Fencing kit literally takes a beating and the small components on the end of the foil, inside the barrel need looking after. Constant vibration loosens any screw, nut or bolt in time, while the tape on the blade gets worn away. As this ensures hits on the opponent’s lamé are detected by the scoring box it needs replacing.

Neglected foils mean fencers will suffer the ‘white light’ problem; random white lights on the score box means a problem in the electrical circuit.

The metal contacts on a foil, unused for even a few weeks, will start to tarnish (the early stages of corrosion) and will require cleaning. These faults cause delays while training and in competitions, where timings are critical to the competition ending on time.

There are about 14 (fourteen…) places on a foil that can cause a fault! Some simple tasks will help prevent most of them.

White lights can be caused by other parts of the scoring system but those are covered elsewhere on the site.

Setting and mounting new blades, rewires and other repairs you feel uncomfortable with, can be passed to an expert armourer who will be pleased to show you how to do them. He has quite enough to keep him busy!

Urgent repairs can be arranged privately by personal delivery/collection or the use of the post. Armourers may be able to hold the occasional onsite ‘surgery’ or teach in so look out for these.

Armourers buy parts and materials, incur travel costs and have many years of experience. Like coaches and referees there will be a charge on top of the component costs.

Here is a list of some basic tasks you can carry out. More details below

• Keep the hilt (handle) tight, but do not squash the wire!
• Ensure the IGS (Inside Guard Socket) connections are tight
• Replace the blade tape when you start to see metal through it
• If you have Leon Paul barrels/points, when you replace the tape then it is advisable to also maintain/replace the screws. If you do not then the new tape will be coming off again very soon!
• Those with German barrels/points should not need to do regular maintenance on the point
• Test the point spring with a 500g test weight
• Keep weapons away from damp clothing. Ideally have a twin compartment bag, One for clothes and one for weapons
• Weapons can incur vibration damage during transport and should be checked before going on the piste
• Finally, DO NOT slap a foil blade on the floor in an attempt to cure white light problems! (we see this a lot…) It is more likely to cause damage to the wire connection in the base of the barrel or bend the barrel, and lead to a rewire, a much more expensive repair.

The general advice to fencers is to buy cheap (but safe) ‘whites’ and the best blade you can afford.

There are many blade manufactures and a separate article will cover those.

Leon Paul foils are great if you want to buy British. The parts and components are robust but also unique to Leon Paul and not interchangeable with other brands of weapon. They need frequent maintenance but most tasks are simple with a bit of care.

PBT, Allstar and others use ‘German’ points and barrels, and French, German, Hungarian or Ukrainian blades. They have greater interchangeability of components and require much less maintenance. German barrels and points have other weaknesses, but the components are readily available.

Foils from other suppliers, and countries, do not always have standard components and, if they fail, it may mean rewiring them. Not the cheapest repair! Or you do some DIY with spares obtained from the supplier (check this before buying a foil). A cheap weapon will not last as long or perform as well as a better one. It may make a satisfactory spare weapon.

Broken blades are VERY sharp and potentially lethal. They should be put into the scrap metal bin at the local recycling centre. Cover the broken ends. Do not put them in your domestic bins!

Save the barrel end. An armourer can often reuse this and save you some money.

Tools

These vary slightly depending on the brand of foil.

Available from fencing kit suppliers but you may find them cheaper at a hardware store or on Amazon

{Picture of tools)

Leon Paul tools page

PBT Tools

Allstar-Uhlmann Tools

Materials

(picture of materials)

Tools and materials can be obtained from your foil’s supplier. Leon Paul do a convenient ‘Magne-Tin’ to store some of these components and includes a magnet, which is helpful. Other brands sell tool bags.

The hilt includes all the parts at the handle end: Guard, IGS (Inside Guard Socket), pad, handle/grip and pommel/nut

Tip: Check for tightness before each use of a weapon but especially before a competition.

Use the Allen key (or 8mm socket spanner) to keep these as tight as you can to ensure a good electrical contact between the blade, guard and socket bracket. Loose handles cause white lights and there is a danger that movement will break the thin wire that goes up the blade.

Note: Only trained people should attempt to rewire blades. It requires special tools, glues and techniques. Expensive mistakes are easy to make. Youtube does not have all the answers. I’ve checked them all!

Tip: Put a washer under the nut in the handle as these help prevent them coming loose.

Tip: BEFORE tightening the hilt IT IS ESSENTIAL to check that the blade wire rises vertically from the slot in the blade and lines up with the D shaped cut out in the foil handle. If the wire is crushed by the handle it will stop working and lead to a rewire.

TIP: Do not tape the wire to the inside of the guard.
– It causes maintenance difficulties,
– Can damage the wire on removal,
– Breaks the rule about keeping wires visible for inspection

On the socket, ensure the screw or bolt attaching the blade wire is tight. On some makes the blade wire is soldered to a tag. The bolt must still be tight.

(Pictures of ragged/worn tape being removed, removal from barrel, right and left handed application, the completed job)

The first 15cm of the blade, including the barrel, must be covered in insulation. This ensures hits are registered when they hit the opponent’s lamé jacket. If the tape is ragged and metal can be seen, it should be replaced. This is to the advantage of the fencer, so it is up to you!

Tip: The Technical rules specify 15cm plus or minus 1cm. This includes the barrel. Anything longer than 16cm is just a waste of tape.

How:
1. Carefully use a sharp craft or ‘Stanley’ knife to strip the tape from the SIDES of the blade, not the top with the slot, working towards the barrel. Then start the top and bottom with the knife but use fingers to peel it off. Use the knife as little as possible on the top as it can damage the wire if it has lifted in use and cause a rewire. If the tape is very damaged it will need a lot of knife work. Take care!
Tip: Buy some cut proof gloves.

2. On the barrel, Find the end of the tape to peel it off or carefully cut the tape using the edge of the blade not the point as it is safer.(picture). Try not to snag the knife blade on the screws or you may damage them.

3. Tear off approximately 13cm length of tape from the roll. Align it lengthways along the slotted sjde of the blade, up against the barrel, but not overlapping it. Smooth it around the blade, one side at a time. Then use a short piece to wrap around the barrel twice. Ensure all the barrel is covered and that the tape does not cover the gap between the point and the barrel, so that the point can move freely.

Tip: If you have a Leon Paul barrel always maintain the point screws before applying fresh tape. Worn tape is a ‘rule of thumb’ indication that the point screws also need maintenance.

Tip: For an expert touch. For a right hander, start the tape on the slotted, top, side of the blade extending out to the left. For a left hander extend out to the right side. Then fold around the blade. This gives a second layer of tape on the side of the blade that makes the most contact with the opponents weapon and the tape will last longer.

(pictures)

(pictures of points, or diagrams, exploded views)

WARNING! DO NOT slap the blade on the floor to try to cure white light problems. It is more likely to damage the contact in the barrel and cause a rewire. (Yes, we have mentioned this before)

There are two main types of point: Leon Paul and ‘German‘ (with a French variant) which are used by almost everyone else. Each have their own strengths and weaknesses.

Points are made up of ‘the barrel’ and the point or tip which slides in and out of the barrel. The tip, and a spring, are kept in the barrel by two screws. NB. There is a screwless version not (yet) covered here

Warning: This job is fiddly, requires patience and is almost impossible unless the screwdriver is magnetised. Stroke the screwdriver a few times on a magnet. It will hold the screws in place on the screwdriver while you remove and insert them.

Tips for all Brands: After removing the tape, check that the barrel is not loose. It may not feel loose but may still need tightening. A multimeter will help confirm this by showing high and variable resistance. This is considered an Advanced repair. Remove the tip and spring and use a 5mm spanner on the flat sections of the barrel. It is a slightly risky operation as the wire may break but the barrel/blade connection is all part of the circuit and a loose one will cause white lights. A loose barrel will very soon fly off in battle anyway. You will need a firm grip on the blade, preferably in a vice held near the barrel.

WARNING! The point will fly across the room when you remove the screws! Keep a thumb or finger on the point at all times.

WARNING!: It is easy to put screws in at the wrong angle and get ‘crossed threads’. You can force these in but you will never get them out again when you want to and it will need a rewire. Screws should go in completely effortlessly. If there is any resistance back out, try again. See the tips below

Tip: Engineer’s trick to avoid crossed threads. Put the screw in the hole, turn it anti-clockwise (the undo direction) and listen for a distinct click as the start of the screw falls into the start of the thread in the hole. The threads should now be aligned. Turn clockwise to effortlessly tighten it. If you feel any kind of resistance back out and try again.

Tip: Turn the screw until it just stops turning. DO NOT tighten! This can damage the slot in the screw and prevent removal later

Tip: Save screws! Sometimes you can swop the top screw to the bottom, and bottom to the top. But you need to make sure the worn part of the screw is away from the point of contact with the tip. There is also a higher risk of crossing threads. If you are unsure, just use new screws.

Tip: Occasionally screws have a manufacturing fault and will not go into the hole or tighten even with the engineer’s trick. If a screw is being difficult, try another one.

Content Outline: General reference to Technical Rules plus two or three important ones

Facebook: Ask the Armourers if you have a quick question.

For unsolved white light problems, rewires, mounting and setting new blades, changing handle types etc., you can contact:
Andrew Nisbet 07887 821443 based in Sidcup
Mike de Bono 07790 434535 based in Golders Green
Both are on WhatsApp

If there is enough interest they may be able to run training sessions at the club

Maintaining your Body Wire (Basic)

Cleaning fencing kit (Basic)*

Other White light issues (Advanced)*

Rewiring a blade (Expert)*

Tools and Equipment*

Finding faults on your foil (Advanced)*

About blades*

About points and barrels*

Find an Armourer*

*Not yet available