Has anyone ever jumped in a pool wearing armor?

[geronika]

I'm thinking about doing the polar plunge for Special Olympics in my town and doing it in my full armor (minus boots). I used e6000 and except for possible weakening of the straps from chlorine I don't see how it could affect the rest of my suit. I wouldn't be in for more than 30 seconds.

 

Anyone think in would be problematic?

Edited December 13, 2012 by geronika

[Plastic Soldier]

Just curious, will it be shallow enough that you can stand up in the water? Swimming in armor sounds like a daunting and dangerous task.

[geronika]

Maybe neck deep at most.

[Plastic Soldier]

Maybe neck deep at most.

 

That is good. You might take a hose of less chlorinated water and blast off the suit when you are done, especially the elastics to get some of that chlorine out but not sure how pool chemicals effect E-6000. Here is a link to the document that says dilute caustics and acids are ok. http://www.eclecticproducts.com/_tds/e6000_craft_tds.pdf

I would consider more how the extreme cold would effect the E-6000 but sounds like at temps found in liquid water should be ok. Hopefully someone with actual experience can comment.

[SubSkip[TK]]

Ask this guy:

 

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/22216-tks-in-random-places-post-your-photos/#entry277483

 

[fritzthefox]

The only things I would be wary of are fabrics (which may shrink while drying), temperature (cold temperatures may reduce the strength of the glue, even if it does not dissolve it, and the sudden temperature change may also be hard on the plastic) and any decals you may have.

 

And, as mentioned above, buoyancy.

 

Maybe try throwing a couple scrap pieces glued together in some cold water and see what happens?

[kaa1304[TK]]

I'm sure the gear will be ok, but I'd be sure to have somone in the pool just in case you don't surface or you get disorientated and dont recover as quickly as you think you can. It doesn't matter how deep it is, or isn't, if you aren't upright quickly.

 

Also the helm flooding with water is psychologically very different to being submerged with a bare face.

 

But good luck and post photos

[bluehickey]

I would probably panic with the claustrophobia of being in water AND having a helmet on.

[SubSkip[TK]]

I guess someone needs to come up with a SCUBA Trooper.

[Plastic Soldier]

You will need several modifications.

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[Sonnenschein]

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[LadyInWhite[TK]]

Be sure to turn your electronics off... actually, remove them entirely.

[TK-2126_MD[TK]]

Be sure to turn your electronics off... actually, remove them entirely.

 

Great idea!!!!!

If it will only be a dunk ( in and out) i dont think it will be a problem. now swimming in cholrided water........ actually i think it will only reduce the half life by only a few weeks so (over all i think your fine.........

[Sith Devildog[501st]]

I jumped in a pool with my scout armor on during the summer it wasnt that deep maybe chest level, the only problem i had was a soggy diaper afterwards

[Spectre]

DarthFurious has swum in his armour, I've alerted him to this thread so he can chime in.

[Darth Hilarious]

I don't know about this Darth Furious guy, but I've done it.

I've posted at least one photo of it before, I'll dig 'em out...

Edited December 14, 2012 by Darth Hilarious

[Darth Hilarious]

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[Darth Hilarious]

It's really weird science to swim in.

Your suit and boots and holster get WAY waterlogged and try to weigh you down, but the air bubbles trapped in the plastic try to keep you afloat.

Keep in mind, I may or may not be a REALLY strong swimmer (I don't even know).

 

I hate to be serious, but I gotta go- I have a drummer to jam with and studio stuff to set up...

 

I will tell more tomorrow.

[geronika]

Well, I'm going to do it. It's an event to raise money for The Special Olympics. It doesn't require swimming, just jumping in a pool and getting cold and wet. There will be plenty of people at the event in case I need help. The worst that could happen is I have to reglue or restrap the armor. Once I set up my donation page I would hope that maybe everyone could spread the word, share it with friends so I can raise money for a worthy cause. It happens in February so I'll post pics when it happens. Thanks everyone for the input.

[Plastic Soldier]

Just try not to get frostbite or hypothermia, they usually put a damper on the day and after losing a toe those TK boots just don't feel right anymore.

[Darth Hilarious]

Oh, re the boots- you can wear them into the water, but you'll want to dry them out properly to avoid damage.

 

To do this, stuff some balls of crumpled newspaper into them to hold their shape, and change the newspaper over every 20-30 minutes (it will draw water out of the boots) until they're dry again.

 

All my strapping was glued with E-6000, and was completely unaffected (I was probably in the water for at least 15 minutes).

 

Trooperbay decals were also unaffected by the water/chlorine.

 

The only time my helmet got water INTO it was when I tried to swim freestyle.

The stuff rushes in through the teeth right at your face, and if you try to turn your head to breathe like you would normally swimming freestyle, it's like the spin cycle on a washing machine.

I thought it was pretty funny, but it was also a bit stressful. (bear in mind I also found it funny the time my gf electrocuted me as a practical joke)

 

I would recommend survival stroke or breast stroke, it's less stress-y.

Edited December 15, 2012 by Darth Hilarious

[jkno]

When you are done, you need to do this:

 

 

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[DizzyStormtrooper[501st]]

If you haven't done it yet, you'll have to hold your helmet down on your head mid jump so it doesn't try to come off when your submerged and rip your nose off or something

[svache[501st]]

Make sure to have someone make lots of pictures and post it here