tim.rose2
Well-known member
For the last few months I've been experimenting with making my own knee pads. Having now got a design that works I thought I'd share...
The reason for bothering is simple - the caving I do is generally very tough on the knees and I've found the commercially available pads to be;
So I decided to come up with a design that doesn't have a joint between the pad and strap and also doesn't involve any stitching. Before anybody asks, I've zero intention of making knee pads for anyone else / selling them, so please feel free to make use of the info here, make your own, but don't ask me to make them for you!
The first thing you'll need is a pattern. I'd recommend measuring the diameter of your leg above the knee and then using half of this as your primary length. For me, my leg diameter is 42cm, so the critical length is 21cm. So 3 x 21xcm along the top, 3 x 19cm along the bottom, kneepad height of 20cm, strap height of 6cm. You need something along the lines of the following:
It's probably obvious how this is going to work. Trace around you're template onto some 5 mm neoprene. A chinagraph pencil is very useful:
You'll need two, one for each leg...
And then a couple of rubber pads. The measurements are on the template.
Rough up the back of the rubber pads with sand paper (this is really important otherwise they'll not stick) and then spread a layer of sikaflex over it. You do need to spread an even layer. This is messy! Pallet wrap & many pairs of rubber gloves is good for mess prevention. This is definitely a job for the garage and not the kitchen work top.
Apply the rubber pad to the neoprene and apply more sikaflex around the edges...
Smatter about (don't bother trying to be neat) and cover in pallet wrap. You can use clingfilm, but pallet wrap is definitely better / easier.
Wood (wrapped in pallet wrap) on both sides and apply moderate pressure with a g-clamp or two. Don't over tighten, you don't want to completely crush the neoprene to oblivion. Leave overnight to set.
Apply sikaflex to the neoprene which will be wrapped around and stuck to the underside of the rubber pad. Again spread a good even coverage.
This time a third piece of wood in the middle to help it hold it's shape. Light compression, overnight to dry.
Trim up the edges and smatter in more sikaflex. Basically I've apply sikaflex to all edges - this is extremely messy, but feels like the right thing to do.
Leave to dry and you have knee pads:
My current pair in use have done around 20 trips and are still going strong:
Costs/Materials...
A pair of knee pads will eat most of a tube of sikaflex. The last load I bought was 3 tubes for £20 from Ebay. So we'll call that £7 per pair.
The rubber for the knees; 1.5 mm SBR rubber from Camthorne Industrial Supplies (again via Ebay). I bought a 500 x 1000 mm sheet for £16.20, enough for 7 pairs if you're careful how you cut it. Let's call that £3 per pair.
5mm Neoprene; This comes from Lomo. A sheet of 1000mm x 1260 costed £33.80 (inc. delivery). This is enough for 4 pairs, so lets call that £8.50 per pair.
That gives a total cost of <£20 per pair of knee pads, assuming you get it right first time (I didn't). You might need to factor in a role of pallet wrap & box of disposable gloves too.
If you've not used sikaflex before, I cannot understate how shitty this stuff is and how messy making knee pads like this is. Do not do this in your kitchen! That said I think it's worth it.
Happy to answer questions.
The reason for bothering is simple - the caving I do is generally very tough on the knees and I've found the commercially available pads to be;
- Quite thin, needing something like volley ball knee pads underneath to avoid bruises.
- Rather expensive (every time I buy a pair the price seems to be higher).
- Fall apart under the battering I give them way too quickly considering the price. I'd say I get about 10 trips before I have to getting the sowing kit out, then perhaps another ten before they're ready for the bin. The issue is always the same, the stitching holding the straps on falls apart. I've tried re-stitching and I've tried smattering the stitching in glue / aquasure before first use. These things do prolong the life, but not to an extent I'm happy with.
So I decided to come up with a design that doesn't have a joint between the pad and strap and also doesn't involve any stitching. Before anybody asks, I've zero intention of making knee pads for anyone else / selling them, so please feel free to make use of the info here, make your own, but don't ask me to make them for you!
The first thing you'll need is a pattern. I'd recommend measuring the diameter of your leg above the knee and then using half of this as your primary length. For me, my leg diameter is 42cm, so the critical length is 21cm. So 3 x 21xcm along the top, 3 x 19cm along the bottom, kneepad height of 20cm, strap height of 6cm. You need something along the lines of the following:
It's probably obvious how this is going to work. Trace around you're template onto some 5 mm neoprene. A chinagraph pencil is very useful:
You'll need two, one for each leg...
And then a couple of rubber pads. The measurements are on the template.
Rough up the back of the rubber pads with sand paper (this is really important otherwise they'll not stick) and then spread a layer of sikaflex over it. You do need to spread an even layer. This is messy! Pallet wrap & many pairs of rubber gloves is good for mess prevention. This is definitely a job for the garage and not the kitchen work top.
Apply the rubber pad to the neoprene and apply more sikaflex around the edges...
Smatter about (don't bother trying to be neat) and cover in pallet wrap. You can use clingfilm, but pallet wrap is definitely better / easier.
Wood (wrapped in pallet wrap) on both sides and apply moderate pressure with a g-clamp or two. Don't over tighten, you don't want to completely crush the neoprene to oblivion. Leave overnight to set.
Apply sikaflex to the neoprene which will be wrapped around and stuck to the underside of the rubber pad. Again spread a good even coverage.
This time a third piece of wood in the middle to help it hold it's shape. Light compression, overnight to dry.
Trim up the edges and smatter in more sikaflex. Basically I've apply sikaflex to all edges - this is extremely messy, but feels like the right thing to do.
Leave to dry and you have knee pads:
My current pair in use have done around 20 trips and are still going strong:
Costs/Materials...
A pair of knee pads will eat most of a tube of sikaflex. The last load I bought was 3 tubes for £20 from Ebay. So we'll call that £7 per pair.
The rubber for the knees; 1.5 mm SBR rubber from Camthorne Industrial Supplies (again via Ebay). I bought a 500 x 1000 mm sheet for £16.20, enough for 7 pairs if you're careful how you cut it. Let's call that £3 per pair.
5mm Neoprene; This comes from Lomo. A sheet of 1000mm x 1260 costed £33.80 (inc. delivery). This is enough for 4 pairs, so lets call that £8.50 per pair.
That gives a total cost of <£20 per pair of knee pads, assuming you get it right first time (I didn't). You might need to factor in a role of pallet wrap & box of disposable gloves too.
If you've not used sikaflex before, I cannot understate how shitty this stuff is and how messy making knee pads like this is. Do not do this in your kitchen! That said I think it's worth it.
Happy to answer questions.
