Just for fun

[TheWay 0]

Hello again,

I just got started on this board and I've been floored by the speed and detail of responses.

Hopefully this one will make you think a bit.

For some background, I am a teacher. Specifically, I'm a high school phys ed teacher (who's contract ended and is looking for work now).

Everyone probably remembers the good old game of floor hockey from those times and the pathetic things that Canadian High Schools call "pads".

When I left my most recent job I restitched a half dozen of those pads back together to save the school buying new pairs because of a piece of nylon fabric that couldn't handle it's stitching.

While repairing those I came across a pair that were beyond basic repairs, so I claimed them from their demise and decided to make them a summer project.

Those of you who've read my other post know that I work my summers in industrial fabrics, so I have access to sewing machines (though not an open armed rig) and scrap fabric (lots of it) so I decided that before doing anything to my Koho's I was going to practice on these because my sewing ability is less than polished.

They are made of a medium grade Cordura and low grade synthetic leather feeling front-panel with a 1/8" medium density foam backing and a massive piece of low density foam behind that. The rest of the fabric is made in China nylon that couldn't survive a toddler using these things.

From a design perspective what would you add to these?

As you can see the entire back of the things is roasted. I plan on replacing it completely with an 18oz vinyl (mostly because it's readily available and impossible to destroy, both important features for school equipment) and adding brand new webbing straps to the whole thing. The more I think about this, the more I think that very little of the original pad will remain, I may just be using it for the small amounts of foam.

My question is about the actual features. Would you add a knee lock to these? knee or calf wings? a thigh rise? a solid plastic or HD foam front plate?

Keep in mind that they only ever have to stop a felt puck so functionality is far more important than protection.

Like I said in the title, this is a just for fun experiment. Don't think that I'm ruining the sanctity of the board by asking about these pieces of garbage. After-all, if I can convince one more kid to take up the pads because they had neat floor hockey equipment, then I'll consider this work a success.

[Law Goalie 147]

Hah!-- you can have fun with those. Great way to practice the ins and outs; I did it with a pair of vintage Cooper GP59XLs, which I re-stuffed with strips and sheets of foam, and covered with plastic slide-plates for a guy who was playing ball-hockey. Got him kitted out with Cooper gloves and a Tretiak-style helmet, too.

First off, I'd have a go at squaring up the boot: get rid of the pointless indentation at the toe. (Who the hell wants to *expose* their toes in ball-hockey?)

Materials-wise, I'd go for 1/4" to 1/2" HD80 or HD110 in the face and on the medial/inside sliding surfaces, with some of the original LD and open-cell behind it, closer to the leg. Rebounds will rocket off. HD80 will dent from hard road hockey balls; HD110 won't.

Keep the medial/inside part of the leg channel, but get rid of the outside part from just below the knee up to the top of the pad: no reason for it to be there, since it will resist rotation. Likewise, anything above the knee area should go: you just want a thin, rigid plank with a flexible hinge above the knee there.

Definitely add plastic slide-plates to the whole medial/inside edge of the pad: HDPE is OK, UMHWPE is better.

If you really want a tricky workout, you can try adding a couple extra inches to the thigh-rise - but continue the graphics upward. THAT is a pain in the ass.

That nylon backing kind of looks like 300D... yikes.

[TheWay 0]

I like the plastic slide plate idea.

I now have to decide if these are going to be floor or street hockey pads.

If I do straight floor hockey I will do the medial side with 18oz vinyl covered in silicone spray. If I do street I would do the plastic plate. On a related note, how do you attach your slide plates? HH-66 contact cement or something mechanical?

Since we don't have a foam supplier at work I'm gonna swing by the local mattress warehouse, a place that has a sign outside advertising their foams.

I'm going to draw up a sketch and track down fabric tomorrow (my first day back after teaching).

As for the graphics, I think I'm going to cover the old ones right over with a new vinyl design.

What is the best way to attach the toe of your shoe to these? some sort of lacing system or an elastic pocket to slide over the shoe?

[TheWay 0]

I took the nylon off the pads tonight.

Nothing special but I did find this in the toes of the pads.

I can imagine the conversation.

Worker: "Hey boss, what should we do with the tread scraps from the floor?"

Supervisor: "Stuff em in the pads, no one will ever see it."

I'm sure that scraps like that are used to make pads all the time but finding it there made me laugh.

[Law Goalie 147]

You'd be amazed how often that kind of cavalier stuffing used to happen in offshore products. Scott Battram (who isn't among the fixated protectionists like the Simmons gang) has stories that'll curl your hair about finding C/A units stuffed with plastic bags, pads stuffed with cutting-floor detritus, broken needles in knee-pads... hell, there was the guy in the news recently who found a whole knife (well, more like a factory shiv) under the footbed of his boot.

Actually, now that pads and C/A's aren't really stuffed, just layered with die-cut and laminated pieces, there's way less risk of this happening; on top of that, the QC is way, way better than it used to be. I once suggested to someone that they test their overseas pads using the Tony Priolo method: pick a piece at random (in Tony's case, a mask, but whatever), pop it on the person who made it, and fire a succession of 90+mph pucks from a Boni machine while filming.

Back on topic...

For attaching the plates, I'd suggest Velcro: sew the loop side onto the pad, then cement the hook-side to the plastic plates.

The only issue with silicon spray is that it has been known to come off on the floor, and render is mortally dangerous for other players. UHMEPE plates slide like greased lightning on most surfaces.

To secure the pad to the shoe, keep it simple: just punch a couple of holes through the toe of the finished pad with a couple of leather washers (or just a piece of leather strap with two enlarged holes) for reinforcement, run a lace through that, and let the kids tie it thought the existing laces of their shoes.

[TheWay 0]

I'm back on this project.

Pics to follow later once I've completed the foam for the second pad.

The story for tonight is that I finally found some impact foam in the packaging for a new plotter for the art department at work. It is not square but I do have contact cement for putting pieces together..

To this point I have made one pad that is somewhere in the neighborhood of 30" x 10" made out of 1" thick blocks of foam. The pads are a 17" shin pad with a hinged 5" knee block and another hinged 5" thigh rise and a 3" toe piece.

I actually understand why the indent is done on the toe piece from the road warrior pads. Since they aren't being used in skates, the indent allows these to stop a puck with the foot flat on the ground. I'm going to keep that feature for these pads simply so that I can lace them below my shoes and allow for rotation.

To this point I've joined the knee section, thigh rise and shin plate with waxed thread, should I carve a break in these and cement them together or leave them hinged with the thread?

I still ahve to carve out the medial blocking which will probably be 3/4" at the knee and 1/4" at the calf.

After that I'm going to get working on the fabric casing.

Cheers

[TheWay 0]

I almost forgot the reason I was on here posting tonight.

Before I go onto making the casing I was going to ask for suggestions on colour/design.

Since the face will be vinyl I have the option of painting or stitching a design on.

Any input or ideas are much appreciated.

[TheWay 0]

Can I get knee cradles seperate from pads or am I going to have to make those up custom?

The padding is now in one piece with pictures to follow tonight. Next step is cutting up and laying out the landing gear.

[TheWay 0]

Here is the photo.

The shell will be made from 18oz blue vinyl with jenpro lacing tabs placed on the back so I can attach a medial wing, knee cradle and shin cradle.

I'm planning on making the front panel a bit wider than the back and pulling the excess to the lateral edge using open cell foam and sewing through the pads.

How much open cell foam should these have and where should I put it?