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A guy in the next strip had his mask puncture and the blade (saber) went into his mouth, and punctured through his pallet into his sinus. Could have been a lot

A guy in the next strip had his mask puncture and the blade (saber) went into his mouth, and punctured through his pallet into his sinus. Could have been a lot worse. This guy never let his mask dry, storing it in his bag, thus even the stainless will corrode. Thus mask testing every tournament.

rippercushions 4y ago
Clueless question: how exactly do you test a mask in fencing?
- madengr 4y ago
  A sharp punch (like a center punch prior to drilling). It is pushed in with a certain force and the mask mesh can only spread so much; there is a groove on the neck of the punch that defines the depth limit. You do this on a few areas of the mask then date the side of the mask to indicate it was tested.
  - webmobdev 4y ago
    Wouldn't repeated testing (punching etc.) itself weaken the mask?
    - beckingz 4y ago
      Yes. That said, if the testing causes the mask to weaken enough to fail, that means it's time to replace the mask.
      - williamscales 4y ago
        To add to that, the mask is in some sense "punch tested" nearly every time you use it. Far better for it to fail in a test.
        quartesixte 4y ago
        Agree. One punch test is nothing compared to the 20 - 30 times you might take one to the face (sometimes intentionally) in a single bout. Absolutely do not want that thing failing.
    - sigstoat 4y ago
      last i fenced they also had manufacture dates printed prominently and were considered expired after a few years. they’re wear items; it is their job to take the damage so you don’t.
- nickswalker 4y ago
  There are standards for the amount of force the mask must withstand and punch test devices like these [1] to exert them repeatably. Officials punch a few times across the front and the sides, look for failure or severe deformation, and the mask passes for the event. [1] https://radicalfencing.com/products/rf-pbt-mask-punch-tester https://radicalfencing.com/products/rf-pbt-mask-punch-tester

rippercushions 4y ago

Clueless question: how exactly do you test a mask in fencing?

madengr 4y ago
A sharp punch (like a center punch prior to drilling). It is pushed in with a certain force and the mask mesh can only spread so much; there is a groove on the neck of the punch that defines the depth limit. You do this on a few areas of the mask then date the side of the mask to indicate it was tested.
- webmobdev 4y ago
  Wouldn't repeated testing (punching etc.) itself weaken the mask?
  - beckingz 4y ago
    Yes. That said, if the testing causes the mask to weaken enough to fail, that means it's time to replace the mask.
    - williamscales 4y ago
      To add to that, the mask is in some sense "punch tested" nearly every time you use it. Far better for it to fail in a test.
      - quartesixte 4y ago
        Agree. One punch test is nothing compared to the 20 - 30 times you might take one to the face (sometimes intentionally) in a single bout. Absolutely do not want that thing failing.
  - sigstoat 4y ago
    last i fenced they also had manufacture dates printed prominently and were considered expired after a few years. they’re wear items; it is their job to take the damage so you don’t.
nickswalker 4y ago
There are standards for the amount of force the mask must withstand and punch test devices like these [1] to exert them repeatably. Officials punch a few times across the front and the sides, look for failure or severe deformation, and the mask passes for the event. [1] https://radicalfencing.com/products/rf-pbt-mask-punch-tester https://radicalfencing.com/products/rf-pbt-mask-punch-tester