Lame' Paint and customization?

[Ambium]

I fence with a college team in San Francisco. Our school has recently approved a "school crest" for use with the athletics department. The other teammembers and I were intested in silkscreening or painting the crest on the backs of our Lame'(s).

What paint do you suggest for use with customizing your Lame'? It would have to be a paint or ink that didn't reduce the conductivity of the actual lame'. I think we could probably get away with the ink that is used to print names, though I am not sure about what type of ink that is.

Also, what are the rules regarding customization of lame's. Is it not prohibited, frowned upon, or just not common?

-Anthony

[Craig]

The FencingPost was doing this for some fencers at Nationals. You should give Saul a call.

Marx uses fabric paint for their stenciling. If you have someone good with airbrushing you could have them do it for you.

Craig

[fencerbill]

You can really use any kind of paint, some are just harder than others. A very experienced armorer I know uses Krylon.

Whether a paint is conductive is not the most important question. The most important question is whether the painted Lame will be conductive. Lame cloth is really a three dimensional structure, you want paint down in the structure but not on the top surface.

I worked at a Junior/Cadet worlds where the vendors were definitely not using conductive paint. Kind of sad to see the team managers standing around sanding paint off of the surface of the Lames. The best thing I have seen for getting the painted surface conductive is to rub it with a scrap of old copper strip.

The fencers on a college team really only have to worry about the rules of the college conference. I have seen numerous Penn State Lames with no one complaining.

No one should complain at local events. When you get to NACs you have to worry about the fencer's name, but that can be on the knickers.

You may have trouble at FIE World-level events but shouldn't before that.

[oiuyt]

From m.25:

Fencers’ clothing may be of different colors, apart from black.

Note: At USFA local, divisional, and sectional competitions, there are no restrictions on colors or decorations on uniforms, providing that the uniforms still comply with all other requirements.

From Appendix A:

2.1.3. MASKS THAT ARE COLORED OR DECORATED
WITH DRAWINGS
Masks may feature colored designs, on condition that they are approved by the FIE Executive Committee at least 30 days before being used for the first time in an official FIE competition.

USFA Note: Masks may feature colored designs on condition that they are approved on the sole and absolute discression of the Head Referee, and is unappealable at that event.

-B

[Piranha]

The FencingPost was doing this for some fencers at Nationals. You should give Saul a call.

Mike Aiau, who has ties with Saul at Fencing Post, is your man. He does great work and has Photoshop skills if you want assistance with your logo.

[brtech]

I think what they are using is either a direct ink jet or a dye transfer. It's not a stencil. As with the basic stenciling mechanism, the trick is to spread the paint thin enough. I suspect its actually individual drops with enough space between them that the conductivity works, but it looks like a solid color to the eye.