Sizing
How much do you need? A very quick method of sizing can be done based off of T-Shirt sizing. In a single pack aluminum plates there are 50 A-plates or 100 D-plates.
GoogleDoc of Standard Templates based off Men’s T-Shirt Sizes
- SMALL (Torso 36-40”; short height) 5 packs
- MEDIUM (Torso 38-44”; medium height) 7 packs
- LARGE (Torso 40-46”; medium height) 7 packs
- X-LARGE (Torso 44-50”; tall height) 9 packs
- XX-LARGE (Torso 48-52”; tall height) 9 packs
- XXX-LARGE (Torso 50-56”; tall height) 10 packs
This does not account for the assembly of tassets or paldrons. Most people would use a pack of plates to make a set of paldrons (shoulder protection). And a pack of plates per tasset (leg and hip protection). Usually people make two front tassets and two back tassets that connect to a separate belt, but some attach directly to the vest.
How to Measure for a Custom Template
Front – Shoulder to Belt-line (Highest point on your shoulder. Where your t-shirt seam is, close to the neck.)
Back – Shoulder to Belt-line (I think you need a friend for this, or you are double jointed in a way that we need to call an exorcist)
Greatest Torso Circumference (Wear the padding you want underneath and Breath-In Deep)
Chest Width (Stick your arms out forward like a zombie. How far apart are they at the chest.)
Circumference of Bicep. (Make a muscle, measure it so I feel guilty for not lifting weights again. I will also base the width of your paldrons off it.)
Email me these measurements at todelford.elfordtrading@gmail.com After constructing your template, I can tell you whether you need more plates, adding additional plates to your order for your project is not a problem.
Lamellar Vest Calculator This is the spreadsheet I use to calculate your needs for a vest. Feel free to make a copy and play around.
Hip and Leg Lamellar Calculator This spreadsheet has two pages. One for a set of tassets to be hung from a belt or the bottom row of your lamellar. The second sheet is a narrow lamellar hip skirt with thigh wraps. Feel free to make a copy and play around.
Assembly
Leather and hide lacing is historically accurate but I recommend using 550 paracord. It is abrasion resistant, doesn’t dry rot and makes for an easy assembly. Purchase about 300ft of paracord for a body harness. You will assemble your armor in rows and then attach the rows together. Cut a length of paracord 3x longer than the row you are assembling. This allows for the threading and excess at the end of the row for adjustments. Use a lighter to fuse the ends of the paracord to prevent fraying. You can make one end of the paracord a “needle” by pinch forming the “blob” of heated paracord with a pair of pliers. Be careful, molten paracord is VERY hot and sticks to your skin causing severe burns.
Use the holes in the center of the plates to create rows. You can have your stitches at 90 degree angles. I prefer the diagonal lacing pattern but there is no noticeable difference in performance.
After you create your rows, then attach the rows together. You will notice how quickly and dramatically the armor’s rigidity increases at this point! You may want to edge the completed armor in leather to increase the lifespan of undertunics and leather accessories that come in contact with the edges.
@ellsfjord
Plate Compatibility
Is there any historical reason why I did this? Absolutely not. I just thought it would be cool if the hole patterns between our “A” plate and “D” plate were compatible. I thought some interesting designs could be a result from this. I love people’s creativity and would love to see what you can create from this. Both plates have the same height, but the “A” plate covers twice the width of the “D” plate.