In article <f104bd22.0303070206.6f14478c@posting.google.com >,
yeoldearmourer@msn.com (Tim Loomis) writes:
>When testing lames which is better alalog or digit. Remenber when the
>rules was writeen only anlog meter was aviable. Therefore by using
>digit meter are you not changing the specs. What are your opion on
>this
I must confess that I am prejudiced towards analog meters because that is all
that I use.
Since I don't know much about digital meters I may not be giving them enough
credit.
With experience you begin to see a general pattern about how the different lame
materials age and deteriorate.
With copper, and I guess brass in some of the newer lames, the deterioration is
more of a bulk effect. Some of them more than others can get eaten up and
physically destroyed by sweat. This is usually accompanied by discoloration and
generally is irreversible failure. Sometimes the gradual deterioration can be
offset by washing with inclusion of a little ammonia. But then subsequent
deterioration is faster and the period between renewals by ammonia shortens
until they can no longer be revived.
With stainless lames, the deterioration is probably due to breakage of the
individual conductive threads. Thus you can often see isolated "lines" of
nonconduction or dead "spots" surrounded by deteriorated areas. I refer to the
dead spots as "the tip of the iceberg" of deterioration.
In general, washing does not improve stainless lames although I do wash mine
and I do include a little ammonia. Probably because of superstition and I don't
think it hurts them.
Allstar/Uhlmann lames often go bad exactly where there are folds. I think it is
due to the sharp bends of the folds. It is too bad because often the lining
shrinks, creating folds where a new lame was originally unwrinkled.
About turning lames inside out. It started with Foil lames and I endorse it.
But with Sabre lames, DON'T turn the sleeves inside out. If you want to turn
the lame inside out to help dry it, go ahead. but don't turn the sleeves inside
out, just leave them inside. I believe the unnecessary wrinkling of the lame
material contributes unneccesarily to deterioration.
Stainless Sabre lames often go bad in the armpit and elbow area associated with
wrinkling. They also go bad near the wrist of the weapon arm, probably because
of the overglove. Otherwise Sabre lame deterioration does not have a general
pattern because there is not so much of an obvious target area as there is in
Foil.
To get back to the original question of which meter to use.
With my analog meter I can examine long linear samplings of the lame rather
quickly. Good material shows in that the meter quickly and smoothly goes to a
uniform low value. The exact low value depends on the manufacturer, is usually
two ohms or less and with some is effectively zero.
Slightly deteriorated, but still useable, lames show up in that the meter
reading becomes a little jumpy. Then by denser, and slower, sampling, you can
sometimes find a dead line or spot which causes the lame to be rejected. If all
of the measurements are within the five ohm limit the lame can be passed but it
is showing it is on the downhill portion of its lifetime.
Stainless Foil lames seem to go bad soonest in the prime target area, the
weapon arm side stomach area. Patching small dead spots in this area will only
be effective for a short time, the iceberg grows out from under the patch.
I am not saying you cannot establish all of these patterns with a digital
meter. But I don't think you can do it as qiuickly.
I have had some initial success repairing lames with the conductive thread
available at:
http://members.shaw.ca/ubik/thread/thread.html
It looks like it is the thread from which Jeff Salmon's Infinity Sabre and Foil
lames are made. I use a Number 18 (very large) needle and use it on the top
side. I get around the threading problem by stretching it and putting some
super glue on. Then cut in the middle of the stiff section. You might call it
Viagra for conductive thread.
I use it to reconnect dead lines and spots in the armpit of my Allstar Sabre
lame. And I imagine it will do well for short term repairs on dead spots on
Foil lames.
I have also overstitched rather dead Foil lames in a rectangular pattern all
over the front for practice use. I would not pass them for competition. It
reconnects almost all of the dead spots. At least competitors stop complaining.
As you can see, I prefer analog meters.
Bill Hall
Linear Mode
