Fish's ANOVOS Build Thread - Aspiring for L3

[fishgoh0nk[TK]]

cool! that'd save me a lot of time! too bad about the right thigh though... 1.25 inch shim gap... I plan on using a piece of scrap to do the same... and then some abs paste to fill in the gaps?

 

Can you recommend a better solution?

 

[fishgoh0nk[TK]]

5 minutes ago, menschie said:

Okay, good feedback. I just know how much weaker the bond is, under tension, at the very edge of the cover strips (which in this case will shouldering much of the responsibility for holding the two halves together without an interior strip)...but if you guys, with shim experience, think it's more than strong enough I'll defer to you, of course.

Yea, I kind of figured the the paste would be bested used like bondo - cosmetic touch up only so I planned my shimming around avoiding too much paste. I also hear a lot of people have discoloration, bubbles etc...

[menschie[TK]]

Just now, fishgoh0nk said:

Yea, I kind of figured the the paste would be bested used like bondo - cosmetic touch up only so I planned my shimming around avoiding too much paste. I also hear a lot of people have discoloration, bubbles etc...

Yup, was just thinking every little bit helps with such a large gap but, again, I defer to those who've shimmed under the same conditions before.

[fishgoh0nk[TK]]

56 minutes ago, menschie said:

Yup, was just thinking every little bit helps with such a large gap but, again, I defer to those who've shimmed under the same conditions before.

I posted in jonhaag's shim shin, or shin shiminey shin shim sheroo, asking for some guidance regarding paste on thighs. I'm thinking instead shimming using method 1, maybe I can shim method 2, and require less pastes.

 

Edited June 28, 2018 by fishgoh0nk
changed diagram

[menschie[TK]]

I'm just wondering how you're going to get solid contact with a cover strip on method 2?

[fishgoh0nk[TK]]

12 minutes ago, menschie said:

I'm just wondering how you're going to get solid contact with a cover strip on method 2?

lots and lots of E6000? 

 

actually the cover strip should be thinner than the flattened/sanded surface of the ABS paste. My major concern is E6000 adhering to ABS paste only... might peel off?

Edited June 28, 2018 by fishgoh0nk
clarification

[menschie[TK]]

1 minute ago, fishgoh0nk said:

lots and lots of E6000? 

 

actually the cover strip should be thinner than the flattened/sanded surface of the ABS paste. My major concern is E6000 adhering to ABS paste only... might peel off?

Keep in mind, e6000 is by far at it's strongest when it's ABS on ABS (as much surface area as possible) with a super thin layer of e6000 in between. It's not a strong filler, it's a contact adhesive. 

[fishgoh0nk[TK]]

7 minutes ago, menschie said:

Keep in mind, e6000 is by far at it's strongest when it's ABS on ABS (as much surface area as possible) with a super thin layer of e6000 in between. It's not a strong filler, it's a contact adhesive. 

Yea, you're probably right - from the consistency and pliability of what I've seen in regards to ABS paste, i feel like method 2 would yield more of a potential to crack. I think I'll use method 1, but have to remember to leave extra room between the scrap piece to fill with ABS paste. 1-1.5mm seem like a good enough gap? I imagine it's like floor tiling, the grout needs enough room to adhere to the tiles, or in this case, the ABS pieces.

[kman[TK]]

What material is your shim?  Is it ABS?

 

Method 1 is much more structurally sound.  You're correct that it'll be more work to clean it all up, but people have definitely done that much and far more.

 

Method 2 might work, but honestly just seems wonky to me.  Hard to envision how it'll look, or if the ramp will be visible, really.  And that's actually going to require a lot more ABS paste, and be quite tricky to get perfect.  Method 1 is much simpler in that regard.

 

I ask about the shim material, because if it's not ABS, the ABS paste (and E6000 for that matter) may not adhere as well.  Some plastics are quite resistant to adhesives, and some are not affected by acetone, which is how the ABS paste melts and fuses onto the existing plastic.

 

But if it's a compatible plastic, I'd lean towards Method 1.  It's a stronger connection, and because the cover strip will run right down the middle, you have a lot less surface area to cover with paste.  Covering large areas with paste gets dicey.

[kman[TK]]

1 hour ago, menschie said:

Okay, good feedback. I just know how much weaker the bond is, under tension, at the very edge of the cover strips (which in this case will shouldering much of the responsibility for holding the two halves together without an interior strip)...but if you guys, with shim experience, think it's more than strong enough I'll defer to you, of course.

The larger shim in the back should provide more than enough surface area to shoulder the largest tension.  Depending on how wide it is, it can actually offer MORE bonding surface area than the cover strip offers.  The cover strip is really merely decorative, at that point.

[fishgoh0nk[TK]]

6 minutes ago, kman said:

What material is your shim?  Is it ABS?

 

Method 1 is much more structurally sound.  You're correct that it'll be more work to clean it all up, but people have definitely done that much and far more.

 

Method 2 might work, but honestly just seems wonky to me.  Hard to envision how it'll look, or if the ramp will be visible, really.  And that's actually going to require a lot more ABS paste, and be quite tricky to get perfect.  Method 1 is much simpler in that regard.

 

I ask about the shim material, because if it's not ABS, the ABS paste (and E6000 for that matter) may not adhere as well.  Some plastics are quite resistant to adhesives, and some are not affected by acetone, which is how the ABS paste melts and fuses onto the existing plastic.

 

But if it's a compatible plastic, I'd lean towards Method 1.  It's a stronger connection, and because the cover strip will run right down the middle, you have a lot less surface area to cover with paste.  Covering large areas with paste gets dicey.

oh shoot... now that you mentioned it - i switched from shimming with the parking sign to those blinds i found at the hardware store trash for the right thigh... i think it might be vinyl... I did sand all surfaces with a rough grit before applying... the shim is currently drying, once it cures i'll give it a pull test to see how well it holds. Worse case, i'll switch back to the no parking sign.

[fishgoh0nk[TK]]

7 minutes ago, kman said:

The larger shim in the back should provide more than enough surface area to shoulder the largest tension.  Depending on how wide it is, it can actually offer MORE bonding surface area than the cover strip offers.  The cover strip is really merely decorative, at that point.

agreed, currently for the right thigh, the interior shim is 3.5 inches, allowing approximately 1 inch of ABS on each half for e6000 to hold onto. The vinyl shim is a bit softer, now I'm thinking maybe i should go with the parking sign to prevent flexing that could cause the ABS paste to crack... oh goodness, i'm going to feel it off right now lol

[fishgoh0nk[TK]]

6 minutes ago, fishgoh0nk said:

agreed, currently for the right thigh, the interior shim is 3.5 inches, allowing approximately 1 inch of ABS on each half for e6000 to hold onto. The vinyl shim is a bit softer, now I'm thinking maybe i should go with the parking sign to prevent flexing that could cause the ABS paste to crack... oh goodness, i'm going to feel it off right now lol

Good call you guys - the vinyl has been drying for approximately 5 hours and was really easy to peel off

 

[menschie[TK]]

21 minutes ago, fishgoh0nk said:

oh shoot... now that you mentioned it - i switched from shimming with the parking sign to those blinds i found at the hardware store trash for the right thigh... i think it might be vinyl... I did sand all surfaces with a rough grit before applying... the shim is currently drying, once it cures i'll give it a pull test to see how well it holds. Worse case, i'll switch back to the no parking sign.

Well, like you said, just test it. I can tell you that even vinyl strap e6000’d onto ABS has to be removed with plyers, a lot of twisting and elbow grease like crazy. But the rigidity, that's another matter.

Edited June 28, 2018 by menschie

[fishgoh0nk[TK]]

I posted this question over at Tony's build thread - thought I might as well duplicate it here.

 

"I'm looking to cinch down the ab and kidney as my waist isn't that large- would you recommend trimming (if any at all) to both ab and kidney? I'd like to cinch it up approximately an inch on each side at the top, the lower circumference is good for me as is. I'm planning to cut .5 inch from the tops of the ab and kidney. My ultimate goal is reduce the "pot belly" look and horizontal flaring when viewing from the front.

 

Cinched up with tape.

 

Flaring - Once material removed, I'm planning to give it a hot water bath to reduce the tension

 

The amount I'm looking to remove.

"

[CableGuy[TK]]

Hiya.

Do you have your undersuit yet? Ideally, you want to measure up with your undersuit on so you get the best possible fit of your armour parts. :-)

[menschie[TK]]

I think you wanna be really careful here ... that extra room in there is what gives you a little bit of maneuverability. It's not much, but you need some. Just be very careful not to take off too much.

 

You've got some mammoth return edges there. Looks like a centimetre plus. I understand why people want them...to make the armour look cool and chunky, however big return edges make your armour less flexible and look clunky--like it all doesn't quite fit together right. If you stick with the on screen return edges you'll have no regrets. That's my 2 cents.

[kman[TK]]

It looks like you're pretty slim, so MAYBE, but I agree with CableGuy.  Before you hack off any plastic, make sure you try it on wearing the undersuit.  The fit is FAR different than it seems when wearing a t shirt and jeans.

 

Ultimately, I suspect you will want to hot water bath the ab plate a bit, so it curves around you a little more.  But not as much as you'd think.  These suits are not meant to be form-fitting, per se: They're intended to provide a uniform appearance so everyone looks the same.  You may end up being better off padding out the interior a bit with strips of foam (not a solid sheet, as you don't want to trap all that air!) so the armor is more spaced off your body but stays a uniform size compared to the trooper next to you.  "Skinny Trooper" does NOT look right in a lineup.  Padding on the inside, OTOH, is invisible to the viewer.

[fishgoh0nk[TK]]

9 hours ago, kman said:

It looks like you're pretty slim, so MAYBE, but I agree with CableGuy.  Before you hack off any plastic, make sure you try it on wearing the undersuit.  The fit is FAR different than it seems when wearing a t shirt and jeans.

 

Ultimately, I suspect you will want to hot water bath the ab plate a bit, so it curves around you a little more.  But not as much as you'd think.  These suits are not meant to be form-fitting, per se: They're intended to provide a uniform appearance so everyone looks the same.  You may end up being better off padding out the interior a bit with strips of foam (not a solid sheet, as you don't want to trap all that air!) so the armor is more spaced off your body but stays a uniform size compared to the trooper next to you.  "Skinny Trooper" does NOT look right in a lineup.  Padding on the inside, OTOH, is invisible to the viewer.

I see, maybe I should've used the return edges to create "extra material"... it's a snug, but I don't feel uncomfortable in it. I think I'll be ok with the torso part...

 

My concern is the posterior, it could be that I'm wearing the bottom torso too low, but the posterior seems to angle off my glutes which creates a gap between the middle portion of the kidney plate. I can't get the gap to close without the top rear of the posterior popping out away from body, which would also pull the kidney plate away from body, and in that case, I would need some extra room...

 

 

side note - i forgot to lift up my arms, but the ab and kidney plate have their side returns removed and are touching.

Edited June 29, 2018 by fishgoh0nk
clarification of contact between ab and kidney

[fishgoh0nk[TK]]

I think if I hot water bath the kidney plate to be a little more 'round' than flat, I'll get a wider side profile allowing for the posterior to actually fit and close up the gap. I can simulate it by pushing against the kidney/ab seems towards my body, bulging out the lower back and abs. This kind of causes the cod to dig into my thighs. I have a good 1.1-1.2 CM return around the cod I think I can take off to get this to work. I think this'll work guys - what do you guys think? I'll wait for feedback before proceeding... 

 

Here's the comparison of rounding between the ab and kidney - if I bathe the kidney to be a bit rounder, it would accommodate my larger "round" posterior

 

Edited June 29, 2018 by fishgoh0nk

[menschie[TK]]

That butt plate pushing out like that may be due to (1) the torso section being too fitted (and not allowing it to hang) and (2) the whole back assembly can come down a bit (you'll often see the back neckline lower than that).

 

Also, if I had to walk around with a return edge on my cod I'm not sure I'd ever troop again! LOL

[CableGuy[TK]]

Hiya,

Whilst you’re in the “tapping things up” phase, perhaps you could try loosening the kidney a little. This could give you a little more movement, pad out your midriff a little and help to align the butt plate.

Here’s a (very bad) illustration of what I’m on about...



Not the best picture in the world, but perhaps worth a shot with your arms up. You could add a little foam inside the kidney to help with that gap at the back.

How you had it is fine, however this was a thought as you’d mentioned the butt plate.

Best wishes

Dan

[fishgoh0nk[TK]]

44 minutes ago, CableGuy said:

Hiya,

Whilst you’re in the “tapping things up” phase, perhaps you could try loosening the kidney a little. This could give you a little more movement, pad out your midriff a little and help to align the butt plate.

Here’s a (very bad) illustration of what I’m on about...



Not the best picture in the world, but perhaps worth a shot with your arms up. You could add a little foam inside the kidney to help with that gap at the back.

How you had it is fine, however this was a thought as you’d mentioned the butt plate.

Best wishes

Dan

Ah ok, I think i'm understanding. I feel like the kidney plate is a little too tought or tension-ed in a "flat" manner. It's actually pulling the lower back side towards the abs. If i relieve the tension, i think the kidney plate will bow to the rear and fill out the lower back more, giving me room to mount the posterior flatly. Would you concur?

[CableGuy[TK]]

Yeah, that’s the idea. Just giving you a slightly straighter line down the back of your armour, allowing the butt to sit a little straighter on the lower ridge of the kidney.

 

As I said, it’s an ideal time to play around with options like that and see how it looks, how comfortable it is etc. before you glue bits together.

 

Your making a great job of this so far, by the way. Keep posting up pics and questions and we’ll try to give suggestions etc. Keep it up.

 

[menschie[TK]]

Thanks for taking the time to post all the steps. It's good for you, fun for us, and good for other people just starting out to follow! Excited for you man!