At some point your weapon will break, and then you’ll need to either fix it, buy a new one, or get someone else to repair it for you. The most cost-effective thing to do is to be able to perform at least minor repairs for yourself. Most repairs in foil and epee involve tightening the grips and replacing springs in the tip, but you can end up rewireing the electric blades as well.
Here are a few suggestions for tools that you should keep in your fencing bag to perform some of the regular maintenance and testing.
Every fencer needs a small toolkit for equipment maintenance. The
following tools and supplies are essential:
- precision screwdrivers for point maintenance and
assembly; also handy for body wire repair. - pliers for tightening points; wire cutters are also
useful, and are incorporated into many pliers. - Allen wrench, screwdriver, or socket wrench for pommel nuts.
- quick-drying (eg. cyanoacrylate) glue for emergency wire repairs.
- cloth tape for insulating foil tips.
Fencers who do a lot of maintenance will also find the following
tools useful:
- metal file for fitting tangs into guards/grips.
- hacksaw for cutting tangs down.
- blade-bowing tool (see 2.12) for gluing.
- scraping tool for cleaning old glue out of grooves; an
old jeweller’s screwdriver will do, provided you don’t mind
ruining it. Utility knives will also work. - Lighter for burning off wire insulation or softening springs.
- vice-grip pliers for heavy-duty work away from a work bench.
- Swiss-army knife for everything else.
- weapon-tester box.
Serious armourers will need many other tools, including:
- workbench with vise.
- ohmmeter or multimeter.
- mask tester.
- metallic fabric tester.
- body wire tester.
- set of weights and shims.
- soldering iron (light for wires; heavy duty for pistes).
- Dremel tool.
A common additional tool suggested by some on this board is a propane torch.