Clint's Build Thread (TK-61281)

[camprandall]

And one more comment on the gaskets. I am now realizing that it was a bad move to cut the arm gaskets to fit around the under armor snuggly because the intent was to put on the elbow gaskets and then slide my arm through the shoulders making for easier assembly. The problem is that I now have to put the shoulder gaskets/biceps on first since I can't fit the elbow gasket through the shoulder because it's too thick. What this means is putting the shoulder/bicep on and then sliding up the snug elbow gasket and attempt to tuck it into the bicep. It still ends up working, but if I had to do it over again I would leave it looser and keep it velcro'd to the bicep as I did before and slide the whole arm on as a unit, except for the forearm. Oh well.

[Barcoder[TK]]

Ok, so the JB Weld fix didn't hold on the yoke so I went with a more reliable method. I cut a bit of the inside supporting ABS insert so I could use a thick ABS backing strip behind the crack. It feels much stronger and should hold up well. The JB Weld stuff popped off of the ABS under pressure.

Hmmm, this seems like something I should do as well, before I actually wear the armour. Might as well re-enforce the snot outta the yoke before it becomes an issue.

Thanks for posting the update!

[camprandall]

Hmmm, this seems like something I should do as well, before I actually wear the armour. Might as well re-enforce the snot outta the yoke before it becomes an issue.

Thanks for posting the update!

 

Yeah, I would recommend it because that is a high stress point and it's a pain to fix it after all assembled. Hopefully it holds up!

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Ok so where exactly am is this area located? (zoom out)

[camprandall]

This is the peak of the yoke on the shoulder where the shoulder bells bump up against. It's dead center over the shoulder where it gets the most torque from trying to put it on over the gaskets.

[camprandall]

Well, the backing strip on the shoulder held up nicely at the 4th of July parade this weekend, even with a little extra torque on the rig!

 

[ukswrath[Staff]]

NICE!

[camprandall]

Well, it's been a while since I posted anything, but I did finally get my spats placed correctly. I had them sitting underneath the ankle even though they are supposed to be floating, but I didn't have time to fix it for Celebration and it took a while to get around to it. Anyways, they are sitting nicely now!

 

 

 

Excited to see the other build threads popping up out there!

 

...and if I haven't said it enough, Wyatt's latex gaskets are AMAZING!

[ukswrath[Staff]]

I'm still loving your snap technique, my favorite so far.

[camprandall]

Thanks Tony! In a way it was liberating to not have a history of builds with this armor because you didn't just automatically do it the way everyone had done it for years.

[Barcoder[TK]]

Thanks Tony! In a way it was liberating to not have a history of builds with this armor because you didn't just automatically do it the way everyone had done it for years.

Agreed! Eventhough it was frustrating at times, it was kinda cool figuring out some of the things on my own. (Neat feeling helping to pave the way for the future.)

I must say thank you Clint. You were a big help with my build; through your own build thread & the consistent support & comments on my own thread. Thanks buddy!

Edited August 7, 2015 by Barcoder

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Thanks Tony! In a way it was liberating to not have a history of builds with this armor because you didn't just automatically do it the way everyone had done it for years.

 

Well for those who've actually followed any of my builds I've been accused to trying to re-invent the wheel on a few occasions. Not to discredit years of armor builders, but if there's a more efficient path to building armor I'll find it.

 

Thank you for paving the path. 

[camprandall]

Agreed! Eventhough it was frustrating at times, it was kinda cool figuring out some of the things on my own. (Neat feeling helping to pave the way for the future.)

I must say thank you Clint. You were a big help with my build; through your own build thread & the consistent support & comments on my own thread. Thanks buddy!

 

No problem! Like you said, it's really neat to help pave the way. You're build thread is awesome too. Definitely the primary build resource out there for TFA right now!

 

Well for those who've actually followed any of my builds I've been accused to trying to re-invent the wheel on a few occasions. Not to discredit years of armor builders, but if there's a more efficient path to building armor I'll find it.

 

Thank you for paving the path. 

 

I think everything we do is a blend of learning from our fellow troopers as well as thinking a little outside of the box. 

[camprandall]

So several people have asked about precise belt box placement and I thought I'd address it. I'm digging around and having a hard time coming up with a clear backup for my measurements. I'm seeing conflicting photos of a bigger gap between the horizontal and vertical boxes. I'm also seeing some where the vertical boxes are dropped slightly and some where they are even with the horizontal. Most official references I can find all seem to indicate the two levels of height on the boxes, with a bit bigger gap between the horizontal and vertical. Hope this is helpful, but certainly not resolved.

 

MINE

 

Some References

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Thanks Clint do you have any pics of these being assembled?

[camprandall]

It actually looks like I didn't take many pictures. I have the one with the chicago screws on my build thread, but that's about it. Peter (Barcoder) has a few more pics, but not much that's instructional. I basically glued the chicago screws in where you see them in my thread and then punched holes through the belt. I also put abs strips on the inside of the halves of the belt boxes and then glued them closed. Anything specific you'd like to know?

[darthmilk]

Thanks for all your help Clint! Mine is finally looking better thanks to your photos

[camprandall]

You're welcome Brian! Good luck on your build!

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Hey Clint how wide is the waist belt. I don't have my soft parts yet obviously.

 

Thanks

[camprandall]

Ok friends, there have been a few different people asking about the belt and the buckle so here are some more pics. Hopefully this is helpful.

 

1) One end of the belt is cut and chicago screwed right to the end since obviously both ends don't need to be adjustable.

 

 

 

2) The other end with the male part of the buckle is chicago screwed with a couple of inches of room to spare to allow the buckle to adjust in case due to my body or the armor that the belt needs to be tightened further. I also left the extra rubber and canvas belt beyond the buckle so that if I enjoy a plentiful amount of boston baked beans or Mike n Ike's in the coming years, I can go bigger too.

 

 

 

3) This pic shows it with the two pouches covering the buckle and screws. The excess rubber and canvas belt end tucks into the soft pouch without the armor plate on it.

 

 

 

I hope that's helpful!

Edited August 15, 2015 by camprandall

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Thanks Clint.

 

Also, is there any standard regarding black to white paint ratio on the two center boxes? 

[camprandall]

I know you got it answered on Facebook, but for the sake of the thread - the black part is the belt half and the white part is the outer half. It's exactly 50/50 split where the seam is on the box.

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Yes, but thanks anyways Clint. This is for others to know as well.

Edited August 15, 2015 by ukswrath

[camprandall]

Since I saw someone else do it and loved the idea, I turned my big pouch into a more functional pouch by making and abs insert box. Great idea!

 

Edited August 17, 2015 by camprandall

[camprandall]

And on an unrelated note - I continue to find reasons to despise rubber gaskets. This is from our 112 degree troop making a video for the Central Arizona College police. I felt like a bratwurst wrapped in bacon smoldering on the grill.