Shoulder Bridge Question

[Vader Rocks]

Ok, looking for opinions to repair shoulders that drive me nuts when I see them in photos. Not sure if it's something that all encounter or if it's an AM thing or if it's just something I overlooked.

 

On what i'm going to call the shoulder bridges, they don't lay flat and follow the countour of the chest piece. Here's some photos, but not sure how to add pointers with photoshop or anything. Hopefully you can make out what i'm talking about.

 

 

 

 

I thought maybe one of those sealing irons that are used to make return edges, but since i've never used one I didn't know if it would have the effect I was looking for or if something needs to modified in another way to fix this.

[Locitus[Admin]]

Glue the front and let the back float freely.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Glue down at the front, depends on what armor maker you have but usually 1 large and 4 small ridges (ata can only fit one large and 3 small ridges due to the chest). Make sure that it sits over the back plate in the right postion, before gluing taped the straps on, wore the armor and looked at the back of the straps in the mirror, once happy I marked around the front of the straps with a pencil. If you find the back of the straps sit too high you can apply some heat and bend them slightly.

[LadyInWhite[TK]]

You can move them forward/down about 2-3 more "notches" so there's 1 big and 5 little notches before the top edge of the chest plate. That will give you a little more flat surface on the chest itself to glue to. Glue those puppies down super duper tight, clamp overnight or longer. You can angle them slightly so they taper inward like a V shape under your chin. SLIGHTLY.

 

Free float in back but it may not line up with the back plate. You can gently heat the middle or back end of the bridge to curve it toward the back plate tabs a little bit. Then your elastic band will hold it down.

 

On my AP I have one tiny corner that will NOT flush, and it drives me nuts too, but 95% of it works fine.

[Vader Rocks]

Thanks for getting back with me guys.

 

The back are free floating, only held down with the thin elastic strap per EI reqirements and the front are glued down. The portion that is bugging me though is where the bridge glues to the chest piece. The chest has that area where it curves outward and down towards the shoulder and the strap doesn't follow that same contour. I just haven't seen many with that type of gap.

Edited March 3, 2013 by Vader Rocks

[DizzyStormtrooper[501st]]

I took a heat gun to my AM chest to curve the area slightly, then to the bridges and formed them over so there is a definite left and right bridge