DIY built-in kneepads

[GasSavers_maximilian]

Had a good experience today with some built-in kneepads I made so I thought I'd share the idea. I'm usually too lazy to get my kneepads and the cheap ones always seem to shift out of position. If you buy some Carhartt double front work pants (two layers of material in the knee/frontal thigh area), you can slip some sill sealer foam in there (my pair has a small slit in the bottom, just fold the foam in thirds, insert and then unfold inside) to make knee pads. I used two layers of the 1/4" foam as it was a good compromise between cushion and flexibility. It's machine washable. To keep the pads from shifting, I filled the entire double front area with foam. That means it comes up to just below the pockets, but that's actually useful when you carry stuff and go to balance it on your thighs. This happens more than I would've predicted.

Anyhow, what I found out today kneeling in some snow is that they also provide some insulation from cold & heat, as well as wet! The foam is closed cell, so it doesn't soak up water. Unplanned, but cool.

[theholycow]

For those not familiar with sill seal, it's this stuff:


It's used like this:


Computer guys may have access to similar stuff packed under motherboards, I know ten years ago almost every motherboard came with it.

[Mayhim]

Sounds like a problem with a workable fix. Good thinking.

After dripping much POR-15 onto my overalls during the rebuild of the CRX, I wondered if maybe a paint of the knee area would be a good idea. So far I haven't made up my mind about it.

It should be(come) fairly flexible, and fairly abrasive resistant. It would look like crap, but as long as I don't go to the hardware store in them it wouldn't much matter.

[GasSavers_maximilian]

Knee wearout is the big killer for my work pants. I was thinking of just putting some iron-on patches over them. The built-in pads do look a little odd, but nobody (yet) has seemed to notice.

[theholycow]

Rubber-dipped cloth gloves are common; I wonder if the same thing could be done with pants. You could use Plasti-dip.


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[GasSavers_maximilian]

Seems worth a try. Think I'll avoid the baby blue though!

[GasSavers_maximilian]

Wonder how hard it would be to attach those hard caps from the knee pads straight to my work pants? Rivets maybe? Ugh. White kneecaps. These pants keep getting more and more attractive. Well, it's not like my silicone and great stuff smeared work shirts are good looking.

[aalb1]

Originally Posted by maximilian

Think I'll avoid the baby blue though!

No! Go with the baby blue... then you'll be stylish, hip, and fashionable as well... Best of both worlds!

[GasSavers_maximilian]

Geek chic?

Perhaps I should try to match my car? My iPod shuffle does (pretty much). I've gotten a little heckling for that, actually. Marching to the beat of your own drummer is cool, but do I really need to add a brass section?

[GasSavers_TomO]

I have some of the spray on Plasti-Dip, black color. I should try it on my pants....too bad I just wore a hole into the left knee of my last good pair of pants