Need information on building armor...?

Question

I have seen other people build full body armor suits for costumes and stronger ones for airsoft / paintball - I have been gathering information on this, but I realized the best place to ask would be here. I have considered fiberglass or poly-carbon, but still need to know where to get it, how to mold it, how to add joint parts, etc. I know this must sound very strange, but... any information would help.

Answer 1

It depends what you are trying to use it to do. If you are trying to use it to limit the pain you feel in paintball, you want to make it distribute the force more evenly (a paintball doesn't really have much momentum). If you are trying to have it stop a bullet, you need extremely strong fibers (kevlar is one of the better ones at this), and several layers at that. To stop a paintball, however, will require much less, and I would even recommend molding a more solid piece using some foam that will absorb some of teh energy of the impact while distributing it over a larger area.

Answer 2

I built my own chain maille throat guard for playing paintball and got several great ideas from the ring lord...it took me about two days to understand the looping technique but thats bc I am college edjumacated and put too much thought into it...I wouldn't go with formed panels bc it will give it a modern processed look...go with scales, or thin sheets of plate maille for a more realistic look and feel...but do not try building your own REAL body armor...let that to the professionals...there is a reason that they are so expensive...trust me, I am a repo man for cars...buy the real deal

Answer 3

Hi. The best body armor for real projectiles (large caliber handguns vs paint balls) consists of high strength fibers like Kevlar woven at multiple angles. The intent is to absorb the impact force and change it's direction from towards the target (you) to a sideways vector.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

Well, if you're just looking for raw materials, then you can buy it from McMaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com).

I will say however, that sometimes it is cheaper to buy something pre-made since materials can by quite expensive, not to mention the correct building techniques and what not.

Answer 6

The Warmachine.