Metal Foam Armor?

Fool proof armor STOP shooting bullets at each other

originally posted by: djz3ro
a reply to: punkinworks10

Slightly off topic but i wonder how long before this gets into the hands of an SCA member or LARPer and they make body armour from it...

You can buy ballistic grade fiberglass, kevlar, and carbon fiber. I carry my telescope in a home made aircraft grade glass carbon fiber composite when climbing Tikaboo. Anyway my point is you could probably make body armor out of easily obtained materials.

There is the problem of testing your home brew body armor. Assuming no one is behind the armor, then if it fails,, no harm. If you actually deflect a bullet, then you have a ricochet to consider. It would be like an episode of Mythbusters gone bad.

originally posted by: gariac

originally posted by: djz3ro
a reply to: punkinworks10

Slightly off topic but i wonder how long before this gets into the hands of an SCA member or LARPer and they make body armour from it...

You can buy ballistic grade fiberglass, kevlar, and carbon fiber. I carry my telescope in a home made aircraft grade glass carbon fiber composite when climbing Tikaboo. Anyway my point is you could probably make body armor out of easily obtained materials.

There is the problem of testing your home brew body armor. Assuming no one is behind the armor, then if it fails,, no harm. If you actually deflect a bullet, then you have a ricochet to consider. It would be like an episode of Mythbusters gone bad.

This particular material is not suited to "home" use in any way, and yeas there are many other matherials that would be easier to use and source.
For the SCA thing it would be of no advantage.
As a junior in HS, I was pretty much so ahead of the game in metal shop, that my year was essentially independant study, so the first half of the year I duplicated a well known suit of 17th century Japanese armor, as best I could as a 16 yr old.
rolled and hammered 16 ga steel sheet. made my own brass hinges and rolled my own links for mail. Found an Imitation silk cord stock to lace it all together. It took about three months total, then I put it on a maniquin and shot it with crossbow, recurve and compund bows.
The cross came close to piercing, but nothing else did.