C&A mods, kidney area
Vaughn Velocity C/A
pics of knee stack mod, Smith-like thigh board attachment.
Knee stacks and Thigh board system
for knee stack making, here are the steps I took and materials I used.
WARNING: Im counting on your pads previously having a tie in for knee stacks, like all modern pads do.
WARNING: Please read through before attempting
Materials: Paper, pencil, xacto knife, foam, duct tape, lace, thread puller (optional),
Steps:
1. Trace around knee wing (outer knee flap thing usually covered in clarino or weave) on to paper.
2. Place paper over foam, and cut through the paper and the foam along your traced line made in step 1 above.
3. Take out the newly cut shape from the foam block/sheet, and put it in the desired area of the pad (knee wing area) so that this new knee stack(the foam shape you just cut out) is between the knee wing and your knee. In other words, do not put the knee stack on the outside of the knee wing.
4. Make sure the knee stack is a good fit, and all that you desire. If not, make a new one following steps 1 and 2 until you are satisfied.
5. Now that you are satisfied with the fit of your newly made knee stack, use it as a template to make more. Simply us it instead of the paper tracing you made in step 1 by:
i. Placing the knee stack over the foam block/sheet
ii. using a pen or pencil, tracing around the knee stack directly on to the foam block/sheet
6. Now cut out another knee stack from the traced line you made on the foam block/sheet in steps 5.i. and 5.ii.
7. Make as many knee stacks as you need by repeating the process from steps 5 and 6.
(OPTIONAL MOD A: If you would like to run your knee strap through your knee stacks, ala pro RBK knee set up, do the following:
i. casually fit unfinished knee stacks into place in pad
ii. select a desired distance that you would like your knee strap to come through your knee stack, and mark it off
iii. cut a slit in all the knee stacks at that desired distance
)
Recommended --> (OPTIONAL MOD B: If you would like a large block instead of multiple layers or "stacks", duct tape them together, though I would recommend having knee blocks be no more than an inch in thickness. To accomplish this, do the following:
i. Take an amount of knee stacks so that together, they amount to 1 inch of total thickness
ii. From "top" to "bottom", wrap around the knee stacks in the same fashion as a person would tape a wrist(over, under, over, under etc...). By "top" and "bottom", imagine the knee stacks already in your pad, the "top" of the knee stack being closer to the top of your pad, the thigh, and the bottom of your knee stack being closer to the bottom of your pad, the toe. Make sure to leave an inch of non taped knee stack where they are going to be fastened to the pad (the inside), for reasons discussed later.
iii. After wrapping the knee stack in tape like you would a wrist(over, under over, under, etc...), put a strip of tape around the perimeter of the knee stacks, so that it conceals the spaces, however small, in between the stacks, making it appear at one block.
)
8. Now that you have the thickness you desire, its time to attach them to the pads. I'm counting on your pads previously having a tie in for the knee stacks.
9. To attach the knee stacks/blocks to your pads, first line them up in your pad, and mark off on the knee stack where your knee stack tab (the tie in) has holes.
10. Take the a regular wood pencil or cheap pen (no frills) and punch it through the marked spots on your knee stack/block; the place on your knee stack/block coinciding with your pad's tie in tab holes. The reason I ask you to use a regular wood pencil or cheap pen is due to the fact they may break, and without any rubber finger grips, they're easier to slide through.
11. Get that lace, and tie a double knot at the end that isnt stiff; the frayed end. If neither end is frayed, use either one.
12. K, this is where it gets a little tricky...Keep in mind that when lacing in the knee stacks/blocks, your pad's knee stack tab should always be on top of all the knee stacks/blocks. In other words, in order of appearance, it should go: knee stack tab, knee stacks/blocks, knee wing. So, that being said....we move on.
13. Line up the knee stacks/blocks in the pad so that the knee tabs holes line up with those marked off on the knee stacks/blocks. As outlined in 12, be sure to have the knee tab on top of the knee stacks/blocks. You may need to use a thread puller for the following steps.
14. Weave the lace DOWN through the first hole (on either side) of your knee stack tab, and through all your knee stacks/blocks.
15. Once you go through the last knee stack/block, make your way up through the next hole to the top.
16. repeat steps 14 and 15 until you reach the other side.
17. Once at the end, tie another double knot so the knee stacks/blocks are snugly fit in.
(OPTION MOD A: Weave knee strap through hole in knee stacks/blocks made previously, if youve taped over them, shame on you. Just feel around where until you find a "soft spot", which is usually where your knee strap hole is under the duct tape, and punch through with that cheap pen/pencil. Widen that hole with the xacto knife, but be careful just to make the hole in the tape just as large as the knee strap hole in the knee stack/block)
YOURE DONE
I use duct tape instead of fabric as its lets the knee rotate easier, weighs less, and is easier to apply, you can find it in many colors, bonus if you have silver pads though. The foam I bought was like the same as the foam bought for the matrix C&A posted earlier here, from walmart. Home deport carries colors (red, green, blue, yellow), walmart carries dark grey. duct tape bought at canadian tire, or home depot.