Gauntlet Questions

[reaver1]

OK, I know everyone said I was daft to make my ridiculously long wristblades out of metal. Couldn't wear them to conventions or anything, they said. Well, those same people said I was daft to build a castle in a swamp, but I built it anyway, just to show 'em... But I digress. I've made the 31 inch, aluminum blades (as well as their less-lethal plastic counterparts), and now I need some assistance. I want gauntlets that will hold these monsters (I'm toying with the idea of forgoing the bomb gauntlet, and making matching bladed gauntlets. Florentine!), and here is my dilemma:

A) I want them to me form fitting, and tight against my arm. That means they'll have to be able to be tightened or opened somehow. I just don't want all the extra space gauntlets need in order to fit your hand through

They need to be strong. Strong enough to have these blades bolted to them, and not slide around my arm, or suffer structural integrity failure.

Any ideas from the armorers out there? Any help at all would be appreciated. I know this is an odd one!

 

[reaver1]

Don't everyone answer at once! Ha ha. Kidding!

I forgot to mention, my design for these is stationary. Non-retractable. My idea is to make a mounting system that is basically just a trough, with holes drilled through them, so I can switch out the metal blades for plexi blades easily. I just don't know what to use for material. I'd use heavy PVC pipes, but I want the gauntlets to taper with the shape of my arm, and I don't see PVC that thick being something I can shape...

Anyone have any crazy ideas?

 

[Darth Pinhead]

I'm in the process of making Spartan armor. I went dumpster diving and gathered empty 5 gallon buckets and cut the bottoms off with a circular saw,then ripped it, so it was a curved sheet. They're 1/8th inch thick. Wrapped cardboard around a duct tape dummy of my arm, and sketched out a pattern, cut it out, and traced it onto the plastic sheet, and cut it out with Metal Snips. Then, I used Vinmann's technique of dropping them into boiling water. Now, he does it for 20-30 seconds, but I wasn't having much luck so I left them in there for a couple of minutes. I pulled them out with tongs, formed them with my hands (They weren't really that hot) taped them into position with duct tape, and them dropped them in another bucket of ice water to cure them. They're pretty damn rigid, brother. Good luck!

 

[ghanley1]

If you can get ahold of a heat gun (I bought one through Harbor Freight for 10 dollars) they work great for heating plastic for forming and heat smoothing edges of plastic...I made AVP shoulder bells by heating the plastic while it was lying on a paint can turned on its side....as they heat the pieces just flop down onto the curve..