Buying canted epees

[freerider258]

hey,
is there anywhere that sells canted epees, like an online vendor, or would i have to order it through my club, or have someone actually do the canting for me.

thanks

[Zilverzmurfen]

Why not do the setting yourself, so you get the correct set for your hand directly? If you really don't want to do it by yourself I'm sure almost any vendor would help you do this if you asked them to.

Make sure they understand what 'handedness' you are so you don't end up with a rightie canted weapon if you're a leftie...and vice versa.

[Fechter1]

Originally Posted by freerider258

hey,
is there anywhere that sells canted epees, like an online vendor, or would i have to order it through my club, or have someone actually do the canting for me.

thanks

I think that most vendors will accomodate you if you request the blades to be canted (either righty or leftie, make sure you specify that). I know that at least TCA does, as I've ordered from them before.
However, I will second ZZ's suggestion that you're better off building your own canting rig and doing it yourself. It's actually really easy. You just need a vise (or another method of fixing the blade in place) and a means to bend. Personally, I use a thin pipe, about 18 inches long for good leverage. At some point in the future (when I'm ready for training again), I might just fix a laser pointer to the end of the pipe so that I can more easily duplicate precise setups...

[Beloit Fencer of Old]

Originally Posted by Fechter1

*snip* At some point in the future (when I'm ready for training again), I might just fix a laser pointer to the end of the pipe so that I can more easily duplicate precise setups...

I keep one of my broken blades nearby and simply compare the old blade's cant with the new one I'm doing. In some cases, however, I've found blades which were virtually impossible to cant (Absolute FIE). I don't know if it was simply the batch, or if they will all be that way. One of these blades actually snapped at the shoulder long before I could get any cant into it.

[Fechter1]

Originally Posted by Beloit Fencer of Old

I keep one of my broken blades nearby and simply compare the old blade's cant with the new one I'm doing. In some cases, however, I've found blades which were virtually impossible to cant (Absolute FIE). I don't know if it was simply the batch, or if they will all be that way. One of these blades actually snapped at the shoulder long before I could get any cant into it.

Oh, I keep the old blade around as well, but I've found that you don't get enough precision replication of the angle just by a visual comparison. Thus, I'm thinking of adding a certain standardization.
And nif you're having porblems canting blades, try the long pipe method (works best if the pipe diameter just barely fits around the tang). And remember to take it slooooow and smooth.