15-5. REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE OF BODY ARMOR – Continued
Turn vest right side out and fully work out edges of inner and outer shells, close neck area of vest and stitch
through vest along front opening. Attach left and right shoulder pads, attach ends of side closure retainers to
back inner shell 4 places and attach side closure elastic webs to back of vest 4 places.
e. Eyelets. Replace missing, damaged or otherwise unserviceable items with eyelets as specified,
f. Snap Fastener,
(1) Resetting. Reset a loose snap fastener by using appropriate dies.
(2) Removal. Remove a damaged snap by cutting it with a pair of diagonal wire cutters or rippers. Be
careful not to cut or damage the fabric.
(3) Installation, Without damage to the fabric, install the new snap fastener (with proper sized dies)
according to the original construction.
g. Replacing Webbing,
(1) General. All of the webbing items listed in (2), (3), and (4) below may be replaced, Cut each of the
items from the prescribed length and webbing type. Dip ends of elastic webbing, except the turned
under (snap fastener end), shoulder pad retainer strap to a depth of 3/16 inch + 1/16 inch (0.477 + 0.159
cm), see paragraph 15-4-b(2), unless otherwise specified, Use machine stitching for stitching and
restitching webbings. Use Table 15-2 for the type of stitches, thread size and stitches per inch that are
required for the repairs. When it is necessary to open seams to remove webbings, care should be
exercised to avoid damaging the Kevlar ballistic filler. This can be accomplished with a sharp edge
tool or other suitable device to where good stitching is encountered.
(2) Strap, retainer, shoulder pad, back and front. Replace a damaged, cut, or abraded strap or one that
has lost elastic properties using appropriate material specified in Section Ill. Remove defective
elastic strap by carefully slitting the attaching stitches without damaging material (see Figure 15-2).
Cut replacement items to size of original (plus amount turned under for snap fastener reinforcement)
and attach in original position by top stitching with two rows of stitching.
(3) Side closure elastic webbing (typical 4 places). If any side elastic webbing is visibly damaged (cut,
abraded, or has lost elastic properties) replace with new side elastic webbings. Dislodge the defective
elastics at the side seams by carefully cutting the attaching stitches without damaging the material
(see Figure 15-1, Sheet 1). Remove side elastic webbings from the vest by cutting the stitching at the
back of the vest. Cut replacement elastic, dip ends in wax and attach to side seams first by two rows of
top stitching. Fold ends under 3/8 inch (0.954 cm). Stitch side closure elastic webs to outer back of vest
through inner and outer shells and ballistic filler with a box stitch pattern 1/4 + 1/8 inch (0.635 + 0.318
cm) wide and 1 1/4 + 1/8 inch (3.18 + 0.318 cm) long, located 1/16 to 1/8 inch (0.159 to 0.318 cm) from
folded edge of side closure and side edges of closure,
15-9
TM 10-8400-203-23
