So...ok. I just got "told" on a forum that "many" games require one to wrap the Core of ultra-light weapons in strapping tape to prevent "splintering," like that's even a thing
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No, I don't think it's necessary or even safe. If it breaks, it breaks, and splintering is the least dire way for it to break - IE, it's the least damaging to your target. The strapping tape won't stop it from breaking. It will just make it break less obviously and act just a bit more whippy for a while until it snaps off and leaves a nice jagged edge exposed.
IMO, splintering is a much better alternative, as it turns your weapon into a wet noodle that is obviously broken while the core remains cleverly hidden in foam.
With one particular core/foam combination some of my friends like, the foam is veeeeery slightly large, and one layer of tape is enough to make the fit snug instead of very slightly loose. I've also been told the strapping tape cuts down very slightly on whip on long weapons, but I am neither a good enough fighter nor a sufficiently frequent user of long weapons to notice this.
Yeah, these are the reasons I've heard of to use strapping tape. Making the foam fit better and/or reducing whippiness on long weapons. I am unconvinced it makes that much difference on the second.
Having broken many a shoddy weapon (of my construction), yeah, graphite cores splinter. However, they splinter when you shatter them, not when you use them normally.
I don't think a layer of strapping tape is going to stop splinters from being a danger any more than, say, a layer of foam covered by nylon ripstop tape would. Just for instance.
I've seen it done, but I've only seen a kite pole break once and there were utterly egregious circumstances around it.
When I saw the core break, it also kind of broomed out, as opposed to splintering into pointy shards of death, but I have no idea which is more common.
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Splintering?
But what do I know.
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No, I've never heard of it being a requirement.
No, I don't think it's necessary or even safe. If it breaks, it breaks, and splintering is the least dire way for it to break - IE, it's the least damaging to your target. The strapping tape won't stop it from breaking. It will just make it break less obviously and act just a bit more whippy for a while until it snaps off and leaves a nice jagged edge exposed.
IMO, splintering is a much better alternative, as it turns your weapon into a wet noodle that is obviously broken while the core remains cleverly hidden in foam.
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I don't think a layer of strapping tape is going to stop splinters from being a danger any more than, say, a layer of foam covered by nylon ripstop tape would. Just for instance.
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When I saw the core break, it also kind of broomed out, as opposed to splintering into pointy shards of death, but I have no idea which is more common.
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