Broken Wires.

These tend to come in two sorts. Those breaks you can see easily, and surprisingly, those that you can't. Also a very good reason to buy the correct body wire cord.

This may seem obvious but in actual fact it's not. Fencers test weapons at the start of a bout and, presuming all is well, begin fencing. It is however possible for a wire to be broken, with the two broken ends being held in contact by the plastic insulating sleeve surrounding the wire. However, during the bout, one fencer may lunge, strike a perfect hit, and yet no hit light comes on. This is because when the body wire comes under tension, the plastic sleeve will stretch, and allow the contact to break.

[ANIMATION]

This would give you the correct test at the start of the bout, since the two broken ends are in contact, but the fencer is now less likely to score a hit when lunging. It is more likely that the fencer is unaware of this problem, putting the fault down to "new timings" or a "broken spool" or in fact anything other than their own kit.

Replacing a section of wire near the plugs.

If the damaged section is near the plugs, then it is simple to repair. This method will work on all LP/British type plugs and the German/Chinese jack plug.

Pull down the rubber insulating hood on the plug to expose the damaged section of wire and the 3-pin plug.

Separate the wires to below the break by running a screwdriver down the join.

Partly unscrew the long screws holding the wires in place. It is not necessary to remove them.

 Pull the wires through so the break is on the other side of the pin and re-tighten the screws so that the tip pierces the rubber insulation

Cut the wires off next to the plugs using a craft knife or Stanley knife, and replace the cover

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