Making an update to the body armor WIP. Process log below.
Got a snap with the plates against me. The bottom is about an inch above my belly button. I think I'm in good shape but I'd appreciate any feedback.
Looking at it objectively, as I have them taped up: chest plates are a bit off-straight, and a little close to the iron heart as a result. A tiny bit of outward rotation around the bottom corners should fix that and get the top outside corners more aligned to the collarplate. They don't feel too wide to me, but I know that's a common pitfall for applicants.
The metal armor project started with lots and lots of planning and drafting and version revisions.
And then like the rest of my parts, I outsourced some cutting.
Iron Heart, Vode.
Step one for all plates: shaping a curve with a slip roll. Certain pieces have changing angles and curves so I re-worked some areas by turning the plate or tightening the radius or both.
For the chest pieces I did a bit of additional rolling and hammering to get the bottom tabs to curl a bit more.
Mocked up the plates to see the proportions and spacing- I know it's not much use without a body behind it....but it felt good to see it.
I also kinda started a second set of plates (volume discounts on multiple parts!) that will end up having more angles to the shape.
They are intended for a relative.
Some other pieces needed some further forming as well - butt plate, cod, and back plate.
I turned the edges of my butt plate out a bit, hammering over my 1.5" steel pipe and down against a block of wood for a subtle flare. It adds strength and catches the light, and gives places for washes to work. The outward flare echoes my
instep plates.
The cod presented a challenge - how to go from two simple radii at right angles and raise up a 'bump' in the front. I cut the profile out of plywood, stuck it on with spray adhesive, and worked the edges with a hammer. Aside from getting a bit off-center, I like how well the method worked. I may go ahead and re-do this one from scratch to get it just right.
Oh, and back plates. Back plates.
I patterned up a three piece version of a classic Fett type back plate. The primary center portion should meet the 2/3 requirement and the side plates are kind of optional.
I went through similar operations. slip roll in multiple curvatures and directions. some hammer forming around the arm openings. I used the same method as on the cod to raise the center back panel.
Second backplate? OK! this one is a bit smaller, and has some slight angles in the back bend. I added a raised portion to match the first one.
And that's the story so far. I've got the rough shaping done. I need to do fine tuning once I've got my vest done. Yes I know I'm doing this a little backwards.
Final steps for shaping:
-hammer in radius all around the edges of front body plates for appearance of depth
-tune the back plate and decide about connecting directly to collar plate or having floating shoulder strap plates
-set self-clinching studs for mounting. planning on using grommets on my vest.
-put some 2 or 3mm foam on the back to add some bulk and keep the plates from slipping and clanking too much.
And then painting, weathering and such. The bare metal is beautiful but I don't know how to weather it convincingly.
