An interesting find

[Arbellason]

Now I can't seem to find the clip from the show I was watching a few days ago but it was a armor design from china. It is made of paper and various glues and resins resulting in a cheap, effective and light weight armor. I think we as rangers could adapt this design to make a very deadly combination.

http://historum.com/war-military-histor ... armor.html

[Yavion]

It makes sense. It's basically the medieval equivalent of fiber armor. Like glass, carbon, or hardened Kevlar.

You could make a clay form, layer in your paper and cloth with tree resin that's been thinned with distilled alcohol (testing your mix beforehand while wearing the proper safety gear of course).

If I had the resources I'd want to try it myself.

[ineffableone]

It makes sense. It's basically the medieval equivalent of fiber armor. Like glass, carbon, or hardened Kevlar.

You could make a clay form, layer in your paper and cloth with tree resin that's been thinned with distilled alcohol (testing your mix beforehand while wearing the proper safety gear of course).

If I had the resources I'd want to try it myself.

The technique is making it in lamellar style. With lots of little section overlapping like scales. It is quite effective against arrows and swords but much lighter than steel.

Mythbusters did an episode on it, which is preventing me from finding results for the test I had seen before. Mythbusters in typical fashion didn't go full on with their paper armor, so getting it wet and extended battle caused theirs to disintegrate. But the real deal is coated with a water proofing and is much more resilient than the one Mythbusters tested.

[Ringulf]

Just watch out for the orc with the flamethrower, you will be running like Treebeard in a drought!

[wulfgar]

The Mythbusters armor was made of mulberry paper and performed as well as the metal.

[Arbellason]

I was watching ancient discoveries (an awesome show) and they tested it against a period crossbow and it stopped it. It really just involves folding and coating thick paper squares with resin then sewing them together with linen thread. If I can find the right paper I'm going to attempt this to make some for putting under a shirt for a hidden surprise as the orcs head rolls around.

[Manveruon]

There is also another style of armor, worn by the ancient Greeks, called the Linothorax, which is somewhat similar in concept, only made of linen. I heard a segment about it on NPR a few weeks ago, and apparently there is a lot of interesting research being done on it just now. Here's a fascinating page about it:
http://www.uwgb.edu/aldreteg/Linothorax.html

[bjaurelio]

This is really interesting. My head is already spinning trying to find ways to adapt this to a medieval style as something that rangers could have worn, perhaps as a jerkin instead of leather. With all the glue holding the linen together, would this really be any more breathable/comfortable to wear?

[Arbellason]

I don't know about comfort or breath ability the main reason for it's use is it's amazing quality of absorbing arrows and blows while being lighter than plate and probably the same as an equivalent leather armor but much cheaper.