Barrel armor lacing

[clinker]

I understand this is sort of plebian, but I recently came into a half dozen black with gray liner pickle barrels and wanted to make up a couple loaner armors for a local SCA group.
Is this stuff thick enough at 3/16 plus-a-bit to be effective?

I was thinking of a five plate style with an 8" side-belly-back plate and 3-4 lames up the front and back and kusazuri to cover hips.
What is the most effective, least visually offensive way to tie the front,rear and side plates together?
Metal hinges are obviously out. As loaner gear don't want to use leather hinges,so lacing is in. Should I Butt them and run a line of holes and lace them up. Or underlap the sides a bit and lace it that way, or???.

[nismos14270r]

Hello, from how I understand your dilemma a ryo awase dou would work. The front and rear plates are not connected in anyway, and instead overlap under each arm by 2 inches. In the picture below it is the bottom middle style:



I would just follow the okegawa patterns and advice on samurai armor manual for completing the rest.

[kyuujou]

imgur.com/hYeWw3B

Thats barrel cut then riveted together with solid copper rivets, use gorilla wood glue to apply canvas, cover in gesso, sand flat, paint with spray laquer AND LACE IT CORRECTLY (use 1/2 lace) 

This was a early loaner set hence the quality issues, but it looks better then anything else I have seen at a larp for japanese, none the less loaner grade

If you want for the SCA, then glue a layer of blue camp pad to the inside. I did that for a few years. Barely feel anything short a angry pole axe



<a href="https://imgur.com/hYeWw3B"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/hYeWw3B.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>