jah5150 Posted June 23, 2008 Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 I have the FX armor and I've been trying to assemble the thermal detonator / O2 cylinder, and I'm about ready to pull my hair out. Does anyone know of a good alternative to the two half-round cylinder pieces? I'm hoping to find some PVC or tubing that will work. If anyone has suggestions, or knows of a good tutorial or something, I would be most appreciative. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murray1134[501st] Posted June 23, 2008 Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 I feel your pain. I've been working on my TD Tube now for like 3 weeks now. I think I've put more thought and effort into this little tube than I did on almost any other part of the armor. My problem is a gap between the two halves that is less than 1/8". This teeny tiny little gap has driven me crazy. I think I finally have gotten mine to look decent, not good, but decent. What problems are you having with yours? I think an alternative is to find a standard PVC pipe that will fit into the endcaps and simply use that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laspector[TK] Posted June 23, 2008 Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 What kind of problems are you having? Mine went together in about ten minutes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trooperman Posted June 23, 2008 Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 I have the FX armor and I've been trying to assemble the thermal detonator / O2 cylinder, and I'm about ready to pull my hair out. Does anyone know of a good alternative to the two half-round cylinder pieces? I'm hoping to find some PVC or tubing that will work. If anyone has suggestions, or knows of a good tutorial or something, I would be most appreciative. Thanks! Hi do what i did get rid of the two halves and buy some drain pipe saved me a load of hassle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThayNerd[TK] Posted June 23, 2008 Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 I used hot glue for mine and it's fine, I held the parts together till they dried and it looked fine. What are you having problems with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TX-8687[501st] Posted June 24, 2008 Report Share Posted June 24, 2008 I used hot glue for mine and it's fine, I held the parts together till the dried and it looked fine. What are you having problems with? same here...i didn't use any pvc pipe, then again, i'm a TX so i just put together the 2 halves with a glue gun, held in place then glued the end caps...those secure it, and so does the mylar strips and the plastic piece that goes over the whole thing!!!!! what are you guys trying to do???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jah5150 Posted June 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2008 The problem I'm having is that the two pieces don't want to mate up flush. I get a noticeable gap or ridge no matter what I try. I'd like to just replace the 2 halves with a piece of PVC or similar, but I can't find the correct size at Lowes or Home Depot. I guess I can try a dedicated plumbing supply to see if I can find something. I think it will look much better if I can do it out of something that is one piece to begin with. If anyone else has suggestions, I'm all ears. Thanks for the suggestions so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nootch Posted June 24, 2008 Report Share Posted June 24, 2008 or fix them together as best you can then post a photo so we can see the actual problem, people may have solutions on how to fix it saving you from having to shop around for a substitute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThayNerd[TK] Posted June 24, 2008 Report Share Posted June 24, 2008 I agree with Gary, post up some pics so we can see how bad the problem is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laspector[TK] Posted June 24, 2008 Report Share Posted June 24, 2008 you could always try using a shim. Get a piece of ABS and lay it on something that is relatively the same roundness as the detonator and then use a heat gun to bend it then glue it in. As always I recomend Devcon plastic welder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firebladejedi[TK] Posted June 24, 2008 Report Share Posted June 24, 2008 When i put mine together i then used some filler to get a clean line then painted over, job done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murray1134[501st] Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 When i put mine together i then used some filler to get a clean line then painted over, job done! That's what I had to end up doing. Although you might want to place a shim inside the tube because I had a problem of the filler falling thru the gap and not always staying in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nootch Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 i cheated and bought scott.m's spare one that was already built Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davej[TK] Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 James , with the last FX TD I built , it was all out of shape , and wouldn't line up . I filled the kitchen sink up with the hottest hot water I could handle , chucked on the rubber gloves , let it soak for a while , then bent the little sucker into the shape I wanted ( it did take a couple of sinkfulls of hot water ). Plastiwelded it together and wrapped it up in about half a roll of masking tape . All fine and dandy now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jah5150 Posted June 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 I'll try the hot water/shim/filler method and see where that gets me. In the meantime, I'll probably still keep a lookout for an appropriately sized pipe. If this one trivial piece is causing me this much grief, I can't wait to assemble the helmet... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TX-8687[501st] Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 I'll try the hot water/shim/filler method and see where that gets me. In the meantime, I'll probably still keep a lookout for an appropriately sized pipe. If this one trivial piece is causing me this much grief, I can't wait to assemble the helmet... yeah the helmet sucked it up putting it together!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laspector[TK] Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 Best to have someone help with the helmet. You just about have to have four hands to do it. At least I did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murray1134[501st] Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 Best to get a friend, loved one, significant other, garrison mate, random stranger, hitchhiker, etc. to come over and help with the helmet. I can't imagine doing an FX helmet by yourself. It's awkward to say the least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nootch Posted June 26, 2008 Report Share Posted June 26, 2008 i struggled but managed to get my FX done by myself, it helps if you have lots of masking tape and plenty of clamps. it will also involve glueing yourself to the inside for 10 minutes and swearing a lot if my memory serves me correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oblagon Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 I'll try the hot water/shim/filler method and see where that gets me. In the meantime, I'll probably still keep a lookout for an appropriately sized pipe. If this one trivial piece is causing me this much grief, I can't wait to assemble the helmet... I would ditch the plastic pieces and pick up some CPVC from a plumbing supply. Get 2"/50MM in diameter piping, it should fit the end caps perfectly so you don't have to glue them in place. The CPVC is the correct grey color as well so you don't have to paint it. If you can't find it shoot me a PM. I have a bunch of the stuff left over and could sell and ship you a piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jah5150 Posted July 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 I would ditch the plastic pieces and pick up some CPVC from a plumbing supply. Get 2"/50MM in diameter piping, it should fit the end caps perfectly so you don't have to glue them in place.The CPVC is the correct grey color as well so you don't have to paint it. If you can't find it shoot me a PM. I have a bunch of the stuff left over and could sell and ship you a piece. What is the Outside Diameter of the 2" pipe you have? I bought some regular 2" I.D. PVC pipe, and the Outside Diameter isn't big enough to fit the end caps on my FX suit. If the O.D. is big enough on the CPVC, I'll see if I can find some locally, or take you up on your offer. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oblagon Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 What is the Outside Diameter of the 2" pipe you have? I bought some regular 2" I.D. PVC pipe, and the Outside Diameter isn't big enough to fit the end caps on my FX suit. If the O.D. is big enough on the CPVC, I'll see if I can find some locally, or take you up on your offer. Thanks The pipe diameter is 2.38 inches exactly. If your interested I'm selling a untrimmed AP thermal detonator set for $50, in case you want to replace the FX one entirely. I know the end caps for the AP will fit exactly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jah5150 Posted July 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 The pipe diameter is 2.38 inches exactly. If your interested I'm selling a untrimmed AP thermal detonator set for $50, in case you want to replace the FX one entirely. I know the end caps for the AP will fit exactly. The end caps on the FX are closer to 2.75". Thanks for the offer, but I really want to try to make the FX pieces I have work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oblagon Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 The end caps on the FX are closer to 2.75". Thanks for the offer, but I really want to try to make the FX pieces I have work. Thats cool. I would still check out a plumbing store for the CPVC; it comes in different diameters and at least you'd have the correct color without having to paint it. If you go the route of buying pipe you'll want to check out staples.com for a set of bankers clasps to rivet to the pipe. So that you can hang the detonator on your belt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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