ARN - Blade Inspection

[Jesus Cavazos]

At 12:44 PM 2/8/99 -0600, you wrote:
>
>
>Take blade-
>A.  Epee or foil or daggers
>1.  Look at hilt.  Is it legal for the type of blade that
>it's being used for?

To this I would add: run your hand on the bell and quillons to see if they
have any burrs. Hold the bell and lightly try to twist the handle. If the
handle is loose, tighten the pommel and let the owner about it and suggest
they keep an eye on it so it won't fall off.

>2.  Look for signs of impending failure and excessive
>stiffness -  a.  Is is gradually curved?  Look down the
>blade from different angles.  Kinked or very sharp bends are
>failed immediately.  Does most of the curve occur in one
>region, indicating a potential problem?  Do any
>discontinuities seem the result of manufacture...or is there
>something seriously wrong?  b.  Is the metal fatigued?  Poke
>it gently at the ground, with the curve.  Does it readily
>pick up an excessive amount of additional curve, indicating
>metal fatigue?  Controversial- poke it into the ground,
>gently, against the curve.  Does it readily "s"...indicating
>a possible loss of elasticity?  c.  Is it so stiff that it's
>likely to fail to give, and injure someone?
>3.  Examine the blade for burrs- Look at the blade and slide
>the fingers and down the blade, working towards the tip.
>4.  Look for rust on the blade-  May indicate a problem, but
>mostly will just wreck people's clothes with rust stains.
>Have people clean a rusty blade.

Some of the rust will be just on the surface. This can be cleaned and
everything's alright. But sometimes the blade is pitted with rust. This
means the rust is going into the blade itself. This will cause weak spots
and could cause a break.

>5.  Examine the tip:  a.  Is it of the correct size and
>composition?  (Need something about leather and tape, and
>tool dip tips...how can we inspect when we don't know what
>it looks like in the first place?  Also...how to deal with
>tape-covered fencing tips and bird blunts)  b.  Will the tip
>stay on?  Duct tape that has been in a hot car for a while
>loses its proper glue consistency.  Tug at the tip a bit and
>twist it with two fingers.

Check the tip for cracks and wear. If there are cracks or the tip is to
worn, they need to be changed.

>
>B.  Schlager:  Single gradual curve not needed.
>Discontinuities are not as serious.  Other inspection the
>same.

With schlagers, check the tip and make sure there isn't to much lateral
give. If there is, the tip is weak and it could blow though the face or the
side.


Worry of no one's honor but your own.
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