Celebration Europe 2016 Rogue One Stormtrooper Back Pack Build

[mr paul]

Great job on this!  Any thoughts on the dye being too dark?

 

The pack in the pictures above looks great, but much lighter than the one in your dye pictures.

its been weathered. i am using an existing pack from a previous build. The weathering makes the pack lighter. The CE pack is not simply dyed black and finished. There are many layers of weathering effects. The dark green/black that is shown above in the dyeing process is a base for the weathering that I will show you in the final stage

Edited November 17, 2016 by mr paul

[swpropmaker]

This thread is Epic!  Thanks Mr Paul!  

[ireachy]

ALICE pack shoulder straps

 

As has been discussed on various forums and threads such as the Rogue One Back Pack Found Part thread here on FISD, we know that the shoulder straps used on the CE prop are ALICE pack shoulder straps. There are two types of shoulder straps available with the ALICE LC-1 or LC-2 frame, the most common type have padding that extends approx. 2/3 the length of the strap. These are not the ones used on the CE prop.

 

This pic shows the inaccurate but more common ALICE shoulder straps.

 

 

The shoulder straps used on the CE prop have padding extending the full length of the wide component of the strap and are specifically known as the 'woodland camo shoulder straps'.

 

 

 

Experience is showing that many ALICE large packs with frames are being shipped from army surplus stores with the inaccurate shorter padded shoulder straps. It appears a bit of a lottery if you receive a pack with the accurate woodland camo straps. Sourcing from private sellers can guarantee the woodland camo straps where these are shown in pics. It is possible to PM many surplus sellers and check / request supply with the woodland camo straps. The correct straps can also be bought separately, but at least in the UK these are nearly as expensive to buy as the whole ALICE pack and frame combo. So just a word of caution.

 

As you will have seen in mr paul's post regarding dyeing the ALICE pack, the shoulder straps are removed from the frame and dyed at the same time, and in the same way, as the rest of the soft pack.

 

Deviations from standard use and attachment of ALICE shoulder straps to the M75 frame

Myself and mr paul have noted some significant variations in the way that the ALICE shoulder straps, when compared to how they are traditionally configured and attached to the ALICE LC-1 or LC-2 frame. We do not think that these facts have been noticed before. These are:

 

1. The left and right shoulder straps are swapped / switched so that the ALICE left strap becomes the right CE shoulder strap, and the ALICE right strap becomes the left CE shoulder strap;
2. The ALICE buckle used with the tensioning webbing - that runs from the top of the shouder pad and attaches the shoulder strap to the M75 frame - have been reversed / flipped upside down from the standard ALICE configuration; and
3. A slider buckle - the same antique brass slider buckle as used on the front of the CE ALICE pack and at the base - is used to tension the top shoulder webbing to and around the M75 frame horizontal bar.

We'll look at each of these points.

 

Shoulder strap switch-over

On a standard ALICE pack configuration using the woodland camo straps, the left and right straps are attached as in the pics below, with the cant / bent of the straps flaring to the outside:

 

 

 We know this is the case as you can see the 'V-line' of stitching at the pad bend faces outwards '<'

 

 

However, on the CE prop the 'V-line' of stitching at the pad bend faces inwards '>', and thus so does the pad bend.

 

 

This is a significant change to the ALICE pack set-up as deployed, and how you will receive your shoulder straps attached to the ALICE LC-1 or LC-2 frame.

 

Inversion of the ALICE buckle on top of the shoulder padding

CE prop reference pictures show that the Alice buckle on top of the shoulder pad, which tensions the shoulder strap to and around the frame horizontal bar, has been inverted compared to standard ALICE strap deployment. In the standard ALICE configuration the ALICE buckle tensions so that it lays flat.

 

 

However, on the CE prop the ALICE buckle is inverted / turned upside down. In the pics below you can see how the end lip of the ALICE buckle is pitched upwards, rather than laying flat to the should pad. You can also see the curve of the buckle side profile and how this is upside down. Fortunately the right shoulder strap is placed over the pauldron on the CE display and reference shows that the ALICE buckle inversion is present on both shoulder straps.

 

 

Use of slider buckle to tension the shoulder top webbing and attachment to M75 frame

The final variation to the standard, as deployed, ALICE pack shoulder strap configuration concerns the use of a antique brass coloured slider buckle to tension the webbing coming from the top of the shoulder strap and 'lock' the webbing around the M75 frame horizontal bar.

 

 

We believe that the unorthodox way that the ALICE buckle has been inverted requires the slider buckle to provide extra tension on the webbing - the webbing that leaves the shoulder pad and wraps around the M75 frame horizontal. Without the tension provided by the slider buckle on the webbing at the point where it wraps around the frame, the weight of the frame and pack pulls the inverted ALICE buckle, on the top of the shoulder pad, up and backwards - see pic below for example of inverted ALICE buckle configuration but before we discovered the slider buckle at the frame and the tension it provides.

 

 

 

Hopefully these reveals in the nuances of the CE pack prop shoulders is interesting. Mr paul will next run through the attachment of the shoulder straps to the M75 frame showing the CE correct webbing threads through the slider buckle and inverted ALICE buckle. He will also detail the painting of the orange patch / flash present on the left shoulder pad (which is actually the ALICE right hand pad as per standard ALICE pack deployment!).

 

Best,

ireachy

[SlyFox740[TK]]

I conquer 100%, the nylon straps retaining the buckles in the lower corners of the ALICE pack were most definitely removed and replaced with polypropylene webbing, good job spotting this upon closer inspection!  Notice the difference in weave pattern.

As Mr Paul stated earlier I provided an overview of this on the found parts thread. If you'd like to read more about the differences between the nylon and polypropylene webbing identified go here; http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/38162-rogue-one-stormtrooper-back-pack-part-found/?p=527539

Edited November 18, 2016 by SlyFox740

[mr paul]

Painting the Orange Flash

 

As stated above by ireachy make sure you have the correct shoulder strap before painting.

 

Looking closely at the CE Images I estimate the orange rectangle to be approximately 85mm x 45mm. Also looking at the positioning of the rectangle within the shape of the shoulder strap I can mask out where it needs to be.

 

I use normal masking tape from the DIY store. 

 

Block out the rest of the areas that you do not want painted.

 

 

The paint I have chosen to use is a spray more commonly associated with the painting of radio controlled cars polycarbonate body shells. 276 Orange Power by Fastrax.

 

The paint is essentially a liquid rubber that when dries forms a flexible gloss finish that replicates the look of the CE patch very closely. It tends not to soak into the fabric of the shoulder strap and resembles a screen print when dry.

 

Shake the can well and apply in light even coats until a thick layer has been built up. Do not worry about achieving an even, flat coverage as the point here is to get a worn, used look. Here I am using scraps of paper to mask parts of the rectangle from the orange paint. This is to help break up the outline and speed up the weathering techniques that I will apply in the next stage. Although this thread is attempting to recreate the CE back pack this is your opportunity to add some individuality to your own pack. So far all the patches I have seen on screen and in images have been orange however they are all weathered and aged uniquely as one would expect. It may look odd if you all turn up to a troop with your orange patches all worn the same. Unless you want your patch to resemble the CE version, now is your chance to be creative.

 

Allow an hour for the paint to dry and peel away the masks. To add age to the patch I used wire wool, a scouring pad and some fine sand paper. Without being too heavy handed I broke up the outline of the rectangle and removed areas of paint to recreate a scuffed and used look. The masked areas from earlier saved me having to take off a lot of paint. Try not to go at it too hard and risk damaging the fibres of the shoulder strap fabric. Carefully scratch and rub the paint off until the desired effect is achieved.

 

Here is my finished shoulder strap in comparison to the CE pack. The orange patch will be knocked back into place further when the pack and straps are weathered and dirtied at the end.

 

Shoulder Strap Webbing and Attachment.

 

The shoulder straps are going to be attached onto this part of the frame. The straps can be attached to the frame now or can be attached later on in the build after the ammo box has been mounted. 

 

Turn the upper shoulder strap webbing upside down so the buckle matches that of the CE displayed pack and thread the webbing following the steps below. This part of the pack is very difficult to get right as the reference pictures are bad quality and its an area of the pack that has proven hard to get a clear view of. We are quite confident that the antique brass sliders are used and are threaded in a way close to what we have shown here however as more accurate images become available we can adjust our findings and our packs accordingly.

This length between loop and buckle with give you a good positioning and height of the pack when worn with the armour. This can be adjusted if needed.

 

 

Because of the poor imagery of this part of the pack we are unable to determine if the webbing exits from over or under the slider. I have mine exiting over the slider (step 3) as it looks a bit weird the other way (below)

 

When all has been threaded you should have around 18cm of excess webbing each side. This will simply hang downwards from the back of your shoulder as seen at CE.

 

The lower webbing of the shoulder straps is attached to webbing mounts either side of the M75 frame in the following manner. The lower webbing can be separated from the upper part of the shoulder straps via the quick release. It should make attaching it to the frame a little easier.

 

THE CLIP GREEBLIE

 

Undo the snap fastener of the left side shoulder strap and with a little force it can be pulled through the T-bar of the K-type dinghy quick release unit. There should be no need to undo the bolt on the greebie. Note that the nut is facing inwards and the bolt head is facing outwards. The clip part should be rotated to face outwards to replicate the CE displayed greeblie.

Edited November 19, 2016 by mr paul

[SlyFox740[TK]]

The team does acknowledge that the evidence base to support the identification of the M75 is not over-whelming from analysis of the reference material alone.

 I believe I may have just found the "overwhelming evidence" needed.

 

I just noticed something on one of your photos of the CE Pack.

 

I'm sure you'll remember the discovery I made about the differences in angle brace placement between the LK35 and M75.

 

SlyFox740,

 

Regarding your observation about the angle brace placement. This is a very useful observation, and is an identification point. Mr paul's M75 is the same as yours, and my LK35 has exactly the same placement of angle brace as per the picture above for the LK35.

 

At least we are still on the correct track regarding the positive identification of the frame as being the M75 :-)

 

Best,

ireachy

 

Using this identification point we can Confirm 100% that the M75 frame was used and not the LK35.

Definitely on track with the M75, there's your proof.

Edited November 18, 2016 by SlyFox740

[mr paul]

 I believe I may have just found the "overwhelming evidence" needed.

 

I just noticed something on one of your photos of the CE Pack.

 

I'm sure you'll remember the discovery I made about the differences in angle brace placement between the LK35 and M75.

 

 

Using this identification point we can Confirm 100% that the M75 frame was used and not the LK35.

Definitely on track with the M75, there's your proof.

Yes the M75 is the correct part no doubt. The angle brace is placed differently on the M75 because of the longer shelf that sticks out on the M75. I expect to strengthen the structure and displace weight. The question remaining regarding the CE M75 is: Is it a black frame with black end caps or a green frame with grey end caps?

[moldycrow[TK]]

Another question for the group before I get started on mine: what's the consensus on painting the lego brick?  Flat black?

[mr paul]

Another question for the group before I get started on mine: what's the consensus on painting the lego brick?  Flat black?

The ammo box is the next stage of the thread. The ammo box is not painted. The facade has what could be described as a "paint job" We will go into this in a little more depth.

[moldycrow[TK]]

The ammo box is the next stage of the thread. The ammo box is not painted. The facade has what could be described as a "paint job" We will go into this in a little more depth.

 

Awesome - looking forward to it!

[ireachy]

 I believe I may have just found the "overwhelming evidence" needed.

 

I just noticed something on one of your photos of the CE Pack.

 

I'm sure you'll remember the discovery I made about the differences in angle brace placement between the LK35 and M75.

 

 

Using this identification point we can Confirm 100% that the M75 frame was used and not the LK35.

Definitely on track with the M75, there's your proof.

 

Thanks SlyFox,

 

yes, using your analysis of the angle brace we are now confident the M75 is the correct frame. Maybe I should have gone back and edited the original post as I have been those analyses as a definitive when talking with other folks.

 

Fab investigative work here, loving it...

 

ireachy

[ScouseTrooper]

Couldn't get hold of the correct coloured slider buckles, so bought the gold ones. I then soaked them in Liquid Gun Blue and, as you can see, they came out rather well !!!

[mr paul]

Couldn't get hold of the correct coloured slider buckles, so bought the gold ones. I then soaked them in Liquid Gun Blue and, as you can see, they came out rather well !!!

 

 

 

Thats an awesome outcome. I like that.

[Bulldog44[TK]]

Ian, your slider buckles look amazing. I ordered gold ones too and hoped to try something similar but in a moment of panic I requested the shop send me whatever brass ones they had left and the rest in gun metal. They ended up sending me all gun metal. Rally cool effect that super blue gives. The buckles look field tested and aged. Thanks for sharing your results.

[ireachy]

Ammo Box

 

Possibly the first component of the CE back pack found part to be positively identified was the 'ammo box'. It was the component on the prop at CE that made me think "I want to build this. How hard can it be? They've used a horticultural flower pot packer as part of that pack!" Hopefully our more in-depth investigations of the CE pack make amends for my first tentative part identification!

 

 

As we are aware the ammo box component is actually a Norwegian (NATO) grenade box - M4704-101113. The grenade box consists of two identical halves with two snap on carry handles on one half of the box at either end, and two hinge flaps which are identical, allowing the box to hinge open and also tension snap closed. Most boxes also have a plethora of stickers on them with military ID nos. and warnings regarding explosives. The inside of one half of the box also has a snap on tray with 'cups' to retain the grenades in place. The half with the grenade cup tray in place also has a rubber grommet seal that runs around the periphery of the box half to ensure a watertight closure.

 

The grenade cup tray can be snapped into either half of the box i.e. in true military efficiency all parts of the ammo box are replicated and the various peripheral components can be attached to either of the box halves - which are the same cast piece. The ridges on the outside face of each box also allow a non-slip stacking capability - but that is beyond our requirements for the CE prop replica.

 

 

The CE pack uses one half of the ammo box without any of the handles or latches. The two handles are easily popped off if you decide to use that half of the box. The hinge / closure latch - there are two of these - also pop off with a little pressure. It is assumed that the various stickers were also removed for the prop.

 

 

As can be seen in the picture above and below, the rubber grommet seal was also removed for the CE prop.

 

 

The CE prop uses just one half of the ammo box with all the peripheral pieces removed, except for the grenade cup tray. However, reference shows that the cup tray was removed and a piece of black dyed fabric inserted to baffle / hide the inside of the box half, and maybe provide some added depth / texture for filming. Analyses of reference material has not provided any detailed identification of definitive material used for the black dyed cloth used. Members of the team have used heavy weave cotton or callico and then dyed this material black. Mr paul will detail the installation of the cloth part. The grenade cup tray is simply snapped back into place over the material part.

 

 

There has been some discussion about the colour of the ammo box on the CE prop, with many reproductions tending for a black spray paint application before weathering. However, as evident in the picture above, we believe that the majority of the ammo box was actually left as found part, with no paint application to the sides of the box. Zooming in on the excellent reference above shows that certainly the interior of the box was left as found - pic below.

 

 

The outward facing part of the ammo box and grenade cup tray do indicate that the plasticky green colour of the found part may have been knocked back with Olive Drab paint - or some similar colour - and with weathering. The pic below highlights where chipping of paint applications appears to be present and the found part original plastic shows through. An excellent reference for those looking to try and replicate the CE prop in exact detail!

 

 

It is also clear that a random light spray of matt black has also been applied to small areas of the box lip and parts of the grenade cup tray, although these are generally 'restrained' in their application. The outward facing part is most definitely not a uniform black. Weathering splatters and dusting have been liberally applied. Mr paul will cover how he painted and weathered his version 2.0 pack.

 

The images below show some of mr paul's and my thoughts and investigations we did regarding the application of black paint to the ammo box prop - a haphazard eye into our musings and thoughts as we looked at this component of the CE pack - sorry!

 

 

 

As a point to note, we have not glued any of the grenade cups into place on any of our pack builds - they have some back and forwards play and rotate through 360 degrees. However, again, if one is looking for a perfect CE prop replica then the reference here should enable you to judge the rotated position of each grenade cup and you can glue them in the correct position / orientation.

 

One important point - the grenade cup tray has a distinguishing mark on it - a circle with internal outward pointing arrow. On the CE prop the grenade cup tray is snapped onto the ammox box with this distinctive mark located at the bottom centre. 

 

 

Suppliers

There are numerous suppliers of the Norwegian grenade box in both Europe and the U.S., although experience showed that initially for the U.K. it proved cheaper to import in from Germany, than buy within The Realm. Germany still appears to be a stronghold for consistent supply for Europe.

 

An on-line search for 'Norwegian grenade box' turns these up from several army surplus suppliers. Avoid searching 'Star Wars ammo box' or 'rogue one ammo box' on Fleabay as you will be 'scalped' wrt cost. We recently saw one go for >£100, and yet they can be sourced for around £30-£40 + postage in U.K. / from Germany.

 

Mr paul will post build titorial, including painting and weathering details, following this post.

 

Important point: the team has been unable to track down any reference for the back of the ammo box prop and so all the points about colouration are made with that caveat. Further, as there is no reference for the back of the ammo box on the CE prop then the team have no definitive answer regarding attachment of the box to the frame. Mr paul will detail how he has attached his ammo box, building upon experience from his version 1.0 and 2.0 builds.

 

Canvas roll, webbing and cam buckles to follow very soon. Then the final instalment will be weathering and overall tweaks to get the 'CE look'. Only three weeks and we get to see these on the screen, and then I expect tons of observations, especially when more reference material is released.

 

Best,

ireachy

[mr paul]

Attaching the Ammo Box.

 

Remove the tray from the ammo box and choose which half you are going to use. Both are identical so retain the other half in case a mistake is made on one.

 

These are all of the parts that are removed from the ammo box before being attached to the frame. Take off the handles, latches and the grommet.

 

Cut off the 4 lugs from the sides of the box. Do not worry about being neat. The CE box looks quite butchered.

 

Using a 5mm bit. Drill holes into the back of the box in the following places. Note the placement of the holes. Take care to avoid the dividers within the box.

 

I have cut 8 slots into he sides and back of the box. This is where the bedroll webbing will be threaded through. The straps are 25mm wide so cut them long enough to take the webbing. 

 

Use a drill to roughly cut the slot.

 

 

A rasp will neaten and give shape to the drilled holes.

 

Note the position of the slots around the box.

 

Push the box downwards onto the frame compressing the alice pack until the top of the box is in alignment with the upper cross bar of the frame.

 

I use zip ties to attach the box to the frame but before they are tightened into position make sure the frayed alice pack webbing stubs are showing and in place. 

 

The fabric patches are in the correct position.

 

The pack is still folded neatly under the box.

 

Feed the zip ties through the holes from the inside of the ammo box. Thread them around the frame, back into the box and tighten. 

 

I have positioned them here so they are discreet and not noticed when the pack is worn.

 

Once secured to the frame note how far the alice pack steps out from below the ammo box. 

Make sure the box is all squared and level on the frame and do not worry too much if your cutting has not been tidy. I have left the sticker on my box because I like it All this will be hidden by the fabric liner of the ammo box and the bed roll.

Edited November 23, 2016 by mr paul

[swpropmaker]

Thanks for this!! Thanks for all your research and time taken to provide us the details!

[mr paul]

We are aiming to get the last part of the build thread posted in the next week. It will include installing the ammo box liner, bedroll, straps and buckles. I will also show how I coloured and weathered the parts for my own pack. 

 

​Another battle pack in production.

[ScouseTrooper]

Do we know what the bedroll is........?

[mr paul]

Do we know what the bedroll is........?

No. No confirmation on the identity of the "bedroll"

[Phillthy]

Thanks so much to all those who worked so diligently to identify the parts used to create this prop, without your hard work this would have been impossible. I have been following this build since the start and and built a mock up first, then went back and reconstructed a 2nd version based on the new info as it came out. If you follow the tutorials made by ireachy and MrPaul you will end up with an extremely close replica of the celebration prop. I feel very confident that little or no changes will need to be made to make it screen accurate after R1 comes out.

Here are a few pics of my build

 

Asst parts from v1 slightly weathered, the straps had to be redone, as new pics showed the prop makers reversed them. The alice pack also got put through a black dye process, the nubs on the side of the ammo box got cut....

 

 

The splash effects on the pack were created by using this type of paint that has a sandy grit in it, I spray the paint into a folded comic book board then either sling it at the pack to create splashes or contact the fold of the board to an area on the pack and allow gravity to drip the paint down, this works well for getting crevices to accumulate "dirt n grime"

 

This is the first mock up of the pack,bedroll has wrong straps n buckles, webbing on alice needs to be replaced and correct buckles added as well as dyeing the pack darker. antenna is missing.

 

 

 

Fixes applied and rebuilt. padding was added to the inside of the bedroll via a thin bedsheet rolled up along with it and some foam in the 2 areas that lay on the sides of the ammo box. Bubble wrap was used inside/ behind the three front pouches

 

 

V1 on the right V2 on left.

[swpropmaker]

Alert!  Does anyone in the States have one extra 30mm slider buckle in Brass?  Will buy and pay for expedited shipping!!

[ireachy]

Phillthy,

 

great to see the post of your pack. Been great to see you develop the build from v1.0 to your v2.0. The change in the overall look of the pack is fab. Also, great tip regarding the use of the textured paint and your application tip. 

 

The final component of the prop - the canvass roll, webbing, and buckles, plus mr paul's weathering - will be posted imminently.

 

Hoping that others will start to post up their packs as we approach the premiere. 

 

ireachy

Edited December 2, 2016 by ireachy

[mr paul]

Bedroll Buckles and Webbing

 

The buckles that are used to hold the bedroll to the ammo box were identified very early on by ireachy whilst many of us were still recycling the unused sliders from the LK35 back pack. They appear to be 25mm cam buckles.

 

There are many of these available to buy worldwide however they do vary slightly in shape. The CE buckles have certain features that helped me to source the closest match I could find. The shape of the sides is important.

The shape of the shallow shelf along the front is also key in finding the correct looking buckle.

 

I have a source in the UK for the buckle I used on my pack and it looks good in hand. 

http://www.pennineoutdoor.co.uk/buckles-webbing-cord-fittings/metal-buckles-hooks-rings-eyelets/cb25-cam-metal-cam-buckle

 

U.S supplier (I have not seen these in hand)

http://www.hudson4supplies.com/metal-hardware/metal-cam-buckle/cam-buckle-1-in-230-lbs.html

 

Sometimes the buckle will arrive with text cast into the release tab on top. The buckles are generally made of cheap white metal so this can be ground away easily with a dremel and sanded smooth. The buckles on the CE pack have been painted a type of green and weathered with dirt and paint chips. I cannot say what type of green they are but I will go on to replicate the look as best as I can from the reference material available.

 

The webbing itself is 25mm x 2mm cotton webbing. Ireachy and myself spent many hours looking for the correct colour, weave and size. we needed a webbing that when it frays displays a lighter colour inside. We failed to find such a thing and decided that it could have possibly been dyed or painted. That is the direction we chose to take in order to match the webbing shown at CE.

 

The webbing I found that bares a close resemblance is this 25mm x 2mm light khaki available from here.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cotton-Webbing-Tape-Belting-Fabric-Strap-Bag-Making-Strapping-25mm-38mm-Width-/191918421240?var=490987304922&hash=item2caf3ab4f8:g:EQgAAOSwddNXgSe0

 

 

Painting the Buckles

 

​The buckles have had all the makers names removed with a dremel. I have given them a base coat with an all surface matte black spray paint.

 

I use an airbrush to paint them with Vallejo acrylic U.S Dark Green 893. Allow to dry.

 

I mix a very watery wash of Vallejo Light Mud 315 and drown the buckles in it, Allow to dry thoroughly.

 

When the wash is dry it will give you an authentic, dirty, used look.

 

All 6 of the buckles are then placed in a box and roughly shaken to chip the paint off and create wear.

 

From trial and error with my version 1 pack I estimate the webbing to be 22 inches in length each. It may be possible that the 2 straps on top of there cE ammo box are longer than the ones down the sides however for consistency I am choosing to make them all the same size. 

 

Painting the Webbing

 

The colour I have chosen to paint he webbing is Vallejo German Extra Dark Green 896.

 

After many experiments painting and dyeing, I have found the most successful method is airbrushing the paint onto the webbing although hand painting can work if airbrush is not an option for you. Lay the lengths out flat and evenly spray them until a solid colour is achieved all over. Be careful to leave the ends the original light khaki colour. You can mask the ends if it is easier. A hair dryer will help speed up the drying time.

 

When completely dry. Use a sharp knife and a ruler to trim the ends straight still keeping 2-4mm of light khaki showing.

 

When trimmed rub the ends against your clothing to fluff them up and help them fray so they look like this.

 

Stitching the Buckles

 

Close inspection of the method used to attach the buckles to the webbing reveals very large and clumsy stitching. 

4 stitches running across the width of the strap hold the buckles in place. This image shows how far the webbing is returned through the buckle before it is stitched. 

 

Once again due to poor reference and lighting it is impossible to accurately identify the colour of the thread used. I have chosen a light khaki to match the frayed ends of the webbing.

 

I have doubled the thread over to make it 4 strands thick.

 

Stitch all 6 buckles the same.

 

The 6 straps can now be threaded into the ammo box in preparation for the black cloth liner to be installed.

Edited December 5, 2016 by mr paul

[Bulldog44[TK]]

When I dyed my Alice pack I noticed the buckles turned a darker metal color from the dye but also from the vinegar that was added. It gave a similar appearance to that of the celebration pack cam buckles and didnt rub off easily at all. Might be another technique to test. That super blue stuff looks like it might do the same thing. Still waiting for my cam buckles to arrive. Will report test findings once I get them in hand. Thanks for posting about the buckles.