BG: I figured you would give your blessing on this, after I make mine, is there going to be a commission for armor for you?
Baraka Guru: Battle Editor of the North Watch
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Authenticity is the least of my worries, I actually think it's going to be best to mix and match the best parts of armor from all the areas of history. Don't tie myself down to one section of time, pull everything I can from all the thousands of years of armor production.
From what I've been reading, seems like layers of the same material is more on the fact that they didn't really have the materials to make lighter and stronger armor. They used what they had and worked it to their best abilities.
I know for sure I'll be wearing an arming jacket under chainmail. The chainmail I can handle (I've made it before), but what goes on top of that is what I'm working on.
I think the biggest problem I'm going to have is deciding on the weight issue. I could (in theory) build a complete suit of armor that protects all areas of my body and layered on the vital areas. This would WAY to heavy for me to wear even if my body was in the best shape it could be in. You have to weight the protection/weight ratio. Lighter armor means you weight less and are more agile, heavier armor means more protection but less mobility/endurance. If I was a bigger guy, then I'd layer the armor on. I'm not so, it's a trial and error thing.
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Originally Posted by Willravel
I was curious because I've been fascinated to see developments made in ceramics over the past 10 years. Current ceramic armor is nearly as strong as diamond and can stop dead straight shots from only inches away, let alone strike and stab weaponry and arrows. The weapons expert brought in to be a technical advisor on The Dark Knight came up with the idea of hundreds of ceramic plates all weaved into an elastic body suit to provide maximum surface area protection without sacrificing movement. Obviously, though, such options would be quite pricey.
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Yeah, there are some really amazing materials out there that I could make a really awesome suit of armor, but that's getting way out of my ballpark when it comes to price and the ability to work with the material.
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Originally Posted by Willravel
Still, the same theory could be expanded to include cheaper, metal options like steel or titanium. The issue is that something like steel is much heavier than modern ceramics, which will slow down movement the better the coverage. Titanium is lighter than steel, but it's more expensive.
I think the most practical thing you can do is to create a custom long-sleeve shirt and pair of pants with inserts like that of a 'battle bra' sewn in. The idea would be for it to be form-fitting, but to maintain your freedom of movement by having elastic or looser joints. You can do the classic shoulders, chest plate, stomach plates, upper back plate, lower back plates, upper arm plates, lower arm plates, neck guard kind of thing. When you've got the thing together, you can price different insert options and go with whatever you think is functional but within your price range. Combine that with a real tactical helmet w/ face guard and steel-reinforced boots and I think you could be a force to reckon with should you meet someone on the field of battle. You can probably get away with a decent pair of motorcycle gloves instead of trying to get something too ridiculous.
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You are talking about something like this? Basically what they use for BMX and motorcross style of events?
That is an idea I thought of, basically a stronger base than an arming jacket and attaching leather/steel plates to vital areas. It's a great idea, but this is the problem when I think about manufacture and use. I think the repairs on a single piece suit would be higher than separate pieces. If the base jacket would be torn, would this make the rest of the armor unusable? If my left elbow protector was broken and unwearable, would it make the rest of the suit unwearable? If it was a separate piece, then I would take that off and just not be protected in that area.
I think that's a great idea for concealable armor, light enough to be able to go under a heavy coat or cloak (if we are talking about armor, I can say cloak), but not as great for a battle were you knew you were getting into a fight.
I also thought about tactical equipment and how it's protection boils over to melee combat from protecting from bullets. Would a riot helmet protect my head better than a modern reproduction of a older helmet?
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Originally Posted by Willravel
What kind of melee weapon are you looking to use? Something quick like a katana or something with power like a broadsword? Or are you more of an axe or mace type?
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I'm thinking this is leaning towards a heavier slashing weapon like a broadsword than a more "slash-heavy" curved blade (like a saber or katana). It would protect from impact that a heavier sword would inflict, but not enough for something like a mace/hammer. That would mean layers and shock protection more than what is needed for slashing.
That's another toss up like the weight/protection ratio, how much do I want to protect and what am I willing to sacrifice for it.