TM 10-8400-203-23
Section Il. REPAIR PROCEDURES
15-4. MATERIALS
a. General. Materials used in repair of vests will be serviceable materials recovered from similar salvaged
items, when authorized or preferably, will be new materials as specified in Section Ill. New materials will
be requisitioned from stock under the national stock numbers and for item descriptions as listed and will
conform to the appropriate specifications. When not available from stock, materials may be purchased
locally that conform as closely as possible to the standard material for emergency repairs. Care and
cleaning shall be done by the individual user. All other maintenance should be accomplished at Depot
Maintenance Activities,
b. Fusing of ends of nylon webbing and dipping ends of elastic.
(1)
(2)
Fusing of ends of nylon webbing and tape. All ends of nylon webbing and tape shall be fused. The
apparatus used to fuse the webbing and tape ends shall be capable of providing sufficient heat to
provide a smooth edge and with the cut ends of the webbing and tape yarns all fused together. Fusing
of the webbing and tape ends shall be accomplished prior to being assembled for stitching.
Dipping of ends of elastic webbing. All ends of elastic webbing, except the turned under end (snap
fastener end) on the shoulder pad retainer strap shall be dipped in a melted mixture of 50 percent
beeswax and 50 percent paraffin to a depth of 3/16 + 1/16 inch (0.476 + 0.159 cm). Temperature of the
melted mixture shall be 180° ± 20”F (82.2° + 6.67 C).
15-5. REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE OF BODY ARMOR
a. Inspection,
(1)
(2)
(3)
Inspect the overall condition of the outer shell and components. It should be carefully examined to
determine whether it is worthy of cleaning and repair or whether the vest shall be turned-in for salvage
as unserviceable.
Each vest will be inspected to determine the proper classification and identification (item description,
size, and stock number).
Prior to the removal of the outer cover for replacing, inspect the cover to make sure that the
identification labels (size and stock number) are secure and/or the markings are legible. If the vest
cannot be properly identified as to size, refer to table 15-1 to determine vest size in relation to
measurements listed,
15-5
