tiny fiddly things

[anotheranon]

I broke a wire on my electric foil at club today and am attempting to rewire.

(Translation for non fencers - I broke the threadlike, easily breakable wire in my weapon that tells the buzzer to go off when I score a touch, and I am attempting to reinstall a new one).

This is a theater of tight muscles and squinting as the parts involved are incredibly tiny (check out all the stuff in the tip - real size is about 3/4" long) - the screws are the worst. Seating the new wire into the tip isn't much worse than threading a needle, but with the added paranoia every step of the way of breaking the new wire.

The instructions I'm using emphasizes the delicacy of the wire at every step: Don't unroll it too fast or squeeze it too hard. Use a toothpick to press it into the groove - repeatedly, to make sure it sticks to the glue - but gently. Don't look at it wrong, and don't breathe too hard. Hell, sweet talk it if needed :P And sweat bullets while putting the grip back on, honey, because all this angst is for naught if you angle the damn thing wrong and crush it :P

Do not attempt while inebriated or caffeinated. Expect that you will weep from the eyestrain of trying to relocate those ()*!*(# screws once you've got them out (I used the freehand magnifiying rig at dotheranon's workbench).

Right now the sticky beast is propped in a doorway (the blade has to hold an extreme curve while the glue dries, as this mimics the flex that comes from use) and I'm trying to work out how to get to the other side of the door without disturbing it to get the nail polish remover to get the excess glue off my hands :P

Comments

[jlsjlsjls.livejournal.com]

Eeeps!!! If I were close enough to lend you my new contacts and my jeweller's screwdrivers, I would have.

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

If you were close enough, would you do this FOR me? I mean....I did this because it's routine maintenance that I figured I ought to learn, but given the choice I'll cheerfully outsource it! ;)

[jlsjlsjls.livejournal.com]

Sure! I've always been able to reassemble (in working condition) anything I take apart (including a vacumm cleaner power head, a portable electric typewriter, an LED computer mouse, a flatbed scanner, and a toploading VCR, among other things)