/HGG/ Homemade Gear General

This tread is for the discussion of all things homemade. Any type of clothing, wearable gadgets, or accessories that you can think of are appropriate. (LED beanies are cool) Lets talk about synthetic fibers, which type of nylon do you like the best? >what size needle do you need to sew gor-tex? >what is that stuff you wash into your clothes to make them waterproof? what sewing machines do you use? can anybody find some nice hoodie pattern PDFs?

I havent sewn goretex, but I have some quite nice thin and easily bent needles who I employ for lots of tasks in thin is materials. they would be a pain with duck, but for goretex I figure it would jive. The last sewing machine I used was this old falling apart thing my grandmother had; eventually it disappeared and I dont miss it. hand sewing is slow, but it does the job and I am happy with my results with it. There are a lot of ways to water proof fabric, it depends what sort of things you want to be doing with it, and what sort of constraints. I have successfully used beeswax, but have heard of turpentine, soybean oil, general cooking oil, et cetera, as well. Beeswax tends to suit my needs and tastes, but you are not me. my advice for pattern pdfs would be: get a hoodie you like, and either take it apart or simply trace it. patterns arent difficult to make. If you dont have a hoodie you like, take a shirt, make it baggier, add a kangaroo pocket or whatever.

Never sewn goretex, that stuff is pricey! The stuff you're looking is called "DWR coating" - Nikwax TX.Direct is the one that's usually recommended, although I think a few other brands make alternatives too.

>>991 My favorite synthetic fiber is Kevlar. My favorite coat is a circa 1947 russian red army wool great coat. I have been meaning to get some Kevlar and stitch a thick quilted liner for the coat with it. Maybe I will add a blood red zipper on the inside flap so I can have a stealthy way to hold it closed on windy days without worrying about old buttons coming loose while simultaneously adding a bit of flourish for those nicer early spring and late fall days. Other than that, I want to make my own jeans entirely from died kevlar and leather panels in the knees shins and thighs. I have not even started on this though....

>>991 I also really like the idea of adding metal plates in high wear places on my diy stuff. I really like the look of coats of plates from the middle ages, and especially appreciate the artistry of armor craft from about 1300 up to 1700... I want to be able to incorporate some of that style into my everyday wear, the only problem is making it subtle enough to not be gawdy. Still working on some designs for jeans and shirts incorporating 5oz kevlar, 5oz leather and 1/16inch sheet stainless steel at the joints, shoulder, tibula, and around the thighs and shins...

>>994 what do you use to stitch the Kevlar, and are you doing it for durability or ballistic protection? metal is easy to integrate, albeit more on an ornamental level, i would suggest looking at some hybrid leather armor from the middle ages, if those techniques were used with high tech synthetic clothing, you could get some really cool cyberpunk armor clothes. I would suggest looking t using sheets of aluminum, because the light weigh factor is actually great compared to the relative protection and aesthetic for what you are working with. unfortunately because of its high melting point, it may be better to mill out items like shoulder pauldrons or gauntlet components