Custom Sized Hand Made chest Protector (Photo Gallery)
 

I thought I would share a project I have been recently working on with you guys. I had started a thread at umpire.org, but it seems right now that forum has a bug when you change the time zone setting in your profile. Plus you can insert pictures directly over here which I like. :)

Anyways,

I’ve owned nearly every chest protector model available. I’m a little over 6 feet tall and have a wide shoulder frame. I have owned, bought and re-sold K1’s, Gold, Platinum’s, Wilson, Champions, All Star’s, Diamonds and etc. I could never find the perfect chest protector that suited all of my desires. The last several games of last season and still the few I pick up here and there I have been using one of the coveted Riddell Power’s which is on lone with a lot of love from my umpiring mentor and great friend.

The things I like about the West Vest’s are their superior protection. The Honigs K-1 always seemed to fit me the best, but it sacrificed protection to some degree compared with hard shell plastic. Along with the West Vest’s and Honigs alike however the thicker padding combined with the nylon covering is just a sponge for sweat and down here in the South East it’s like wearing a blanket while jogging. God forbid you put your chest protector in your gear bag after a hot game causing a biology experiment in your (sealed) gear bag.

Back to the Riddell Power, I love the way it fits on me. The thin “low profile” padding combined with plastic that is not overly bulky like the West Vest’s is a great combo. It fits me well and does not make me look like the terminator or Brian Urlacker behind the dish. However, once again the nylon padding on the Power’s just soak up the sweet and have to hang dry. Not to mention higher maintenance to keep the condition of an already older chest protector up. So I cannot give the Power my full marks.

So what do you do when all else fails? Simply, call Mr. Cece Carlucci. So I called him about 3 months ago and spent 2 hours with the Italian American craftsman. The conversation was legendary and just like I’ve read on the internet before I’ll quote, “you don’t talk with Cece… you listen.” Stories about the AAA pacific coast league, John McSherry, Ted Barret and all the other umpires he has made custom gear for was priceless. After being assaulted with questions to prove my worthiness of even talking to him we sized my measurements up over the phone. I also learned of his pulmonary condition from which he was just released from the hospital a couple days prior to my phone call. For grins and giggles, I am of similar measurement to Ted Barret, although he is taller than me.

I know three fellow umpires that have a Carlucci vest and all three love their Carlucci. The newest of the three is about 7-8 years old and cost this particular umpire I believe about $275-$300 8 years ago. The price Cece quoted me was $425 + $25 shipping for your standard Carlucci vest. Combined with the price and his dwindling condition I decided to unfortunately pass on a chest protector (regretfully now). But then I also decided that for $450 I would have a go at making my own chest protector.

Please post comments and criticism, I'm all ears!

Photo Gallery Link

The main pad's construction consists of a 5/8" pad and black vinyl with a backing. Pretty much your standard vinyl for anything.

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The plastic panels are obviously similar in style to many chest protectors I have used myself.

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Yesterday, I completed the back harness. I will try not to go into a lot of detail but its just your standard 5-point adjustable harness. A wider elastic band at the bottom that is sewn together at the "T" union. I always hated how on other chest protectors this would get twisted up. The middle is permanently sewn yes, but adjustable on both sides.

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Today I finished it.

I finished up the shoulder caps with a little bit of sewing. Added the cargo strapping that attaches the shoulder pads to the plastic over the collar bone area.

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wierd......
 

Man this is wierd.... I have been very bust the last couple months and have been away from all my umpire forumns. So what do I see that CECE has passed away and now I see what you have done as I own a CECE vest.
Any way you have made one sweet vest, will you be makeing the shin pads as well???

Well I own a pair of CeCe shin guards myself that are in pretty good shape. So I really don't personally need any shin guards myself.

However, the materials and sewing are basically the same. I suppose I could make some shin guards. I need to source some plastic caps and some more of the raw plastic materials like CeCe used.

CeCe was a great person to many. I didn't know him as well as some of the other guys, but he will surely be missed.

I admire your craftsmanship! It appears you've done a great job.

If you don't mind sharing, what did you use for the hard plastic shell?

Polycarbonate Acrylic. When I compared several physical properties charts of various types of plastics, it was pretty strong. CeCe told me he used polyethylene plastic.

I hand cut all the plastic pieces myself and then used a plunge router to cut the eye hole slits.

nice...please post when you take a few shots off of it this coming spring/summer

I'm actually working on that test sooner than later. Pretty much my biggest umpire mentor has volunteered to be the crash dummy and step it up in front of a pitching machine.

I will surely make a video of this experiment.

As an umpire, an engineer, an equipment junkie and someone who does some fabrication work with baseball gloves (see link: The Glove Shop), I find your project fascinating.

I've always wondered about the padding in a chest protector. What about that "memory foam" stuff- do you think that would work? I remember when this product first came out, there was a demonstration on TV where a guy laid a sheet over his hand and invited someone to whack his hand with a hammer, with no ill-effect.

Brett,

I honestly think that it could be done. My first pad was 1" thick with two pieces of the white foam you see. By the time I added the vinyl it was very thick. Now it would have stopped anything with the plastic on top of it, but it just felt too bulky.

I cannot find 5/8" thick foam so I glued a piece of 1/2" & 1/8" foam together to get the current combination. This combination was actually about the 4th "foam experiment" I did before I came to my current selection.

I think anything less than 1/2" foam (uncompressed) and you would probably start to feel the impact on the plastic more.

CeCe told me the thinnest he has ever made was using 3/8" foam.

It would be interesting to see the memory foam incorporated, but honestly I think correctly measuring and sizing the vinyl and foam will create a better "fit" than the memory foam.

Know what I mean?

But custom fit memory foam could be interesting?

Excellent looking chest protector. Great job.

Have you considered becoming the new Cece, following in his fine footsteps, and take custom orders from umpires?

I don't think I could ever "become the new CeCe."

But I'm not opposed to making them for other people.