I remember my braces that I wore when I was a kid were all steel and leather - very hot, as they went all the way up to my waist. Fortunately after I had surgery when I was in the sixth grade, I never had to wear them again. Kat On Tue, 7 May 2002 10:33:30 -0400 "Cleveland, Kyle E." <[log in to unmask]> wrote: Mags- Most folks our age had carbon steel braces. I had them when I was really young and then the Physical Med engineers at University of Michigan tried stainless steel on a small group of kids (I was one). They weren't any heavier than the carbon steel appliances, but they were much less brittle. Hence, they were much less prone to snap due to torsion. I have a friend who works in Cambodia making orthoses and prostheses for victims of land-mine explosions. He's been experimenting with Kevlar. That stuff is, quite literally, bullet-proof. It can be worked like fiberglass, but you have to use special tools in the modeling process as it's MUCH stronger than steel. -Kyle -----Original Message----- From: Magenta Raine [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Tuesday, May 07, 2002 12:36 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: New AFO My old fashioned leg braces were not kid proof or CP proof, I was always busting them, until I got my mimi brace. (sort of like the swash) that brace never broke! _________________________________________________________________ Mother's Day Reminder Shopping online saves time, gasoline, and stress. Visit my Mall! Www.itilink.com/traine.iti