Salle Boise Fencing Club • How To

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Rewiring the blade
To completely rewire and assemble a blade, the following supplies will be needed (see picture) Blade (clean with no wire or glue in it) New wire Barrel Tip Tip screws Foil spring Glue (not pictured) Wire insulation (not pictured) Glass of single malt scotch (Only if you are over the legal drinking age in your local area). Other beverages (including non-alcoholic) may be substituted, but results may vary, and cannot be guaranteed.
1. Feed the new wire through the barrel by putting the free wire end into the unthreaded end of the barrel. DO NOT put the cup of the wire into the barrel yet.
2. The cup of the wire should be on the wider, unthreaded side of the barrel, and the free end of the wire should be on the narrower, threaded end of the barrel. Pull the wire through until the cup is just outside the barrel (approx. ½cm to 1cm from the end)
3. Put barrel just before the blade where it is going to screw on, and gently push the wire into the groove. This is a temporary holding spot for the wire, and not its final position. With the wire in this position, the barrel should be able to freely spin as it screws onto the blade WITHOUT turning the wire with it. Finger-tighten the barrel onto the blade, making sure that the wire (cup not in the barrel) does not turn with the barrel.
4. Carefully place the blade into a vice or grip with vice-grips over the wire in the groove such that the vice does not put pressure on the wire, but holds it in the groove while gripping the blade snuggly. Use a monkey wrench or pliers to tighten the barrel down. Make sure that the pliers grip the lower part of the barrel that is on the blade, not toward the top of the barrel. (Griping the top of the barrel will "squish" the barrel and put it out of round). The barrel should now be tight enough that it won't come loose. Over-tightening can drive the blade too far into the barrel and result in malfunctioning of the tip.
5. Gently pull the free end of the wire, while guiding the cup into the barrel. If you have a point setting tool, use it to push the cup in as the wire is pulled. DO NOT push the cup faster than the wire on the other end is being pulled out. (This would result in the wire being bunched up in the barrel and the tip malfunctioning). Once all the way in, the cup should be snug at the bottom of the barrel.
6. The next step is gluing the wire into the blade. Use clear household cement such as Elmer's ProBond or Duco clear household cement. Fletching glue may also work. Warning: Breathing glue vapor may be harmful. Overexposure may result in nausea, headache, confusion or instability.
7. Lay the free end of the wire aside and run a bead of glue down the empty groove.
8. Smooth the bead and remove excess by running your finger over the groove down the length of the blade.
9. Pull the wire firmly enough to avoid any slack (not too hard or you will break it), and push the wire into the groove all the way down the blade. This can be accomplished by holding the wire between the thumb and middle finger and pulling, while the first finger pushes the wire into the groove.
10. Using a small, flathead screwdriver, gently push the wire to the bottom of the groove along the entire length of the blade. Be careful not to drag the blade and damage the insulation of the wire.
11. Run another bead of glue over the top of the wire in the groove. Smooth and clean by running your finger down the length of the blade.
12. Ensure that there is no glue on the wire or blade tang after the groove has ended on the tang end of the blade. Once the wire exits the groove, it needs to be free to move around.
13. Slide a piece of insulation on the wire (from the old wire/blade if available, otherwise purchase from a fencing supply store) until the insulation is butted against the end of the groove in the blade. Take the excess wire and loosely wrap it around the tang of the blade (do not cut the wire).
14. Place the blade with the tip side down to dry. If possible, prop the blade in a door-stop or under a shelf so that a bend of a couple of inches is present while drying.