ultralight lame repair

[XanderHal]

I seem to have developed a small (1mmx1mm) snag in my LP ultralight foil lame. There is a thread end poking up and I'm worried it might catch and get larger. I've had the lame for 6 months, and it is otherwise in great condition.

Since the lame seems to be made of some sort of metal impregnated fabric, I was wondering if a dab of some sort of conductive epoxy on top of the snag might do the trick. I was originally thinking of silver epoxy used for computer cooling (i.e. http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_s...l_adhesive.htm), but it is thermally conductive and not electrically conductive.

Does anyone know of anything else (easily available) that might do the trick, or is this the wrong approach in general?

Thanks!

[erooMynohtnA]

I know it's not what you want to hear, but I wouldn't really worry about the snag. That sort of thing happens. If it does get worse, I'd recommend sewing a patch of lame material over it.

If you're really worried, you could always just do a quick couple of cross stitches with metallicized (?) thread over it. That should do the trick.

[fencerbill]

Don't wait. Find someone with a sewing machine and sew a little star over it to stabilize it. Sew right through the liner. Don't worry about conductive thread or anything. You would be astonished how much thread you can sew on a Lame before a tester or a weapon will be affected. If you fix it right now, the surface will be flat and won't catch a point. If you wait and have to put a patch on top it will be much worse.

[Alex_Paul]

If you want a small square of lame sent for free e mail alex (at) leonpaul.com with your address.

Alex

[XanderHal]

Thanks for the offer Alex. I will probably do as the others suggest and stitch over it.

I was wondering about conductive epoxy as a new method of repairing the "ultralight" type of lames, but I guess the tried and true method may be the easiest thing to do!

[Pescados666]

If you want a small square of lame sent for free e mail alex (at) leonpaul.com with your address.

Alex

Any chance I'd be able to get 200 or so of these and an old jacket?

[Alex_Paul]

We are about to start selling a conductive glure for repairing pistes and lames and it works quite well. Unfortunately it isn't cheap.

[telkanuru]

We are about to start selling a conductive glure for repairing pistes and lames and it works quite well. Unfortunately it isn't cheap.

You mean I won't have to spend years hitting conductive tape with a mallet? I'm sold.

[fencerbill]

Thanks for the offer Alex. I will probably do as the others suggest and stitch over it.

I was wondering about conductive epoxy as a new method of repairing the "ultralight" type of lames, but I guess the tried and true method may be the easiest thing to do!

Epoxy, that I know of, cures rigid or not much better than barely flexible. Doesn't sound good for a Lame.

Sounds much better for a strip.

To repeat previous advice from other threads, If you get a real hole, slide the patch behind the conductive layer and then sew through everything. That way you don't have edges to catch the point.

[DHCJr]

To repeat previous advice from other threads, If you get a real hole, slide the patch behind the conductive layer and then sew through everything. That way you don't have edges to catch the point.

Normally you give excellent advise. For example your comment on the epoxy being rigid, I didn't think about and I wish I did. That was great.

Placing the patch underneath does not get rid of an edge. In my opinion it makes a worse edge. You should still fold over edges so you can have the conductive sides together, but this way you fold over the lame and not the patch to achieve this. With an outside patch, if you hit it not at the center of the edge it has a place to slide off.

With the patch underneath and you hit the patch you have no place to slide off as you are in a depression. Also unless you do a good job, you might punch through that patch more easily.

It is like a mask or a guard. You never want a dent going in.

[KD5MDK]

You mean I won't have to spend years hitting conductive tape with a mallet? I'm sold.

You mean you haven't gone to sectional metal strips?

[fencerbill]

Normally you give excellent advise. For example your comment on the epoxy being rigid, I didn't think about and I wish I did. That was great.

Placing the patch underneath does not get rid of an edge. In my opinion it makes a worse edge. You should still fold over edges so you can have the conductive sides together, but this way you fold over the lame and not the patch to achieve this. With an outside patch, if you hit it not at the center of the edge it has a place to slide off.

With the patch underneath and you hit the patch you have no place to slide off as you are in a depression. Also unless you do a good job, you might punch through that patch more easily.

It is like a mask or a guard. You never want a dent going in.

Don, normally you give excellent advice because you are talking about something you have experience with. But here you have ventured into something that I have a great deal of experience with.

(Caveat: I have said before that I have little experience with some of the new materials that lightweight Lames are made from. Their properties may be much different compared to the copper, silver, nickel and stainless based Lame fabrics I have experience with.)

All Lame materials I have experience with are conductive throughout. You don't have to turn edges of patches over to have electrical connectivity to the rest of the garment. If you put a patch behind a hole in a garment and sew it properly, there will be no depressions or bumps or edges to stop a blade from sliding across. There is no dent going in.

For a top patch with folded edges there could be a bump that might change a non-scoring grazing action into a touch against.

With regard to Lame materials being conductive throughout, has anyone else seen Lames that have silvery sleeves (for Sabre) with a more whitish body? I don't remember who sold them. I finally took one apart. The material on both sleeves and body is identical, they just make the body with the side out that is the side in on the sleeves.

[yeoldearmourer]

Gee Bill I thought we have been doing it wrong all this time.

[telkanuru]

You mean you haven't gone to sectional metal strips?

There are still quite a few copper ones kicking around.

*My* club has the good kind

Not that we need them.

[DHCJr]

Bill, I stand corrected.

I was thinking you were discussing in general. This was titled, 'ultralight lame repair'.

Thank you for correcting me. You made it very clear.