copper lames

[Jeff Harman]

How much use can one reasonably expect from these inexpensive (cheap?) copper foil lames? I'm considering buying some for the 10 year olds in my group but don't want to waste money unnecessarily...

[azfencer]

I think lame's are one area where you get what you pay for. They might be fine for kids but I think one kid in my club got a cheap lame last year (I don't remember what brand) and it was completely dead in a couple of months. DEAD and green not just high resistence or a few bad patches.

[neevel]

If it's a Russian/East Euro lame, not much for regular use. They have very sparse, thin copper strands, so corrosion and dead spots will develop quickly if used (and sweated in) with much frequency. Most east-euro copper lames I've seen (including a few in our club stock) were over the resistance limit or completely dead under the collar in less than a year. OTOH, 10 year olds may not put as much wear on them as adults, and a dead collar isn't much of a problem if they're only going to be used for practice. If you're referring to the $35 ones from Blade, they may be worthwhile at that price.

If it's the Blue Gauntlet lames you're referring to, then that's a different story. While still copper, they have a high density of robust copper strands. While they will pick up some green staining, if you wash them regularly they should hold up well.

The life span of any lame (and especially copper ones) will be greatly enhanced by regular hand-washings in mild detergent (Ivory Snow, Woolite) and ammonia, which will wash away corrosion-inducing salts and thin layers of patina.

-Dave Neevel

[Lumberg]

Are you the parent or a teacher?
Here's my lowdown, if you notice that the children don't sweat profusely after a night of fencing, then corrosion won't be such an issue and you can get copper lames. If you get stainless lames, you can always wash them and they will last a long time in the long run. Plus, when the lames are useless, you can make patches from non-worn parts for other lames.

------------------
Lumberg.
"...yeah...did you get the memo about the TPS reports?"

[Jeff Harman]

Thanks for the input gentlemen. I think I'll get one and put it to the test. Appreciate your comments.
-JAH