Customizing your sword

[TangMan]

What sort of things can you do to customize your weapon? I've replaced the bell pad with one I made myself and given the guard a brushed finish. Is there anything else I can do to make this one feel more like "mine?"

[Jay Kominek]

What sort of things can you do to customize your weapon? I've replaced the bell pad with one I made myself and given the guard a brushed finish. Is there anything else I can do to make this one feel more like "mine?"

Write your name on the inside of the guard.

[seven6ty]

Rule number one, it's not a sword.

Craig has fuzzy pink PVC covers also. You can get a gold bell guard, and matching pimptastic gold blade too. I also like to cant my blade, and file the top of my grip to match. A grip, by default, is flat across the top, which makes it sit nicely if there is no cant in the blade. If canted for a right hander, it makes sense to file down the inside of the grip, so that it angles down and in more than if it weren't filed. Just a little detail, but I like it and it makes the blade mine.

[the ancient one]

Fence with it.

The dings dents and kinks that develop are your history and the record of your greatest triumphs and failures. The wear and tear are what make it personal, and you earn it over time.

All of the decorating you do won't mean a thing after a while.

I really hate to retire an old guard.

[erooMynohtnA]

What sort of things can you do to customize your weapon? I've replaced the bell pad with one I made myself and given the guard a brushed finish. Is there anything else I can do to make this one feel more like "mine?"

You could chase, etch, anodize, plate, blacken, and polish the guard; paint, powder coat, file, chrome, and polish the handle; or blue, parkerize, sand, file, polish, the blade.

I powder coat my grips white and blue my blades (though I would prefer them parkerized). I also use LP clear pads. And nobody else steal that, that's how I know which stuff is mine from across the room.

[RITFencing]

You could chase, etch, anodize, plate, blacken, and polish the guard; paint, powder coat, file, chrome, and polish the handle; or blue, parkerize, sand, file, polish, the blade.

I powder coat my grips white and blue my blades (though I would prefer them parkerized). I also use LP clear pads. And nobody else steal that, that's how I know which stuff is mine from across the room.

Don't forget the ground lights, hydraulics and rims. They spinnin!

[RITFencing]

Oh, and if you want your weapon to really look badass: Learn to fence really, really well. Then it will be the envy of everyone. Also, if the weapon breaks, a brand new one will look just as awesome with very little extra work.

[Katman]

I have fruity bell pads. Otherwise, I just cant it. That's the customization that matters to me.

[leftyboy]

I really hate to retire an old guard.

http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/napoleon.htm

This may help.

[TangMan]

I have fruity bell pads.

Haha, do you mean like rainbow, pink, and purple, or like ones with apples and oranges.

[lefty_monster]

Bellpads are the easiest to customize. Me, I like the clear bellpads because they're easy to work on and with the right color spaghetti it looks cool.

Write your name AND PHONE NUMBER inside the guard. Then, it will still be yours even if you leave it halfway across the country.

[erooMynohtnA]

Bellpads are the easiest to customize. Me, I like the clear bellpads because they're easy to work on and with the right color spaghetti it looks cool.

Write your name AND PHONE NUMBER inside the guard. Then, it will still be yours even if you leave it halfway across the country.

Or engrave your name and phone number on the guard, so I at least have to spend money on a new guard or sand it off once I find it.

[lefty_monster]

Of course, then we'll have guys coming over to the women's events and messing around with our weapons, writing down our names/numbers....

I guess I should add "I have free night/weekend minutes" inside my guard.

[RkfdFencer]

Well, you could go with your club's phone number if you really were to go to that length.

But, let's get back to things of little practicality, like glow in the dark blades. No, wait, there was a tournament for that somewhere...

[Phaeton]

Don't forget the ground lights, hydraulics and rims. They spinnin!

I finally thought of a way to make fencing more television friendly. The FIE should start a show called "Pimp my Blade".

[RITFencing]

I finally thought of a way to make fencing more television friendly. The FIE should start a show called "Pimp my Blade".

Be careful what you joke about... you really never know what's next...

[TangMan]

Well, you could go with your club's phone number if you really were to go to that length.

But, let's get back to things of little practicality, like glow in the dark blades. No, wait, there was a tournament for that somewhere...

Whoa, wait... are you serious? How cool would that be?

Ah well, I'm off to customize my foil after the suggestions of the ancient one and RITFencing.

[Redblade]

Have you considered running Christmas lights down the length of your blade?

Here's a fairly easy modification: Take the chip out of a musical greeting card and glue/tape it to your weapon grip so that you can easily trigger it immediately after a successful touch. Viola! Instant theme music!

[tchwojko]

Some of you all just have way too much time on your hands. You know who you are.

[RITFencing]

Whoa, wait... are you serious? How cool would that be?

Ah well, I'm off to customize my foil after the suggestions of the ancient one and RITFencing.

Now I'm really worried about which of my suggestions you're going to follow.

And yes, there was a tournament with EL (Electroluminescent) strips on the epees. I fence it this past year. It was a lot of fun, but held outdoors and late. I may go again next year if I'm in the area for it.