BDWC's ANH stunt ANOVOS build WIP

[ukswrath[Staff]]

There's a thread around here somewhere discussing how to create a return edge with a hobby iron but with the state of photobucket it may not have decent photos to illustrate the process any longer. So, long story short place a piece of wood with sharp 90 degree corner in a vice, or clamp it to a table. Using some test ABS place the material against the wood allowing the amount of material you want to bed to hang over. Take the hobby iron and begin to slowly kneed the material hanging off the edge. Once it begins to soften you can roll the corner. Once the corner is rolled remove the iron and place another piece of wood against the newly formed section and let cool. This takes a little practice 

[BDWC[TK]]

roger that!

I found some youTube videos of this and looks pretty straight forward

I will be checking my local hobby shops to see if I can just run down and pick one up 

 

Stand by for lots of photos later this week

 

 

BTW: trooped about 4 hours in 90degree plus heat this weekend, and hard hat attachments and fan mounts held up!!!....so far anyway

Edited September 25, 2017 by BDWC
more stuff to say

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

This may be of help
https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/12972-howto-make-a-return-edge-on-armor-using-a-heat-sealing-iron/

 

[ukswrath[Staff]]

31 minutes ago, gmrhodes13 said:

This may be of help
https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/12972-howto-make-a-return-edge-on-armor-using-a-heat-sealing-iron/

 

Yep that's it Q 

[BDWC[TK]]

Yep, not only did I fond that right after posting, but I am now waiting for my sealing iron to arrive ( no local RC shops )

I was more afraid of cutting up my kidney plate than when I first disassembled my helmet!

But it is done!!!


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[BDWC[TK]]

First I made the backer plate from a small sheet of ABS.

The color didn’t match so I will use some of the scrap pieces to layup over this to paste together with kidney plate


I sanded the inside of the kidney plate to get a better bond.

I also put the “good” side of the backer ABS plate inward so that the rough side would be against the kidney plate and for a better bonding surface for the thin scrap piece I will apply to match




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[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Looking good, just make sure you give both sides a scuff with some sandpaper before applying any adhesive, will give it something to grip too.

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Looking good Jim

[BDWC[TK]]

Looking good, just make sure you give both sides a scuff with some sandpaper before applying any adhesive, will give it something to grip too.

Yes, I 100 grit scuffed the kidney plate, but as you can see from the picture, any sanding to the unfinished side of the shim backer would get make it smoother since it already looks like a topo map, LOL

 

But today the goal was to find and flatten the true outer shim material.

From all of the trimming scrap that I saved, there were only two pieces that were large enough.

On the last picture, you can see how they are just enough “ not flat” to cause an issue.

 

 

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[BDWC[TK]]

Well, just found out that my sealing iron that was supposed to be here on Oct 3 may not arrive until Oct 11th. This normally would not be a big deal except that I am one of two TKs scheduled for an Oct 5th wedding. So I am using two granite tiles and a heat gun to try to flatten the shims VERY carefully. Meanwhile, I will watch the shipping and if need be, temporarily E6000 on pieces of the ABS material that’s a little off a color match. No one but me and my fellow TK will even know, as the belt hides most of it and the seam will be just a hairline.

If the iron arrives in time to fix the material flaws and still allow for ABS paste cure and sanding times, then I’ll complete it before the wedding... but it’s not looking likely.

 

But I did get the shims to mostly flatten out

 

Luckily there was just enough material to make the shim and allow s little extra to make returns

 

Interim shim configuration plan inbound.....

 

 

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[BDWC[TK]]

I cut the ‘temp’ shims from the “too white” ABS sheet. I tried to put enough, but not too much, E6000 on them since I will be taking them off in about 10 days to two weeks.



I made sure I used very straight factory edge for the seam side and glued them up


After sitting overnight, and even with the color mismatch, it’s, well, not terrible



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[BDWC[TK]]

Meanwhile, on the ab plate side:

I know that my strapping will be cut and riveted on the left side and a snap with corresponding snap plate added to the right side, but for now this will work.



Also, this will allow me to use velcro temporarily on the shim sides. This will help with the final sizing when I put on the “true” shims once my sealing iron arrives.


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[BDWC[TK]]

My heat sealing iron arrived today

So I will be "ironing" my final shims to to take out the curves and waves, then practicing on some scraps before attempting the return edges

[BDWC[TK]]

All right I had one successful troop with the “temporary shims”, so now it’s time to rip them out !

I am now putting in the Anovos scraps for a perfect color match. This ABS is much thinner, so hopefully easier to form to the kidney plate curves than my temporary shims were. However, always being afraid of overheating the Anovos plastic, I’m using clamps to “coax“ the shims into place during glue up.

Magnets just weren’t enough to get a good flat match at the seam-line for the ABS pasting area

 

 

Perfectly good shims ripped off now, because I’m just crazy enough to prefer ABS paste work over color-match painting

 

 

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[BDWC[TK]]

The ABS pasting has begun
Both side have already had return edges created using a heat seal iron. These were also “pasted” to blend into the original kidney returns in addition to the pasting of the shim extension seams.



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[BDWC[TK]]

After 5-6 days and 4 plus rounds of sanding/pasting/ repeat, I cannot get the seam to be 100% invisible. The melted ABS just doesn’t exactly match the original even when blended in. So here are my completed kidney shim photos and I’d really like some feedback back if this will pass EIB or Centurion or if I should start sourcing some color-matched paint.

 

 

I really don’t like the idea of painting plastic, but I guess I will if that’s what it takes to go the next level!!!

 

Regardless, looks like I’ll be putting in my kidney rivets so I can make some of the Halloween troops

 

 

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[ukswrath[Staff]]

Put it on and take a photo. 

[BDWC[TK]]

31 minutes ago, ukswrath said:

Put it on and take a photo. 

Photo without the kidney rivets ok?

 

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Don't worry about the rivets just yet. Put on the Ab and kidney as if you're wearing the armor and take a couple photos.

[BDWC[TK]]

Don't worry about the rivets just yet. Put on the Ab and kidney as if you're wearing the armor and take a couple photos.

Thanks Tony!
I’ll have pics up tomorrow


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[Harbinger[IPM]]

Is the "new" section polished? Hard to tell in those photos.

 

Also possible you have 'old' ABS paste too (just saw a thread on this the other day).

 

(PS: Nice build! Working on my Anovos kit right now and read your with great interest. Took my belt apart the other day, sadly 2 of my rivet covers were beyond saving.)

[BDWC[TK]]

Is the "new" section polished? Hard to tell in those photos.
 
Also possible you have 'old' ABS paste too (just saw a thread on this the other day).
 
(PS: Nice build! Working on my Anovos kit right now and read your with great interest. Took my belt apart the other day, sadly 2 of my rivet covers were beyond saving.)

Thank you, and yes, the seam areas are super polished (steps were 400/600/1000/1200/1500/2000/2500/Novus3/Novus2)
However, there is still a slight color difference . O used all newly made ABS paste, two batches for this process, all freshly cut from same plastic as the shim and plate material. So this is what has me scratching my head. My only guess is that the backer plate, which is from a different brand ABS may be playing into it.
It’s not bad, it’s just that it is not perfectly invisible and I’m a little OCD about these things. But I’m at a point of trying to not letting perfection get in the way of good enough.
If you go back in this thread, I used the same techniques as I did on my bucket mask, which came out perfect.... so I’m not sure what is going on.

BTW, I was looking at vacuforming some extra rivet covers so I’ll let you know how that goes


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[Harbinger[IPM]]

Well if it works out put me down for a set. Good luck!

[BDWC[TK]]

Trial suit-up with new shims in place

 

The fit is very close to perfect, IMHO. Although I might be able to trim 5mm off each side, I don’t know that it would be enough to cut out the shims, tear them from the backer plate and have enough left to try a second shot at “melding the gap”

This was literally the only material from the kit available to even attempt making shims from the same Anovos plastic

 

 

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[ukswrath[Staff]]

Beautiful! . With some rivets it looks Centurion worthy to me.