Many people keep their fencing weapons with the blades inserted into lengths of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes. Why? There are two, maybe three reasons.
Is there any reason not to do this? Yes! Consider whether the benefits or the drawbacks are more important to you.
There are four different kinds of PVC pipe which are commonly available which make sense to use for fencing. (It is harder to find "CPVC" pipe than PVC, and it is more expensive, but it too can be used. There is no reason to do this if PVC is available. "ABS" pipe, even though generally not even available in useful widths, is not recommended over PVC.)
Two kinds of pipe are narrower (with names having to do with one-half inch) and two kinds are wider (with names having to do with three-quarter inch). And, for each size, one has thinner walls, weighs less, and is more flexible, while one has thicker walls, weighs more, and is less flexible. Incidentally, PVC pipe size names have nothing to do with their actual dimensions. The names have to do with measurements of iron pipes which can carry the same amount of water!
| size name1 | outside diameter | typical inside diameter | sabers | foils | épées |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| If you have any question about whether a given weapon of yours will fit in one of these pipes, measure the widest dimension of the blade. (For foils, remember that you have to measure the diagonal, not the wider side of the rectangular cross section.) Or, test it with samples of pipe. | |||||
| 1/2" S40 | 0.840" | 0.602" | Essentially all saber blades will fit. | Most foil blades will fit comfortably, but a very few have fortes with diagonal measurements which will not fit. In these cases, you will not be able to put the blade all the way into the pipe (unless you make alterations to the pipe). | Almost all épées will not fit. |
| 1/2" SDR 13.5 | 0.840" | 0.696" | Essentially all saber blades will fit. | Essentially all foil blades will fit. | Épées with narrow fortes will fit, but not many (unless you make alterations to the pipe). |
| 3/4" S40 | 1.050" | 0.804" | All saber blades will fit. | All foil blades will fit. | Most épée blades will fit comfortably, but some (including Dinamo) have fortes which widen too much, and a little of the blade will not fit (unless you make alterations to the pipe). |
| 3/4 SDR 21 | 1.050" | 0.910" | All saber blades will fit. | All foil blades will fit. | Every épée blade tested so far will fit.2 |
36 inches.
Well, not necessarily. 36 inches is a nice, round number if measuring with the English system. (In Metric, the recommendation would be 91, 91 1/2, or 92 cm, depending on how tight you want the tolerances to be and how round you want the number to be.) If a foil or épée is longer than 90 cm from the front of the guard, it is non-conforming. 90 cm is between 35 and 36 inches. So, the point of the weapon will not protrude from the end of the pipe.
A saber may only extend 88 cm, so a 35 inch pipe would be fine for a saber.
A number 2 or number 0 blade is shorter, so the pipe does not have to be as long. However, there is no legal definition of either a number 2 or a number 0, despite written declarations that certain Y10 competitons require their use! (For other Y10 competitions, the requirement is phrased as having to be no longer than 32 1/2 inches, which is enforceable.) So, for weapons legal for Y10 use, a 33 inch pipe would be reasonable.
If you use a pipe which is not quite wide enough to hold the entire cross section of the forte of a blade, the blade will not go all the way into the pipe. A shorter pipe could be reasonable, to eliminate the otherwise unused empty pipe end.
Remember that if you use short pipes for short weapons and long pipes for long weapons, then you can never re-dedicate a short pipe to use for a long weapon!
Even if all your weapons are the same length, you might want to use pipes of substantially different lengths. Consider having ten identical foils. Picture packing these all into one fencing bag, all pointing the same way. The guards all hit each other, and create the widest spot. But, if you use three 36" pipes, three 39" pipes, and four 42" pipes, the different pipe lengths will cause the foil guards naturally to end up staggered at different places even if all the foils are resting on the pipe ends at the downhill end of the bag.
But, if you want to keep things simple, the answer is 36 inches.
Should I use just a bare double-open-ended piece of pipe? Maybe not.
Some people like to put caps on one end of their PVC pipes. This makes sense in two situations. First, it reduces air circulation in the pipe. So, if you place your weapon into the pipe when it contains good air and you then place it somewhere with bad air, then it will take longer before the blade is surrounded by bad air. (But, if the reverse is true, it will hurt the blade longer.) Second, if you have dirt in the bottom of your fencing bag, the cap can keep dirt from entering the pipe end, and possibly entering your foil or épée point. (But, of the reverse is true, dirt will stay inside the pipe instead of falling out of it.)
Some people like to drill small holes through their pipes (or make them from perforated irrigation piping), which does help let moist air out of -- or into -- the pipe. This makes sense in one situation. If you place your weapon into the pipe when it contains bad air (or even the weapon is wet!!) and you then place it somewhere with good air, then it will be better. (But, if the reverse is true, it will hurt the blade faster.)
Some people like to attach inelastic or elastic cords to one end of the pipe to keep the weapon in the pipe even if it is turned upside down. This seems to be a good idea, and the only question is whether you consider the benefit to be worth the effort.
By all means, decorate your pipe at least enough that nobody else will accidentally mistake it for his own, and take it! While you're at it, consider putting your name on it, so if it does end up out of your possession, it maximizes the chance of its prompt return.