Strange LP Epee-Tip Grounding Issue.

[eyefence]

I recently got an FIE Leon Paul Epee blade, which I believe has the better PTFE coated LP tip. Today.. many problems.

I plug into a strip and the tip won't go off. Test with multimeter and little test box, works good. Try again on strip, fails. Remove tip, looks fine. Put it back together and get on strip, works. Tighten screws down, fails.

So I put the multimeter in the socket--this time 1 ground 1 wired. No circuit, but depress the tip and there's a good circuit--NO resistance. It seems that one of my tip screws has made it through the plastic sleeve inside the LP tip and is causing it to ground.

I'd say I tighten my screws an average amount.. I wasn't really ripping on them or anything. Also, this is just the 2nd time I've removed the screws.

Has anyone else experienced this? Any fixes? Might LP replace this? The blade is stamped 02-06, was that a bad year for these tips?

Thanks,
Doug

[erooMynohtnA]

I would expect a free replacement tip, if that's really the problem.

[eyefence]

Update:

I've taken a closer look, and confirmed with a multimeter that the inside of the screw hole is conducting to the tip. So I took some plastic (the thick annoying kind that stores package stuff in), cut some tiny pieces, put them in the hole and torqued the screw down on them hard.

It's not grounding anymore. The plastic seems to stay in there very well.. it doesn't want to come out. As an added bonus, the screws feel like they'll stay in a lot better now that they're digging into that (comparably) soft plastic.

I'll update if I run into any issues.

[Alex_Paul]

Sometimes you can screw throough teh insulation and in to the tip and it sounds like that is what has happened. Idf you have further problems e mail sales (at) leonpaul.com and link to this thread and someone will help you.

Alex Paul

[Villadsen]

I just had that happen too, i figured it out after the tournament when i had 1 screw in and tested. Then tested with 2 and it grounded out. I put some loctite on to have the screw fall a bit short of the inner tip, but that plastic idea sounds like a good one. Gotta watch a fencers finger strength eh?