Padding Titanium Plate Armour - Materials

[Avery]

Hi everyone, it's been a while since I've stuck my head up long enough to know what's been going on this millennium. I was hoping to get some good advice before I move forward with my current plans.

I have a suit of relatively thin titanium plate armour and every inch of it needs to be padded. I don't wear a gambeson, but in the past I've used sheets of closed-cell neoprene padding with velour cemented to the fighter side while the other side is cemented to the plate armour. As you can imagine. It's time to replace that smelly stuff. My plan this time around was to use scuba neoprene with nylon on one side and Velcro-style loop material on the other. I'd just cement strips of the hook side into my armour - making them easy to pull out and wash. I'm thinking the nylon will protect the foam and allow me to slip pretty smoothly in my gear. I'd likely then glue and stitch a little banding of stretchy material around the edges to hide the neoprene.

Before I go and order some, I was wondering if you had any other recommendations. I hear folks talk about something called "zoombang" all the time but I haven't personally seen it in sheets. Is there something you think I should look at to pad this rigid armor?

Thanks so much!
-avery

[losthelm]

I would really encourage you to look at natural materials.

[Konstantin the Red]

I'm with Lostie. Why on God's sanitary Earth aren't you going with a cloth arming-doublet in there? Easier to launder, not so difficult to tailor as you seem to believe (which is the only reason I can see for you sticking insulative foam rubber to the insides of your plates -- an exaggerated notion of how hard a doublet is to make and fit), and cooler to wear in linen or linen/wool. It'll also be your only upper garment other than your leg support (right?) within your harness unless it's snowy out; then you might resort to a wicking T-shirt under all for a bit more necessary warmth. Under plate you don't need Zoombang anyway; it's intended to be sufficient against falling on boulders and cobbles all in itself, and under plate you may have to restudy your blow calibration. Zoombang shirts seem to offer much more to mail wearers than to plate warriors -- the Crusaders, not the Thomas Malorys.

Under plate you just want a thin layer of padding to keep you from getting armor-bit, something constructed, say, of a lining and an outer shell of linen, sandwiching one layer of all-woolen blanketing in most parts -- maybe two layers of blanket up on your shoulders and the outsides of your upper arms. All the layers quilted down close makes this arming-doublet/gamby thin, cool-riding, and wicking of your sweat. I doubt your foam-rubber scheme had that advantage even with air channels between foam pads! The nature of these natural fibers of linen and wool are what make this scheme work to your comfort.

Now Avery, I won't listen to any yelps about how that's too hard for you, or it takes too long; I got more faith in your abilities than that, and you're going to be cutting and sewing anyway, and with a sewing machine I believe. I built my own Charles de Blois cote straight off a set of directions in Tournaments Illuminated; this first try at making a coat was almost completely successful. Brilliant at tailoring I am not, but I can follow directions. For the job, you want a sewing machine, a box of pins, and a pair of scissors as your essential necessary tools, and you'd like a sewing maven as a helpmeet and coach. Surely there is one in your Barony.

[mrks]

why the hell dont you ask your aging old knight?

signed "your aging old knight... mrks"

bad exsquire...

and fyi zoombang is heavy compared to the titanium suit you are wearing.
if you are considering ordering some ask weight per sq foot before you do.

[mrks]

avery also used to insist on wearing an underarmour shirt... no matter how bad it looked.
sadly before that is was some horrible long underwear derivative.

avery you have 24ga titanium. you might have to still have some sort of padding due to the amount flexing that gauge experiences.
I have 19 ga harness that uses tubular construction that locks together for strength instead of the sandwich construction your harness uses.

I wear a 100 percent cotton lightweight gambeson that has button holes for ventilation all over it.
avery Heather just made me a new one. catually two of them.
one for practice and one for show.

avery's harness looks like this: note the under armour he wore a squire

[Avery]

Thanks guys for your input! Konstantin, the material of my armour is a bit odd but I'll continue thinking on your advice. Sir Mrks, as always, I appreciate your sage wisdom. I've known your gambesons for many years now and also the padding style you wear on your armour in addition - having made a bunch under your guidance in the past myself!

[Konstantin the Red]

If I were only allowed two words, they'd be "discount linen."