the rust on his shovel."

Maybe you guys aren't practicing enough?

[neevel]

Well, first off where do you live? If you're someplace where the weather gets warm and humid for extended periods (the Southeast U.S., the Midwest in summer) and you're not in an air conditioned building then blades will rust, even when regularly used and stored away from damp clothing. My club stock of electric weapons are stored separately from any clothing, and see heavy use but they will still develop rust in the summer.

Secondly, what kind of blades do you use? Maraging steel has a fairly high degree of corrosion-resistance and surface treatments on other blades help retard rust, but less expensive blades of ordinary steel will rust more easily.

-Dave Neevel

[Nasty]

Hell doing your own weapons is great, I would always trust my trash better that way

[MikeHarm]

I've had some luck with working on the tip of my weapons slipping them into a clear plastic bag before tightening/undoing the little screws, if the tip flies the pieces just hit the plastic bag and you've caught all the little parts.

Mike

[Zelda]

But Mike, how do you undo the screws in the tip? do you screw thorugh the plastic? Sounds like a good idea.

[MikeHarm]

I just reach into the plastic bag, holding my trusty screwdriver in one hand, the point in the other, and I then assemble/dissasemble the point, while watching what I'm doing through the plastic bag. Saved me a lot of bother chasing springs and whatnot down when the tip slipped and sproinged, let me tell you.

Mike

[This message has been edited by MikeHarm (edited 11-24-2000).]

[Zelda]

Kewl, thanks Mike.... I think I'll stick with my magnts made from Fridge seals.

[Rick]

Thanks for all your help, people. I just rewired one epee and three foils over the weekend (and I managed to do it without getting my fingers stuck together). It was a lot of fun -- Next up? I don't know, how about casting my own blades? Anybody know where I can get a furnace and an anvil... cheap?