Jenny's First Build - TK ANH Stunt (AP kit)

[Frank75139[501st]]

I used Gorilla glue. It expands a bit so don’t go too close to the edge for the gloves.

As for the rivet/thigh ammo pack question that’s better answered by the Centurion crew. The spots marked look good to me. Torso looks nice too. Coming along well.

 

 

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[JenEcho[TK]]

Awesome thank you both! I think we have some Gorilla Glue downstairs so I'll give that I try. And then I'll head to Home Depot tomorrow if it doesn't.

 

Did you sand the back of the silicone? I find that it just doesn't seem to "rough up" and lose that super slick surface no matter how much I go at it with the sandpaper.

[Frank75139[501st]]

I did a quick sanding but I completely agree it didn’t feel like it made a difference at all. Also I used a clamp or two to hold it all down. And I was advised to put a piece of wax paper inside the glove in case anything soaked through. It didn’t but it’s always better to be safe then sorry.


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[TheSwede[TK]]

On ‎2018‎-‎04‎-‎29 at 1:13 AM, JenEcho said:

For the thigh ammo pack - how far in from the corner do you put the rivet? The spot I have marked is 1/2" from the edges.

You`re good to go and one can use single cap, double cap or split rivets but not pop rivets (L2, L3 not specified for L1)

On ‎2018‎-‎04‎-‎29 at 1:19 AM, JenEcho said:

should I line up the ammo pack with the front cover strip?

Here`s a few examples to help you decide and also check the advanced tactics  here for inspiration

[wook1138[TK]]

10 hours ago, JenEcho said:

Awesome thank you both! I think we have some Gorilla Glue downstairs so I'll give that I try. And then I'll head to Home Depot tomorrow if it doesn't.

 

Did you sand the back of the silicone? I find that it just doesn't seem to "rough up" and lose that super slick surface no matter how much I go at it with the sandpaper.

I didn't even try - that was going to be plan B if the glue didn't work.

[JenEcho[TK]]

I'm in the final stretch here! And apparently I've left all my questions to the end. 

Belt attachment (i.e. the plastic to the cloth) - What's best? I was thinking snaps would let you wash/replace the cloth if you ever needed to. But, would rivets be the more secure and correct method? 

[GilFran007]

I believe the ammo belt attaches to the canvas belt via Chicago screws.  However, by gluing down the screw covers onto the face of the belt, these screws are pretty much permanent (unless you are using E-6000).  Still, if you need access to these, you have to pry the covers off.....and risk damaging them.

 

If you have to wash the canvas belt.....a bowl of soapy water and a sponge

[wook1138[TK]]

2 hours ago, JenEcho said:

I'm in the final stretch here! And apparently I've left all my questions to the end. 

Belt attachment (i.e. the plastic to the cloth) - What's best? I was thinking snaps would let you wash/replace the cloth if you ever needed to. But, would rivets be the more secure and correct method? 

I used rapid rivets.  It seemed most other threads I read at the time recommended rapid rivets or  1/4" pop rivets - which I bought but then realized that they were too short for the AP belt and thicker ABS, so I used some rapid rivets I had on hand.  I would use rivets to make sure the belt stays together.  Mind you, I have no plans of cleaning my canvas belt.

 

Hopefully this link works.  Here is an original.  Looks like a single cap rivet.  This is not required for any level - just a screen accuracy thing.

 

Edited May 2, 2018 by wook1138

[Frank75139[501st]]

I did rivets


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[GilFran007]

I stand corrected.  Thanks Wook.  I think I got confused with the screws needed for the holster.  Sorry, my bad.

 

Glad I'm rebuilding my belt.....gonna chuck those Chicago Screws now.....lol

[wook1138[TK]]

14 minutes ago, GilFran007 said:

I stand corrected.  Thanks Wook.  I think I got confused with the screws needed for the holster.  Sorry, my bad.

 

Glad I'm rebuilding my belt.....gonna chuck those Chicago Screws now.....lol

lol. Don't get me wrong, you can use whatever you want for approval.  Some do use Chicago screws so that the belt is removable.  My big reason for using the rivets was that they had a lower profile than the Chicago screws I had - easier to cover with the ABS cap and less likely to scratch the %$#@ out of the underlying armor.

 

Don't throw those screws away yet

[JenEcho[TK]]

Thanks for the help! Swung by the leather supply shop and picked up some double cap rivets (which are apparently aka rapid rivets). Wondering if they might be a bit too long though at 10mm. Guess I'll find out...

[JenEcho[TK]]

Didn't make much progress tonight. No time booo.

 

But, I trimmed the belt ammo pack according to the Billgrams diagram, 1/2" in with a nice clean 45 degree angle. But, it doesn't line up perfectly with the edges of the canvas. Will this be okay or should I trim it so that it lines up perfectly? 

 

I'm SO CLOSE to being done, but darn work deadlines - I won't be finished in time to pick up my little one after school. Only the belt and the bicep/shoulder straps left. If I knew what I was doing with this belt, I'd pull an all nighter, but there is no way I'm going to risk screwing up at this stage

[Cricket[TK]]

I had the same issue with my belt when I submitted for EIB.  Tony mentioned it to me as this:

 

Quote

Waist belt ammo belt corners should be aligned with the cloth belt edge. In your case we're not sure what can be done without damaging the ammo belt itself. If you can safely remove the mounting covers, move them back a little then re cut the belt this might help with the alignment. The accuracy of your armor is ultimately up to you the builder.

 

Here are my belt pics from before I corrected the issue:

 

And he suggested that this is how it should be:

 

 

I was able to separate the cloth and plastic parts and make trims to the ends to correct the overtrimmed corners for my Centurion application.


Bottom line, the corner issue you have on your belt won't stop you from basic approval, though!    

[JenEcho[TK]]

1 hour ago, Cricket said:

I had the same issue with my belt when I submitted for EIB.  Tony mentioned it to me as this:

 

 

Here are my belt pics from before I corrected the issue:

 

And he suggested that this is how it should be:

 

 

I was able to separate the cloth and plastic parts and make trims to the ends to correct the overtrimmed corners for my Centurion application.


Bottom line, the corner issue you have on your belt won't stop you from basic approval, though!    

Yeah, it was your pics that made me pause. I'm going for centurion, so I guess I'll trim them. Thanks

 

[JenEcho[TK]]

And, apparently I'm a special kind of smart (or possibly a cautionary tale)...

 

Measured my belt alignment perfectly with my button plate, snaps are perfect everything is amazing. Except - I did all this with only the canvas and NOT with the plastic ammo part. (see pic 1). Luckily, my snaps aren't set in the middle so when I flipped my belt over, it seems to line up ok (see pic 2).

 

Is it OK though? Need your expert opinions. 

Don't worry - those rivets are just poked in so changes can be made without too much swearing.

 

 

[Pretzel]

Your belt looks great! I do not see any issues with it. 

[JenEcho[TK]]

Who want to play "spot the mistake"? Thank the maker rapid rivets are easy to remove. *headdesk* 

 

[JenEcho[TK]]

Making my final adjustments and finishing touches before taking my submission pics! The finish line is so close.

 

Trimmed the back of my knees on the thighs/shins and took another cm off my shins. Oh man!! I can move and even do stairs now! Made the stirrups for my shins and I'm not sure if I made them a bit too short since they're a challenge to stick in place, but they really do the trick of keeping my shins from twisting or riding up.

 

Added padding and fans to my bucket. Waiting for one piece of padding to glue together and it'll go in tomorrow. Need to figure out how to secure the microphone - I bought the Aker speaker/mic. Any suggestions?

 

Replaced the elastic straps joining my kidney to butt with nylon strap and it works like a charm to keep them lined up. I also added a tab of ABS on either side of the butt to keep it from flaring out. Oh, and realized that I hadn't glued the tiny little white elastics so that's done now. 

 

 

[lucnak[TK]]

Assumign you will be using the mic that comes with the Aker, my experience is that most people put it on, then put on the balaclava, and then just put the bucket on. If you want to mount it into your bucket, some velcro should do the trick!

[Pretzel]

I personally take the microphone and tuck it inside the balaclava. I have seen others where they use tape to tape it on their face, or on the inside of the bucket. 

[JenEcho[TK]]

Apparently I need to go buy a balaclava...

[Cricket[TK]]

10 hours ago, JenEcho said:

Added padding and fans to my bucket. Waiting for one piece of padding to glue together and it'll go in tomorrow. Need to figure out how to secure the microphone - I bought the Aker speaker/mic. Any suggestions?

 

I do similar to what Luc and Pretzel do.   Mic goes on, then balaclava (or head covering of your choice).  I run my mic wire under the neckseal and down my shirt, with it exiting at the bottom of the shirt.  The cord is more than long enough for this.  I use a little tape to secure the mic in place.  In this pic, I had moved the mic away from my mouth, but I usually keep the end piece taped much closer.


I used to put my Icomm and Aker amp in my chest plate.  I had issues with it giving me feedback sometimes, though.  For my most recent troop, I  relocated the Aker amp to my ab plate (think just behind the ab button box), and problem solved!  I now can have my amp up fairly loud (best in crowded, outdoor, noisy troops), and I can be heard easily.  Woo!  I still can't hear myself very much over my fans, but I'm currently working on a better (quieter) fan setup that should solve that.

Congrats on your progress!  Almost there!

Edited May 24, 2018 by Cricket

[JenEcho[TK]]

Question for Cricket (or possibly the boys...) - what do you do with your hair? I'm finding that a ponytail/bun is awkward in my bucket. Do you just shove it all under the balaclava? 

[Cricket[TK]]

I don't like balaclavas during warm troops because they just make me too warm.  I like wearing a stretchy cap instead.  I have to be more careful with tucking my hair away when I wear the cap, but it's doable.

My preferred way to keep my hair secured when trooping is with a French braid.  I tuck the end of the braid under at the base of my neck with a few bobby pins.  The nice thing about a French braid is that you don't have to deal with the lump of the ponytail base interfering with your padding.  See below. 

When I don't have time to do a braid, I pull it back in a ponytail, securing somewhere on the middle of my head.  I have to alter the position of the ponytail so that the padding doesn't interfere with the base of the ponytail.  When I wear a full balaclava, I can pull my hair back in a low ponytail and tuck it into my neckseal because the balaclava covers everything.

I have done a French twist as well.  But the lump of hair that the twist causes is sometimes as uncomfortable as the ponytail lump.