Trouble Shooter
If you believe that you have a fault with your foil then it is possible that the fault may not lie with the foil itself (especially if you maintain your weapon properly). It is a good idea to check that the weapon is faulty when plugged into another bodywire, spool and even scoring apparatus. The easiest way to do this is to hand your weapon to your opponent or another fencer at your cub and see if the problem persists. If the problem does not occur when the foil is plugged into other equipment then see either the apparatus or repair section for details on how you may be able to fix thebodywire, apparatus or spool.
| If you have narrowed down the possibilities so you are certain that the problem is with the foil then find the description of the fault that is occuring from the list below: |
PROBLEM: Continuous white (off-target) light
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FAULT
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REPAIR
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Generally a broken or disconected wire
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Examine the blade for any obvious break in the wire.If there is one, the blade will need to be rewired, if not then..........
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Check that the wire has not become disconnected from the inside guard socket and re-connect it if it has. If this has not cured the problem......
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Maybe the problem is in the pointy end?
Remove the tape around the point and place the weapon flat on your work surface. Place one finger on the foil tip to prevent its loss (the tip, not your finger), remove the grub screws (To make handling grub screws much easier you can magnetise your screwdriver. Leon Paul sell a handy tin to keep your parts in with a small but incredibly powerful Neodymium magnet inside click here for more details. Alternatively you can use a fridge magnet or similar, to magnetise the tip of the screwdriver simply simply stroking the magnet down) and dis-assemble the point. Cleaning the point may fix the problem ( Sometimes just taking the point apart and cleaning it is enough to fix the problem. To clean the point you should flush the inside of the barrel with a solvent such as ultraclean. If you do not have a solvent based cleaning spray then a good substitute is a deoderant such as Lynx please note that an anti perspirant is not suitable as it contains powder.). If the problem persists..... |
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On an ohmeter select the lowest resistance scale and connect one probe to the end of the foil wire in the guard ( Placing the weapons guard so that it sits inside a roll of blade tape on the table will prevent the weapon from rolling around while you are working on the tip.). Insert the other inside the foil point to connect with the brass ferule inside, taking care not to touch the sides of the barrel. If the resistance is shown as infinite, there could be a break in the wire. If it is just low, clean and re-assemble the point. This may have now cured the problem but if not....
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The blade will need to be rewired, for a guide on how to do this click here. Alternatively you can send the weapon back to the manufacturer for rewire or contact a member of the armourers guild.
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PROBLEM Intermittent or recurring white (off-target) light
| FAULT | REPAIR |
| A break in line 2 of the circut i.e. through the foil wire or the central pn of the bodywire. | Use the same procedure as if for a continuous white light |
| Intermittent or Recurring white light, on beats, with movement or just standing still. | ( Whilst still on the piste disconnect the foil and short out pins 2 & 3 of the bodywire at the hand end with a 2p piece.If the fault dsapears then the foil is faulty.) Use the same procedure as for a continuous white light |
PROBLEM No white (off-target) light
Details coming soon
PROBLEM General issues with your point
| PROBLEM | FAULT | REPAIR |
| Rusty grub screws | May cause high resistance Intermittent or continuous white light |
Discard and replace |
| Worn grub screws | May cause binding The point remains depressed Screws may become stuck |
Replace screws Clean the point and barrel Ensure point screwdriver is in good condition and of the correct size |
| Grub screws wound in too far |
Cause binding |
Remove screws, examine for wear and replace if necessary. If they will not hold in the tip, check that the correct model tip is in the barrel. |
| Flattened face on the barrel | Causes point jams Mostly happens to German points. |
Ream out the barrel to the correct diameter, or use a drift to resize it. |
| Split barrel | Dangerous. Mostly happens to German barrels. | Discard immediately |
| Loose barrel | Intermittent white light | Place a dab of locknut around the outside of the barrel base and tighten carefully in a vice |
| Soft or short spring | Fail weight test May cause Intermittent white light |
Stretch or replace the spring |
| Lack of insulation on blade | May cause no hit to register | Re-tape |
The procedures outlined here should alow you to fix most problems with your foil however, if they do not then we are unable to help you on line. To fix your weapon you can either contact the manufacturer or the armourers guild.