Ab Kidney joints

[TK69581[TK]]

So I have a question, I guess I'm a bigger guy (only 180lbs so stop laughing hahaha!) but I have a lot of room between the ab and the kidney.

1. Is it to much room for 501st?

2. Any suggestions?

 

[gazmosis[501st]]

I wish I was 180lbs!!!!!  In regards to acceptance, for basic approval, you can keep it as is. If you plan on applying for any accuracy badges like EIB or Centurion, those gaps will need to be bridged with ABS sheets or Shims as we will call it from now on. You can extend the ab, the kidney, or both but your goal will be to have a single seam between the kidney and the AB. Use a straight edge to trim the existing part and the shim so you have a but joint as perfect as possible. The shim will be sitting flush with the surface of the existing armor. Glue a connecting strip of ABS on the back side to join them. That's the easy part. To eliminate the seam you have created, you will need to fill it with ABS Paste made by mixing acetone with a messload of tiny abs scraps until it forms a past with toothpaste consistency. Spread this carefully and evenly into the seam. Acetone and armor don;t mix very well so make sure you are relatively precise when applying this to your seam. Fill your seam and blend the edges. to make sanding easier. Sand it down smoth. then polish it out with progressively finer grit sandpaper all the way up to 1000 or 1200 grit. Then polish it out with rubbing compound or Novus polish. 

You may need to go back and spot fill low spots to get it even, but once you are done, the seam will be close to unnoticeable.

[Snaps[TK]]

A lot of people leave the space and still get 501st approval. If you go for EIB and Centurion status here on FISD, then you need to close the gap.  I took a piece of abs, joined it to the kidney piece with a shim on the inside and then applied abs paste (mixture of pieces of abs and acetone) and applied it to cover the seam between the new abs and kidney. It'll take alot of sanding but totally worth it with the final results and the no gap looks a lot better.

 

Here's how to make abs paste if choose to go this route. Take your time with it!

http://www.whitearmor.net/fisd/HOWTO:ABSpaste

 

 

Here's what mine ended up looking like

 

Edited December 6, 2014 by Slangen

[gazmosis[501st]]

That right there is a STELLAR example of how it can look!!!

[Tusken RTT]

This-http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/29077-adding-the-kidney-shim-not-bad-but/page-2?hl=%2Bkidney+%2Bshim#entry372618

 

A little work, but you can get the seem almost invisible.  Almost......

[TK69581[TK]]

Awesome thanks for the info. One last question, as for webbing or strapping between the two, elastic or webbing? With or without rivets?

[Tusken RTT]

You would strap and rivet the abdomen to the shim of the kidney;  there should be nothing between the shim and kidney but abs paste, with a flat spare shim glued underneath both.  I used strapping to keep it nice and tight between the ab and the new shimmed kidney. 

[Petros]

Moriar69, this is a good thread you started and the comments are great for reference.

 

well done mate 

[TK69581[TK]]

Thanks!