Weapons Safety: Foam Compression on Ultralights

[Traceroo]

I've recently discovered a phenomenon with weapons maintenance that I can't yet explain. This applies to:

(i) ultralights made with the black McMaster-Carr foam, and kite tape;
(ii) specifically, ultralights of that description that I made;
(iii) ultralights of this description that I made which have needed no other repair for 10 months or more.

(This may apply to other makers' weapons or a larger description, but this is what I've discovered so far.)

Ultralight weapons that I made of the black McMaster-Carr foam, and covered with kite tape, which were meticulously maintained and managed to go 10 months or more without other repair seem to be experiencing a sort of compression of the blade foam. The base of the blade foam remains secured where it was originally placed -- but the foam along the entire length of the blade has compressed such that the core now sticks out from the end of the blade foam, and into the open cell foam tip. (Whoa!)

I haven't yet figured out what causes this -- heat? Cold? Thrusting? Is it the foam that's compressing, or the tape that's shrinking and pulling on it? So few persons maintain their weapons so nicely as to avoid any repairs at all in a year that there is such a small sample to examine. I just don't know yet.

Check your own weapons:

Dig your thumb into the open cell foam tip of the weapon, really dig your thumb in there!

If you can feel core, bring it to me. If I made your weapon, and it needs no other repairs at all except for this, I will repair your weapon for free.

How do you know whether it needs other repairs? Grip the last 4-6" of the blade, what would be the pointy end of a real sword. Give it a light squeeze. If the foam at that end of the sword feels softer than the rest of the blade, sort of like a piece of fruit that's start to go squishy, the tip of the blade foam needs repair. This is from the way that you fight with it -- hitting more in that same spot near the end of the blade over and over again.

If the blade foam is solid, and doesn't feel like squishy rotting fruit, and you can feel the core -- I will repair your weapon for free if I made it in the first place.

If anyone has any bright ideas about what might cause this utterly bizarre compression phenomenon, or how to prevent it, I'm all ears on this.

Thanks,

Trace Moriarty
Safety & Weapons Marshal - Alliance Denver

 

[Traceroo]

Update on this: We've discovered the same compression problem on other ultralights made of the same materials, made by people other than me. To be fair, they're people whom I taught how to make weapons, so we still haven't ruled out my methodology as a possible cause here for this totes weird phenomenon.

Best current running theory we have is that the weapons maker is either stretching out the foam too much, or compressing it too much when sliding the foam over the core. Try going down the length of the foam with both hands, twisting to and fro with each hand, to make sure the foam is at its natural resting point before you tack anything down. Best suggestion I've got for now until we figure out this continuing oddball mystery.

Thanks,
Trace Moriarty
Safety & Weapons Marshal - Alliance Denver