Is anyone aware if it is legal still for JQP to aquire Kevlar fabric? I'm sure that one can aquire the vests and other suchness through surplus sales, but at $200+/- a shot, it's a little hefty...Any ideas on bulk sales/wholesale for the actual fabric? I'm trying to finish a project of mine before the end of the year and I'll need more kevlar before I'm through...I don't want the vests, just the fabric itself, preferablly in a large bolt for fair market value...

-- Billy-Boy (Rakkasn@Yahoo.com), September 08, 1999

Answers

New curtins?

-- Bill (y2khippo@yahoo.com), September 08, 1999.

I hear it works great as insulation, especially in places where the weather gets "hot". I haven't found any yet, but if I do I'll pass it along.

Watch six and keep your...

-- eyes_open (best@wishes.net), September 08, 1999.

Kevlar isn't a fabric and doesn't come in bolts. Each vest is manufactured as a series of overlapping plastic disks imbedded in a matrix material like rayon or nylon. Other methods are used based on the manufacturer.

Ballistic vests that will stop rifle fire are very expensive and are usually of the solid shield type. However people have been known to die from the mere impact of the round with no penetration. Even with a vest, a .45 at close range can stop your heart.

Obviously this body armor does nothing to protect your head. A Kevlar helmet can be bought secondhand for around 50 bucks. It doesn't protect your neck.

Body armor is most usuable when it is concealed under clothing, if it is obvious the advantage is gone. Mostly, it provides a false sense of security. Second hand flak jackets from military surplus stores provide good protection against random shrapnel and oblique rounds, and are much cheaper.

Body armor is illegal in some states, such as New York I think, which is idiotically perverse, but an extension of our current irrational anti-gun hysteria. I do not normally advocate breaking laws, but if you think it is a life and death matter, ignore these laws. They are an example of legislative stupidity. Your life takes precedence.

Here are four links:

http://www.doughboys.com/clothing/acc_vests.html http://www.interamer.com/security.html http://21stcenturyhardarmor.com/ http://www.urbanbodyarmor.com/

-- Forrest Covington (theforrest@mindspring.com), September 08, 1999.

Also note that Kevlar is very difficult to sew. Special needles and sewing machines are used to sew the stuff.

Jolly

-- Jollyprez (jolly@prez.com), September 08, 1999.

Yeah - I heard Kevlar is not only bullet-proof but also needle-proof!!

-- Y2KGardener (gardens@bigisland.net), September 08, 1999.

Umm, Kevlar is indeed a plastic that can be made into thread, fabric and other things, just like rayon, orlon, polypropalene and other plastics. I have some kevlar rope (not much, want to get more).

I'd sure like to know where to get some fabric.

-- Dean -- from (almost) Duh Moines (dtmiller@midiowa.net), September 08, 1999.

I don't know if this tidbit will help anyone in their search or not, but, several high-tech speedboat builders incorporate kevlar fabric into their hulls.

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), September 08, 1999.

For those of you in the Puget Sound area, I'd recommend Boeing Surplus in Kent. Missile nose cones, Kevlar, machine tools, you name it.

My latest down there was copper in the form of ultra-thin PC boards. Cut it into strips with a scissors and you've got slug-and-snail barrier for a fraction what you pay in a gardening store.

Ah, Boeing Surplus, God's gift to the widget freak.

-- bw (home@puget.sound), September 08, 1999.

Sheets of Kevlar can be purchased at most plastics co.'s. Catch 1: they will be 6ft long. Catch 2: not without questions like "what do you want it for?" I told the salesperson I was insulating my sailboat for my bi-monthly trip to Colombia and he thought that was funny. Don't forget Lexan. Marvelous stuff. Ideal for window coverings and the insides of doors and seats.

-- chairborne commando (what-me-worry@armageddon.com), September 08, 1999.

You might try calling Dupont - they make the stuff. Good luck.

Are you intending to make your own vest, or some other use?

I hope you aren't planning to make your own body armor. Get a professionally made vest. More expensive, but coffins are even more expensive is you screw it up.

-- Bill (billclo@msgbox.com), September 08, 1999.

Can you name plastic companies that sell Kevlar? How much does it cost? How do you cut it?

What is Lexan? Where do you get it, specifically? How much does it cost?

-- questions (about@bullet.proof), September 08, 1999.