Various weapon problems! HELP!

[Cookeit]

Okay I am kind of in a bind (pun!), there is a tournament on Sunday and I really need to fix these.

Foil 1:
The wire has started coming out in the middle of the blade. I know I need to glue it, would "plastic cement" work? Or should I go buy some super glue?

Foil 2:
When I plug the foil in, the offtarget goes off. But when I depress the tip no lights register.

Foil 3:
The tip is stuck in and won't come out... Do I just use brute force to pull it out?


Thanks alot guys!

[fencer1960]

I speak from experience when I say... Don't wait until the night before the tournament to deal with these little problems.

Foil 1: Super glue will work. Find some way to keep a bend in the blade, this will help reseat the wire in the groove. I set the tang on the floor and tuck the tip beneath the overhang of a table. Apply super glue. Don't stick your fingers to the blade. Let dry, hope for the best.

Foil 2: This sounds like a rewire job to me. Maybe somebody else can offer an easier solution.

Foil 3: You don't say what type of point you have, but the German variety can get dented barrels. So can the others, I suppose, but German points are kind of notorious for this. A severely dented barrel could cause the tip to stick down. If that's the cause, pitch the bad barrel and rewire the blade with a good barrel.

Also, if this blade was wired by someone of limited experience they may have accidently allowed glue to enter the barrel, gluing the tip down. If you suspect this to be the case, immerse the point in acetone for awhile. That will dissolve the glue and allow you to disassemble the point. Remove the screws. Carefully pull the tip from the barrel. If it was glued, clean the crap out of everything with acetone. Reassemble and test. This isn't a sure thing by any means, you may still have to rewire the blade.

Did I mention not waiting till the last minute to check your equipment?

Good Luck

[catwood1]

Foil 1, I am not familiar with plastic cement, so I can't say for sure, but it would probably work and hold for a few days. Something with a lower viscosity will be better though.

Foil 2, I am not an armorer, and im not familiar with that particular problem. Sorry.

Foil 3, Almost definitely this is because your barrel is dented. You should take the screws out first (obviously) then just try and get the tip out with pliers and some brute force. You can also try thwacking it against the ground, sometimes the force of the impact will dislodge it. After that, you need to reem (sp?) out the barrel. If you have an electric drill with a bit designed specifically for reeming, just go up and down inside of the barrel a few times, but try and be careful not to hit the contact at the bottom.

Again, Im not an armorer, so this is just from my experience. I hope this helps.

[SJCFU#2]

1. Many glues will work, however cyanoacrylate (crazy glue) is probably your best bet for a quick fix. Flexing the blade will help to pull the wire down into the groove while gluing.

2. There is a short somewhere in there. Most likely you will end up rewiring the blade, however before going that far you may want to try looking at the socket (make sure the wire isn't so long that it is shorting against the bracket), loosening the grip (the wire may be pinched between the grip and the socket), and disassemble the point (it is not unheard of for a spring to be bent badly enough to short against the barrel).

3. Probably a dented barrel. Can the tip move at all or can you simply not remove it from the barrel? You can try yanking the tip out, then using a mandrel to push the dent out or a reamer to cut away at the inside of the barrel. However in the end you may need to replace the barrel.

And as fencer1960 said, don't leave these things for the last minute.

[Cookeit]

Thanks guys you have been pretty helpful.

I glued Foil 1, and it should be fine.

To SJCFU#2, that tip can still rotate perfectly fine, but it can't move out.
Tomorrow when I go to my club I can get one of those tiny screwdrivers and try to pop it out.

[Purple Fencer]

Originally Posted by Cookeit

Okay I am kind of in a bind (pun!), there is a tournament on Sunday and I really need to fix these.

Foil 1:
The wire has started coming out in the middle of the blade. I know I need to glue it, would "plastic cement" work? Or should I go buy some super glue?

Ogthers beat me to the superglue option...make sure you push the wire all the way in first!

Foil 2:
When I plug the foil in, the offtarget goes off. But when I depress the tip no lights register.

This is NOT a short...a short in foil means the circuit is closed, but will not open properly. What YOU have is a break in the circuit somewhere...check the wire connection to teh socket..it may be a wire berak at that point, which is a simple reattachment. If it;s a break anywhere else (under the barrel, under the nose of teh grip, within the groove) then it IS a rewire.

Also, take out the tip and sand off both ends pf the spring, then reinsert it to see if you can close the circuit...sometimes you get corrosion built up on the ends fo the springs and it blocks the circuit.

Foil 3:
The tip is stuck in and won't come out... Do I just use brute force to pull it out?

Barrel is dented...once you get the tip out you need to either gat a mandrel and pound the barrel back unto round, or a reamer to cut off the iinterior projection. if you decide to rewire, buy the "extra" foil barrel from FWF (I sell them). They're exactly like the normal German barrels, save that the walls are thicker....so they resist denting better AND they protect the screwheads better.

[Cookeit]

If there is a wire break at the socket, can I simply tie the exposed wires together?

or would I need to somehow insulate it.

[Purple Fencer]

Originally Posted by Cookeit

If there is a wire break at the socket, can I simply tie the exposed wires together?

or would I need to somehow insulate it.

If you have sufficient remaining wire, all you have to do is cut away a little of the spaghetti tubing, strip the wire itself (use emery cloth or fine grit sandpaper to get rid of the outer wrap, then tale a lighter and briefly run the bare wire through the flame to get rid of the inner clear insulating layer...the run the sandpaper over the bare wire again to get rid of any residue and yer done) and reconnect it to the socket, making sure that the spaghetti goes all the way to the socket.

[JMcC]

Originally Posted by Cookeit

I know I need to glue it, would "plastic cement" work?

Glues for plastic usually dry rigid and are brittle and work best for like-to-like surfaces; OK for rigid surfaces that will remain rigid - like plastic model airplanes, not OK for blades that must flex. Use the super glue.

[SJCFU#2]

Originally Posted by Purple Fencer

This is NOT a short...a short in foil means the circuit is closed, but will not open properly. What YOU have is a break in the circuit somewhere...check the wire connection to teh socket..it may be a wire berak at that point, which is a simple reattachment. If it;s a break anywhere else (under the barrel, under the nose of teh grip, within the groove) then it IS a rewire.

PF is right - it sounds more like a break (that's what I get for posting late at night while on the road

[Cookeit]

Huzzah.. I fixed the foil that needed to be glued, but then it snapped in half..

Horray for Paul Etoile..

[Purple Fencer]

Originally Posted by Cookeit

Huzzah.. I fixed the foil that needed to be glued, but then it snapped in half..

Horray for Paul Etoile..

Heh....that happens all the time....I rewire a blade...owner brings it back 10 minutes later after snapping it in the first post-repair bout...I cry "I just FIXED that!"

[brtech]

Wait a minute Purple; it IS a short.

Foil is Normally closed, B-C. If you plug the weapon in and the white light goes off, there is a B-C connection. If you depress the tip and get no light, then the B-C connection is being made somewhere else besides the tip, that is, a short.

The diagnostic is to take the tip out and see if the white light comes on. If you can get a white light with the tip out, there is something wrong at the tip (could be the tip, could be the spring. Clean the barrel (Q-tip and alcohol) while the tip is out. If you still have a short with the tip out, take the handle off and look at the spaghetti covering the wire from the end of the channel to the socket. It should be intact. It can be a bit crushed, but it should have no breaks and insulate all the way to the end of the groove and a little beyond. If the spaghetti looks good, and you still have a short with the tip out and the handle off (the bracket has to be touching the blade), remove the wire off the socket. If you STILL have a short, hit your head with your open palm, say "doh" and check your body cord, although there is a thread from fencerbill about a really tiny piece of wire causing a short in the socket. That happens, but it's very unlikely.

Your stuck tip could be a deformed barrel, but it can also be a really dirty tip.
Take the tip and spring out and clean the barrel and the tip. Try and put the tip into the barrel without the spring. It should slide in and out easily. If it doesn't, the barrel is deformed. You need the mandrel. An armorer has one and can show you how to use it.

Did I mention checking your weapons way before the tournament.

[Purple Fencer]

Originally Posted by brtech

Wait a minute Purple; it IS a short.

Well, technically you;re correct....but those who do not do armory tend to use teh term "short" to describe ANY fault in the system!

[Meteoric Iron]

I don't know if this belongs as the next step in the thread, but I am just beginning to understand the importance of caring for my foils and epees myself, and am collecting the tools to embark on the process. I have the shims, weights, one tip with wire, screwdrivers, screws, a LP test box for both weapons, and a magnetic box to keep them all in. I need springs, glue, wire cutters and tape next, right? If there is a previous thread in the archives that tells you how to build up the necessary items, or compares the glues, for example, can someone direct me? Or just advise me. Thank you !

[Cookeit]

The leon paul site has recommendations for what you should have in your armory kit.

[KD5MDK]

Originally Posted by Purple Fencer

Heh....that happens all the time....I rewire a blade...owner brings it back 10 minutes later after snapping it in the first post-repair bout...I cry "I just FIXED that!"

No. You fixed the wire. You didn't fix the blade.

[KD5MDK]

Originally Posted by Meteoric Iron

I don't know if this belongs as the next step in the thread, but I am just beginning to understand the importance of caring for my foils and epees myself, and am collecting the tools to embark on the process. I have the shims, weights, one tip with wire, screwdrivers, screws, a LP test box for both weapons, and a magnetic box to keep them all in. I need springs, glue, wire cutters and tape next, right? If there is a previous thread in the archives that tells you how to build up the necessary items, or compares the glues, for example, can someone direct me? Or just advise me. Thank you !

Try this thread, right at the top of the forum:
FAQ: Toolkit for Equipment Repair

[Purple Fencer]

Originally Posted by KD5MDK

No. You fixed the wire. You didn't fix the blade.

C'mon, man...work with me here!!!