The tip on my foil is sticking

[off-target]

Hi,

The tip on my foil is sticking so when its pressed I usually have to twist or pull the tip back out. Any guess at what the problem is? I just got the blade rewired 2 weeks ago or so.

Thanks.

[twisterfencing]

Off target,

Without looking at it, it sounds like a bent/dented barrel.

When you press it down, it stays down? You have to twist it, pull it to pop back up?

If this (above) sound familiar, your perrying with your barrel and now have a dent in it.

Not to worry, can be fixed.

You will need a mandrel for your barrel - either German of French - here size really does matter! Hope its German: more mandrels out there to make the repair. See pic: http://www.thefencingpost.com/Pictur...Tools/AC28.JPG I only used this pic because its a good picture of the tool.

Take the tip & spring out of the barrel, tap the mandrel into the barrel. Using a hard surface, lay the barrel flat and tap the dent out with the mandrel in the barrel. Note: don't hit the barrel where the screws go into the holes. It will fold the threads and make it where you cannot get the screws back in once your done.

Second way of doing this: Take it to your local armorer and tell them it needs to be fixed and pay them to do so This repair really is about a level 3 on the complicated scale. More experienced armorers will already have this tool to make this repair and have a feel for it.

Hope this helps,

Gary Spruill

Hi,

The tip on my foil is sticking so when its pressed I usually have to twist or pull the tip back out. Any guess at what the problem is? I just got the blade rewired 2 weeks ago or so.

Thanks.

[off-target]

Awesome. Thanks. I think I'll try the repair myself.

Another quick question:
I have another blade where when it gets beat in the center of the blade, it goes off-target. It only goes off once and then the lamp turns off and only when it is hit in the middle of the blade. Also, once in a while it just goes repeatedly off target and doesn't stop. The barrel was loose before and I tightened it, but the problem still persists and may have worsened but I'm not sure. Should I just get it rewired?

[Chuck F.]

Another quick question:
I have another blade where when it gets beat in the center of the blade, it goes off-target. It only goes off once and then the lamp turns off and only when it is hit in the middle of the blade. Also, once in a while it just goes repeatedly off target and doesn't stop. The barrel was loose before and I tightened it, but the problem still persists and may have worsened but I'm not sure. Should I just get it rewired?

You are describing an intermittent (occasional) break in the circuit. This can occur in many places. It may not need a re-wire.

The most common thing that I see is a loose barrel, but you said you already tightened it. Of course, it may have come loose again, but let's assume that the problem is elsewhere.

In a foil, really, if almost anything is loose it could cause this problem. Tighten your grip, tighten the jacks in the socket, etc.

Sometimes the problem is the poor fit of the bodycord in the socket. If you have a cheap or old bodycord, it may not fit snuggly into the weapon. This may even happen when you just use gear from two different manufacturers! There may be nothing inherently wrong with either, they just "don't work well together." Try a different bodycord.

Some bodycords have pins with little "baskets" on them, and they get flattened over time, causing a poor fit in the foil. If you have them, try to open them up with a jewelers' screwdriver to make them bigger. If you have no other choice, you can also bend the pins on the plug slightly to cause a tighter fit, but be gentle.

Of course, the bodycord itself may have a break in it somewhere that only causes a problem when flexed or stretched, but I assume you thought of that.

Lastly, if none of this helps, look for a break in the blade wire itself. Try flexing the blade while it is plugged in to see if the white light goes on and off. Sometimes, you can see the break easily, especially if it is popping up from the groove. Look under the tape, too. Unfortunately, if there is a break in the blade wire, you will probably have to re-wire it.

Good luck!

[twisterfencing]

off target;

Everything above Chuck F says above is 100% correct (good job Chuck).

Note: when you start getting an off target/going off phantom/break in the line/white light wierdo/ghost light, most likely you have a break in the wire somewhere. I would guess,,,,,,most likely that your wire has broken at the solder point of the brass contact in/under the tip. Your wire will just lay up againt the contact (not soldered) until you hit it. The shock will temp make a break and set off a white light. Loose barrels will cause this. Once a barrel is lossened, it streches the wire at the contact and most times are fine, yet sometimes, will break. Once tightened back down, they just set on the contact until they are used. This is where you discover the problem and the hunt for the 1000 possible issues it can be.

When this happens, as an armorer, I pop out the wire, clean out the tip, and start over. I have a 100% re-wired blade with 100% no issues.

Everything above comes down to one thing; rewire it!

Hope this helps


Gary Spruill

Awesome. Thanks. I think I'll try the repair myself.

Another quick question:
I have another blade where when it gets beat in the center of the blade, it goes off-target. It only goes off once and then the lamp turns off and only when it is hit in the middle of the blade. Also, once in a while it just goes repeatedly off target and doesn't stop. The barrel was loose before and I tightened it, but the problem still persists and may have worsened but I'm not sure. Should I just get it rewired?

[Chuck F.]

Everything above Chuck F says above is 100% correct (good job Chuck).

Thanks, Gary. (I just got my Level 2 this summer. Hooray!)

[twisterfencing]

Spoke with Rocky and Dan yesterday, they told me it was a great time for them.

Hope you guys gave sponge bob a hard time.

Gary Spruill

Thanks, Gary. (I just got my Level 2 this summer. Hooray!)

[Josh_Swenson]

Hi,

The tip on my foil is sticking so when its pressed I usually have to twist or pull the tip back out. Any guess at what the problem is? I just got the blade rewired 2 weeks ago or so.

Thanks.

either your point is very vrry dirty, or your stip is broken, or seperated from its insolation, because of that it will expand and grind. take the screws out and clean your tip. if that doesnt help, replace the tip. if that doesnt help your barrel might not be completly round.

[Warrior Princess]

Also make sure that your tip tape isn't gumming it up.

[wbowman]

One other place to check, in addition to all the above, is for corrosion in the body-cord plug holes. Probably the least likely if you use the weapons reasonably often, but a place to look if all the other possible trouble spots check out. Try rolling up a little bit of emery cloth and running it into the holes.

[Warrior Princess]

One other place to check, in addition to all the above, is for corrosion in the body-cord plug holes. Probably the least likely if you use the weapons reasonably often, but a place to look if all the other possible trouble spots check out. Try rolling up a little bit of emery cloth and running it into the holes.

He said his point was sticking.

[SJCFU#2]

He said his point was sticking.

The OP may have said that in post #1, but he asked a separate question in post #3. I suspect wbowman's posting was in response to this second question (since it was one of the few possibilities that Chuck F didn't mention in his his initial response (post #4).