Re: Spiders

In message <g6hfj1th9j5gt46ru429asqp40eipbgilr@xxxxxxx>, Marc Wilson <E-0C001302-2098-E@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes 
IIRC, the first bullet-proof vests (that you could actually stand up in)
were made of silk, though they stopped using them after improved ammo made
them ineffective.

But now it's back! http://computer.howstuffworks.com/news-item38.htm

I once heard that Mongolian warriors wore silk shirts as a kind of armour. An arrow would still pierce the flesh but not tear the silk, so the arrow could be pulled out (owww!)

Aha - here's a website that has the same story:

http://www.coldsiberia.org/monmight.htm
--
M Rimmer

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Silk body armor
    ... woven silk undergarmets under their metal armor. ... it would pull the silk into the wound. ... The silk would then allow a surgeon to easily extract the arrow ... irretrievable cloth, armor, mud, dirt, etc into the wound. ...
    (sci.military.moderated)
  • Re: Spiders
    ... An arrow would still pierce the flesh but not tear the silk, ... >> Japanese warriors also apparently had silk armour. ...
    (uk.rec.sheds)
  • Re: Arrows and bolts, flesh and blood
    ... Mongols used loose silk undershirts to protect against arrow wounds. ... shirt would enter the wound along with the arrow and allow easier ... wound and maybe eliminate the effects of some of the special arrows you ...
    (rec.games.frp.gurps)
  • Re: Silk body armor
    ... I haven't heard of any muslims use silk in the way you described it but have ... > The silk would then allow a surgeon to easily extract the arrow ... > irretrievable cloth, armor, mud, dirt, etc into the wound. ...
    (sci.military.moderated)