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Post by konrad on Mar 2, 2009 12:59:42 GMT -5
Looks awesome!
I would throw out a little caution that you take it easy during the padding process. It seems to me that you've really done a fine job of tailoring your harness to your body it would be a shame to throw off the fit with extra padding. Since your going to wearing it over a set of fighting clothes, I would test it out in 'as-is' condition before adding a bunch extra padding that you might not even need. Depending on your local fighting conditions (calibration levels, how much you get hit, etc.) it might work out well to 'pad as go'. Do a little half-speed, half power stuff to see if there are going to be issues and correct from there.
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Post by tengumoon on Mar 2, 2009 15:24:04 GMT -5
Thanks Augi, give it time and I will get more pics. Weekends are a wondeful thing, I just dont get enough of them!
Konrad, thanks for that, it is rather akin to my own ideas. I dotn have to worry about jumping into full combat to test the armour out. So yes it will be a fight/train and tweak approach. My marshall is a bit funny about it, mostly cause I dont think he has ever seen such a kit before. His focus is on ribs and kidneys at the moment.
My plan so far is to put heavy duct tape on the inside of the armour where there is no lacing and to glue very specifically shaped pieces of foam (black) to the areas that need it - mostly my hips, ribs, kidneys and sternum. I think I will also do the same for the kusazuri and then go from there to see what else I need and make sure i can move ok in it all.
The next biggest step is putting the stuff on at trainign and just seeing how it all moves
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Post by konrad on Mar 2, 2009 16:20:06 GMT -5
As far as sternum and kidey protection goes, I can't really see how your armour doesn't exceed the society armour standard minimums by a mile. Quick story: A friend of mine had his squires come up to him and ask him what they need to do to improve their kits that they had been dilligently working of for the past six months. He said, 'Use them'.
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Post by mrcunningham on Mar 2, 2009 17:26:54 GMT -5
Looks like a fine kit. Let's see in on and in action. I love the color combination.
Not to pick nits, but man, those kusazuri look huge.
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Post by tengumoon on Mar 2, 2009 21:44:26 GMT -5
there is a difference between minimum SCA reqs and my minimum comfort reqs *grin*
I am yet to find out exaclty what it is tho and will only find out by trial and error - I would be more happy to err on the side of trial rather than error!
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Post by tengumoon on Mar 2, 2009 21:55:20 GMT -5
yes the kusazuri are bigger than normal but I decided to leave them that way until such time as I am more confident and competent in avoiding bruises! We have some local fighters you target legs!
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AJBryant
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甲冑師 katchuu-shi
Posts: 1,972
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Post by AJBryant on Mar 3, 2009 0:20:05 GMT -5
I *love* those kusazuri. It's old school. Butch.
It also makes up for all those people who are stingy with theirs.
It's spectacular.
Effingham
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Post by roninpenguin on Mar 3, 2009 10:33:49 GMT -5
I agree, I like the Kusazuri as well, I think I might oversize mine on my next suit a little. ;D
As far as padding goes, I have a friend who is a pain wuss. Really, if he feels the impact he thinks that the pain is unbearable. He has a suit of ABS that he wears and just has a padded jacket that he started out wearing, now he has even ditched that. You would be surprised at how much protection you have in just the plastic alone, it works because the flex of the plastic absorbs more of the impact before the energy of the blow gets transferred to you, meaning that you have to pad it less then steel armor.
Really, unless you are fighting with a bunch of huge gorillas, I would try it without padding it first. Really you are going to get hit in the head 80% of the time anyway, and padding can make your armor even hotter then it is going to be all ready.
Anyway, just my 2 yen.
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Post by tengumoon on Mar 3, 2009 15:50:08 GMT -5
Well I put the kit on last night, the dou at least, and it all seems to fit fine
No it didnt get hit yet - tho lots wanted to hit it! It was more a put it on and see how it moves and do I need to make tweaks and changes.
I definitely agree about the maybe not needing padding thing tho I might put them on the kusazuri and also just around the hips (it started to wear on me a bit) tho most of they dou weigth was on my hips and barely on the watagami at all and it felt right doing it that way
All I can say is that the dou "felt" right and it moves with me just fine
Only tweaks / problems I identified: 1: The sode need arm ties, to keep it in place over my shoulder as it seems to expose a lot of the front / inside of my upper arm 2: When I throw a snap the front corner of the sode hits me in the mouth! (this will be fixed with the wearing of a helm but it was interesting to note that it happened! Mostly as a result of strong hip rotation!)
thanks guys (and girls) you have really helped me make this possible
James / Kenji
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Post by tengumoon on Mar 20, 2009 10:57:29 GMT -5
Well... update time I think I put the full kit on... and borrowed a helmet and got hit...! the paint is still on the dou! biggest problem... leg armour... or lack thereof I got hit in the thigh, as expected, and it stung like a bitc... you know what I thought that the hit missed the jusazuri altogether until the next day I did some experimenting and realised the kusazuri sat exactly where they are meant to sit! - the problem was that the rattan hittign bare leg is a thud ouch feeling, the plastic plates of the kusazuri spread the impact into a slap on the meat of my thigh... solution... padding.. works much better now I also cut down the thickness of padding in my guruwa and made a few adjustments - and now I can actually move my head rather than it acting liek a paramedic neck brace! I have also been working on haidate of course to really look after my thighs. Of course I still need to sew the plates in place A question about the haidate: Effingham-dono... your instruction say to put a 3/4 inch dart at the outsides (this little really looks negligible).. but that really isnt enough to make the shape of the haidate match the images you have - to make the inwards angle on the outer edges... question is... should I match the instructions or the images? After haidate - then the kote! - but at least my fighting kit is enough to get me fighting thanks Kenji
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AJBryant
New Member
甲冑師 katchuu-shi
Posts: 1,972
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Post by AJBryant on Mar 20, 2009 12:55:59 GMT -5
Either one... some haidate are actually flat, with no dart. You can leave it off if you like. That would probably work best if you are somewhat chunky -- (i.e., the dart "takes in the waist" and allows the bulk to hang and wrap, but if you have a more substantial belly the "taking in the waist" isn't necessary to deal with the bulk of the fabric).
Effingham
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Lash
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perfection isnt an end result but a path to walk upon with your eyes closed.
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Post by Lash on Mar 20, 2009 14:44:43 GMT -5
Tengumoon here is what i use under my haidate there is also a top and arm protectors that i get from this same company that work fantastic . especially if you use fabric adhesive spray to attach pices of plastic to the padded sections . www.xsportsprotective.com/cp2500.html
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Post by tengumoon on Mar 20, 2009 17:06:10 GMT -5
Effingham-dono, I really like the feature of the dart and the effects it has on the haidate overall (and I am not "chunky" - refer to previous amateur photo of self)
Lash-dono, I have been looking for those but cannot find them. Cricket thigh pads cost half what those cost so I thought that perhaps if I cannot find them I will just make a pair... (We have some serious thigh hunters here in Brisbane Qld)
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Lash
New Member
perfection isnt an end result but a path to walk upon with your eyes closed.
Posts: 422
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Post by Lash on Mar 20, 2009 22:33:47 GMT -5
they are everywere LOL !! but remember if they are swinging at your thigh the left side of their head is always open HEHEEEE!!!! ;D
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Post by tengumoon on Apr 2, 2009 5:36:31 GMT -5
Update time:
I put a dart on the outer edges of the haidate - I think I went with abotu an inch and a half to really give it the rigth look
the plates of been sewn onto the haidate - sigh - thank the kami for the patience to do that task!
Questions: The belt on the haidate - long enough to tie at the back? or all the way round and tie at the front this would feel more correct to me to wear
How much do the haidate need to curve around the thighs? I am thinking abotu half way between flat and tight around the thigh
The really important question... before I sew the button and button hole - is a single button enough to hold the haidate round the leg? Will it deal with the rigours of combat? or should I perhaps hide some velcro or some other fastener as well?
thanks
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