Stripped Tip

[mrginch]

One of my foils failed weight test so i tried replacing the spring. I stripped the screw now its been in my closet collecting dust and no ones I've asked has known what to do. Any advice?

thanks in advance

[Purple Fencer]

One of my foils failed weight test so i tried replacing the spring. I stripped the screw now its been in my closet collecting dust and no ones I've asked has known what to do. Any advice?

thanks in advance

Stripped??? German or French tip? (if not sure, give a detailed description, especially of the screws and any markings on the barrel or tip)

If you mean the screw's smashed down and you can't get a screwdriver on it....the steel's soft enough to recut the slot with a razor blade...then you just back the screw out and toss it.

[Mergs]

Failing Purple's advice, the screw can be drilled out. You need some pretty small ones, though. #55, #56 and #57. File the top of the screw flat. Mark the center of the screw with a nail or center punch (this keeps the drill bit from 'walking' (or if you have a center drill that is wee-tinsey, use that). Then start with the #57 drill, drill through the screw, being careful not to drill into the post (is fairly easy to know when you are through the screw; just go slow). Then try to back out the screw; if that does'nt work, use the #56 drill. If that doesn't work, the #55 will probably leave you with just the thread material in the grooves, and you can pick those out with a dental pick.

Failing that, just rip the tip off the blade and reqire it with a new tip.

Lots of info on how to do that around.

Good luck.

[mrginch]

Stripped??? German or French tip? (if not sure, give a detailed description, especially of the screws and any markings on the barrel or tip)

If you mean the screw's smashed down and you can't get a screwdriver on it....the steel's soft enough to recut the slot with a razor blade...then you just back the screw out and toss it.

its a french tip.

[Purple Fencer]

its a french tip.

Clarify again....a real french or a german that looks like a french? THOSE are the ones where I've had the screw spin but it doesn't come out. Are there any markings at all on the tip or barrel?

If you've seen the tip out....what color was the collar? If brass, it's a real french....if silver, it's a German with a french retaining setup.

[mrginch]

Clarify again....a real french or a german that looks like a french? THOSE are the ones where I've had the screw spin but it doesn't come out. Are there any markings at all on the tip or barrel?

If you've seen the tip out....what color was the collar? If brass, it's a real french....if silver, it's a German with a french retaining setup.

I think it was a real french, it had a brass collar

[Purple Fencer]

I think it was a real french, it had a brass collar

Ok....replace the tip itself and see if that solves the problem....if you can drill the screw out like Mergs suggested.

[brtech]

Before you do anything else, take the tip out and see if the screw goes in, and stops with the tip out of the barrel. If it keeps spinning, the threading in the tip is stripped, and you need a new tip. Make sure you replace with the same brand.

If the screw seats fine with the tip out of the barrel, but doesn't in the barrel, try loosening the tight one 1/2 turn and see if that let's you get the other screw to seat. If it doesn't, you probably have the wrong screws (brand issues again). It can be an out of round barrel, which you would notice if the tip doesn't slide in and out of the barrel easily with no spring and no screws.

[DangerMouse]

If it is a French tip, the barrel doesn't have threads. The collar of the tip is threaded, so the above advice won't work.

[brtech]

Please read the text again.

You test stripping of a french TIP by taking it out of the barrel and try to insert the screws IN THE TIP. If they spin in the tip, the tip's threading is stripped. If they go in tight without being in the barrel, then the threading in the tip is okay, and there is some other problem.

[mrginch]

thanks for all the help. i fixed the problem by drilling through the stripped screw using your advice.

[Mergs]

Super! Glad to be of service!

[brtech]

Just a terminology lesson, sure to be ignored by the next thread, but a "stripped" screw has had something removed (it's threads), although in this case what is usually stripped is the threads on the collar. A stripped thread falls out, and doesn't need to be drilled out. You recognize a stripped thread by the fact that you can try to tighten it, but it just keeps turning.

We don't have a universal term for a screw that is stuck in place. Usually, it happens because the head of the screw gets deformed. Most commonly, I think we use the term "mashed", but there are other terms we use to denote a misshapen screw head where we can't remove the screw. The fix for a mashed screw is first try to create a new slot with a razor blade. I usually have the most success using the razor knife itself as the screw extractor: cut a slot and use the blade as the tool to try to get the screw to back out.

If that doesn't work, most of us rewire with a new tip. If you have the time, the drills and the patience, then drilling out the screw using Merg's technique is usually effective.

Note that once you get the screw out, you need to make sure the barrel is round, and the tip is not misshapen.