AP Armour with ANH Centurion as Goal - Build Thread

[ukswrath[Staff]]

What's wrong, you don't want to use faucet aerators instead of authentic Hovi tips? 

[MechaPumpkin[TK]]

An idea for my lenses. It worked, and I could even leave it as is, but I plan to find a way to add tabs to the top and bottom of each lens to make more contact to the extra (almost superfluous) velcro bases. Cut from welder's shield and heat gunned to curve. Fairly self-explanatory pictures below.  Velcro tabs are EVA foam (curt from floor tiles) with pieces of industrial adhesive Velcro stuck to them abd E600 and clamps used to keep them in the bucket.  Velcro on lenses is also industrial adhesive Velcro."

[Mutter]

Smart idea!

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Great concept. I did the same thing on my first bucket. After replacing the lenses because of scratches (one on each side) I elected to go back to the one piece design, less hassle. 

[Sly11[Admin]]

Great build so far, keep up the good work.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[MechaPumpkin[TK]]

Okay, I am back, and I have been fairly busy.  Between now and my last post I was pretty sick for a whole week, and I also held an armour party!  First I had ever been to, so I had no idea what to do or what to expect, but it was awesome, and we all had a great time.

(My girlfriend is very supportive)


So now to the good stuff.  After some very good advice from Pickles of the Canadian Garrison, I reinforced the velcro on my lenses.  She pointed out that during the shoot a trooper for charity, a suction cup dart might knock them out.  they're much firmer now.  I took hockey tape and made tabs, and affixed the velcro to those, allowing more surface area.  I think I could lift up the bucket by the lens now . . .

Revised Velcro rig . . . 



Next, I built some Thermal Detonator clips for me and my litter mates (the other noobs working on their armour in my potential garrison).  There is no good Canadian source for them, so I just decided (with some encouragement from Clamps) to give it a go.  I am really glad I did.  Some of these pictures of how I did it using 1/8" aluminum, but in the end I used 1/16" because it was easier to work with and I was told it's most common.
 

 

So then I went ahead and finished up my Thermal Detonator.  The only CRL for EIB (and Centurion) is that there be "little to no gap between the clips and the end caps".  There is a lot of talk about what the right measurements are for the "control plate", cap width, type of pait to use, etc., but I have found none of these are definitive, and in fact many completely contradict images I found of screen used kits.  So in the end, if you meet the CRL, do what works.  I used the same paint (Humbrol gray) for the pipe as I did my helmet.  Others use a gray pipe, and some use primer.  From what i hear, it doesn't matter.  The screws OR bolts (preferred method) you use should have about a 5 - 6mm cap, be pan headed (round is pretty close), slot type, and black/painted black/sharpied black.  If you plan to use bolts (as I did) do not make the mistake of gluing your end caps on first.  You'll need to get in there for the nuts.  I used E6000 for my adhesive.

My Hand Guards arrived from Karin Sonnenschein.  I went with the white rubber rather than the more screen accurate painted latex.  I am very happy with my decision, and these things are amazing.  For these particular hand guards you want to use the two part Plastic Super Glue available from Le Page or Loctite, not normal CA/Super Glue.  It sticks amazingly well.  http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/lepage-plastic-super-glue-2-ml-0671451p.html The gloves are from Dollarama.  I'm a medium.  I think I mentioned that . . . but no harm mentioning it again, in case anyone wants to send me gloves as gift (my birthday is in June).





Next I built my helmet fan system.  I stole the design and got plenty of help from Narc and Clamps.  My final product is a mash up of their fans.  I heard squirrel fans (you'll see what that looks like in the pics) were the best because you can control the direction of the air flow.  Also important to note is the db level of the fans.  I went with one fan and the dB level is 28.  We all agreed it was pretty powerful and quiet.  Got it for $6 from Amazon.ca here . . . http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00UJBIAX4 The switch is from Sayal here . . . http://www.sayal.com/STORE/View_SPEC.asp?SKU=237492 and the batteries are from Amazon.ca here . . . http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00KDIS33K/  These batteries (and thus the charger I picked up at a hobby shop) have a deans connector on the end.  the batteries are actually universal, which means it comes with 4 end types, but I chose to go with deans.  The charger is a balancing charger.  That's all I know.  Narc helped me a LOT (as usual).  The one personal modification I made was I attached my switch plate (just a 12cm piece of ABS with holes drilled in it) to the two Hovi mic screws.  It was just convenient.  I think this set up makes a lot more sense than using disposable batteries.  This is a 1000mah battery, so it will last a LONG time.  There is also a low battery alarm connected to the balancing port of the battery so the battery doesn't discharge too low by accident and get ruined.  I had no idea what any of this meant before hand, so if you want more details, let me know.  The battery is called LiPo and is used for RC applications.  Okay here are some pics of me soldering the assembly and installing.  I used Velcro to mount the battery and fan inside.  Fuzzy side in the helmet or you're hair is gonna get stuck. . . .

 

Another thing I did this week was set up a little cover strip cutting station.  Recent experience has taught me I suck at cutting cover strips shape.  Even with my new fancy station, I suck.  Interesting note, I cut what appeared to be a perfect strip.  Lined up perfectly, was completely straight before I snapped it off.  Meaning I made the cut line, it was straight.  I put a ruler up against the other edge, and it was straight.  I scored and snapped (the method I am using to make cover strips) and when it came off it was an even 15mm all along the length of the strip . . . and the whole strip was arc'd.  I believe I have figured out why this happened.  The material I am using is the scrap ABS that came with my kit.  That scrap ABS is what is left over after they vacuform. So that material has been "pulled" from.  In the wider scrap strip, cut even, there is no bend, but when I cut the thinner strip off, that stored stretched energy is freed and it bends.  That is honestly the best answer I can come up with.  It isn't a huge arc, and the piece is over 30" long and any 12" of it is essentially straight, and no cover strip is really longer than that, so it's fine.  I just thought I would mention this in case it happens to you.  The mat is from amazon.ca here . . . http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00LJ93HVU/ Please ignore the dog butt.



So I also decided to get some actual armour building done!  Here are some pics of my biceps being glued.  I decided after the suggestion from Narc (did I mention he has helped me a TONNE?) it made more sense to do the inside supporting strips first.  Unless someone can tell me why this is a bad idea, I think it makes way more sense.  You can fiddle with it and make it ugly and messy, then you can put your outside cover strips on without fear of anything shifting.  So I glued one side of each inside strip and it is now drying.  Another great tip from Narc about trimming and cover strips.  If you plan to use 15mm and 20 mm strips (the recommended sizes) you should mae a strip 10mm and 7.5mm.  If your armour is around the right side, you can use those half strips as a guide of where to trim to.  So if you run it along the inside edge of the "tabs", you can cut to 7.5mm on each side of the butt joint and be left with 15mm for the cover strip.  I hope I explained that well.  Here are some pics of my glue job with magnets and then magnets and clamps.  I ran out of magnets, and I have a LOT.  I am seeing that you really do need 4 x 3/4" N52 (that's the strength rating on rare earth magnets and N52 is about the highest) magnets for each clamp.  So get a lot of magnets.  They sell them at Trooperbay, but they are cheaper at Lee Valley (thanks again Narc!).  E6000 again.  Waiting at least 24 hours before I unclamp.  I should also mention I plan to use popsicle sticks and tongue depressors between my clamps and the material in future, especially for outside strips.  I just didn't do it here because this was a small piece and the inside only. 

 

Okay so that's it for today's update.  I will try not to be absent for so long next time.  I am hoping my helmet pads arrive from China today, so maybe I'll post that installation next.  Good luck to all my fellow whitesmiths out there reading this, and to the rest of you who are already armour clad, troop hard!


 

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Great job Dan...    

Edited April 27, 2015 by ukswrath

[MechaPumpkin[TK]]

What are people's thoughts on a return edge at the base of the kidney and the top of the butt? The AP armour has none, and I'd risk shortening it to add one, but I am concerned those two pieces will overlap and get caught lots, and likely bite. While being bitten on the small of the back has its time and place, repeatedly in the middle of a troop is decidedly unappealing. Thoughts? Experience? Danke!

[MechaPumpkin[TK]]

I am back with some more updates.  This time most of it is pretty self explanatory.  I think I will just add pictures and explain on the ones that need it.

 

In no particular order . . . 

 

I cut and attached my outer cover strips (15mm . . . or close) to my biceps.  

 

 

Then I sanded them, evened out the tops of the cover strips, and took a tip from Narc (again), and sanded down the inside strips to they wouldn't snag on my under suit, like so . . . 

 

I also glued in the snap "plates" (in quotes because I am using the webbing method as opposed to actual plates made of ABS) at the top of the biceps where they will join with the shoulder bells.  There will later be a second snap glued in where it will join to the forearm . . . 

 

Speaking of snap plates, here is a picture of how I did mine.  I used my old beater soldering iron, some peg board, and some 1.5" webbing for single snaps, and 2" webbing for double snaps.  In retrospect, I think I might use 2" webbing everywhere it fits because more webbing means more surface area to glue, so why not?  After cutting the webbing, use a lighter to seal the edges.  The snaps I used are called line 24 snaps and I used a little anvil kit you can get to punch them into place.  You can get these snaps at Tandy Leather  https://www.tandyleather.com/en-usd/home/department/hardware/snaps/1263-15.aspx What people don't mention is that these snaps have a fairly long post that needs to be "rolled" down in the attaching (hammering) process.  So unless you are patient and lucky, you will ruin a few of them (and maybe some webbing with it).  The webbing is fairly thin, so the posts are too long.  So in order for it to set tight, you have a lot of post to roll down.  Just take your time and try not to get frustrated (Stay cool and calm . . . like I did . . . not . . . at . . . all).

 

 

Also, make sure you use the male snaps with unfinished end and the female snaps with the shiny snap end.  I'm not sure that makes sense, but here's a picture of them.  Later I put them in pairs, in colour coded bins (male and appropriate back were both in red, and female and appropriate back were in green) . . . 'cause I will repeat mistakes like an idiot and colour coding things makes me do that less.

 

Another thing I did was my shoulder bridges.  I was going to glue in the shoulder bridge snaps first, but I was told by someone (okay, it was Narc again) that finding the position and attaching the shoulder bridges first is better because then you can align the snaps in the right direction to better hide the elastic bridge.  Made good sense.  So I taped my chest and back piece on and had my girlfriend help me make tape outlines where I thought they should go.  Some important things to note . . . the chest plate is not symmetrical, and the flat area leading off the chest (and back) may not be the same length on both sides.  So if you hope to count ridges (one big and 4 small is about right for AP, depending on how wide you are and how much you need to reach back to the back plate), and glue based solely on that, you may get frustrated trying to figure out why one seems further forward than the other.  Once I had the general placing and angle I wanted and taped out, I used multiple measurements to fine tweak their position.  So for example, from the chest peaks on each side (okay, the "nipple") to the centre of the bottom of each bridge position, and from the outside edge of the chest to the corner of each bridge position, etc.  They just need to be even and the distances should be similar relative to each other.  Honestly, once all that measuring is done, take a step back and see if they look even by eye.  You'd be amazed how much you can tell.  So here's the tape marks and where I glued and clmaped, clamped, clamped, clamped, and then I added some clamps . . .  I know, I clearly missed a spot where another clamp would have fit.  I feel shame. 

 

 

Speaking of gluing the end caps on to the Thermal Detonator (no, we weren't speaking about that, so don't scroll up to see if you missed something), they can be really annoying to get on because of air trapped in the tube.  Fidgel told me a good trick is to drill a small hole in the area of the pipe under where the control panel will go, and it would allow the air to escape.  My control panel was already glued on, so I went with the brute force method.  A 25lb weight and gingerly adjusting it back and forth until they looked even . . . then running away and banning anyone from entering the room for 24 hours.



It seems to have worked, although I lost some paint and need to do some clean up . . . 

 

Next I thought I would finish off my dropboxes.  Now there is a lot of talk about the depth of the boxes and everyone seems to agree that around 15mm is correct.  I decided to close mine with velcro so I can keep stuff in them, and I decided to attach the elastic strap with velcro on the inside so it looked cleaner, acted as a tap to rip them open, and was adjustable a few inches (the length of the velcro pad) in case they started to droop or whatever.  I made them 20mm because I figured I could use the space, and I just disagree that they're all 15mm.  In fact, here is a screen capture from the movie where they are clearly MUCH thicker than 15mm (I would say more like 25mm - 30mm).

 

So here is my dropbox set up.  You will see a handy little silicone card holder (with self-adhering back) in each one.  That's to keep cards in . . . duh.  But seriously, I thought one day I would have my own trading cards, and in the meantime maybe collect cards from other members, so this was a good place to keep them.  And some spare cash or ID or whatever . . . 

 

I then did some work attaching them to my canvas belt, which I attached snaps to and connected the ABS "ammo" belt to.  I still need to attach the holster (which I need a new one of, since my kit came with an ESB one), and figure out where the snaps go on it to connect to the ab plate, or possibly use velcro if that's allowed.  There's also a picture of me gluing the ABS snap/rivet covers on.

 

My girlfriend made me a neck seal.  I have no information on that.  Needless to say she did a great job and possibly used a combination of voodoo, magic . . . and some sewing . . . 

 

Next I thought I would trim and glue my ab buttons on.  I did this BEFORE painting them because there is a lot of work to be done to the ab section, so I didn't want to damage the paint job. Also, you'll see how I had to glue it, and doing that on paint would not have been good.  I had to put books under it and weights on top.  Magnets wouldn't work because the ab plate is bumpy and too small to place one in each corner without them attacking one another.  

 

Here are some pictures of snaps I glued in place in the chest, back, shoulder bells and biceps.  More still need to be added, but I did these in hopes that i can rig the upper body in a day or two.  The only piece of info I have to offer here is that you want the second snap inside the shoulder bell to be about 2 and a half inches from the bottom (I think).  At first I positioned them at the bottom and then realized that the bicep overlaps on the inside and of course the snaps have to be above that.  I also glued in the elastic that goes across the shoulder bells.  I glued it about half an inch in from the edge and loosely across the bell.  About 20mm to 40mm extra on each side glued down.  You'll have to measure your shoulder bell to figure out the elastic length.

 

top snap for Bicep to Bell.  Second snap from bicep to forearm not done yet.

 

 

Chest and back shoulder snaps . . . 

 

 

I also taped in (glue did not work for me) my frown mesh.  I used tulle instead of screen because I had some lying around (you don't make a man-sized tutu without producing scrap tulle).  I doubled it up and used hockey tape to tape it in.  Hockey tape and ABS seem to get along great (so far).

 

Lastly, I affixed my scope decal (a gift from Fidgel!) to my E-11 scope and coated it in clear nail polish to give it a shine like glass.  I think it turned out pretty well.  This E-11 is a resin cast.

 

That's it for now.  More to come.  Please let me know if you think I've gone completely wrong anywhere

[BIGDEAL[TK]]

So jealous. Great work. Ive not updated my threaf in ages as a pic of random abs in a box doesnt help!

[gazmosis[501st]]

Wicked cool build so far! Some things to consider. Your neckseal ribs seem a bit large to me. I think another stitch in between them would help. Second is your helmet paint. I commend anyone who gives this a go. It's a challenge no matter what your skill set. This the crowning Jewel of your whole suit. I would strongly recommend to go back and take a second look at the black outlines of your traps and consider making them a bit thinner and more even. There is a difference between "hand painted look" and over enthusiastic hand painted look. The black surrounding the tears, traps and rank bars should be a small pinstripe at best. A seldom mentioned method of cleaning up or altering paint edges is simply with a brush moistened with thinner. By massaging the paint, you can remove it with control. Wash the brush often to keep it clean, dab off the excess and repeat until satisfied. If you remove too much, you simply paint it back in. This method will really help clean around the tube stripes. Your tears under your eyes look small to me. There is a "valley" of sorts where the flat bottom of the tears meets the "walls". The tears should be painted all the way to this valley. A pencil placed in the valley will self guide when marking this off. Keep up the great work!!

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Fabulous! 

[MechaPumpkin[TK]]

Thanks guys!

 

Gazmosis, the neck seal has 6 ribs on it right now, and I have seen many have about 9.  If we add a stitch in between, that will give me 12, and 3 more than what looks to be standard.  Do you think that's better than three less?  It's no trouble at all, but if I'm just going to end up erring on the other side of average, I'd rather just leave it as is.

 

Yes, the paint is all hand painted.  The tube stripes were HARD.  As you can see I cleaned them up a lot using a similar method to the one you mentioned, only I used tapered cotton covered toothpick thingies (a pic is in the thread), dipped in thinner, that worked great.  Sharp like toothpicks but absorbent like a brush. I might try to thin out the black lines by adding grey, but I can also clean up the edges a bit using that same method, with the toothpick thingies.  

I am actually not sure what you mean about the tears.  Are you sure they're too small?  Might it have been the pic you looked at?  

Here's an original from ANH . . . 

 

And here's mine . . . 

 

Is it maybe the angle I took the photo?  I don't see a huge difference.

Thanks for the advice . . . I'm working away here!  

I just installed my helmet pads today . . . I put one on the chin and added some EVA foam across the nose to avoid bobbling.  It's not the tightest fit, but I think it's pretty good.  Here's some pics . . .
 

[MechaPumpkin[TK]]

Sorry, I just went back and looked at the CRL image of the neck seal and it is actually only 7 ribs in front as compared to my 6.  Mine actually does the same as the one in the CRL image, and has more at the back, because it's tapered in the front.

 

Here's the image from the CRL . . . 

 

[Leandra]

Where did you get the pads for the helmet, they look like they would be comfy.

[MechaPumpkin[TK]]

They are from eBay.  The shipping took 30 days (from China), so prepare for that.  They are surprisingly good quality and the Velcro it comes with is also surprisingly good.  Like, really rubbery and conforms easily to the contours of the inside of the helmet.  What you see there is almost 2 full sets.  http://www.ebay.com/itm/TACTICAL-AIRSOFT-MILITARY-PROTECTIVE-PAD-FOR-HELMET-GREY-35287-/371292509049

[Somatophylax[501st]]

I am expecting my AP "brown box" in a week or 2.  This tread is awesome!!!!  I will read it and re-read it again. Thanks for sharing

[MechaPumpkin[TK]]

Where to start today . . . 

 

First, all my upper body snaps have dried, so I tried it all on and had my girlfriend measure how long each elastic had to be.  Then I created elastic straps from one set to another.  Key things . . . 

- Double the elastic over where you're going to put a snap through.

- I previously used a soldering iron to make holes in webbing for the snaps.  This is okay, but I find an awl does the trick just as well, with less fumes, and might even work better on the elastic.  Just push the awl through the webbing or elastic, stick the post of the snap on the end of the awl, and push it through as you remove the awl.

- give the elastic a little pull (not too hard, abs isn't that heavy), when determining the length.  It's elastic, it's going to stretch, so there's no point in measuring it in unstretched length . . . your stuff will dangle funny (that's what she said!).

 

Okay so when I put the snaps inside my shoulder bells, I had to correct the lower snap and raise it higher to make room for the bicep to overlap.  Well I raised it so the snap was about 2.5" from the bottom.  That's enough for me I think, but JUST BARELY.  So there is no harm putting that second snap even higher up the bell, like even half way.  Here is what mine looks like.  Tiny elastic strap, and just barely high enough, I think (for now) . . . 

 

 

Next thing I noticed when I put on that shoulder/bicep assembly to measure is that AP armour not only has two rights (lefts?) when it comes to biceps, but shoulders too.  So if you can't figure out which way they go, you're right.  Then I noticed how pointy they are.  I'm not saying I'm buff or anything, but they are a little too pointy and narrow for my liking.  I decided this was the moment for me to finally shake off the fear and put heat gun to abs.  Now, be VERY CAREFUL if you do this.  I used the lower setting on my heat gun, and gave it heat just for a few seconds at a time, then pushed down at the top of the bell and pulled the sides out (wear Ove Gloves or some other kid of heat protection).  I only accomplished a very small change in shape, but it was enough to make me happy, and I didn't want to risk damaging the piece.  I really hate the idea of a hot water bath, just because it's messy, sounds like a lot of work, and . . . well I own a heat gun.  If the idea of a hot water bath is less scary to you, DO IT!  It gets great results from what I've seen . . . I'm just lazy.  Okay so here is the shoulder before . . . 

 

 

Here is after . . . 

 

 

If you don't see much of a difference, I won't be offended.  It's slight, but it takes the edge off the hella pointy.  Moving on . . . 

 

Next, I put all my upper section on.  Here come a lot of pictures.

 

I need to point out a few things here.  I did NOT heat and bend my plastic belt (ammo belt) before, but I did now (now that I got over my fear of heat).  It beds pretty naturally around the canvas belt and ab armour, in the centre, so I saw no need to go through the complicated paint sticks process of bending at each box junction.  I just used the heat gun and heated up the ends and bent the last bit so it all looked rounded once on.  It worked perfectly.  I recommend it.  I also recommend doing it earlier than I did, because the heat cannot have been good for the E6000 holding my snaps covers on.  They didn't come off, but they may . . . I don't know.

The next thing I need to point out is that I didn't really bend my shoulder bridges before now, and I kinda stand by that.  It turns out it really is just the last couple inches that go over the back that need a bend in it.  If you make the hole thing a big arc, that's fine, but I don't think it's necessary.  Here are some close ups of mine, and the whole upper body assembly.  You decide, and remember, they're supposed to "float"! . . . 

 

 

Here are some inside pics of the snaps and elastics, partially just so you can see how the small 1/4 inch elastic (the one that goes over the shoulder bridge), is connected to the shoulder  bridge elastic.  By the way, a note on elastic sizes.  The WHITE (it should be white) shoulder bridge elastic is supposed to be 45 - 47mm, which translates to 1 3/4" to 1 7/8".  These measurements  are near impossible to find and the shoulder bridges themselves are over 2" wide, so I used 2" elastic there.  Advantage?  2" elastic is "waistband" elastic, which is very strong and flat.  Also, wider is more comfortable.  I will also point out that my black elastic is not 1" (the elastic you see on the shoulder bells and biceps) but actually 1 1/4".  I don't care!   I do what I want!  (Actually, I think I bought 1 1/4" by accident) Because the black elastic disappears against the body suit I'm going to use it.  It's also stronger.  ALSO, when it comes to this particular elastic, try to use No Roll (also called Non Roll).  It is much stronger and won't slowly stretch out after a bunch of troops (or so I've been told).  The one place you want 1" elastic that is NOT no roll is the white elastic connecting the dropboxes to your belt.  Also the 1/4" elastic shown here is also not no roll.  I don't think 1/4" no roll exists, but not no roll is screen accurate.

 

 

So the next thing I need to do is make 1 MILLION snap plates for the inside of the torso.  A note on using the punch and anvil that you can get to close snaps.  I don't know if I mentioned this, but they are infuriatingly hard to punch down because the posts are meant for thicker material than webbing or elastic (even doubled).  Now this won't keep them perfectly straight, because that's impossible, but I dound that the more level the surface is you put the anvil on (like a brick), the less they will go awry.  So I made a bunch of these (30ish I think), these are the male end to be glued to the armour.  Usually male goes on armour, female (snap tops) go on elastic.  With the exception of that snap you just saw in the centre of the bridge elastic and that's because another elastic with a male end attaches to it.

 

So here are some diagrams I followed for my snap placements.  I made some changes.  Firstly I put two snaps at each shoulder point (you should do this).  Secondly, for Centurion, on the ab and kidney plates on the left side (trooper left), you need to use 3 split rivets (bifurcated is the fancy term).  Third, on the right side (trooper right), he has 2 snaps, and I put 3, on the kidney.  I know there is supposed to be a notch at the bottom of the kidney plate for Centurion, and I'll get into that later.  On the correspoding area on the ab, I only glued 2 snap plates, because the top (3rd one) is supposed to be a male snap visible from the outside (CRL states "A single male snap on the top right corner of the ab plate is present.").  So I will be using that to connect that top snap on the kidney.  Fourth, I did not add snaps on the crotch area of the ab or butt plates (to accommodate the "taint strap" . . . I may have just coined that term, and I regret it already).  Reason being, the butt side is supposed to have 2 visible snaps that will be drilled through like that upper ab snap just mentioned, and the crotch part of the ab is also supposed to have a rivet, so when the time comes I will rivet that strap there. Here are the diagrams . . . 

 

Now, here is what I did . . . 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have a couple of important notes here.  When measuring the position of snaps other than centre, I recommend measuring from centre out.  Always remember that the different edges of your armour might be trimmed more or less, but the centre is always where you want the centre to be.  Second, when possible here, I lined up the snaps I already glued with the ones I was about to glue on the piece it matches too.  You can see that in the pictures.

This required 76 magnets and a lot of clamps.  So like everyone tells you, get lots of clamps.  I finally killed my first tube of E6000 at this stage too.  Speaking of which, always sand and then clean (I use isopropyl alcohol) each area of abs you're going to put E6000 on.  I did not do this for the first bunch of pieces, and I fear I may regret that one day.  Also, read and follow the E6000 instructions about wait times . . .

 

 

Okay, I think that's it for now!  Hope this helps.

Edited May 7, 2015 by MechaPumpkin

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Looking good 

[Crusader_6[TK]]

Looks great!!! I'll keep tabs on this!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Khazid[TK]]

Great details on these steps!

[Tusken RTT]

Awesome job!  I did not sand any areas prior to gluing anything with E6000- still holding like a champ!  Anything I have wanted to change since has had to be pried off, so you will be fine! 

[Mutter]

This is looking awesome!  I've never had any nylon webbing snaps come off.  Snaps I made with ABS did, however. You should be fine.  One thing I noticed was with your holster.  It looks like you're using loops to attach the holster to the belt.  The holster should be attached with rivets, snaps, or Chicago screws. The loops are for ESB. 

 

I love the detail of your build thread.  Will make a great reference for others!

[MechaPumpkin[TK]]

Thanks Mutter!! I left that out because it was just for the look. The holster I received with my AP armour was that ESB one. I'm not really sure why since it's an ANH set of armour. It also doesn't fit my resin blaster properly. So I was going to cut it and rivet it (I already have installed an ABS plate in the lining of the canvas belt for stiffness), but then I figured I might try making my own, or ordering a new one. Any recommendations on a good holster seller?

 

Thanks for taking the time to view my thread in such detail! It's really nice to know guys like you (and ukswrath, Squeaky, The 5th Horseman, Gazmosis, Tusken RTT...I hope I didn't forget anyone) are Centurion and watching. I really appreciate all the advice you guys have given!

Edited May 9, 2015 by MechaPumpkin

[MechaPumpkin[TK]]

Time for a boring slightly tedious update, but I did so much I wanted to record it now before I forget what I did.

 

Let's start with my forearms First I glued all 4 inner strips. So far so good . . .

 

 

Then I did something dumb. I wasn't really thinking, or I got subconsciously ambitious (I swear it didn't occur to me that I was rushing), and I decided to glue both sides of the other half of the forearm on simultaneously. Let me explain why you should never ever do this. The two sides of the forearm are each on a wider angle than to make a nice circle. So when you glue both sides on at the same time, they want pull apart. It might be best to demonstrate this first by showing what one side looks like glued down (this photo is from the second forearm I have started after the screw up) . . .

 

 

See how far apart the other side is underneath? That's how hard they try to pull apart laterally. Clamps and magnets hold more top to bottom, know what I'm sayin'?

 

So here is what I had to do really quickly on my first forearm to try and make it stick (I still haven't unclamped it, so it remains to be seen if I beat the adhesives dry time as I scrambled). I used pump clamps to squish the forearms down so they lined up. Here, have a look at this hot mess . . . .

 

 

 

Hopefully if the glue isn't perfect, the outer strips will add the needed structural integrity. Or I'll tear that whole forearm apart and do it again . . . I won't bother posting what happens. I'll sort it. It was a low point . . . so I'm gonna move on. Once the second forearm dries I will slowly and patiently bend it over and glue down the other side.

 

Okay, so after that traumatizing experience I needed to hit the liquor store . . .

 

 

Next I turned my sites on all the fancy rivets and visible snaps that you need for Centurion, and while drilling all those holes I also added the snaps that hold the canvas belt on to the ab. I figured this part already scares the heck out of me, may as well drill all the holes.

 

So these are the brass, 8mm head, split (bifurcated) rivets you are supposed to use. They do not need to be functional (and mine are not as you will see). Apparently you are supposed to use nickel (silver/chrome coloured) ones for the knee ammo belt. I'll go over that when I get there.

 

 

As for where to place them on the ab and kidney pieces, you NEED to read this thread. Not just the beginning. Reap the benefits of the Q and A. Thank you Mutter for sending me this link! http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/26886-split-rivet-placement/

 

Here are some pictures of me measuring and using one side to line up the other, etc. . . .

 

 

 

Always drill pilot holes first. Seriously, just do it.

 

 

 

Now, splitting split rivets is normally fairly easy. You push them through wood, and you use a slot headed screw driver to crank them one way, then the other, then hammer them down. NOT SO with abs. If you do that, you will just wrench the head of the rivet out through the hole and make it bigger and broken. Fortunately this occurred to me before I tried it. What you need to do is clamp down the area around the rivet, and take either a phillips head screwdriver, or a centre punch or something, and pound it down the centre so they split enough. I actually used a thinner one first so they would splay as deeply as possible (making it tight) and then used bigger ones eventually ending at a rather large roberston head (Yay Canada!!) screwdriver. After that I could hammer it flat(ish). Note, if you hammer too hard the ends of the splayed part will dig into the abs and you will see bumps on the nice side of your armour. I noticed just in time, so only one of my 7 rivets did it at all, and it is barely visible (phew!). Pictures . . .

 

 

 

 

 

These 6 should be painted white later. The one in the cod (coming up), should NOT.

 

Next I needed to add the Centurion "A single male snap on the top right corner of the ab plate is present." detail. I couldn't find any measurements for this, so I just eyeballed it. It shouldn't be too hard. First I crazy glued in a small piece of ABS, since I wanted this snap to be firm. It's one of the ones holding in my gut . . . I mean abs (you saw my 6-pack above, right?). I didn't use E6000 because I knew it was going to be reinforced by the snap going through both pieces, and I just wasn't patient enough to wait 24 hours.

 

 

Inside . . .

 

 

Visible on outside top right corner of ab . . .

 

 

So again, for my cod I eyeballed it. You, however, should not eyeball my cod.

 

 

 

Next, I made the holes for where my canvas belt will snap on to my ab. I also plan to add velcro to the centre of the belt and put a piece or two on the centre of the ab armour just below the button panel, so it can hold there nice and neat. I'll add pics of that later when I do it. For now, here are pictures of the snaps I added. I am also going to include a diagram of how you do it. Honestly, I only vaguely followed this, and didn't use any of the numbers, because each person's ab armour is a different size due to manufacturers and trimming. This is the basic idea.

 

 

I found the centre, held up my ammo belt (plastic part), and found the first "ammo box". Then I found about half way on the side of the belt and made a bunch of dots and lines and found the placement. Keep in mind you are doing the male snaps in the ab FIRST, then the canvas belt female snaps. This area of yhe ab will be covered, so it can be a little screwed up. You will then place the canvas belt over the ab, feel for the snaps, line it up how you want it, make marks on the canvas belt, and put in the female snaps. So even if the two sides aren't even, the belt will be even. I hope that makes sense.

 

It is very hard to bang in snaps in these awkward places on the ab armour. So you have to get creative.

 

Here are some pictures . . .

 

 

 

 

 

Canvas belt, front . . .

 

 

Canvas belt back, where attaches to ab, mit velcro . . .

 

 

Because my rivets are mere vestigial connectors, I now need snaps to hold me together. So here is where I put the snap plates . . .

 

 

That is a really bad picture. I put them between the rivets, not behind. My reason for this is that I wanted them the same distance from the edge as the snaps on the other side of the armour. Why? Because when I bust an elastic and I reach into my repair/emergency kit for a new elastic, I want consistency in size. It appears my elastics for both sides of the ab to kidney are 2 3/4" end to end. I don't think that info is useful at all, but there it is. So all 6 are the same length. The ones from kidney to butt and kidney to back are all 2 1/4" (I'm not as tall as I am fat). So again, 5 all the same, so I can keep spares easier. Clever, right? You can see where the cod snap is glued.

 

Next I did my butt snaps. Another requirement, this time EIB, "Two male snaps are present on the lower center tab of the Posterior Armor.". I did them much the same as the upper right ab snap.

 

 

This looks off centred, but that's because it's centred (eyeballed again) on the front . . .

 

 

Eyeballed butt . . .

 

 

Okay, that's it for now. Next time I promise it'll be a lot more interesting and involve significantly less crotch and butt.

Edited May 9, 2015 by MechaPumpkin