Tang threads

[mmatsen]

I was recently elected armorer of my university fencing club, despite almost no experience armoring.

Of course, I ran unopposed, and I'm beginning to understand why...

The club seems to have handfuls of pommel nuts which fit either half of our blades, or none at all. I gather that there are two standards for threads (12/24 and 6mm), which seems to suggest to me that they aren't exactly, well, standard.

I need to place a fairly substantial equipment order in the near future, and am confused which one to go with, and for that matter which equipment suppliers use which threads. Most don't specify, but the ones that do use the supposedly European 6mm measure... argh.

Can anyone help me out here?

Incidentally, sorry for the relative dullness of this topic. I promise to start a flicking flame war sometime to make up for it.

[edew]

Virtually everyone now has standardized to the 6x1 threading. Most vendors get their blades from europe, which obviously use the 6x1 metric threading. It's a lot easier for them to sell 6x1 pommels than to go through the trouble of re-threading blades. They'll do it, but it's a pain for them.

So standardize on the 6x1.

Another issue is that 6x1 is thicker than the 12x24. It's less likely to break. And, since it's not rethreaded, it's again less likely to break. You'd hate to break the tang and half of it in your pommel.

[neevel]

On top of Eric's correct advice, go buy a 6mmx1 tap (& tap holder, if you don't have one). You can then use it to bore out the 12x24 pommel nuts you have to 6mmx1. You might keep a few 12x24 nuts around in case a few blades with that thread wind up in your possession.

-Dave Neevel

[MikeHarm]

Speaking of breaking the tang in your pommel, I had that happen with one of those 'fleche' blades that blade had on sale last week, went pretty quick. I guess I should know enough to be wary whenever theres a really good deal on blades by now though. :-)

Mike