mossman Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 i need some specs for some bending pads i will make. i was thinking 4 or 5'' wide, and a 1' long. i want to make them out of strong leather. i have used shop rags ever since i started, but they kept puncturing through, and im kinda sick of getting stigmata here. if i wanted that crap, i would bend bare handed. what types of leather would work best for this? clay, eric, terminator, someone help one this? i just hope we dont have to hear anything negative out of Mikael. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaibox Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 im kinda sick of getting stigmata here. ditto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeP Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 suede is fine. put some cordura inside in the suede if it punches through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SqeezeMasterFlash Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 I haven't tried leather but I really like my balistic nylon pads Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossman Posted July 21, 2004 Author Share Posted July 21, 2004 ok, thats sounds good for material...now how bout specs on em? in the videos i have seen, especially erics or clays red cert, the leather looks to be as wide as i said, but longer than a foot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anson Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 4"X12" works great. I just got some elkskin i'm gonna cut up, look out G8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikael Siversson Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 i just hope we dont have to hear anything negative out of Mikael. No, certainly not. I am looking for suitable leather/skin myself as I have been challenged to bend a red with the folding style. I will probably use a durable mammalian skin on the outside and shark skin on the inside. All perfectly legal of course. This should be an awesome combination of comfort (the mammalian leather) and strength (the shark skin). I think I will go for bullhead shark skin (port jackson shark) as the denticles would be especially well suited for bending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricMilfeld Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 I've never used leather for any certs, and have only experimented with it a few times. Yesterday I bought nearly a yard of 3/4 oz. suede, tanned black. I cut it to 3 1/2" wide and discovered that a piece about 12" long worked best. This gives the wrap an overall diameter of 1 1/8". Any thicker and I can't get my hands in the proper position for pushing on the ends of the bar with max force. I believe everyone will find an ideal total thickness for their wrap with some experimentation. After bending a couple of Reds it did puncture through one layer of the leather. So it was pretty safe going, but I still think I prefer ballistic nylon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clay Edgin Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 Eric, try putting a small square of cordura or nylon on top of the spread out leather wrap before placing the nail on it. That should keep it puncture proof and not bulk up the wrap too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJones Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 I have had great success with the IM pads. Fold into 4" wide (gives you three layers) sections and wrap one on each end of the nail. Great protection and you can still feel the nail. Brett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricMilfeld Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 Good idea, Clay! Brett, I've noticed that after several weeks of use the IM pads seem to "thin out", and transfer a bit more pain than I care for. This is the main reason I've been using ballistic nylon lately. I can custom cut the length to accomodate for this "thinning out". Maybe you just have tougher hands than me. Have you noticed anything similar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGuy Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 Eric, tell us about the ballistic nylon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricMilfeld Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 I purchased mine by the yard off a supplier on the web. But the cheapest route is, you guessed it, E-bay. It comes in different thicknesses. The 1650D ballistic nylon feels really good. I still cut it to 12" in width, and fold it in thirds, but you have the option of compensating for personal thickness preferences by adjusting the length at which you cut the wrap. It's infinitely cheaper than the IM pads, in addition to providing you with custom "tailoring options". By the way, this stuff was once widely used for making bullet-proof vests, hence the name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGuy Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 So is it Kevlar or something different? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricMilfeld Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 So is it Kevlar or something different? No, it's not Kevlar. It has the feel and look of Cordura (the IM pad material). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJones Posted July 24, 2004 Share Posted July 24, 2004 Eric, The ballistic nylon sounds interesting - could you PM me the info for purchasing some? The IM pads do start to wear but I have been using mine for a while and have worn through a small area in each pad but the overall integrity is good. There is a bit of hand "discomfort" but if I get it in the right spot on my hand it does very well. Brett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Octogen Posted July 24, 2004 Share Posted July 24, 2004 Ballistic nylon is often confused with Kevlar but they are different materials. Cordura is just a trade name for a ballistic nylon material. Ballistic nylon was used in early flak jackets but it was far from bulletproof! These days the name tends to be used more for describing the material when it is used in webbing/assault rigs etc although the current US Army body armour uses it as the outer layer to hold the kevlar filler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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