Strip Size

[Kirby]

Sorry everyone, I am sure that are more than enough posts about strips and shimming. I just couldnt find the answer I was looking for so here is another.. The strips on all the front facing portions that would be have the strip added, are they all the same width? (the 20mm) I know they the need to all be as close to that as possible, I would say I am probably going to have to go a little above that, however on a few pieces, I just did a 25mm actually 1/2" and its going to be very tight. This leads me to believe that my hamhock thighs and calfs are going to not come close with the 25mm and I would think I would have to shim so much in the back that it would make them appear I guess the word would be flaired out? Obviously my goal is to be approved, but comfort has to come in to play at some point and if I can just put it on and not move, that wouldnt be much fun... I guess what Im asking is,If im close as I can get to that magic mm mark onthe strips as I can, and not have em say, 4" its should be OK right? Thanks

[tkrestonva[TK]]

Arms (forearms/biceps): 15mm

Legs (thighs/shins): 20mm

 

Even so, the strips are not a requirement. Like you said, you have to be able to fit in your kit. I would think you'd be fine with the "close enough to screen accurate but still fits well" approach you plan to take.

 

Photo?

[Kirby]

Thanks for the input... I started witht the inside so I didnt think to take any pics last night.. Ill snap a few when I go back out to work later today... Feel like this is my first big step actually gluing something together..

 

 

"I got that excited/scared feeling. Like 98% excited, 2% scared. Or maybe its more - It could be two - it could be 98% scared, 2% excited."

[Kirby]

Here are the pics I took... Im hoping once I get em cleaned up painted and take the mini-iron to em' they will look OK..

 

 

Any anyone has to say good or bad about what they think I am listening.

 

Thanks

[pandatrooper[TK]]

You don't really need that notch at the top, but it's covered by the shoulder bells anyways so it doesn't matter too much. I would join the halves, then put the cover strip on top to hide the transition. Take a look at other builds on the forum and copy their approach.

 

Just a tip going forward: a lot of people ask for feedback on the forum and we're here to help. But to help you get things right - if you're not sure about where to cut or glue something, post pictures with drawn lines of "where" you think you want to cut, and ask for help before cutting. Same with gluing. If you say "should I glue this like so?", we can help. If you've already glued it, it's going to be hard to fix or potentially not fixable at all.

 

Remember the old adage: Measure twice, cut once!

[Kirby]

Got ya Panda... Thanks Id rather get it right than wrong... Still not sure why I decided to get creative and cut the strip to match the shape underneath.. (OCD kicked in maybe) I did use E600 so I may be able to pull it back off, but I did put it on fairly heavy. I guess Im still not getting what else I did wrong.. Trust me Im really wanting to get this right.. So I am very open to suggestion.. Im sure if I was at an armor party I would be catching on a lot faster, but there werent any TKs being worked on at the last one I made it to, just snowies... Had one member than had worked on a sand, and he was able to show me where to trim to, but that was as much as was able to be shown at the time.. Bumps and bruises along the way, I dont mind it taking a while to get it right..

[Kirby]

I am adding a pic of my other bicep strip job.. I am hoping that this one is closer to correct..

 

 

Also Panda if you are reading this.. I am not sure what you were talking about when refering the the notch at top.. I circled what I think you may have been talking about, if thats the case, I didnt do that, thats how my armor came...

 

[pandatrooper[TK]]

Hey Kirby, it’s not really a big deal. The area you circled is the notch I was referring to. It doesn’t matter too much what that looks like since the bicep covers most of it up. Regardless, your other bicep looks fine. One thing you can do if you want to fix the first one is just cut the “notch†at an angle to make the transition from the inner bicep to outer bicep a little smoother. Again, it’s not a big deal IMO.

 

A lot of people tend to have their cover strips extend beyond the edge of the armor slightly, so that at a glance, you can’t see how it’s joined or any potential imperfections.

 

Also, something that might add a nice touch is rounding the corners slightly more on your cover strips. Just take the sharp corner off and smooth it with sand paper, don’t make it round like a popsicle stick.

 

Hope that helps.

[Kirby]

Thanks a lot... Initial I cut my strips, worked to make them nice uniformed on both ends had them sticking over just a bit,then thought wait thats too round and went with my idea you see before you.. Before I go trying something again.. I will put a pic up asking.... Im going to pull these strips off and try again.. realized its going to be a pain trying to put the bevel back, (I know everybody else calls it a return, guess I have to be different) but I realized needed to really do that prior to iron work..

[Kirby]

I was able to remove the strips without any problems, using the razor/pry technique since I used E6000. I was looking again, I didnt really see the best way of removing the glue thats still left behind so I can have a flat area to work with when I go to place the strips back. Anyone have the link to the post with that info?

[tkrestonva[TK]]

I've found that with enough pressure, you can simply rub off the residue with your finger. If you want to accelerate the process, a bit of "Goo Gone" (you can get it at Home Depot) works well, and it does no damage to the armor.

[Kirby]

I've found that with enough pressure, you can simply rub off the residue with your finger. If you want to accelerate the process, a bit of "Goo Gone" (you can get it at Home Depot) works well, and it does no damage to the armor.

 

 

Thanks... I have plenty of goo gone, we use that stuff all the time around the house...