Force 3 V3 CP-forming

[Thawk]

Hey everyone,

So I have a Force 3 V3 CP which I absolutely love. However, one problem I have is the edges of some of the plates are protruding out. I want to try and form the plates to better contour the CP to my chest. Any suggestions, methods that have worked??

[MadMax]

21 hours ago, Thawk said:

I want to try and form the plates to better contour the CP to my chest. Any suggestions, methods that have worked??

Yup, but a forewarning – the CP (and you, likely) is going to get wet, so you’ll want to plan out your time accordingly...

Normally, the Gear-Tink’ing Gang (myself, @wolfe_man, @BT_Blue, @Stk004, @tpatience, several others) would apply direct heat (hairdryers, paint-stripping guns, heat guns) to a CP’s external, hard plastic carapace plates to bend and shape them. In the case of the Force3 UnEqual, though, the plates are encased in neoprene (reasons for this are two-fold, which I’ll explain below). Accordingly, we risk damaging the neoprene if we apply direct heat from a gun. So, what I have found success with has been indirect, “wet” heat. 

• You could wear it in the (hot) shower.
• You could boil a bath towel, and then wrap it around your torso while wearing the CP.
• Soak the CP in warm water, then hang in sunlight, or lay out in the lawn. As the CP warms up, shape the plates with your fingers.
• You could also start to launder the CP in a hot water cycle, no detergent necessary (use a sport soap if you wish). Stop the cycle before the rinse, take the CP out, and shape the plates, then air (drip) dry the unit.

The UnEqual CP is encased in neoprene because of its impedance to UV. The magic of Force3’s products is the use of Kevlar. Unfortunately, the only flaw to Kevlar is its decay in UV light. Thus, it has to be encased in a protective layer or jacket that prevents UV light from affecting it. A secondary reason for using neoprene is the lessening of bruises or tears on umpire shirts due to impacts. Smack a ball against a hard plastic plate, with an (expensive, dammit!) umpire shirt between them, you’ll likely get a bruise, scald, or tear in the shirt.

[Thawk]

Max, you are the MAN!!