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Old 02-07-2018, 03:33 PM   #17
safisher
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Default Re: [Cutting-Edge Armor Design] Real World SCA-legal Armour and Ballistics Armour

Quote:
Originally Posted by Icelander View Post
What kind of equipment do you need to work steel with this kind of hardness?
I'd cut it with a plasma cutter. Assuming it's steel, you anneal it first in the forge, which will soften it. I suspect you'd need a large hydraulic hammer or a hydraulic press to shape it. Hardening back from annealing can be done with a cutting torch (small pieces heated until non-magnetic, then quench) or a large coal forge (make it crudely from concrete blocks and leaf blower). BUT, this may not get it back to full hardness. I would probably just avoid the forging and just cut it with plasma and the cold press it into shape. Or at least, experiment with that first.

Quote:
Can you do anything with it using the kind of tools that you might have at a home workshop or some kind of garage business working with metals?
A plasma cutter is a common shop tool, the hydraulic hammer costs $5k and up. You can build a junkyard version for very little, though. Heavy presses can be quite expensive.

Quote:
What about using the tools you might have at an automobile chop-shop?
If they have a plasma cutter and a hydraulic hammer, yes. You could chop the armor plate up with an angle grinder but it would take a long time and many discs, I suspect. The thing is, a lot of the smaller armor pieces will probably not work as AR500 pieces. Too many sharp curves and bends. You may have to use it only where the shaping is minimal and use high-quality steel in other areas where you need to have a lot of curves.

Quote:
If you need specialised tools to work with it, are we talking about tools costing a couple of hundred dollars, a couple of thousand, as much as a car or as much as a new house?
Assuming it's just steel, AFAIK, it's probably not that hard. A few thousand, say.

Quote:
If it matters, assume access to several people with Machinist 10-12, at least one with Machinist 14+ and a bunch of people with Mechanic in the 8-12 range, as well as a couple of custom detailers and/or men who build improvised APCs for the cartels, with Armoury (Vehicle Armor) 10-12, Blacksmith 10-12, Machinist 12+, Mechanic (Automobile) 14+ and maybe some Engineering.
Also, they'd have access to some gunsmiths with Armoury (Small Arms) at 12+.
Should be possible, with enough time and equipment bonuses.
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