Bobatrooper[TK] Posted February 20, 2023 Report Posted February 20, 2023 Hi, I have a problem with my lower leg armor from RS. The back does not allign at the top. I was thinking of gluing a piece of ABS with a snap so that it wil stay in the correct position. Or can this be fixed another way? 1 Quote
Armor9[TK] Posted February 20, 2023 Report Posted February 20, 2023 I wish I had an answer for you, but I am here to see what people post as a solution as I have this same problem with my RS Props armor as well. Quote
Morgi[Staff] Posted February 20, 2023 Report Posted February 20, 2023 This is what I did for my RS Shin Closure: @Bobatrooper since you cut off the upper return edge in favor of mobility cuts, you might want to put some rigid strapping inside your shin, such as either putting a corresponding tunnel into the opposite shin or going with a different strapping altogether, such as particularly strong velcro or strong magnets: Quote
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted February 20, 2023 Report Posted February 20, 2023 I had to heat and twist the shins so they aligned fully. I mainly heated the front and sides, once heated twist a little more than needed as the plastic will relax when cooled. I use a heat gun but you do need some practice, many use a hot water bath which is not as intense with heat. 1 Quote
TKSpartan[Staff] Posted February 20, 2023 Report Posted February 20, 2023 18 minutes ago, Bobatrooper said: Hi, I have a problem with my lower leg armor from RS. The back does not allign at the top. I was thinking of gluing a piece of ABS with a snap so that it wil stay in the correct position. Or can this be fixed another way? Hi Jan, this is a common issue . The RS shins don’t normally meet at the rear top ridge until the rear fixings are in place . You can try adding the velcro and see how they match. Plan b would be to give a hot water bath to the misaligned side to match the other one. A complete photo would be good. 1 Quote
Armor9[TK] Posted February 20, 2023 Report Posted February 20, 2023 10 minutes ago, gmrhodes13 said: I had to heat and twist the shins so they aligned fully. I mainly heated the front and sides, once heated twist a little more than needed as the plastic will relax when cooled. I use a heat gun but you do need some practice, many use a hot water bath which is not as intense with heat. Doing the hot water bath, how much risk is there losing the shape of the other parts of the shin? Would you dip the entire shin in or would you just do a part of it? Like the front/sides only, but not the back? Would it be beneficial to use something to line the back up prior to using the heat gun or water bath? My thought is that when heated it will then relax back to the shape with the back lined up. Would a hair dryer be enough heat? What temp do you use for a hot water bath? Does the temp change for ABS vs PVC? Thanks. Quote
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted February 20, 2023 Report Posted February 20, 2023 6 minutes ago, Armor9 said: Doing the hot water bath, how much risk is there losing the shape of the other parts of the shin? There is always a risk heating formed plastic, although you can find lots of examples of heating shins to align throughout the forums Would you dip the entire shin in or would you just do a part of it? Like the front/sides only, but not the back? I would only heat front and sides Would it be beneficial to use something to line the back up prior to using the heat gun or water bath? My thought is that when heated it will then relax back to the shape with the back lined up. You can't align it when heating as I said the plastic will relax so you have to twist more than what is required Would a hair dryer be enough heat? No What temp do you use for a hot water bath? Boiling water. Does the temp change for ABS vs PVC? Can't answer that 1 Quote
TKSpartan[Staff] Posted February 20, 2023 Report Posted February 20, 2023 8 minutes ago, Armor9 said: Doing the hot water bath, how much risk is there losing the shape of the other parts of the shin? Would you dip the entire shin in or would you just do a part of it? Like the front/sides only, but not the back? Would it be beneficial to use something to line the back up prior to using the heat gun or water bath? My thought is that when heated it will then relax back to the shape with the back lined up. Would a hair dryer be enough heat? What temp do you use for a hot water bath? Does the temp change for ABS vs PVC? Thanks. If you have some ABS pieces from scrap, I would strongly recommend to make some test first. Hot water (boiling), Heat gun , and see how the plastic behave in each test. 1 Quote
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted February 20, 2023 Report Posted February 20, 2023 Some other builds using hot water bath 1 Quote
Bobatrooper[TK] Posted February 20, 2023 Author Report Posted February 20, 2023 thx for the quick reply all. The magnet system is awsome. Ill see what i can do. 2 Quote
Bobatrooper[TK] Posted February 21, 2023 Author Report Posted February 21, 2023 Though, Im gonna skip the heatgun part. Im too afraid to mess up. 1 Quote
TKSpartan[Staff] Posted February 21, 2023 Report Posted February 21, 2023 13 minutes ago, Bobatrooper said: Though, Im gonna skip the heatgun part. Im too afraid to mess up. This is the last resource, as you said, the plastic could melt . 1 Quote
justjoseph63[Staff] Posted February 21, 2023 Report Posted February 21, 2023 5 hours ago, TKSpartan said: This is the last resource, as you said, the plastic could melt . Exactly. If you are not familiar with using one you can end up with a molten mess. ABS actually melts at 200 degrees (93 Celsius) , and some heat guns can reach 1400 (760 C.) Quote
Bobatrooper[TK] Posted February 21, 2023 Author Report Posted February 21, 2023 This was my idea. In combination with the velcro. What glue do i use to glue the ABS to the ABS? E6000 or something stronger? There's quite some force needed to get it in this position. Quote
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted February 21, 2023 Report Posted February 21, 2023 33 minutes ago, Bobatrooper said: This was my idea. In combination with the velcro. What glue do i use to glue the ABS to the ABS? E6000 or something stronger? There's quite some force needed to get it in this position. E6000 should hold tightly, make sure you scuff both surfaces with coarse sandpaper for extra grip 1 Quote
Bobatrooper[TK] Posted February 23, 2023 Author Report Posted February 23, 2023 This was my idea. In combination with the velcro. What glue do i use to glue the ABS to the ABS? E6000 or something stronger? There's quite some force needed to get it in this position. Is there some kind of tutorial for using the heat gun? I think that is my best optioneel because the strip on the back flares too much outward Quote
TKSpartan[Staff] Posted February 23, 2023 Report Posted February 23, 2023 7 minutes ago, Bobatrooper said: Is there some kind of tutorial for using the heat gun? I think that is my best optioneel because the strip on the back flares too much outward Found this video, take a look 1 Quote
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted February 23, 2023 Report Posted February 23, 2023 9 minutes ago, Bobatrooper said: Is there some kind of tutorial for using the heat gun? I think that is my best optioneel because the strip on the back flares too much outward You need a lot of practice before using a heat gun on armor, ABS plastic can go from almost pliable to molten mess in a blink of an eye, many choose the hot water bath method as that is more user friendly. If you do use a heat gun make sure you practice on scraps first and also don't use too much heat. Quote
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