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Looking for ideas on Body armor


MattD
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I'm building some displays for the local military museum here. I'm working on Vietnam-today

 

Anyone have suggestions on replica/replacement armor for Body Armor vests.

 

I have the following Body Armor vest carriers/outer shells

 

1. current issue IBA/Interceptors

2. M1952 Korean war era

3. M69

 

I was going to cut up a sleep pad, but I don't think it will hang right on mannequins.

 

Any suggestions?

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I think maybe the sleeping pad or similar type of foam would work if you were to duct tape something to to to help stiffen it up and maybe add a little weight...I think that's what I'd try.

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I think maybe the sleeping pad or similar type of foam would work if you were to duct tape something to to to help stiffen it up and maybe add a little weight...I think that's what I'd try.

 

When I am building a carrier for ballistic panels that I don't have in my possession, I take a tracing and measure the thickness of the panels

and take closed cell foam and cut it to shape. Then we tape the panels together and sew a fabric envelope around it, replicating as closely as

possible the ballistic panels but in a much lighter and easier to manage fashion. The blue sleeping pads in the camping section at Wal Mart are

a pretty good match density and thickness-wise for most of the ballistic material we bump into.

 

HTH

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I think maybe the sleeping pad or similar type of foam would work if you were to duct tape something to to to help stiffen it up and maybe add a little weight...I think that's what I'd try.

 

I use cut up sleeping pad with the edges rounded off for the soft insterts. As for the armor plates, the airsoft plates on eBay go for about $25. Also, we had guys glue layers of cardboard together to the desired thickness, and then cut it with a jig saw to the desired shape.

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I use cut up sleeping pad with the edges rounded off for the soft insterts. As for the armor plates, the airsoft plates on eBay go for about $25. Also, we had guys glue layers of cardboard together to the desired thickness, and then cut it with a jig saw to the desired shape.

 

 

Seems like everyone is leaning toward the sleeping pads

 

Thanks for input, I'll post some pics when I get display done.

 

Hawkdriver -thanks for IBA stuff

 

Matt

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