[Ansteorra] Suitable breathing armor

[James Crouchet]

On Tue, Jun 16, 2009 at 10:58 AM, Stephanie Wilson <imstephw at swbell.net>wrote:

>
> I can personally recommend using 3-4 layers of medium-weight linen from
> www.fabrics-store.com (IL019 - 5.3 oz.) to make rapier armor. They have a
> good product that is consistent in quality, their prices are reasonable,
> their customer service is good, and their shipping is prompt. I have found
> that linen is often available from Jo-Ann's in larger cities, but their
> prices are higher and IMO the quality of the fabric in terms of tensile
> strength is not as good or as consistent as that from fabrics-store.com.


I believe that what Jo-Ann's sells as linen is often not linen or is not all
linen (flax). I have absolutely run into examples where they labeled rayon
based "linen look" fabric as linen and they seemed to feel that was
legitimate. Some of the linens from there that people have had me test in
the last couple years don't feel right (I have handled a lot of linen over
the years) and are not as strong. I suspect we are seeing them sell blends
and look alikes labeled so the layman can't tell the difference.



> In my experience, the number of layers of linen required to pass a punch or
> drop test varies depending on the size and strength of the threads in the
> fabric as well as the evenness and tightness of the weave. A common
> misconception about linen is that heavier weight linen is stronger. I have
> seen two layers of 3.5 oz/yd handkerchief weight linen pass a punch test.
> Conversely, I have seen four layers of 8 oz/yd canvas weight linen fail a
> punch test. Often, heavier weight linen is woven from thicker threads with
> a
> fairly loose weave, whereas medium and light weight linen tends to be woven
> from thinner threads and a tighter weave.


However, the heavier stuff is not necessarily weaker either. It depends on
the particular fabric you get. However, the heavier stuff typically does
breath better due to the larger yarn from which it is woven making a larger
mesh with correspondingly larger openings.

I have found that color can also affect the strength of linen. I think this
would be due to acids used to set the color. In my experience blues have had
the most problems, followed by blacks. Of course, I have not tested much
purple, orange or charteuse. For strength on inner layers or lining you
might consider natural linen which is neither bleached nor dyed. White is
probably next in strength since it would have been bleached but not dyed.

"Softened linen" is weaker and will not last as long. It does feel great but
you are trading strength for the softness.

Whatever you get be sure to wash and dry it a couple of times before testing
it. The sizing (kinda like starch) and more importantly the shrinkage do
affect the strength (shrinkage makes it stronger). Be sure to dry it at
least as hot as the hotest dryer you will ever put the garment in. Linen
shrinks significantly with heat so if you have not done this before cutting
out the fabric then the first time that garment goes into a hot dryer it may
become unwearable or at least too small for you. I generally pre-wash and
dry 2 or 3 times.

BTW, it is true that dryers break linen down faster than line drying but so
long as you avoid frequent use of really hot dryers and over drying the
garment it is not a big problem. I like the soft feel of tumbled linen and
find the slightly shorter lifespan of the garments is a reasonable trade
off.

I recommend you find someone with a drop tester to test your fabric. That is
the default for this kingdom and it is the standard your armor is required
to meet. The 4 thrust test is only an emergency backup if no drop tester is
available. Since the marshals can insist your armor be re tested at any time
you should make sure it will pass the drop test.

One last hint: Try to wear linen all the way to the skin. One of the big
advantages linen has over cotton is that it breaths even when wet. Cotton
does not. So, if you wear a cotton tee shirt under your linen armor then
when the tee shirt gets sweaty you will lose the great air circulation of
the linen.

Don Christian Doré