TK ANH Stunt by CloseTheBlastDoor

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

20 hours ago, gmrhodes13 said:

You can see in this image (even though it's from the back) the armor has been trimmed to match the shoulder straps

Yeah, mine looks quite different, and does not have the 'angled out' cut on the sides. I'll have to think on this one a bit more.

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

20 hours ago, dblcross said:

Don't know if this helps. Heres a picture of mine.

Yes, thank you, that definitely helps! I guess the WTF chest plate is simply not shaped the way yours is to begin with. Will look at other WTF builds too, as Glen suggests.

 

BTW, who was your armorer?

Edited April 7 by CloseTheBlastDoor

[dblcross[TK]]

3 hours ago, CloseTheBlastDoor said:

Darkside Dave https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057527676820

BTW, who was your armorer?

 

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

I thought a lot more about the shoulder strap issue. And then I didn’t because I kept getting stuck. So I did some other stuff, like trimming the belt, just to feel like I was still making progress. Following the Billgram:
 

 

I trimmed the length with the 3-5mm margin from the main blocks. I found that a metal straight edge with some scrap ABS sheet to build up to ~4mm worked well as a guide.
 

 

I’ll do the same with the ammo belt when I get the replacement from WTF. That was a nice aside. The rest of the trimming I will do later.

 

So, for the chest plate, I had a really difficult time finding symmetry so I could find a centerline and would have a decent reference to draw some cut lines. As the left side came up higher than the right, I thought I’d measure the side cut-outs and then use the difference as a guide for trimming the top left. I used this crude method of taping a USB cord along each edge:

 

You can see that I marked the length by wrapping a piece of painter’s tape around the cord. “But wait,” you ask. “The lengths are the same!” Yes, they are. So much for that idea!

 

Upon inspection, I did notice that the left side had a little bit more return edge leftover than the right side. So I trimmed that down too, but only gained maybe a few millimeters.
 

I had a conversation with Walt about this shortness issue, too. He rightly pointed out (and it was pointed out here too) that there is nothing in the CRL about how many shoulder strap ribs overlap, but at the same time I don’t know that he felt that this chest plate was out of spec with his standards. The other WTF builds that Glen pointed out surely seem to have more material to work with. And the chest plate seems angled out where the straps connect. I have neither.
 

I decided that enough is enough, and that I was just going to go forward and see what happens. I had to make some assumptions about what symmetry means here. I placed the chest plate on my table, and put the left side over the edge.
 

 

I marked and cut:

 

Getting the neck right was where I wanted to ensure some symmetry, too. With initial trimming, it had fit like this, where it was very uneven and biting into my neck:

 

I took some measurements and decided that about a 150mm diameter circle was a good guide for trimming. It seemed to align with my neck and allowed space for the neck seal. A good tracing and cutting followed, and then a go at Glen’s ‘box’ method for fitting.
 

 

With a 1-big + 2-small rib overlap, this is how it looks:
 

 

Left side:

 

Right side:

 

I feel like the box is a bit too deep. As you can see, there isn’t a lot of overlap to be had. It was quite awkward trying to dry fit this onto the real me without help. Time to look for a mannequin torso or something. Then I will also be able to work more on shoulder strap shaping.

 

[shashachu[TK]]

Really great progress on this build!

 

I looked back at my build photos and I have about the same amount of overlap on the front, but I did not cut off the big tabs on the back. Yours look a bit short if I'm being honest but it depends a lot on how far apart the chest and back are, which depends on how they fit on you. I'd personally leave the shoulder bridges for now and instead work on getting the strapping between chest and back dialed in before deciding exactly where you'd like the shoulder bridges to sit. They're just decorative so they can be left until much later in your build.

 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/oGxcS2ANssQ5kWcA6

[shashachu[TK]]

Here's a photo of my shoulder straps as well

 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/oNr1ozuqGPA2nwbw6

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

On 4/11/2024 at 12:32 PM, CloseTheBlastDoor said:

 

 

Right side:

 

I feel like the box is a bit too deep. As you can see, there isn’t a lot of overlap to be had. It was quite awkward trying to dry fit this onto the real me without help. Time to look for a mannequin torso or something. Then I will also be able to work more on shoulder strap shaping.

 

I think you will find that gap will be reduced once worn

 

          

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

12 hours ago, shashachu said:

Here's a photo of my shoulder straps as well

 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/oNr1ozuqGPA2nwbw6

Thank you for the advice, ShaSha! I agree that getting the strapping done is the next logical step. I did already trim the large tabs from the backs of the straps, so we'll see!

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

7 hours ago, gmrhodes13 said:

I think you will find that gap will be reduced once worn

 

Thanks for those reference photos!

 

Due to an interview, hand pain, and getting ready for a vacation, I've not spent much more time on this, but I hope to have a few more hours soon to plug away at this.

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

I got busy setting up for doing bulk strapping and snapping, but I realized that I still had some return edge questions. I read @justjoseph63’s return edge 101 post, but wanted to confirm the following:

 

For the cod, do I take off all the return edge and round the corners indicated by the arrows, or do I keep the edge and also try to put some rounding there?

 

For the butt, same set of questions:
 

 

Incidentally, I am already faced with cracking on the butt (where did your mind just go? ) because it arrived as such. Honestly, not terribly amused by this.

 

For the top part of the butt, I’m just going to take off the small edge that is curled out, and NOT the return edge (same for bottom edge of kidney):

 

And I’m leaving the top of the kidney with a return edge:

 

Sound OK?
 

[dblcross[TK]]

30 minutes ago, CloseTheBlastDoor said:

I got busy setting up for doing bulk strapping and snapping, but I realized that I still had some return edge questions. I read @justjoseph63’s return edge 101 post, but wanted to confirm the following:

 

For the cod, do I take off all the return edge and round the corners indicated by the arrows, or do I keep the edge and also try to put some rounding there?

 

For the butt, same set of questions:
 

 

Incidentally, I am already faced with cracking on the butt (where did your mind just go? ) because it arrived as such. Honestly, not terribly amused by this.

 

For the top part of the butt, I’m just going to take off the small edge that is curled out, and NOT the return edge (same for bottom edge of kidney):

 

And I’m leaving the top of the kidney with a return edge:

 

Sound OK?
 

I would for sure trim at the red line you've created. trimming that edge off will for one, stop the cracking on your butt plate and two reduce armor bite.

I have bruises on the inside of my thigh from armor bite at the codpiece.

Edited April 20 by dblcross

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

3 hours ago, dblcross said:

I would for sure trim at the red line you've created. trimming that edge off will for one, stop the cracking on your butt plate and two reduce armor bite.

I have bruises on the inside of my thigh from armor bite at the codpiece.

Thanks, Terry!

 

Would you also suggest rounding those inside corners somehow, as Joseph suggested? I'm not totally sure how to do that without removing some more material at those points.

 

https://imgur.com/wbt1GTb

 

Edited April 20 by CloseTheBlastDoor

[dblcross[TK]]

11 hours ago, CloseTheBlastDoor said:

Would you also suggest rounding those inside corners somehow, as Joseph suggested? I'm not totally sure how to do that without removing some more material at those points.

Rounding your corners will help with stability. Hard 90-degree corners tend to crack.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Also don't cut into corners, best to drill then cut, the round hole should prevent splitting 

 

 

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

I’ve been going back and forth between trimming the torso pieces as advised, and getting strapping together. I forgot to order more snaps since I’m using the double-snap method, and I’ve run out of 1” nylon too making the snap bases. I made a crude jig with leftover thermal detonator material to get the hole pairs somewhat consistent, and I burned the holes with an old soldering iron:

Positioning for the snap bases:

 

Positioning for any strapping:

 

After a lot of burnt nylon smoke:

 

Snap setting, most of them were straight:

 

 

I glued in a few snap bases on the chest and back plate to start. That’s about as far as I got.

 

For the kidney plate, looking downward on the top right side, there is this pucker from the pull:

 

Looking at the same side, there is also some lumpiness (photo doesn't do it too much justice):

 

I’m hoping that it won’t show too prominently. I know that I should trim at the red dashed line below, not the blue line or anywhere close, because I'd be digging into the gap between the kidney and ab plates. I'm a somewhat slim trooper.

 

But seems like I need to remove a little bit more than the red line so it’s nice and clean. I see in the CRL that the presence of the notch is optional, but if it’s there, it should be 22mm high. There is no requirement for the horizontal dimension, though. Maybe I’m just overthinking all this.

 

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

12 hours ago, CloseTheBlastDoor said:

But seems like I need to remove a little bit more than the red line so it’s nice and clean. I see in the CRL that the presence of the notch is optional, but if it’s there, it should be 22mm high. There is no requirement for the horizontal dimension, though. Maybe I’m just overthinking all this.

 

If I may, you could trim the red line first and if necessary, make another trim later on. Try to let a little return edge in the notch as shown bellow

 

 

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

6 hours ago, TKSpartan said:

 

If I may, you could trim the red line first and if necessary, make another trim later on. Try to let a little return edge in the notch as shown bellow

I agree that conservative trimming would be the best approach, thanks! I will keep that return edge on the notch, too.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Easier to trim a little more off than try to add it back  

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

I took the smallest amount off the sides of the butt plate and was careful to round into the inside corner of the notch. I think it looks pretty good!
 

 

I’ll probably end up hitting it again later with a file or other fine tool.

I also got a few of the snap plates in, and added a few straps.

 

It feels good to see this all coming together!

 

A few snaps, I found very difficult to get in. But it might be because the posts inside the snaps are not all the way down, and are bumping into each other when attempting to push male and female pieces together. With the hand pain I’m having these days, this might become an issue.

 

I’ve not set snaps before, and I’m using this crimp-like tool to do it (no hammer).

 

 

This tool looked great, but it does not perform too well. It has these tiny magnets that are set inside the die, but are not glued in. When I was pressing one of the snaps, there was a big spark! It turned out that one of the tiny magnets had come out and wedged itself between the tool and the underside of the die, and completely shattered! That was thrilling.

 

Starting tomorrow, I’ll be on vacation for a few weeks, meaning no progress on this, but maybe my hands will recover. See ya soon!
 

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

This is my trick for stubborn snap posts

 

A block of wood with sandpaper wrapped around can help when sanding parts to get straight lines/cuts.

 

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

Oh shoot, I saw that post before and totally forgot about it!

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

Back from vacation, and back to the suit! I got pretty heavily into getting snaps and strapping restarted. I had quite a few setbacks because of the aforementioned snap setting tool, which is now keeping company with the other items in my trash bin. I instead went back to basics and got the Tandy snap setting tool. Using Glen’s screwdriver trick, and some rotation of the tool to strike the post at different angles initially, and some patience got me to a much higher success rate.

 

I got the elastic strapping done for the arms:

Kidney to butt plate are also secured:

 

Overall, it’s coming together, which is exciting! :

Now I’m on the rivets on the left side of the torso. I’ve gone ahead and drilled the holes, and I know how to set the rivets. Just checking here though: I’ve seen one approach where the rivets hold nylon strapping across the front to back, and another where the rivets are more cosmetic, and there are additional snaps/straps to make the connection. Which should I do?

Method A - Fixed nylon strapping:

 

Method B - snaps 5/6/7 in Billhag diagram:

One other thing I noticed is that the kidney plate in the WTF kit is not flat at the edge that mates to the ab plate:

 

 

Would gluing a flat backing plate to the kidney be advisable?
 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

4 hours ago, CloseTheBlastDoor said:

Back from vacation, and back to the suit! I got pretty heavily into getting snaps and strapping restarted. I had quite a few setbacks because of the aforementioned snap setting tool, which is now keeping company with the other items in my trash bin. I instead went back to basics and got the Tandy snap setting tool. Using Glen’s screwdriver trick, and some rotation of the tool to strike the post at different angles initially, and some patience got me to a much higher success rate.

 

I got the elastic strapping done for the arms:

Kidney to butt plate are also secured:

 

Overall, it’s coming together, which is exciting! :

Now I’m on the rivets on the left side of the torso. I’ve gone ahead and drilled the holes, and I know how to set the rivets. Just checking here though: I’ve seen one approach where the rivets hold nylon strapping across the front to back, and another where the rivets are more cosmetic, and there are additional snaps/straps to make the connection. Which should I do?

Method A - Fixed nylon strapping:

 

One other thing I noticed is that the kidney plate in the WTF kit is not flat at the edge that mates to the ab plate:

 

 

Would gluing a flat backing plate to the kidney be advisable?
 

It's just the armor you wont get rid of that bend withought heating and that takes practice.

 

I add elastic and ABS strips behind my rivets, strips keep the elastic flat, add a little glue to around the post before opening rivets. Double over the elastic also for a tighter fit

 

I used snaps on one set of armor, it was more for packing and flying, worked ok but can come loose when opening closing.

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

Thanks, Glen!

 

Should I attempt to heat re-form the kidney plate, or do you think it will be approvable to leave it as it is?

 

Sounds like you recommend Method A' - Fixed nylon elastic strapping. Just to clarify, is this is what you're saying?

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

4 hours ago, CloseTheBlastDoor said:

Thanks, Glen!

 

Should I attempt to heat re-form the kidney plate, or do you think it will be approvable to leave it as it is?

 

Sounds like you recommend Method A' - Fixed nylon elastic strapping. Just to clarify, is this is what you're saying?

 

I would not attempt heating armor without a lot of practice on other plastic, you can go from pliable to molten mess in the blink of an eye, you should be fine with approval, your belt will help to hold in and also cover some of the area.

 

Like your picture but glue between the elastic and ABS strip, try to use a soldering iron to make the holes in the elastic as it leaves a nice edge around the post and prevents pulling, OR if no soldering iron heat a screwdriver or similar tool on the stove, it will pay in the long run.

 

Also if you make the distance between the holes 5mm shorter than is needed it will give a bit of tension once worm.