Monash University
Fencing Club

Foil

Weapon Fails Weight Test

1. The spring is too soft. Stretch the spring or get a new one.
2. Friction between the barrel and point is overwhelming the spring. Clean the inside of the barrel, or replace the entire tip if it is bent or warped.
3. Too much tape on the end of your blade is jamming against the sides of the weight.

Hitting the strip produces a white light

1. The strip is not grounded, or is dirty/corroded.
2. The exterior of the foil point is dirty/corroded.

Valid touch produces a white light

1. Opponents lame is not connected.
2. Opponents bodywire is broken. Diagnose by testing at the lame clip and at the reel wire connection.
3. Opponents lame has a dead spot.
4. Your foil bodywire polarity is reversed. Disassemble and reverse the connections.
5. The exterior of your foil point is dirty/corroded.
6. Foil circuit is breaking just before the touch (see below).

Foil produces white lights when tip is not depressed.

1. The tip is jammed shut. Spin the point or slam on the floor to free it.
2. Grit in the tip is breaking the circuit. Spin the point or slam on the floor to dislodge the grit.
3. The barrel is loose, tighten carefully with pliers.
4. The foil wire is broken. If the light is intermittent, try flexing the blade to induce the white lights; success means that the wire is probably broken. If the lights are triggered by shaking the blade, the point or clip may be to blame.
5. The circuit is breaking at the clip. Check that the bodywire is held securely at the clip.
6. The bodywire is broken. Diagnose by shorting the two connections on the weapon end of the bodywire; if the lights continue then the bodywire or reel is at fault. Short the two close prongs at the other end of the bodywire; if the lights stop, the bodywire is to blame. If not, see 7.
7. The scoring apparatus is broken. The connections, reel wire, reel contacts, floor wire, or scoring box may be at fault. Shots the same wires as 6 to successively eliminate each possibility.
8. The guard is loose, tighten the pommel or pommel nut.

Foil produces coloured lights when the tip is not depressed but is in contact with the opponent's lame'.

1. The circuit is broken; see previous problem.
2. The circuit is breaking when the blade flexes as it contacts the lame' or when the point is jarred. Could be caused by grit in the tip, a broken wire whose ends normally remain in contact, or a separated wire and cup.

There is no light when a touch is made.

1. You are not hitting properly.
2. Friction between the barrel and point is preventing the point from depressing. Slap on the floor to loosen it; otherwise clean or replace the tip.
3. Spring is too heavy. Compress it or heat one end with a match.
4. Opponent is grounding his weapon to his lame'. Tell him to stop; it's illegal.
5. You are grounding your own foil to your opponent's lame'. Improve the insulation on your foible (15 cm is required).
6. The foil wire is shorting to the weapon. Check the integrity of the insulation along the wire and beneath the cushion. Also make sure no wire ends at the clip are touching the rest of the weapon.
7. The scoring box is on the wrong weapon setting.
8. There is a short in your body wire. If there are no lights when the weapon is unplugged, but there are lights when the body wire is unplugged from the reel, the body wire is at fault.
9. There is a short in the scoring apparatus. If there are no lights when the fencer unplugs from the reel, this is the problem. It can be isolated by successively unplugging connections to the box.

Wrong lights go off when a touch is made.

1. The scoring box is on the wrong weapon setting.

Epee

Weapon fails weight test.

1. The main spring is too soft. Get a new spring or stretch the old one.
2. Friction between the barrel and point is overwhelming the spring. Clean the inside of the barrel, or replace the entire tip if the barrel or point is bent/warped.

Weapon fails shim tests.

1. The contact spring is too long. Adjust or compress it.
2. Point and barrel are mismatched. Replace.

Hitting the strip produces a light.

1. The strip is not grounded, or is dirty/corroded.
2. The tip is dirty/corroded.

A touch to the guard produces a light.

1. The guard is dirty/corroded.
2. The exterior of the tip is dirty/corroded.
3. The body wire (in particular the ground) is faulty (test against the ground pin of the body cord; if the lights continue, the body wire or reel is at fault).
4. The contact between the clip and weapon is faulty or corroded.
5. The guard is loose.
6. The ground pin socket is loose in the weapon clip.

Epee produces lights when the tip is not depressed.

1. The tip is jammed shut. Slap on the floor to free it.
2. Grit in the tip is shorting the circuit. Slap on the floor to dislodge the grit, or disassemble and clean the point.
3. The blade wires are shorting to each other. Check the insulation, especially inside the guard.
4. The scoring box is on the wrong weapon setting.

There is no light when a touch is made.

1. You are not hitting properly.
2. Friction between the barrel and point is preventing the point from depressing. Slap on the floor to loosen it; otherwise clean or replace the tip.
3. Main spring is too heavy. Compress it or heat one end with a match.
4. Contact spring is too short. Adjust or stretch it.
5. The barrel is loose.
6. Point contacts are dirty/corroded.
7. The epee wire is broken. Re-wire the blade.
8. The epee wire is shorting to the weapon.
9. Something has come unplugged between you and the box.
10. The wires are improperly fastened to the weapon clip.
11. The body wire is broken.
12. The reel or floor wire is broken.
13. The scoring box is on the wrong weapon setting.

Sabre

Box displays white lights.

1. The sensor is malfunctioning or jammed.
2. The wire in the sabre is broken, or not fastened securely.
3. The mounting bracket for the sensor is loose.
4. The body wire is loose in the socket.
5. The body wire is broken. Switch to foil setting, and diagnose as for foil.
6. The scoring apparatus is broken. Switch to foil setting and diagnose as for foil.

There is no light when a touch is made.

1. You are not hitting hard enough.
2. The opponent's lame' has dead spots.
3. The opponent's lame' or mask is not connected.
4. The sensor is malfunctioning.
5. The clip is not properly wired to the weapon.
6. The opponent's body wire is broken.
7. There is a break in the scoring apparatus on the opponent's side. This may be in the reel, floor cable, or scoring box.
8. There is a short in the body wire. Switch to foil setting and diagnose as for foil.
9. There is a short in the scoring apparatus. Switch to foil setting and diagnose as for foil.

Box indicates a touch following weapon contact or a parry.

1. You aren't parrying well enough.
2. The weapon is shorting to the lame'. Insulate the edges of the guard and the pommel, or hold the weapon in such a way as to prevent the contact.

Wrong lights go off when a touch is made.

1. The scoring box is on the wrong weapon setting.

Whites, Masks, Gloves

General Information

VAFA Requirements: White Jacket, white fencing breeches with braces (school and C-grade excepted), long white socks to the knee, white or light-coloured shoes, glove with gauntlet covering half the forearm, a mask with 5cm elastic strip across the back.
AFF Requirements: 800 newton Jacket, plastron, breeches, 1600N mask, FIE approved blades from September 1998.
FIE Requirements: 800 newton Jacket, plastron and breeches. 1600N mask, maraging blades.

Gloves should have leather or equivilent construction in the fingers and palm, have a long cuff to cover the sleeve opening, and have an opening for the bodywire.
They should not fit too tightly, or they will be susceptible to tearing. They can deteriorate rapidly under heavy use, but standard washable fencing gloves should last well.
Some economical alternatives to genuine fencing gloves include: Precision welding gloves, motorcycle gloves, or workmans gloves from the hardware store. Provided the palm and fingers are unpadded and supple enough to maintain the feel of the blade, any stong glove will do. If the cuff does not cover the sleeve opening (it should run half way up the forearm), you should hand-stitch a gauntlet to the cuff.
In all these cases, a small wire opening may have to be cut into the wrist.

Day to day care

Your whites should always be hung up to dry after use. Having to put them on still wet once, or having them go mouldy should be enough to convince most fencers of this. They should also be washed regularly of course, kevlar gear should generally be washed only with pure soap and not detergents. No bleach, and keep out of UV light, including direct sunlight.

Repair

Non-kevlar whites can be patched as with other clothing, however great care should be taken that the patch is strong, and does not provide a place for blades to catch.

Lames

General Information

The higher quality lame's are made of stainless steel, which is much more corrosion resistant than copper. Your lame' should come to your hip bones, and be form-fitting but not too tight. Most lame's come in right and left-handed versions, but ambidextrous (back-zip) versions are also available and sometimes have higher hips.

Day to Day Care

Careful rinsing of your lame' in lukewarm water following a tournament or rigourous practice will wash out most of the sweat and salts that will damage your lame'. Old sweat turns alkaline and can be quite damaging to the lame' fabric. The salt crystals left behind from dried sweat can also be abrasive and conducive to corrosion.
Occasional handwashing in lukewarm water with a mild detergent (eg. Woolite or dishsoap) and a small amount of ammonia is an excellent way of cleaning your lame' and prolonging its life. Some fencers recommend neutralizing the alkaline deposits in the lame' with lemon juice added to the bath.
Rinse your lame' after washing and hang dry on a wooden or plastic hanger. Avoid folding, crumpling, wringing, or abrading it. All of these will fatigue the metallic threads in the fabric.
Similar care should be taken with sabre cuffs and mask bibs.

Repair

Lame's can go dead for several reasons, including high electric resistance due to oxidation and corrosion (usually accompanied by visible discolouration), broken metal fibres, or tears in the fabric.
High-resistance areas that are due to oxidation can often be temporarily resucitated by moistening them with water. As the moisture soaks up salts and other deposits in the fabric, conductivity will increase enough for the lame' to pass the armourer's check. Sweat from vigourous fencing will have the same effect. Some models that do not rely on conductive fibres (eg. from Triplette) will lose conductivity when dirty, and require regular washing.
Small dead spots can be "field-repaired" with a paper stapler or metallic paint.
Larger dead areas and tears in the fabric can only be reliably repaired by stitching new lame' fabric over the affected areas. If no patch material is available, the fabric from one dead lame' can be cut up and used to repair another (the material from the back is generally in better shape). Note that large areas can go dead due to broken fibres in a relatively small patch. Patching only the region of broken fibres can re-activate the entire dead area. Patches should be folded over at the edges, and the stitch should overlap the edge to prevent flaps that will catch points.

BodyWires

The Three-pin Plug

One of the best things about electric fencing equipment is the standard 3 pin plug. This is the one found on at least one end of every bodywire and on both ends of groundwires. It is nice because it is standard and simple to understand.

The three pins are,

• Ground - ground in all three weapons.
• Tip - connected to the tip in foil and epee and the sensor in sabre.
• Lame - connected to the laem in foil and sabre and the tip in epee.

General Information

The primary question with foil and sabre body wires is bayonet (eg. Paul brand) vs. two-prong (eg. Uhlmann brand). They are equally functional; the primary difference is in cost and maintenance. Two-prong is a simpler design, and usually less expensive, but also has a reputation for being less reliable (depending on the brand). Naturally choice of body wire also determines the choice of weapon socket (or vice versa). One of the primary considerations in deciding which format to go with should be the prevalent format in your club or region. Going
with the local favourite will make it easier to borrow weapons or wires when yours fail. Epee body wires are all of the same basic 3-prong design. Some (French) designs have metal sheaths on the prongs that can accumulate grime underneath them over the years. If not cleaned, the dirt can break the circuit at inopportune times.

Blades

Stiff blades provide better point control, but less "flickability". A flex point less than 1/3 of the length from the tip indicates a strong middle, but may also indicate a whippy or less durable foible. A lower flex point may make the blade feel spongy, slow, or tip-heavy, but may also indicate a stronger foible that is more durable and less easily dominated. Some brands of blades (eg. Allstar) are sold in different flexibility grades. Blades that feel heavy in the tip often provide better point control, while those that are light in the tip often make for faster parries.
Blades generally come in 5 sizes, 5 being the longest (90 cm for foil and epee, not including tang) and by far the most common. Shorter blades are somewhat lighter and quicker of action, and can be useful for children, fencers who prefer the lighter balance, or those who often provoke infighting in which a long blade can be disadvantageous.
Cheap blades (including some Eastern European and Chinese brands) are typically not very durable or of poor temper, being inclined to snap, bend, and rust easily. Fencers who are gentle with their blades and clean, sand, or oil them regularly may nevertheless find them to be a good value.
Blades typically break at the flex point in the foible. Less commonly the tips will break off, or the tang will snap at the base of the blade (this latter failure mode is fairly common in sabre). Other serious modes of failure include sharp bends in the middle of the blade and S-bends in the foible, both of which are difficult to remove and will rapidly lead to fatiguing and eventual breaking of the blade.

Maraging Blades

Maraging steel foil blades have a reputation for lasting considerably longer than regular steel blades, and are supposed to break more cleanly. They are made of a special alloy steel (incorporating iron, nickel, and titanium) that is only 5% as likely to develop the microcracks that lead to eventual breakage. Many fencers find them a superior value, in spite of their high price. As they vary in character in the same way as regular blades, similar caution should be exercised when purchasing them.
Maraging epee blades are also available, although there are alternative steels that have also received FIE certification. Leon Paul produces a non-maraging FIE epee blade worth mentioning; it is stamped from a sheet of steel, rather than forged whole. These blades are lightweight and flexible; some older ones passed the wire through a hole to the underside of the blade.
Maraging sabre blades do not seem to be so well received, and are not required for FIE competition.

Tangs

The length and thread of the tang may be an issue; some blades are threaded for French or pistol grips only, and some blades with French grip tangs require an extra fitting for the thread. Italian grips may require a special tang, since part of it is exposed in the hilt. Metric 6x1 threading is standard, but not universal (esp. in the USA, where a 12x24 thread may be encountered); dies to re-thread the tang can be found at most hardware stores. If the tang must be cut to fit the grip, be very careful to leave enough thread to screw on the pommel nut. Tangs often have to be filed down to fit in tight grips.
Tangs are attached by an exterior pommel on traditional grips, or by a pommel nut in pistol grips. Pommel nuts are typically fitted for a 6mm Allen wrench or hex key, 8mm socket wrench, or a standard screwdriver.

Bends and Curvature

Many foil and epee fencers prefer a bend at the join of the tang and blade, so that the blade points slightly inside when held in sixte. Such a bend is best applied with a strong vise to avoid bowing the tang. Some fencers prefer to put this bend into the forte of the blade instead. Be gentle; blades will snap if handled with too much force.
A gentle curve in the middle and foible of the blade is also common, and helps to square the point against oblique surfaces. Such a bend must be smooth and gradual. Sharp kinks are prohibited. Foible bends are best worked into the blade using the sole of one's shoe and the floor.
For foil and epee, the total curvature of the blade is measured at the widest separation between the blade and an imaginary line drawn between the the join of the forte and tang and the join of the foible and barrel. The blade can be laid across a flat surface such as a table top to measure the arch. Epees must not rise more than 1 cm above the surface, while foils are allowed 2 cm. If the objective is to angle the point to hit oblique surfaces better, this is a significant amount of curvature. If the objective is to "hook" the blade around blocking parries or body parts, however, these limits are fairly restrictive.
Remember that the wire groove on epee and foil blades goes on the top (thumb side) of the blade, and the outside of the blade curvature.
Sabre curvature is handled differently, it being the deflection of the point from the line of the forte. 4 cm is all that is tolerated

Guards

Foil guards vary mostly in diameter, being between 9.5 and 12 cm across. The largest guards (eg. Negrini) may fail the weapon guage check if they are dented or misshapen.
Epee guards are almost always the maximum diameter (13.5 cm) for best protection, although they can vary considerably in shape, depth (3 - 5.5 cm), weight, and eccentricity (up to 3.5 cm off of center).
"Mini epee" guards are available from some vendors, but they are recommended only for children or possibly Pentathletes.
Sabre guards come in left- and right-handed versions (the outside of the guard being larger). Competition guards include attachments for the capteur sensor. Sabre fencers may wish to insulate the outer edges of their guards to prevent it from shorting to their cuff.

Points and Wires

General Information

Many fencers have experienced trouble mixing their points, barrels, and wires. They are best used in matched sets.
Points are regularly tested in competition. Both foil and epee points must pass a weight test, by lifting a mass (500g for foil; 750g for epee) after the point is depressed. (Technically, epees only have to lift the mass 0.5 mm, whereas foils must lift it to the top of the point travel.) In addition, epees must pass two shim tests, the first to make sure that there is at least 1.5 mm of travel in the tip, and the second to make sure that the point doesn't light until the last 0.5 mm.
Epee points work by closing the circuit between the two blade wires when they are depressed. Dirty or faulty points will normally cause the weapon to fail to register touches. Foil points work in the opposite manner, by opening a closed circuit between the blade wire and blade. Dirty or faulty points will usually cause the weapon to produce spurious off-target lights. See Troubleshooting (sections 2.14, 2.15), below.

Repair

If the weight test fails, the main spring can be replaced or made heavier by lightly stretching it. If the fencer thinks his point is too heavy, the spring can be replaced, compressed, or softened by heating one end in a flame.
If the epee 0.5 mm shim test fails, the secondary contact spring is too long. It should be adjusted or compressed. If the 1.5 mm shim test fails, your point may be improperly set up, or may be mismatched with the barrel.
Most points are held together by a pair of screws on the side of the barrel, and adjusting the springs requires disassembly. Some (Italian and Russian?) epee points are screwless and are adjusted using a small wrench.
FIE epee points use a solid contact in place of the secondary spring. Lighting distance can be increased by carefully filing the contact.
Blade wires are typically insulated with cotton to facilitate gluing and cleaning. Nevertheless, inexpensive wires can be made at home using plastic-coated wire-wrap wire from an electronics store. Use the cup from an old wire, and attach the new wire by heating the solder connection with a soldering iron.
Blade tips are threaded metric 3.5 x 0.60 for foils and 4.0 x 0.70 for epees. Rethreading with a die is difficult, but possible with adequate preparation. Pre-filing the tip into a long, blunt cone (5.5 mm long with the top 1.5 mm narrower than the inside diameter of the die) will assist in guiding the die through the initial turns; the extra metal left behind can later be removed with a file. The leading edge of the wire groove should be rounded and the groove filled with epoxy putty or similar hard compound to prevent the die from jamming on the groove edge. The putty must be removed afterwards, of course. No more than 4 mm of threading is needed to affix the barrel.

Glues

Recycled blades must be cleaned before they are re-wired. Solvents such as acetone can help, but 10 minutes with a utility knife (foil) or wire brush (epee) to remove all traces of glue residue from the wire groove also works. New blades sometimes require a small amount of cleaning as well, to remove grease and grit from the machining process.

Popular wiring glues include Duco cement, 5-minute epoxy, and cyanoacrylate glues (eg. super-glue). Some fencers have reported success using rubber cement, silicone, and white glue. Cleaning and gluing techniques will vary depending on your choice. Thin, quick-drying glues such as cyanoacrylates are best put down over top of the wire as the wire is held in the groove. If you use a thicker glue such as epoxy, you can carefully prepare one surface first. For foil wires, coat the wire in glue, and then gently pull it tight and lay it into the groove. For epees you can alternatively lay a bed of glue down before setting the wire in the groove, then make a second run of glue over the wire to seal it in place. Top glue the blade, and let it dry while the blade is held in a flexed position with the point in the air.

An acetone bath for cleaning blades can be constructed from a length of copper tubing, sealed at one end. Fill with acetone, drop in your blades, and let soak overnight.

A blade-bowing tool for holding blades flexed while the glue dries can be constructed from a length of cord or chain attached to some small cups (film cannisters work well). Place the cups over either end of the blade, and the tension of the cord will hold the blade bent for as long as you need it. Alternatively, stand the blade up with the point bent under the rim of a counter or table.

Glossary of Fencing Equipment Terms