AP build armor questions.

[sithmark]

Hello! So my boss and I are building AP suit and I'm extremely happy with how it is turning out. But i do have a couple questions.

 

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1. The butt-kidney pates look like they were originally of the same piece and just trimmed apart (I ordered mine pre-trimmed as I have never done anything like this before) I know that for EI and Centurion armor you have to have it as two pieces anyway so that is cool, however there is no return edge on the top of the butt plate and the bottom of the kidney plate. I am using the bracket and elastic loop system to join the torso together, which I am very happy with so far, but when i arrived at these two pieces I realized I would need to do something. Either I would need to use the snap-elastic system that a lot of people use, or I would need to create a return edge for both pieces. I'm short. so I'm not worried about loosing the...3 quarters inch that would get folded over, just wondering if this is the best idea for this part. I also have no idea how to do a return edge so could use a tutorial if someone has one. Here's a picture of the system I am using though this is the interior of the abdominal plate and chest plate. You can see it requires the return edge for the screws.

 

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2. I'm getting a little confused about the split rivets. Which ones to use where. etc. For instance, trooperbay has 2 types that are both described as joining the abdominal plate to the kidney plate. Which one is more accurate? i'm leaning to the nickel split rivots he offers because they seem sturdier than the bobby looking ones. Also is this the same type of single rivet used on the crotch? Is diameter really the only important thing? It's one of those things I've been reading about for a bit, but I think i confused myself.

 

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3. I also have a question about elbows on the AP suit. The inside of the forearms seem like they were cut short or something which results in this edge on the joining strip. Should I just trim the joining strip to follow the contours of the inside of the forearms so that it matches up with the outside of the forearms better?

 

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I was messing around with lining with foam, but you can see what I'm talking about. I think the answer is to trim the strip at the same angle as the inner forearm so that it meets up with the outside of the forearm.

 

Thanks! Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Especially since I'm building a suit for my boss. Don't want to tell him i built it "wrong"

Edited December 23, 2021 by gmrhodes13
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[DarkTrooper[TK]]

Looks good so far.

 

I used the first set of split rivets (the shorter ones) on my last armor build. Those really are short inner arm pieces. I think it looks fine as it is right now though. It'll help you when you need to bend your arms. I've had my fair share of armor pinch in that area.

 

You're such a good employee to build that for your boss .

[Kessel Run[TK]]

our XO did a nice AP tutorial here --------

Edited December 23, 2021 by gmrhodes13
link not working removed

[8BitBry]

I also got my AP pre-trimmed (well, pre-built but had to take everything apart).

For #1, the butt-kidney plates, I did snap plates with the 1" elastic joining the snaps on both far edges and center. It doesn't effect the look and is most likely more comfortable than a return edge right there because of the belt. I also have the same bracket system connecting the chest to ab and back to kidney and that has been solid.

[sithmark]

This is awesome! Thanks so much for the google doc! Wish I had discovered it earlier!