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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2010 8:56:26 GMT
Ok, so me and a friend of mine have been talking about sparing for a long time. Well, the other day we decided to quit talking about it and start doing.
Back when I was in high school, I used to spar with some guys using foam wrapped pvc, but we wouldn't wear any protection and had the "Try to avoid the head shots" rule. It worked out just fine, but it made the combat less real.
So, present day, my friend and I decided to get some head protection and do away with that rule. Granted, there is the understanding that a full on baseball bat swing to the head could still do some damage to the head and neck so if you are going for a head shot, try to pull the punch a little.
Anyway, I was thinking about how I could make a helm. I have a few retired road signs that I got legaly from the DOT here. But when I went out to try and bend the signs into a cylinder, it was harder then I thought. So I started thinking about PVC
Do you guys think that if I could find some PVC pipe that would fit over my head that I could cut some holes in it, put a strap on it and it would offer ample protection from a foam wrapped pvc pipe? (provided I padded the inside of it)
This needs to remain low cost, and I have found some baseball helmets that might work if I purchased a face guard with them, but if I can make it for less, I'd rather do that as I really enjoy making things.
Tell me what you think!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2010 10:51:45 GMT
So, present day, my friend and I decided to get some head protection and do away with that rule. Granted, there is the understanding that a full on baseball bat swing to the head could still do some damage to the head and neck so if you are going for a head shot, try to pull the punch a little. This is why they won't allow aluminum or titanium or other lighter weight materials for SCA helms. The weight is an actual safety feature.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2010 12:01:28 GMT
Bear in mind I don't have a clue what I'm talking about when it comes to arms and armor but in pyrotechnics you use HDPE, and not PVC, for mortars because if a shell goes off inside HDPE it just splits a seam, PVC shatters into shrapnel. I would think, all things being equal. you don't want something capable of shattering into shrapnel from a direct hit anywhere near your head. That's just off the top of my head, people who know what they're talking about might have something completely different to say.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2010 13:18:05 GMT
Why not go down to a second hand store and pick up a la crosse helmet/football helmet for a couple of bucks.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2010 13:33:13 GMT
I've been looking at second hand stores. I have 2 in a 45 minute radius from me. I don't live in a populated town and the goodwill stores usually just have an excess of woman's clothing.
HDPE, that is a great idea! ... if I can find some localy that would be large enough.
I might look into a junk yard and seeing how much they'd charge me for a hood and keep with the heavier metals for inertial safety.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2010 21:04:29 GMT
Go to your local fast food store and ask for pickle barrels. Like Slackitude's advice they are HDPE and are already contoured. If you can't get them from Micky's or BK, you can always go to Home Depost or Lowes and can the same thing as a paint bucket for a nominal charges.
They will all be oversized and you will have to do some customization ork but they are cheap.
Good Luck with it either way , but if you do go the HDPE bucket route post some pics of how you went about it.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2010 22:40:40 GMT
Wow, oddly enough I went to Lowes today to pick up a father's day gift.
So I started browsing the isles. I found a galvanized bucket that fit on my head nicely, but the metal was to thin and would probably take a bend easily. Then I found the Lowe's brand pickle buckets! I put one on my head and with about a inch of padding all the way around, I could see it working. (I have a big head)
It was only after took the bucket off my head did I realize that some middle aged woman was watching me and probably questioning my sanity. So I just look at her and say "Oh, it's for a helm" then gave her a big smile and walked off. I could have played it up a bit more, but I was content with her dead-in-the-head-lights-of-a-crazy-person stare.
I might need to oblong it a little, or just add extra padding around the sides (which wouldn't be a bad idea anyway)
So, unless I have an epiphany, I'll probably go the bucket route. If I wanted to be extra "cool" I could cut the bottom out, cut a V half way down one side, make the top taper up and patch it all together. But right now I just need function over fancies. Basically this will tell me if my buddy really gets into hitting me with a stick or if it's just a phase.
If it turns out to be something we can get into, we'll probably start making an SCA kit after a year of sparring.
Thanks for the input guys! I'll have some time in the middle of this week to do mock 1 of the 5 gallon bucket helm, I'll be extra sure to take step by step pictures.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2010 1:14:49 GMT
Greg, to get the contour transposed to the bucket, get some steel flat bars about 1/8" thick. Bend them to the correct shape with a vise and a hammer. Drill rivet holes every 1" and rivet the plastic to the inside or outside of the bent barstock. It will give you added protection and is easily repairable.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2010 3:14:22 GMT
Back in the day, the SCA would cut face openings in freon cans and such and pad the insides some and those would be their helms. Alot of guys who got started back then are still fighting, too.
An alternative to all this would be to find the local SCA fighter practice, toss on some loaner gear and have at. You get to try the actual SCA/rattan stick thing, save some money (in case it doesn't work out for you) and be a little (maybe a Lot) safer. It also lets you talk to the local SCAdians and see if it's a crowd you'd be interested in hanging out with.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2010 10:52:09 GMT
I Think Taran has some excellent advice, although, having said that, I'm really curious to see how this bucket idea might turn out. It sounds like one of those ideas that has the potential to be a really cool project that lots of people could benefit from.
Edited to add: +1 for the story of the bucket on your head at Lowes. Thanks for the laugh.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2010 15:48:44 GMT
I have my days.
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