Basic Foil Armory

1. Basic Foil Armory Doug Bliss

2. YOUR handle tool 6 mm Allen wrench 8 mm thin wall socket BIG flat screwdriver Jeweler screwdrivers Ohm meter, analog Clip leads Needle nose pliers Miniature adjustable wrench (2) White cloth Wire cutters (small) Wire strippers Metric box wrenches Small vise File, flat Hacksaw Blade wire glue 750/500g test weight Spaghetti tubing Spare wire Spare point kit Wire removal tool of choice Armory Tools and Parts

3. Tip Screw Barrel Tip Wire Wire Cup Brass Collar Nylon Sleeve Spring Foil Tip Components Blade

4. Tip at Rest – Switch Closed Contact Area Contact Area

5. Tip Depressed – Switch Open No Contact No Contact

6. B C A B C Foil Body Cord Small Pin - Wire & Tip Large Pin -Blade & Bell Screw & Wire joint must be soldered

7. B Tip Off Target B-C open C Foil Circuits Wire & Tip B Tip At Rest B-C shorted Bell / Blade / Barrel C “Ground”

8. On Target Hit B-C open B-A (Opponent) shorted Wire & Tip B Opponent Lame Bell / Blade / Barrel C “Ground” A (Opponent) Mat B Tip On Mat B-C (foil) open B-C (mat) Shorted C C (Mat) Foil Circuits

9. Old machine – no touchNew – amber light C (Opponent Bell) Foil Circuits Bonus Question:What happens if your opponent touches his bell to his lame during your valid touch? Wire & Tip B Opponent Lame Bell / Blade / Barrel C “Ground” A (Opponent)

10. What Goes Wrong • It’s almost always the fencer equipment • Fencer equipment suffers the most abuse

11. *%!# Intermittent White Light! • Single biggest failure symptom. • Highest possible number of causes! • Before cursing your foil remember that • Foil is “self checking” … even a brief open circuit causes the scoring box to complain. • Epee is NOT self checking…you never really know if your weapon is working! • But where to look for the open circuit?

12. Intermittent White Light Causes • Body cord broken, B or C wire • Loose wire at socket • Loose handle • Broken wire (anywhere) • Loose barrel • Loose tip screw • Dirty tip or collar • Broken Tip • Corroded spring • Weak spring • Corroded wire cup contact

13. Tip at Rest – Max Resistance 15Ω Does your ohmmeter move when you stress any of electrical junction? Clean, tighten, or replace parts!

14. Tip Depressed - Resistance ∞ Does your ohmmeter display an open circuit when you depress the tip? • No? If stuck on • 0Ω - grip pinching wire, insulation scraped/nicked • ∞ - see intermittent white light list

15. Helpful Barrel Hints • Loose barrel – tighten only ¼ turn or risk breaking the wire just behind the wire cup. • Thread locker on the barrel prevents loose barrel BUT creates electrical insulation. Use VERY sparingly or better, not at all. • Clean tip & barrel very gently only with alcohol. Never lubricate with anything. Do not move the wire cup or you will break the wire behind it.

16. Rewiring a Blade Your wire is broken, but the blade is OK ? • Disassemble the weapon completely. When you remove the barrel the wire will break at the wire cup. Remove the wire cup and inspect the barrel – clean it with alcohol or replace it. • Three ways to remove the old wire • Light Force • Solvent • Abrasion

17. Wire Removal via Light Force • If your blade was not glued with Super Glue, you can often grab one end of the wire and gently pull it out of the groove. • Clean out the groove thoroughly with a small tool, a jeweler's screwdriver, dental pick, or a flattened nail. • This is the safest but most labor intensive method.

18. Wire Removal with Solvent • Construct a solvent pipe using threaded iron pipe and two screw-on end caps. Pipe length & diameter sized to submerge the blade in solvent. • Fill pipe with lacquer thinner or nail polish remover. Soak the blade for several hours.Save the solvent for later reuse in the pipe. Dispose of used solvent properly. WARNING! Solvents are highly flammable and breathing fumes may cause illness. Use only in a well ventilated area away from all ignition sources!

19. Wire Removal by Abrasion • A Dremel tool with an abrasive cutoff wheel can be used to clean out the groove. • Be careful – it is very easy to widen the groove and ruin the blade. WARNING! Cutoff wheels shatter easily and material can be ejected at high speed. Wear appropriate eye protection while using motorized equipment!

20. Blade Cleanup & Preparation Great! You got the wire out. While dismantled… • Clean blade threads at the barrel end • Lightly file blade shoulder to remove corrosion • Buff rust from the blade • Wipe blade with alcohol soaked rag to remove old tape adhesive, dirt, filings.

21. What Kind of Glue? • Fletch-Tite (my personal favorite) • Moderate holding strength, removes easily • Similar to Duro, Duco, etc. • Look in sporting goods store, archery section. • Super Glue • Excellent holding strength, but difficult to remove • I have trouble getting this stuff to work!

22. Rewiring • Thread the wire end through the barrel leaving the wire cup loose. Screw the barrel onto the blade and gently pull the wire taut through the barrel. • Clamp the blade in a vise and glue the wire. Some prefer to top glue, some bottom glue, some do both. • Remove blade from vise and bend in a jig for the required drying time.

23. Bending Jig • The blade must be pre-arced while the glue dries to avoid wire breakage during use. • Make a bending jig from two film canisters and a tension line of chain or string. • Allow adjustment for the tension line length with a hook (chain) or sliding knot (string). Wire

24. Test the Blade • When the glue is dry, measure the resistance of blade and wire. Connect ohmmeter leads to the blade handle threads and the bare wire end. • Less than 3 ohms un-pressed. • Infinite resistance when pressed. • Test the spring with a 500g test weight. • Must hold off weight and maintain continuity. • If it isn’t right, fix it now! It gets worse later.

25. Reassembly • Add spaghetti tubing to the wire. • Insert blade and wire through the bell and connector bracket (wire on blade top). The wire must clear the bracket. Temporarily tape the wire to the bell above its entry. • Add grip, one lock washer (pistol grip), & nut. Tighten securely; avoid pinching wire. • Remove tape (tournament illegal), strip wire, and connect to body cord socket.

26. Final Checkout • Retest continuity at body cord socket. • Remember that every metal-to-metal joint is an electrical connection – keep clean and tight! • Add tip tape. Apply ~6” length to the blade but not the barrel. Add a small piece to the barrel alone, overlapping the blade tape.