for you armorers

[flik]

what's the die size for the tip of electric weapons? i know the grip is a 6x1 metric normally, but the one i just used for a broken foil tip didn't really have any identifiable markings. just wondering... don't really have to use it very often, but it'd be nice not to have to borrow things again.

[edew]

I don't remember the die size, but here's a valuable advice:

Don't bother. You can damage the tip, damage the die and probably wreck your hands at the same time.

If you're really adamant about doing this bit of work, take an appropriate sized paper clip, bang out a short length of it into the groove so that you don't have the wire groove wrecking your die.

[neevel]

For foil, it's 3.5mm x 0.6, for epee 4.0 x 0.7. You want to put some piece of metal in the groove to keep the die from hanging up on it-- a solid piece of wire, or a bit of solder. Even then, you need to proceed with care or else you can ruin both the threading and the die.

It's best to do it when you only need to 'freshen up' already existing threading that's been mashed or worn. If you're thinking of cutting new threading right above where the tip snapped off, your chance of success is smaller, since the blade often too thick and the groove too wide-- remember that any reshaping of the blade beyond the guard by grinding or filing is expressly forbidden in the rules. Basically, if the blade broke, it broke-- you're better off getting a new one.

-Dave Neevel

[flik]

I know enough to put something in the groove to prevent damage to the die... done this sort of thing for a while now on various stuff.

Most of what I've done is freshening up the threads of some old foils. I had part of the tip of one break off; my club has been using it for a dry weapon anyway and we're on a severely limited budget - any weapon that can be fixed and safely used will be.

Thanx for the info. Shouldn't have to do this sort of thing too often, but it's nice to know.

-Jeremy

[neevel]

BTW, your chances of finding those die sizes (especially for foil) anywhere besides a fencing supplier are rather small; you almost certainly aren't going to be able to walk into the local hardware store or Home Depot and find them. Micromark (www.micromark.com) carries the epee die, but not the foil die (Micromark has the right sized die stock for both, which also can be tough to locate). It'd probably be quickest to just order the dies from American or The Fencing Post.

-Dave Neevel