CommissarGurke[501st] Posted May 30, 2019 Report Posted May 30, 2019 I'm building Jim's kit, but this is my first build and I have very little experience with fiberglass, so this should be an adventure. BBB day will hopefully be arriving soon... I've done a fair amount of research/browsing, but I'm always open to advice! On a related note, has anyone used ImperialBoots' TK or EZ straps? 1 Quote
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted May 30, 2019 Report Posted May 30, 2019 Looking forward to seeing those BBB photos. A lot of troopers use ImperialBoots these days since TK Boots are no longer supplying. Quote
CommissarGurke[501st] Posted June 13, 2019 Author Report Posted June 13, 2019 (edited) Alright, just got my kit. Aside from a couple tiny cracks, everything looks good and accounted for. I'm currently giving everything a wash. After that, fitting/trimming, strapping and paint! Before I begin fitting to see what I need to modify, does anyone have recommendations on dealing with stray fibers on the armor interior? EDIT: For fixing the cracks, is there anything recommended that is flexible and strong enough for this? Edited June 17, 2019 by CommissarGurke 1 Quote
Plainsrunner Posted July 18, 2019 Report Posted July 18, 2019 Plastidip or Flexidip on the insides to make it comfortable to wear. Just put a few light coats on. Quote
Plainsrunner Posted July 18, 2019 Report Posted July 18, 2019 For the surface cracks I used glazing putty. For more serious structural cracks I used two part epoxy. Not sure if that is the right answer, but that's what I used. Quote
TheRascalKing[TK] Posted July 18, 2019 Report Posted July 18, 2019 Hey Isaac! I'm also building one of Jim's suits currently and our group build will have threads up soon (we just got 1/4 BBBs yesterday!). Have you already checked out Jeff and Johan's threads? TONS of info in there. Since you're going to be painting over it, you'll definitely want to use a filler and paint that has some flex to it, otherwise it will crack your paint. We haven't quite arrived at an answer yet, but let's keep each other posted if we find something that works. We're looking into like a fiberglass automotive bumper filler currently. I've been told to stay away from Bondo... Jeff also used a Flex Seal brand product to coat the inside with good results - only caveat was that velcro wouldn't stick to it. Quote
Plainsrunner Posted July 18, 2019 Report Posted July 18, 2019 43 minutes ago, TheRascalKing said: Hey Isaac! I'm also building one of Jim's suits currently and our group build will have threads up soon (we just got 1/4 BBBs yesterday!). Have you already checked out Jeff and Johan's threads? TONS of info in there. Since you're going to be painting over it, you'll definitely want to use a filler and paint that has some flex to it, otherwise it will crack your paint. We haven't quite arrived at an answer yet, but let's keep each other posted if we find something that works. We're looking into like a fiberglass automotive bumper filler currently. I've been told to stay away from Bondo... Jeff also used a Flex Seal brand product to coat the inside with good results - only caveat was that velcro wouldn't stick to it. Have you guys figured out how to keep stress off the shins and forearms in this fiberglass yet? I noticed Jeff's got cracks from opening it to get his legs/arms in. Traditional methods for this is gluing one side and velcro the back and then clamshell opening it. However, this seems to have produced a lot of cracks in the fiberglass for Jeff. Thanks Quote
TheRascalKing[TK] Posted July 18, 2019 Report Posted July 18, 2019 I plan to Velcro both sides so I can open it all the way up without bending when I put them on. I don't think I'm actually going to glue anything structural together on this suit at all! Plus I may add additional fiberglass to some key stress areas before coating with Flex Seal and painting. Quote
Plainsrunner Posted July 18, 2019 Report Posted July 18, 2019 17 minutes ago, TheRascalKing said: I plan to Velcro both sides so I can open it all the way up without bending when I put them on. I don't think I'm actually going to glue anything structural together on this suit at all! Plus I may add additional fiberglass to some key stress areas before coating with Flex Seal and painting. I'm thinking that's the way to do it. Believe it or not, I'm skipping right past R1 TK and going after the Mimban which of course is based on the R1. That being said, surface imperfections or wear won't bother me. I don't want structural cracks though. 1 Quote
TheRascalKing[TK] Posted July 18, 2019 Report Posted July 18, 2019 You're a madman! hahaha jkjk. I may get dirty after getting approved clean, we'll see... I do like capes... Quote
Plainsrunner Posted July 18, 2019 Report Posted July 18, 2019 1 hour ago, TheRascalKing said: You're a madman! hahaha jkjk. I may get dirty after getting approved clean, we'll see... I do like capes... I just had an idea about the shins..... What if you did a square of industrial velco midway front and back. Top and bottom you use the elastic straps with bra hooks like the original TKs? That would hold it solid in the middle and the top and bottom would give due to the elastic with bra hooks? It would keep the flex in the elastic instead of in the armor? #brainstorming Quote
CommissarGurke[501st] Posted July 19, 2019 Author Report Posted July 19, 2019 Didn't expect this much discussion early in my build (especially after I posted in the main threads... oops), but I'm glad to hear from future fellow troopers. It's awesome to hear more ROTKs are in the works! As I've been neglecting this thread a bit, updates are in order (pictures coming once I clean things up a bit): I've got most of the armor assembled and strapped in a semi-permanent fashion. I wanted some adjustability, so I used more velcro than I initially anticipated. After reading Jeff's thread, I decided to try velcro on both sides of the shins and forearms, which I like so far because it makes it much less stressful (for me and my armor) when they go on and off. I liked how Jeff strapped his thighs, abdomen and arms, so I used a similar method(s). I bought some Flex seal (easiest to get) to test and it seemed to cover everything nicely, but like Michael said, I had difficulty gluing anything to it (Loctite glue worked...ish, but was stiff and brittle). I plan on sealing exposed parts once I am sure on my strapping. As for paint, I was leaning toward Rustoleum automotive primer/filler and spray paint, but I'm not sure yet. I don't have the equipment or ability to do a professional job, but I'll give it a go with what I can get. All in all, I'm pleased with the general fit so far, though I'll be interested in feedback once I do a full suit test. 1 Quote
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted July 19, 2019 Report Posted July 19, 2019 Looking forward to seeing the progress pics, sounds like you are well on the way. Quote
Plainsrunner Posted July 20, 2019 Report Posted July 20, 2019 I'm going to post this idea here in case it works and helps. For the shins/calves and forearms -- my wife had an idea for the mitigating the issues we are seeing when you glue the front of the shins together and get cracks from flexing the back side: -- Gluing a strip of elastic from top to bottom on the inside of the front. This will hold the front together theoretically but allow clam shell action and the elastic will take all of the bending. What do you guys think? Quote
TheRascalKing[TK] Posted July 21, 2019 Report Posted July 21, 2019 14 hours ago, Plainsrunner said: I'm going to post this idea here in case it works and helps. For the shins/calves and forearms -- my wife had an idea for the mitigating the issues we are seeing when you glue the front of the shins together and get cracks from flexing the back side: -- Gluing a strip of elastic from top to bottom on the inside of the front. This will hold the front together theoretically but allow clam shell action and the elastic will take all of the bending. What do you guys think? Great idea, at least in theory! Test it out and let us know! Quote
CommissarGurke[501st] Posted July 22, 2019 Author Report Posted July 22, 2019 Alright, first almost-complete armor test (missing a few bits where the glue was still setting). I still need to trim the upper abdomen sides a bit, as they will be exposed. For the most part, it seems to look fine, though I think I will need to trim the upper thighs a bit more as well. A snap came loose on the codpiece (hence it's crookedness), so I will be adding another set for support. The velcro worked well, though I had to be a bit careful detaching it and there is a very small gap where the halves overlap. I will have to see how durable it is after wearing it for a while, though it currently seems sturdy. 2 Quote
napalmseth[501st] Posted July 26, 2019 Report Posted July 26, 2019 I just received my TK from Jimmi yesterday. Also my first build. Incredibly intimidated. Haha! Reading everyone’s threads. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote
Plainsrunner Posted August 2, 2019 Report Posted August 2, 2019 On 7/21/2019 at 10:40 PM, CommissarGurke said: Alright, first almost-complete armor test (missing a few bits where the glue was still setting). I still need to trim the upper abdomen sides a bit, as they will be exposed. For the most part, it seems to look fine, though I think I will need to trim the upper thighs a bit more as well. A snap came loose on the codpiece (hence it's crookedness), so I will be adding another set for support. The velcro worked well, though I had to be a bit careful detaching it and there is a very small gap where the halves overlap. I will have to see how durable it is after wearing it for a while, though it currently seems sturdy. Did you velcro the shins front and back? Or did you glue front and velcro back? How about the forearms? Quote
Plainsrunner Posted August 2, 2019 Report Posted August 2, 2019 On 7/21/2019 at 10:40 PM, CommissarGurke said: Alright, first almost-complete armor test (missing a few bits where the glue was still setting). I still need to trim the upper abdomen sides a bit, as they will be exposed. For the most part, it seems to look fine, though I think I will need to trim the upper thighs a bit more as well. A snap came loose on the codpiece (hence it's crookedness), so I will be adding another set for support. The velcro worked well, though I had to be a bit careful detaching it and there is a very small gap where the halves overlap. I will have to see how durable it is after wearing it for a while, though it currently seems sturdy. Oh...and how did you attach the boxes to the belt? Quote
CommissarGurke[501st] Posted August 2, 2019 Author Report Posted August 2, 2019 3 hours ago, Plainsrunner said: Did you velcro the shins front and back? Or did you glue front and velcro back? How about the forearms? Yes, I used velcro for the front and back of both shins and forearms. I haven't noticed any cracking so far. 3 hours ago, Plainsrunner said: Oh...and how did you attach the boxes to the belt? Just some E6000 after measurements. Quote
Plainsrunner Posted August 3, 2019 Report Posted August 3, 2019 I'm guessing you glued the sniper knee to one side of the shin? Quote
CommissarGurke[501st] Posted August 3, 2019 Author Report Posted August 3, 2019 2 hours ago, Plainsrunner said: I'm guessing you glued the sniper knee to one side of the shin? Correct, with a bit of velcro on the side of the sniper knee that's not glued in. It's not perfect, but it looks clean enough and reduces how much I have to flex things. Quote
CommissarGurke[501st] Posted September 10, 2019 Author Report Posted September 10, 2019 Bit of an update coming soon, as I'm finally finishing up the painting phase. After looking at Jeff's build thread, I noticed that his pics show the "ear bars" without a black outline, whereas the CRL states it must have one (as well as 1-4 rank stripes). At the same time, I'm having a hard time finding evidence for the ear outline. I would appreciate any input on this. Quote
CommissarGurke[501st] Posted September 11, 2019 Author Report Posted September 11, 2019 Fair enough, I didn't check the OT galleries when looking, though when I checked the R1 gallery, there weren't any images available. I found this, but it's an old photo: I have a checklist with the CRL requirements, so this was just was something I noticed. Quote
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted September 11, 2019 Report Posted September 11, 2019 Sorry was trying to edit post this morning but forum was lagging and wouldn't let me modify, appears there is a mistake in the CRL probably was just copied from OTTK and left, although it appears a dark line it appears recessed not painted Quote
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