The Workings of the Electric Foil

Once plugged in the electric circuit in an electric foil operates continuously and is broken once the point is depressed. The circuit passes from the screw end of the bodywire bayonet plug to a brass plate supported by a spring within the guard socket. The circuit then continues via the small screw on the side of the socket to the blade wire, which is glued into the groove in the blade. The glue and the cotton coating of the wire serves to insulate it from the blade. Within the point the tip of the wire is soldered to a brass nipple (or in the more recent Leon Paul design is crimped), which forms a contact with the point via a spring. The point is insulated from the barrel by a plastic sheath and is held in place within the barrel by two grub screws. The electric contact is maintained with the point via these screws, continuing through the barrel of the point, the blade, the guard and the outer metal casing of the socket to the lower portion of the bodywire bayonet plug. Once the point is depressed and no longer touching the grub screws the circuit is broken. If the point is depressed by making contact with an opponent’s electric jacket, the circuit within the foil is broken and continues through the point to the electric jacket.

General Tips on Care

• Check the point regularly and ensure it is clean inside
• Keep the handle fully tight and never fence with it even slightly loose.
• Ensure that the wire at the base of the blade, at the juncture of the guard socket, pad and handle is properly insulated and not trapped (a little spot of super glue on the insulation will hold it in place).
• Ensure that the length of wire from the blade to the socket is well covered by the pad and not going to get caught.
• Ensure that the grooves on the guard and handle are adequate.
• Check that the wire is well glued into the blade and not standing proud at any point.
• Ensure a slight downward bend is maintained on the blade and do not straighten vigorously. A method of putting a bend on a new or stiff blade is to wrap a cloth around it stand on it and pull it through the cloth
• Clean any corrosion from the guard.
• Ensure that any metal parts of the handle and the top l5cm of the blade are insulated and that the tape completely covers the barrel (an incomplete taping of the barrel will cause a failure of good hits to register).
• Do not over tighten the grub screws in the point, they will break and as they don't easily work loose if covered by tape there is no need.

Some Common Faults

• Continuous off target light shows/ no light at all on test box - the circuit is broken. Check that the wire in the guard is not broken or disconnected and that there is not a break in the wire down the blade (if when the blade is flexed and held in an upward direction the fault stops, this suggests a break in the wire down the blade. Check the point (if as the tip is rotated within the barrel of the point the fault stops, this suggests a point problem, possibly dirty contacts). Check the guard and socket for any corrosion. If this fault occurs whilst on the piste, the first thing to do is to unplug the bodywire and hold it against something metal (e.g. the foil guard) with the tip and main body of the bodywire bayonet plug both in contact. If the continuous light then goes out, this indicates that the foil is at fault. If the continuous light does not go out this indicates that the fault is elsewhere.
• No light / continuous light on test box - there is a short circuit. Check the guard. This fault is most commonly caused by pressure on the wire from the handle or the wire exposed at the point where it enters the groove in the blade. Check the blade for breaks in the wire which are forming a contact with the blade. Check and disassemble the point checking that the grub screws are not screwed too far in.
• Intermittent light ­ for e.g. an off target light comes on when there is a beat of the blade. Contact is intermittently breaking. Check if the barrel of the point is loose where it screws onto the blade (see 6. below). Check as for (1) and (2). Push tip from side to side (contact should not break). Depress point and rotate (contact should remain broken).
• Wire snapped at base of blade - to save rewiring the whole blade, lift and bare a small length of wire and solder a small length of wire on top of it. Wrap a 1ittle piece of paper round the bare joint and glue into the groove so that a combination of glue and paper insulates the wire.
• Point spring is too weak and does not support a 500g weight - remove and stretch the spring.
• The whole point is loose - give a forceful twist with a pair of pliers, taking care not to damage the grub screws.

Procedure for Rewiring a Foil Blade

1. Strip the old wire from the blade (steam or heat may assist with this). Clear the groove in the blade of any remaining adhesive.
2. Disassemble the point remembering to keep the point depressed as the grub screws are removed and unscrew the barrel from the blade, if the barrel is hard to remove a small allen key inserted through the holes in the barrel will give better grip. Using a blunt object of a suitable width, push the brass nipple and cup out of the top of the point (taking care not to pierce or damage the cup). Remove the nipple from the cup,> take care not to lose any of the 1itt1e pieces.
3. Take a length of blade wire and straighten out any kinks by pulling it over a soft or rounded edge a few times.
4. Support the brass nipple (e.g. in the jaws of some pliers) and heat with a soldering iron, remove any old wire, snip the end of the new wire clean, apply a little flux and solder into the small hole in nipple. If you are using the newer Leon Paul nipples which do not require solder, simply feed the wire through and crimp the end in place with pliers.
5. Feed the other end through the plastic cup and seat the nipple in the cup. Feed the wire through the barrel and screw the barrel tightly to the blade (a small spot of thread locking fluid will help), taking care that the wire is not trapped.
6. Feed the remaining wire through the groove and push the cup and nipple into the point. Check that the nipple is straight, if not a push with the tip of a screwdriver should do it.
7. Fully assemble the point and check that it works with a test box or continuity tester (The end of the wire and the blade should form a complete circuit, which should break when the point is depressed.
8. To glue the blade with epoxy resin - apply a certain amount of glue down the groove, press the wire wel1into the groove (by for e.g. running the tip of a screwdriver down the groove, on top of the wire), ensure that the wire is reasonably tight, tape at the bottom to hold it in place. Then apply glue on top, forcing it well into the groove. As it dries ensure that the wire does not lift. When it is dry scrape of any surplus glue, put a 1ength of plastic sheath over the wire at the bottom and tape the top l5cm of the blade.
9. To glue with Superglue - stretch the wire and secure well at the base of the groove. Bend the blade so that the wire sits tightly in the groove. Support the blade in a bent position (by for e.g. wedging between a table and the floor), run the Superglue down the groove and al1ow to dry.

Procedures Identifying Faults at Foil on the Piste

Unplug the foil and short out the end of the bodywire by pressing the end of the bodywire plug onto the foil guard (or any piece of metal) so that the end screw and the metal of the plug are simultaneously in contact with the guard. If the flashing light goes out, this tells you that the foil is faulty. In which case check the following:-

• Is the point loose? Twist the whole point firmly from side to side. There should be no movement. If the point is loose, grip it firmly with pliers and give it a strong twist in a clockwise direction.
• Is the handle loose? If so tighten, ensuring that the blade base wire is not trapped.
• Is the blade base wire broken or disconnected? Check that the wire runs continuously from the base of the blade to the socket, give it a light pull to cheque for firmness. If the wire has snapped or become disconnected at the socket end, it should be possible to reconnect it after striping a length of the covering from the wire. If the wire has snapped at the base of the blade, it will be necessary to rewire the blade of perform some rather delicate soldering.
• Has the wire snapped along the length of the blade? Look for any raised and broken sections of wire. Bend the blade backwards, if the light goes out this indicates a break. The blade will require rewiring.