Emma's First ANH Stunt [WTF] - any help is appreciated!

[Kacrut[501st]]

(again) Awesome its not a word... Awesomes is You sir.

[EmlanThane]

I am prepping to assemble the TD. Planning on picking up the screws today. Thank you for your help! As I mentioned before, the paint on the PVC pipe gives it a now slightly bumpy texture. There are like little pieces of dust trapped under it- I cannot sand them off and they were there even though I washed the PVC pipe before painting and after sanding. Will I be ok to use it or does it have to be perfectly smooth? 

[MoSc0ut[TK]]

You will be fine. It doesn't need to be perfectly smooth. I doubt the screen used ones were, ILM (before it was even called ILM) and the props dept in 1975-76 was run on a very tight budget and a lot of it was very "slap dash". If you haven't ever seen real "on screen" props for ANY movie back then you'd think a middle schooler had painted them!

 

 

Jim - TK50899

[EmlanThane]

Ok, good news and bad new. Not so good news first.

 

The hardware store didn't have the screws I was looking for (These are not the screw you're looking for... ) However I got to see which size fits the predrilled holes in my TD clips (#4) so I will order the right ones online (pan head slotted sheet metal screws).

 

The good news? My neck seal and holster from Darman's Props came in and they are AWESOME!

 

Here is my beautiful holster. One day I will fill it with a blaster. It comes with the snaps to attach it to the belt.

 

And here's a neck seal selfie! I got the one with velcro, not the zipper, so I could make it more adjustable. I feel like my neck is so short though... I can barely move my head side to side and up and down. I know the ribbed collar is supposed to be stiff, I guess I'll just have to get used to it! It's still super cool. 

 

 

As soon as the new rubber brow and the screws come in, it's back to work. However, I am thinking of starting another part. I might do the preliminary trimming on the shins (I say preliminary because I will need to make them shorter). I might also cut the shoulder bells. What do you think is a good next step?

[Cricket[TK]]

Hey Emma, 

Your neck seal looks great!  I have one of Darman's neck seals, too, and it's quite comfy.

As for what you should work on next, I'd get to working on the shins.  You'll eventually get to a place where you'll be waiting for glue to dry on the shins, and that's when you can trim your shoulder bells.  

 

That said, there's something very satisfying about working on the shoulder bells, because there's not much to do on them to make them look great.  

[zv288bot[TK]]

Bummer about the screws but it sounds like you have it under control. If you hit any road blocks let me know and I can send some your way! Troopers helping Troopers!

 

sent from my phone

[68Brick[TK]]

Looking Good Trooper. Good job on your bucket painting. If you wanted to clean up some edges, you could use some mineral spirits on a toothpick (your kit is abs right?) to gently smoothen the edges. Your neckseal will soften up a little with wear, and washing. Looks Good on ya! I see you already have the trooper smile!

[EmlanThane]

Looking Good Trooper. Good job on your bucket painting. If you wanted to clean up some edges, you could use some mineral spirits on a toothpick (your kit is abs right?) to gently smoothen the edges. Your neckseal will soften up a little with wear, and washing. Looks Good on ya! I see you already have the trooper smile!

Great idea! I did not think to use toothpicks, only Qtips which are way less precise. I might do that once everything is all together to clean it up (I already use mineral spirits because, yes, it is abs). Is there a proper way to wash the neck seal (as I am sure it will get sweaty )?

 

And thank you! This project can be stressful sometimes, but it makes me very happy 

[Cricket[TK]]

If you're still needing suggestions about what to use for edge cleanup, a fine paintbrush dipped in mineral spirits is my go-to tool.  Keep an old towel handy to 'clean' the stuff you've removed off the brush.  You can even use a fine eyeliner brush if you've got an old one laying around.  

I've heard that you can wash the neck seals in the gentle cycle in a small mesh bag.  I haven't worn mine trooping around yet, but I'll most likely end up hand washing it in the sink and hanging it to dry.

[Ryth_[501st]]

Good job so far. You're getting there

[68Brick[TK]]

Hand wash and hang to dry is the safest. Neckseals are hand made items, and although they could probably handle a machine wash and dry, a hand wash and air dry should make them last longer.

 

Christine's paintbrush, mineral spirits, and rag are a great method too.

[EmlanThane]

Ok, good news and bad news. Progress and problems... the usual 

 

Bad news and important questions first.

 

I got the end caps of the TDet stuck on the PVC pipe. They got pushed on too tightly while I was trying to mark the final position of them and possibly the clips and plate, and now I cannot get them off. I tried, but, I was silly and ended up doing the same thing I did last time- I took a big chunk out of my finger trying to pry them off.

 

Picture for humor 

 

I still have to shorten the PVC pipe, unless the TD at slightly OVER 7.5 inches is ok. But I still need to get the end caps off to refit and drill holes, glue, etc.

 

So, how do I do that? Do I do a water bath and use tongs to slide the heated caps off the pipe? Or will I wreck the pipe? Brute strength doesn't work. This is a frustrating set back. I want to finish this though before I move onto another task.

 

 

Good news though! YAAAAY! My screws came in. for future reference, here they are with their corresponding washers and nuts from Bolt Depot. they fit the predrilled holes on my metal clips perfectly.

 

I painted each one black. Picture for visual appeal 

 

I always get an extra in case I lose it or one does something weird.

 

 

Hey, I'm wearing a lightsaber bandaid now. That's the only plus about it. Please let me know how I can get the end caps off safely. 

 

Thank you! Hopefully more progress can be made ASAP.

[hupspring[TK]]

I was able to get the end caps off by holding the cap in boiling water for 10-15 seconds (might have been a little longer, it's been a while since I did it). The cap came off pretty easily after that. Just make sure you wear gloves or you might burn your fingers.

[MoSc0ut[TK]]

Next time I'd suggest using a ruler and measure on the inside of the cap and transfer that measurement to the TD tube. also a good trick when painting screws is to stab them into a piece of foam or card board with the heads up. That way when you paint them you don't have to wait for one side to dry before painting the other or messing up paint by laying them down. This will come in handy when painting the screws for your helmet.

 

Good luck with the end caps! I knew once mine were on that was it.

 

 

Jim - TK50899

Edited September 17, 2016 by MoSc0ut

[Troopacoola[TK]]

I was able to get the end caps off by holding the cap in boiling water for 10-15 seconds (might have been a little longer, it's been a while since I did it). The cap came off pretty easily after that. Just make sure you wear gloves or you might burn your fingers.

I totally agree with this method!

 

Marc

 

My Wips...

http://www.ukgarrison.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=61082

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/index.php?/topic/38021-CTID's-RWA-ANH-Stunt-WIP......-501st-Here-we-go!

http://www.ukgarrison.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=60937

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/index.php?/topic/38731-CTID's-Doopy's-E-11-Build

[Alay[TK]]

Drill a hole in the PVC pipe. Reason they won't come off is its causing a suction when you pull on em since they're both on.
I shorted mine using my belt sander for a few moments. If you do that be careful as PVC melts easily from heat. Any fumes are also not great to breathe in.
A hacksaw works too if you have one

Edited September 17, 2016 by Alay

[EmlanThane]

Thank you all for your help. I will use a hot water bath to take off the end caps, and drill holes to relieve pressure. BUT, I played around with the end caps before trying to take them off again and managed to make the TD just about 7.5' long. See? Is this ok? Is it worth taking everything apart and sanding or does this fit the error margin of "approximately"? It's pretty close. I think I will keep it but I need a thumb's up.

 

Another thing I noticed: My end caps are over 2 cm, but the size of the end caps is never specified in the CRL.  I want to keep them as is because they need to be thicker to compensate for my shorter TD plate. That way, the gap between them isn't as awkward, and there isn't too much gray showing. this looks ok now to me (nothing is actually glued yet, don't worry). I don't need to shorten anything do I?

 

 

Lastly, I repainted the screws after sticking them in some foam (Thanks MoSc0ut!). Now I won't have any weird unpainted splotches.

 

 

Today I have a C3P0 bandaid on my finger. Hooray for Star Wars bandaids!

 

Please let me know if I am good to go ahead and drill the holes for the TD Clip screws and then use a hot water bath to take the end caps on, assemble everything else and put them back on again the way they were. Then I can make some real progress!

Edited September 17, 2016 by EmlanThane

[MoSc0ut[TK]]

It looks good to me! If you can't get the end caps off you can drill the holes slightly smaller than the diameter of the screws and put a bit of e6000 between the clips and the body of the TD and hand tighten the machine screws. It may take a bit of will power to get the screws in but they should hold fine. You may have to do a bit of touch up on the paint on the screws though. Based on the types of screws you have I don't think the nuts will work on them anyways.

 

 

Jim - TK50899

[Alay[TK]]

That looks fine.  make sure your clips are up against the cap sides for EIB.

[EmlanThane]

It looks good to me! If you can't get the end caps off you can drill the holes slightly smaller than the diameter of the screws and put a bit of e6000 between the clips and the body of the TD and hand tighten the machine screws. It may take a bit of will power to get the screws in but they should hold fine. You may have to do a bit of touch up on the paint on the screws though. Based on the types of screws you have I don't think the nuts will work on them anyways.

Jim - TK50899

That's a good idea! If the end cap removal fails epicly or I have, in fact, gotten the wrong nuts (whoops!) then that seems like the way to go.

[EmlanThane]

It looks good to me! If you can't get the end caps off you can drill the holes slightly smaller than the diameter of the screws and put a bit of e6000 between the clips and the body of the TD and hand tighten the machine screws. It may take a bit of will power to get the screws in but they should hold fine. You may have to do a bit of touch up on the paint on the screws though. Based on the types of screws you have I don't think the nuts will work on them anyways.

 

 

Jim - TK50899

Ok... so the nuts don't fit. I am going to go to the hardware store to find the right ones. The hardware store calls me a "regular" now lol. If they don't have them or I can't get the end caps off, I'll ask more about the gluing method. I can't find anyone else who's done it that way except for one who could make his own threads. I can't do that so.... hmm.

 

How did you know the nuts didn't fit? Just for the future since this is a good learning opportunity. 

[MoSc0ut[TK]]

Ok... so the nuts don't fit. I am going to go to the hardware store to find the right ones. The hardware store calls me a "regular" now lol. If they don't have them or I can't get the end caps off, I'll ask more about the gluing method. I can't find anyone else who's done it that way except for one who could make his own threads. I can't do that so.... hmm.

 

How did you know the nuts didn't fit? Just for the future since this is a good learning opportunity.

The picture on the side of the bag was for a screw, looks like a sheet metal screw. The coarse thread on it is used to grab into material, generally sheet metal in this case. That means no existing hole required or a nut to hold it in place. With a more dense material, such as your PVC TD, they could still work to hold the clips in place. You'd need to drill a pilot hole first though. Hold a drill bit perpendicular to your screw. Choose one that is the same diameter as the screw but don't count the threads. It's referred to as the minor diameter. See this (low res) pic for reference:

 

 

If you also add a bit of e6000 to the underside of the clips and maybe a dab on the threads you won't even need the nuts at all! The screws will hold tight in the PVC. I believe this is actually how the screen used ones were done! Yay!!

 

 

 

 

Jim - TK50899

[EmlanThane]

The picture on the side of the bag was for a screw, looks like a sheet metal screw. The coarse thread on it is used to grab into material, generally sheet metal in this case. That means no existing hole required or a nut to hold it in place. With a more dense material, such as your PVC TD, they could still work to hold the clips in place. You'd need to drill a pilot hole first though. Hold a drill bit perpendicular to your screw. Choose one that is the same diameter as the screw but don't count the threads. It's referred to as the minor diameter. See this (low res) pic for reference:

 

 

If you also add a bit of e6000 to the underside of the clips and maybe a dab on the threads you won't even need the nuts at all! The screws will hold tight in the PVC. I believe this is actually how the screen used ones were done! Yay!!

 

 

 

 

Jim - TK50899

It's ridiculous (in a good way) how helpful you are. So, change of plans. I will test this on scrap PVC first. Drill a small pilot hole, then actually screw the screw in through the clips and PVC with some glue on the underside. No nuts or cap removal needed.

 

Thank you for teaching me about screws    

[zv288bot[TK]]

It's ridiculous (in a good way) how helpful you are. So, change of plans. I will test this on scrap PVC first. Drill a small pilot hole, then actually screw the screw in through the clips and PVC with some glue on the underside. No nuts or cap removal needed.

 

Thank you for teaching me about screws

Mine are held in exactly like that. Machine screws straight into the PVC pipe. It will work no worries. Like you guys figured out, just use a bit a couple of sizes smaller and you'll be good to go. Whoop whoop!

 

sent from my phone

[MoSc0ut[TK]]

It's ridiculous (in a good way) how helpful you are. So, change of plans. I will test this on scrap PVC first. Drill a small pilot hole, then actually screw the screw in through the clips and PVC with some glue on the underside. No nuts or cap removal needed.

 

Thank you for teaching me about screws

Just wait until after the clips are on to position and attach the panel. it may take a minute or two to get back to you but I'm happy to help!

 

 

Jim - TK50899