|
Post by antoine99 on Jan 26, 2018 6:28:20 GMT
Hey everyone
I saw this video where this guy made a pretty effective stab-proof vest out of 1/8 inch thick aluminum (from street signs):
I really want to try this and was wondering if a slightly thinner aluminum would be more efficient? As in, would it still protect against your typical thrust attacks (I wouldn't be worried about slashes at all with this thing)? It would be easier to bend to fit me if it was thinner.
Thanks everyone
|
|
Ifrit
Member
More edgy than a double edge sword
Posts: 3,284
|
Post by Ifrit on Jan 26, 2018 7:01:16 GMT
So back to this again.
But to answer your question, I would not try it with thinner aluminum. A dedicated thrust from a competent attacker could punch through a lot of different materials. But just to be clear, what thickness of aluminum are you thinking?
P.S: I am a big fan of Eli's builds. Never thought I would see them on SBG
|
|
|
Post by antoine99 on Jan 26, 2018 7:11:41 GMT
So back to this again. But to answer your question, I would not try it with thinner aluminum. A dedicated thrust from a competent attacker could punch through a lot of different materials. But just to be clear, what thickness of aluminum are you thinking? P.S: I am a big fan of Eli's builds. Never thought I would see them on SBG Yeah I had a thread about a similar topic but I thought I could use a thinner, more flexible aluminum to make it in a different way. Oh well, I found some cheap 1/8 inch street signs on Ebay. I didn't really have a thickness in mind, it's just that it performed so well in his test. I mean he set it on the ground and drove a spear into it, and it only just penetrated, and only very slightly. I would think I could get away with something thinner to prevent your average stabbing/thrust, but otherwise I'll try with the 1/8 inch, it's not like it's extremely heavy anyway. Thanks
|
|
Ifrit
Member
More edgy than a double edge sword
Posts: 3,284
|
Post by Ifrit on Jan 26, 2018 7:52:41 GMT
You could try buying a small piece and testing it yourself. It is probably the best way to get results. I am not sure if anyone else has tested it
|
|
pgandy
Moderator
Senior Forumite
Posts: 10,296
|
Post by pgandy on Jan 26, 2018 13:19:22 GMT
I’ll have to go along with Venus on this, or any other any other venture into the unknown. Make a testing model using smaller pieces of material of whatever the end result will be. If that looks promising expand from there.
|
|
|
Post by brotherbanzai on Jan 26, 2018 14:35:24 GMT
Stab "resistant" would probably be more accurate than stab "proof". I think aluminum armor would be great for show or costuming as it's lighter and easier to work with than steel, plus no rusting. The big difference is that a steel breastplate can be hardened and tempered to be quite a lot more resilient than a thicker piece of aluminum. Might want to roll the edges forward as well so that the aluminum plate isn't actively guiding cuts and thrusts into the exposed armpit and throat.
|
|
|
Post by antoine99 on Jan 27, 2018 0:42:13 GMT
Thank you for all the replies everyone!
I just ordered a 1/8 inch thick, 8" by 12" aluminum street sign off Ebay, wonder how this will turn out! I very much doubt it will be pretty. As this is really my first craft project, if it's at least functional, I'll be happy.
|
|
Ifrit
Member
More edgy than a double edge sword
Posts: 3,284
|
Post by Ifrit on Jan 27, 2018 0:46:06 GMT
Do you have an angle grinder? I think that's what he used for the grooves right? If not I'm sure you will be able to just bend it over a solid right angled surface like a work bench
|
|
|
Post by antoine99 on Jan 27, 2018 1:21:36 GMT
Do you have an angle grinder? I think that's what he used for the grooves right? If not I'm sure you will be able to just bend it over a solid right angled surface like a work bench That's actually the reason I was considering something thinner, so I could more easily bend it, but I'm more than willing to try my hand at this without that equipment. Wish me luck
|
|
Veerdin
Member
Penniless Arisocrat
Posts: 78
|
Post by Veerdin on Feb 20, 2018 12:25:04 GMT
Interested to see how this turns out. ZNA Productions has made some interesting stuff in the past, and theoretically, certain aluminium alloys could be fairly effective for preventing stabs. I mean, it might not be steel, but it'd certainly be better than nothing.
|
|
|
Post by Cosmoline on Feb 23, 2018 1:03:02 GMT
Yeah, it's great for keeping your lower back happy for a day at the fair but after seeing what steel trainers do to the old aluminum alloy ones I would NOT rely on that armor for hits. He shows a clip from BON but I'm pretty sure those guys go in for all steel and padding. Aluminum tends to crumple up.
Personally I think it would make a MUCH cooler costume if you left the street sign paint on and did a kind of post-apocalyptic theme. Maybe with trash lid as a shield and hardwood table leg as a weapon ;-)
|
|
pgandy
Moderator
Senior Forumite
Posts: 10,296
|
Post by pgandy on Feb 23, 2018 17:54:35 GMT
Yeah, it's great for keeping your lower back happy for a day at the fair ...) So I am not alone when it comes to a rebelling back due to armour’s weight over time.
|
|
|
Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Feb 23, 2018 18:06:21 GMT
Definitely not!
|
|
|
Post by antoine99 on Feb 28, 2018 3:36:29 GMT
Hey everyone It turns out I received the wrong item so I just ordered a 1/16 inch thick aluminum sign to experiment with along with two 1/8 inch thick aluminum sheets. The 1/8 inch are FAR harder to bend that I expected. However, the 1/16 was very easy. I ended up making one greave with it (is it still called a greave if it only covers the shin?), and taking some shoelaces from an old pair of shoes. It actually looks pretty promising if not sloppy and totally unprofessional, lol. So I ordered two more of the 1/16 inch signs (the 1/16 inch ones are street signs, the 1/8 ones are just aluminum blanks, all are 8" x 12"), and I'm going to make another greave for my other leg the same way. I just bent it a little bit in the middle, then places it over my shin and bent it the rest of the way. My issue right now is just having it stay in place. I tried it and it seems to be pretty stable, but I tied the laces around my leg. It's not actually uncomfortable, but being a complete hypochondriac if I can find something that has 0 risk of cutting off the circulation I'd probably use that instead. I didn't try it while wearing my jeans over it or with shoes, I can assume that once I do it will be even more stable. Overall I'm pretty happy with how it turned out as a first project. If I can't work with the 1/8 inch sheets, I might just order more 1/16 inch signs and secure two of them on top of each other. Now as for my original question about the body armor, I had a serious concern about that that never occurred to me; is there any risk if, for example, I am in a car accident while wearing it, and my body bends forward or whatever, that it could be forced upwards towards my throat? I do know that neck protection was very important during jousting, combat, etc. Cosmoline ; yeah that's what I was thinking, to leave the street sign paint on. I thought it would look funnier. Otherwise I might paint it bronze. Thanks again for all the replies!
|
|
pgandy
Moderator
Senior Forumite
Posts: 10,296
|
Post by pgandy on Feb 28, 2018 6:15:00 GMT
About your armour ridding up in an accident is an interesting question and I’d say there are a lot of ifs and unknowns there. As an old medic/first responder I’ve seen a lot of strange things happen that I didn’t think would. The best answer that I can offer at this time is to remember Murphy’s Law. I might throw this out there as I have been down this route, whatever you wear may have to be removed and you may be in an odd position and/or unconscious. Make it easy for the responders for your sake. About the greave. I’ve have historically had problems with vambraces and greaves sliding down. The heavier they are the greater the problem. Something with aluminium you might not experience. I have also experienced the circulation issue in an attempt to prevent the armour from sliding. It was years before I attempted greaves because of Mr. Gravity. I recently obtained splint greaves by Lord of Battles from KoA that seem to be working thanks largely to the padded greaves I wear underneath. These padded greaves www.darkknightarmoury.com/p-38295-arthur-padded-greaves.aspx flair forward just above the foot allowing the metal greave to comfortably rest on the padding there instead of the metal coming down on my foot. I suggest that you get padding of some type under the aluminium greaves, or any other metal greaves that you chose. While the metal may stop a laceration, even a fracture, it will do nothing to stop the pain due to the impact and those jeans alone are not sufficient.
|
|
|
Post by antoine99 on Feb 28, 2018 6:41:29 GMT
Thanks, great advice. For now I'm going to make my other greave, but when I actually make the torso/chest part, perhaps I'll put a lot of duct tape on the top edge of the armor, or something else if I can find something. Maybe some foam or something. Worst case scenario I guess is I just make a piece for my torso and not my chest so it's very, very unlikely to be dangerous. Removing it I don't think will be a problem, but I will certainly keep that in mind. If the greaves I made are anything to go by, all I have to do to remove them is pull on the string on the top and the bottom and they are untied, just like shoes Also you're right, they are very light, I'll weigh them sometime later. I've actually wanted to make an Aspis shield for awhile now (though without a curve), soon I'll see if I can buy some sort of tabletop and attach a cabinet handle or something to it with a leather strap for argive grip. If it happens I'll make another thread for that. Maybe I'll have done with it and just make a full set of armor, lol I was just thinking again about the neck issues; I suppose I could buy a gorget, looking on Dark Knight Armory for example, they are very cheap, and while they don't look that pretty, for my purposes, it's probably enough, right? Most of them are 18 gauge steel anyway, that should at least provide some protection from stabs even if it's not perfect (slashes I assume would be completely ineffective). But my main issue is preventing my aluminum armor from slamming upwards towards my neck. I think I'll get a pair of cheap 18 gauge steel bracers from them too, I'm not sure I can make something I could actually safely wear on my arms myself. With the low price it's probably not worth it to try. I was also toying with the idea of making some really simple paper armor from some regular blank writing paper (stationary paper I think). After watching a few demonstrations I think it might be an interesting project, and probably safer to wear, since it either bends, or is flexible enough to not harm myself. At first, all I'd do is take some sheets and duct tape them together, until there is enough duct tape to cover it so there isn't any visible paper, just so it doesn't get wet, or move around, or anything like that. However, I'm wondering how many sheets I'd actually have to use to have a somewhat effective piece of armor.
|
|
|
Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on Mar 22, 2018 0:14:23 GMT
Yeah, it's great for keeping your lower back happy for a day at the fair but after seeing what steel trainers do to the old aluminum alloy ones I would NOT rely on that armor for hits. He shows a clip from BON but I'm pretty sure those guys go in for all steel and padding. Aluminum tends to crumple up. Personally I think it would make a MUCH cooler costume if you left the street sign paint on and did a kind of post-apocalyptic theme. Maybe with trash lid as a shield and hardwood table leg as a weapon ;-) domnt forget tire tread pouldrons
|
|