The Armour Archive

Working on my new splinted limbs, and just about the only part I haven't made are the splints. I want to use plastic for the splints, and I have a sheet of 1/8" thick textured kydex. I have not worked with kydex much before so I want to make sure, before I finish my construction, that the splints will be hardy enough to last.

My concern is for how strong the splints will be if they are roughly 1 1/2" to 2" wide by at least 6" or more long, with two to three 3/16" holes drilled along the center line for the rivets. I'm not sure how resilient kydex is, so could anyone with some experience tell me if these splints seem feasible?

I've been cutting pieces and flexing, bending and hitting them, and it seems like these splints will work, so I just ask to see if there is some aspect I have overlooked.

They should work rather well. Not indestructible but well. My fabric covered kydex vambraces lasted me 8 years of irregular practice and died because of cracking where the rivets for the hinge placed odd stresses on the plastic during impact. So long as you land the edged and don't make a hole by hammering through it with a philiphs head screwdriver there shouldn't be any cracks to cause a stress concentration.

If you can put a curve into them by say, heating in an even and draping over a wine bottle, the shape will give you a lot of stiffness that the material thickness doesn't.

Luck!
Sean

I have woven leather vambraces with kydex riveted into the weave. They work fantastic and show no signs of wear.

I made kydex shield bosses 15 years ago and still have several going strong even when I was fighting 2 practices a week. It's pretty tough stuff.

And in San Antone, it probably doesn't get cold enough to embrittle them. At least not often. Very cold weather can make Kydex more liable to crack, but in your application the problem may never come up at all.

Konstantin the Red wrote:And in San Antone, it probably doesn't get cold enough to embrittle them. At least not often. Very cold weather can make Kydex more liable to crack, but in your application the problem may never come up at all.

In San Antone it doesn't get cold, as far as I can tell.

Sean Powell wrote:They should work rather well. Not indestructible but well. My fabric covered kydex vambraces lasted me 8 years of irregular practice and died because of cracking where the rivets for the hinge placed odd stresses on the plastic during impact. So long as you land the edged and don't make a hole by hammering through it with a philiphs head screwdriver there shouldn't be any cracks to cause a stress concentration.

If you can put a curve into them by say, heating in an even and draping over a wine bottle, the shape will give you a lot of stiffness that the material thickness doesn't.

Luck!
Sean

Great idea, Sean! I was concerned that the 1/8" inch thickness would not be enough, and should perhaps go with 1/4", but putting in a slight curve should solve that problem nicely!

Sigismund von Helfenstein wrote:In San Antone it doesn't get cold, as far as I can tell.

They have a different scale in TX. As near as I can tell, anything under 90F is chilly.

Bumping.

Kydex experts speak now, or forever hold your peace.

Kydex will work well and be safe as splints depending on how you shape the, Cracking in the cold shouldn't be a problem because your body will warm them up fast.

Consider puttingany padding behind them, either mouse pad or closed cell and this will be about as good of a style of protection as you can get in the SCA.

g-

raito wrote:

Sigismund von Helfenstein wrote:In San Antone it doesn't get cold, as far as I can tell.

They have a different scale in TX. As near as I can tell, anything under 90F is chilly.

Hey us Texans are more cold tolerant than that! It doesn't start to get chilly till at least 87 thank you very much. 90 is just plain comfortable.

Anyone have any ideas as to how I could shape the greave splints to form to my calves?

If I may intrude into the thread, what thickness of Kydex should I be looking at for vambrace and kidney pad bracing?

Lord Leif
Stargate, Ansteorra

Sigismund von Helfenstein wrote:Anyone have any ideas as to how I could shape the greave splints to form to my calves?

I would recommend heating the splints at 250F and then draping over a cylinder of approximately the right diameter. I made my plastic leg armor in school by shaping over a fire extinguisher.

leekellerking wrote:If I may intrude into the thread, what thickness of Kydex should I be looking at for vambrace and kidney pad bracing?

Lord Leif
Stargate, Ansteorra

1/8" is sufficient for vambraces. 1/8" is legal for kidney protection but I've never worn it in that way. My corazinna is 1/8" kydex, has held up quite well over the year and provides plenty of protection.

Luck!
Sean

Shape the kydex to your leg first and cut it into splints after. It's easier to get a consistent, appropriate curve that way.

Sigismund von Helfenstein wrote:Anyone have any ideas as to how I could shape the greave splints to form to my calves?

How perfect do you want it to be? You could make a plaster of your calves pretty easily & cheaply, and form the plastic around *that*. Or, if lazy and stupid, you can put a towel over your calf, heat up the plastic, and get a buddy with another towel to press it onto your leg for as long as you can stand it. Run it under cold water to 'freeze' it into shape once it's come down in temp some.

Baron Alejandro wrote:

Sigismund von Helfenstein wrote:Anyone have any ideas as to how I could shape the greave splints to form to my calves?

How perfect do you want it to be? You could make a plaster of your calves pretty easily & cheaply, and form the plastic around *that*. Or, if lazy and stupid, you can put a towel over your calf, heat up the plastic, and get a buddy with another towel to press it onto your leg for as long as you can stand it. Run it under cold water to 'freeze' it into shape once it's come down in temp some.

Being both lazy and a bit stupid, I think I will attempt this ironman approach of holding the hot plastic to my betoweled leg. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Do not wet that towel. Use it dry, or else get scalded with steam. 2 layers toweling will be better than 1 and will aid in setting up for padding within splints. {ETA} Secure the towel firmly by any workable means. This is something you don't want slipping!

You're going to have to heat the plastic in your oven until it just barely starts to droop. (Don't tell your Lady you just outgassed petrochemicals in her oven) When you press the hot plastic on, try not to squeal (I failed at that). For fine tuning, get a heat gun.

Also, what Konstantin said. Unless you are going for that lobster look.

Also, if anyone uses this advice to make exposed plastic armour, I will dump goat vomit in your armour bag. Don't think I won't.

Baron Alejandro wrote:Also, if anyone uses this advice to make exposed plastic armour, I will dump goat vomit in your armour bag. Don't think I won't.

Perish the thought.

Do pet goats have a gag reflex?

Baron Alejandro wrote:Run it under cold water to 'freeze' it into shape once it's come down in temp some.

The only catastropic failures of kydex I have seen have been with plastic that was 'shocked' by quenching in water. I would suggest against it.

Sean

I don't mean stick it in a cold bucket of water; i mean turn your faucet on and run it under that. Brings the temp down less precipitously. YMMV, ad goat nauseaum, etc.

Konstantin the Red wrote:Do pet goats have a gag reflex?

not with "training"