I just got my foil in the mail today but I don't have a bag for it or anything and I feel like of strange carrying it around campus unsheathed. I don't have money to spend on a nice bag right now so I was wondering if anyone else was in my situation and if so, what do you use to cover your blade?
Get some PVC tubing and elastic cord. Tie a loop in the cord so that it will fit around the handle of the weapon (or put a slide knot in it if you have a pistol grip) and drill a hole in the PVC to attatch the cord to. Then, take some putty (I prefer plumber's putty, which is realitively cheap) and plug the hole at the bottom of the tubing. The last step isn't necessary, but it helps.
If you want to cover the handle, I would just use a sock or golf club cover.
When you do get a bag, this will help to keep your blade dry (since your gear should get sweaty) and provide rigid support to protect the blade.
Get some PVC tubing and elastic cord. Tie a loop in the cord so that it will fit around the handle of the weapon (or put a slide knot in it if you have a pistol grip) and drill a hole in the PVC to attatch the cord to. Then, take some putty (I prefer plumber's putty, which is realitively cheap) and plug the hole at the bottom of the tubing. The last step isn't necessary, but it helps.
If you want to cover the handle, I would just use a sock or golf club cover.
When you do get a bag, this will help to keep your blade dry (since your gear should get sweaty) and provide rigid support to protect the blade.
Awesome! I was thinking that PVC would be the best choice. I think that i'll just keep the handle uncovered so I can look like a bad ass.
Instead of plumber's putty which is pretty messy, glue an end cap onto the PVC using PVC cement. You can do it all in an hour or less, and it is very cheap and durable.
For my darling daughter who doesn't fence any more, I build her the PVC scabbard above, and then spray painted it green. Then while the paint was still tacky we sprinkled it with (simulated) gold flake stuff. It looked really cool, clashed perfectly with her red hair and lame, and was a fun project. At least she liked it, and I was pleased.
She wouldn't let me put the sparkly handle bar tassles on it though, neither would she let me do that with her new bike. Sigh. I guess at 18 she is a big girl.
Here is my Plumber's Delight. Proximity to Vancouver can be judged by the eyebrow elevation (inversely proportional to the square of the distance) it causes in the clubs I visit.
Here is my Plumber's Delight. Proximity to Vancouver can be judged by the eyebrow elevation (inversely proportional to the square of the distance) it causes in the clubs I visit.
Wow. I'm not sure what to say about that. It looks extremely functional though.
I went to the hardware store looking for PVC in the appropriate size, but when the store didn't have it, I explored other options. What i ended up with was automotive heater hose. It is black, rubber, and when I slide it up to the forte', the inside diameter is tight enough that it fits snugly without any straps or bungees. It was also cheap and easy to cut. As it turns out, I prefer them to the PVC. When I am at a tournament, I can stick them inside my ordinary-sized duffel bag since they are flexible. They provide all the necessary protection, plus I can leave one on while I warm up or do bladework exercises with one of the weapons, making it heavier - sort of like the weights batters put on their bats in baseball.
Sir Alasdair aka Kirk
Fun? fencing in a kilt.
Why Vniti? Because 2 sternums are better than 1.
Also: PVC can get brittle and break in cold weather; that includes the baggage compartments on commercial airliners, too.
I have used PVC to protect my Sabre and Epee blades for at least 15 years with a minimum of 4 airplane flights to tournaments yearly and have never had any problem with PVC breaking. That adds up to about 500 PVC tube flights in airplanes.
I went to the hardware store looking for PVC in the appropriate size, but when the store didn't have it, I explored other options. What i ended up with was automotive heater hose. It is black, rubber, and when I slide it up to the forte', the inside diameter is tight enough that it fits snugly without any straps or bungees. It was also cheap and easy to cut. As it turns out, I prefer them to the PVC. When I am at a tournament, I can stick them inside my ordinary-sized duffel bag since they are flexible. They provide all the necessary protection, plus I can leave one on while I warm up or do bladework exercises with one of the weapons, making it heavier - sort of like the weights batters put on their bats in baseball.
After a while, won't the rubber start to rub off as dust, potentially getting the tip dirty?
I have a few PVC pipe covers for my foils... One of them I've 'customised'. I put stripes of tape on parts of it, like yours, colored other parts, slapped some stickers on...voila. Instant spiffy!
(My favorite thing on it, though, is the part that says swords + nuts = fencing)
Originally Posted by InFerrumVeritas 
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