Foil keeps grounding for no reason??

[yearsofwisdom]

Well, my foil has been grounding out and i rewired it yesterday. It was a perfect rewire and i don't think i messed anything up. After a bout, it started to ground out again, then work, and then finally ground out again. What could be the problem??

[DangerMouse]

What do you mean by "ground out"? Foils are a normally closed circuit.

[touchefriend]

If by "grounding out" you mean white light comes on when you move your hand or hit something, try a new tip. A tip can be damaged in such a way as to cause intermittent "ground" or "shorts" Otherwise its likely the wire is "bare" and touching metal or the body cord should be examined closely.

[yearsofwisdom]

grounding out = no light at all.

[oiuyt]

Define "perfect".

-B

[yearsofwisdom]

no tangles, no exposed wire, set in perfectly, contact set, perfect barrel, spring,tightened barrel. unless it was just a faulty wire but im trying to see if you guys have another solution than a rewire...again...

[Purple Fencer]

no tangles, no exposed wire, set in perfectly, contact set, perfect barrel, spring,tightened barrel. unless it was just a faulty wire but im trying to see if you guys have another solution than a rewire...again...

Did the wire go in smoothly, or did it kinda drag along the tip when pulling it through the barrel?

Did the barrel get loose at any time and get tightened?

Are you sure nothing's caught under the nose of the grip?

No extra wire hanging off the socket to ground to the guard or socket bracket?

[yearsofwisdom]

positive. best rewire i have ever done. extremely smooth, dint have to retighten one bit. no extra wire either.

[touchefriend]

No light at all means a complete break somewhere in the circuit. And this can be in the tip itself or the wire is broken just underneath the cup inside the barrell. I assume you tested the foil using an ohm meter and found no continuity between the contact inside the cup and the socket end of the wire? You can tap the foil point down on a hard surface to see if the cup falls out or gently move the contact with a small scribe to see if it moves too much and then fall out. I have had the same problem and either the tip is bad or there is a break in the wire ,either directly under the cup contact or somwhere you have not found yet.

[SJCFU#2]

No light at all means a complete break somewhere in the circuit.

Perhaps in epee but not in foil.

Foil uses a normally closed circuit where any break in the circuit will cause a light (usually white) so a complete break would mean a continuous white light (just like when you unplug from the reel). If there are no lights in foil it means there's a short somewhere in there which is allowing current to bypass the normally-closed switch in the tip.

The trick is to isolate the short. Start off by making sure you are using a good body cord and connecting it directly to your test box (or scoring machine, or multimeter). Then try removing the tip - if this breaks the short then try replacing the tip. If you still have a short, try removing the pommel and grip - if you are still seeing a short while holding the metal bracket of the guard socket in contact with the blade then it's probably not a pinched wire. If you still see a short even when the guard socket isn't in contact with the blade (or the guard, or any thing else) then the problem is probably somewhere in the guard socket. If you still have a short, then disconnect the wire from the socket and remove the guard. Hold your test leads in contact with the bare end of the wire and the blade - if you're still getting a short then it seems like your rewire job wasn't so perfect as you thought (don't be discouraged - I'm told that rewiring gets easier after the first thousand blades or so).

[Purple Fencer]

(don't be discouraged - I'm told that rewiring gets easier after the first thousand blades or so).

That's exactly what Matt at American told me in 01...I've found that, yes you get faster after wiring a crapload of blades because you get the routine down....but you also have the risk of complacency for the same reason.

[InFerrumVeritas]

Are you sure the box's turned on? :-p

[ejemyr]

... best rewire i have ever done...

And still, it does not work?

[Purple Fencer]

And still, it does not work?

HIS best rewire doesn't mean it was a good one (memories of my own first few attempts...*shudder*)

[yearsofwisdom]

well my armorer/coach was overseeing it.no wire pops, perfectly set, no tangles, smooth as ice.

[Fencergrl]

Then perhaps your armourer can help you isolate what part of your perfect re-wire is less than perfect?

[keith]

well my armorer/coach was overseeing it.no wire pops, perfectly set, no tangles, smooth as ice.

So it a vague attempt to help.

Was the wire lacquered or a LP thread only?

If the tip & spring are removed do you get a circuit break?

Did you use a point setter to seat the cup in the barrel?

Did you fully seat the cup in the barrel and then tighten on the barrel?

[yearsofwisdom]

well, it could be the wire that may have had a partial break in it before. and it was just german foil wire. and i have not tested those yet. but i did use a german point setter to seat the cup in the barrel and it was fully seated and then tightened the barrel.

[keith]

.........and it was fully seated and then tightened the barrel.

I think we have an explanation.

... or you didn't properly strip the lacquer off the wire before connecting it to the body cord socket.

[yearsofwisdom]

mmm really?? i thought you seat it tape the bottom of the wire to the tang. then tighten? or did i assemble the tip first? i doubt that though because that could cause the wire to break and i would get a yellow light instead.