I have an epee to mount on one...I managed to get the curve of the tang right, so it slides on easily (no hammer needed!)...however, the blade now sits so the shoulder is rotated almost 45 degrees relative to the wire notch!. It's facing the correct way (right handed grip, wire groove is facing to the right), so that's not really an issue, and it squares up on a right handed fencer just fine, but I'm reluctant to continue the wiring process unless this is acceptable.
The tang is normal until it gets about halfway in....once the real curvature starts, the channel on the grip rotates the blade.
Is the fencer stuck with this? It had a standard French grip before.
I'll call the client and ask, but thought it best to ask here also.
I'm slightly confused as to what you are describing. Is the top of the grip not aligned with the top of the blade?
Honestly I've never been able to bend a tang so a reith grip will go on without a little... persuasion... but I pick out very specific ones.
That's exactly it...the top of the blade is rotated about 45 degrees clockwise relative to the top of teh grip.
This is the first time I've assembled a Reith grip...and the other 2 threads all dealt with getting the grip on in the first place...not the relative angle afterwards.
Check to make sure the squared out hole on the grip is square in relation to the grip. If it is, you have too much sideways bend in the tang and not enough downward bend so you have to rotate the grip to match the curve. If it's not square, then it's a manufacturing error.
...the blade now sits so the shoulder is rotated almost 45 degrees relative to the wire notch...
The tang is normal until it gets about halfway in....once the real curvature starts, the channel on the grip rotates the blade.
I can't quite picture what you are describing. Would it be possible to post a photo?
what is this "Coach Reith Grip" thing anyway? sounds bizarre!
I caught this morning morning’s minion, king-
dom of daylight’s dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding
Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding
High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing
In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing,
As a skate’s heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend: the hurl and gliding
Rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding
Stirred for a bird,—the achieve of; the mastery of the thing!
Sounds to me like the bend in the tang doesn't complement the hole running thru the grip, causing the grip to rotate when it's together. The holes in my Coach Reith grips, including the square part in the front, are pretty big and allow the blade tang to rotate a lot. I'd suggest trying to fix the bend in the tang and then reassemble.
You could also just put the blade in a vise, line things up and tighten down the pommel, but it will probably go back out of alignment with use.
(I have one weapon that did this, though it wasn't off a full 45 degrees.)
Sounds to me like the bend in the tang doesn't complement the hole running thru the grip, causing the grip to rotate when it's together. The holes in my Coach Reith grips, including the square part in the front, are pretty big and allow the blade tang to rotate a lot. I'd suggest trying to fix the bend in the tang and then reassemble.
You could also just put the blade in a vise, line things up and tighten down the pommel, but it will probably go back out of alignment with use.
(I have one weapon that did this, though it wasn't off a full 45 degrees.)
That sounds right...here are the pics
Left to right:
The front of the grip...note that the hole is NOT square.
The back of the grip
The tang viewed from directly above....it's straight, which based on your experience may be the problem.
The tang from the side, showing the curve
The tang with the grip...the end of the tang is where it starts to twist when it goes farther in....up until this point, the blade is oriented properly.
Last edited by Purple Fencer; 10-10-2009 at 03:33 AM.
Last pic (since I'd reached the max of 5)...the top of the grip should be aligned with the top of the blade, but you can see the angle here.
The blade will not twist around....one option would be to physically twist the tang, but I'd rather not do that if someone else can come up with a better solution.
Based on what I see in the pics, I'd recommend taking some of the downward bend out of the tang and adding a little sideward bend. Straightening it a bit may mean that you need to use a little "persuasion" to get the grip back on, but the straighter tang should no longer "force" the grip into the 45 degree rotation.
I usually just bend the tang down and sideward a little, slide the grip on as far as it wants to go, and then turn the grip clockwise and let the threads of the tang guide it down. Once the tang is sticking out of the back of the grip a little, I put on the pommel, line things up and then seat it all the way on by tightening the pommel down.
Or you can just use a hammer.
**Oh, and now that I've taken another look at your pics, I remember that the holes in my grips are round all the way thru, and not square in front.
Based on what I see in the pics, I'd recommend taking some of the downward bend out of the tang and adding a little sideward bend. Straightening it a bit may mean that you need to use a little "persuasion" to get the grip back on, but the straighter tang should no longer "force" the grip into the 45 degree rotation.
I usually just bend the tang down and sideward a little, slide the grip on as far as it wants to go, and then turn the grip clockwise and let the threads of the tang guide it down. Once the tang is sticking out of the back of the grip a little, I put on the pommel, line things up and then seat it all the way on by tightening the pommel down.
Or you can just use a hammer.
**Oh, and now that I've taken another look at your pics, I remember that the holes in my grips are round all the way thru, and not square in front.
Ditto. I thought it was 45 degrees off the other direction. You generally need about half to 2/3 the sideways bend as vertical.
A bent french grip covered in really nice rubber surgical tubing with an aluminum core. The only other companies who make anything close are schermasport and PbT, both of which have problems with the rubber covering. I've never seen a problem with the coating on the Coach Reith grips and I've been using them for 15 years.
Originally Posted by telkanuru 
