Snaps and Straps Conversion

[CantBeatPie]

I just finished converting my TK from all Velcro to snaps and straps. Man what a difference! It fits like a glove now and doesn't crunch when I walk around. What amazed me most is that snaps and straps is cheaper than Velcro (The industrial strength anyway). Doing all that cementing is a little spooky but I figured out the sweet spot for clamping at about 30 minutes so as not to warp the shiny side plus I put soft cloths between the clamps and the shiny side of the armor before tightening. I used 24 gauge Tandy leather snaps that I got at Michaels and 1" black elastic straps that you can get cheap by the yard at Jo-Ann Fabric. I made 1.25" ABS squares (sometimes I used long thin ones and only clamped the two sides but most were square). I put slight bends into the plastic ahead of time so that when I clamped the corners all made good contact with the armor. I triple folded my straps everywhere I added a snap and the fold is barely wider than the snap. I usually shortened the straps by about 10-20% of the distance they needed to cover since they'll comfortably stretch about 80% longer than when no force is applied.

 

I can't believe how much better everything fits and put-on time is about 4x faster now too. Anyone who is thinking of building a TK or other armored costume, I highly recommend you consider going snaps first. I'm sure all the veterans are reading this post saying "duh" right now. But I wanted to share my positive experience with everyone!

[Dargas[501st]]

Cool! thanks for sharing!! wanna post a few pics of how you placed them? pics are always welcome in here!

[troopermaster]

At last! Someone agrees with me

 

I keep trying to persued people to use elastic everywhere on their armour but still, they insist on using either leather, canvas or webbing for straps....crazy Elastic gives you much more freedom of movement compared to any other material which has no give. Non elastic straps make the armour feel rigid and can pop the snaps off if your not carefull.

 

When gluing the tabs inside armour, I find a nice blob of E6000 does the trick. Make sure you don't put any adhesive on the metal snap or will melt through your armour, so just put it on the ends of your ABS tabs. Any kind of tape will keep the tabs in place while the adhesive dries, so no need to use strong clamps which can also mark your armour.

[Dmian]

Paul, original ANH armors used all elastic, right?

[synaptyx]

I'm slowly moving to all elastic and snaps. This past weekend has seen some vital velcro's adhesive melt with the heat and sweat, so that's got to go.

[troopermaster]

Paul, original ANH armors used all elastic, right?

 

Right

[CantBeatPie]

 

This is the stuff I used. I don't know about you guys but I go up and down in weight all the time and the elastic keeps the suit fitting snugly.

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You can buy it by the yard for like .79c or in bulk.

 

 

This awesome drawing shows how I wrapped the ends before putting the snaps through. At the point where I was to push the snap post through I'd briefly fold it in half then use nippers to cut a tiny hole in the elastic before pushing the post through. With one layer it would pop right off but with three it seems pretty secure. I'm sure I'll decide later there is a better way and redo the whole thing. Because that's what we all do ;-)

Edited December 5, 2020 by gmrhodes13
link not working, removed gmrhodes13 2020

[CantBeatPie]

Right

 

I had no idea! Cool, we all get closer to movie accurate AND a better fit!

[Plastic Fury[TK]]

At last! Someone agrees with me

 

I keep trying to persued people to use elastic everywhere on their armour but still, they insist on using either leather, canvas or webbing for straps....crazy Elastic gives you much more freedom of movement compared to any other material which has no give. Non elastic straps make the armour feel rigid and can pop the snaps off if your not carefull.

 

When gluing the tabs inside armour, I find a nice blob of E6000 does the trick. Make sure you don't put any adhesive on the metal snap or will melt through your armour, so just put it on the ends of your ABS tabs. Any kind of tape will keep the tabs in place while the adhesive dries, so no need to use strong clamps which can also mark your armour.

 

I totally agree with you, I used nothing but snaps and elastic for my trooper, works great. I have a lot of good mobility because the armor has some give and just goes back into place when you are done moving. I also glued my tabs up the same way but I used abs glue (that my TD is NOT going to be seeing) and it worked great but you have to be so careful. I made mistakes on both my thighs that are visible (and drive me nuts) but I chock it up to learning. Those thighs will be transferred to my TD build and scuffed/weathered anyway, so they will not be seen.

 

I have ordered some E6000 for the next one and will use your tape idea instead of the clamps this time maybe.

[TK6294]

I bought my first set of armor used. There were snaps but they never stayed connected. Some were canvas and some were elastic. I am starting a TX soon and would like to do snaps with elastic. Is there a type of snap I should get that hold better? Would Two snaps be better than one?

[bluehickey]

TK6294 said:

I bought my first set of armor used. There were snaps but they never stayed connected. Some were canvas and some were elastic. I am starting a TX soon and would like to do snaps with elastic. Is there a type of snap I should get that hold better? Would Two snaps be better than one?

 

This is what I got and they worked wonderfully - very strong:

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Edited December 5, 2020 by gmrhodes13
link not working, removed gmrhodes13 2020

[CantBeatPie]

bluehickey said:

This is what I got and they worked wonderfully - very strong:

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Me too! I used 24 Gauge Tandy snaps. They come with a flaring tool & die in each pack which you can use to connect them or I think they make tools that do it too. Just be careful when hammering down as you can get off center and have this horrible off-center smashed up button-thing that has to be replaced! I chalk it up to learning. I got mine at Michaels. They had 24 and 20 gauge I think but the 24 guage are probably the best size. Michaels seem to be all over the US and Canada and of course you can order them online too if you're patience-which I'm not!

 

I've seen/heard of people using two snaps but I haven't seen the need personally. Maybe they had cheesy snaps. The 24 gauge Tandy's are very heavy-duty.

[JSmails[501st]]

I am going to snaps and elastic instead of velcro in the next few days. I have to get it fitting and sweet for Halloween.

 

The Tandy snaps and tool. Is that available as a kit or something at Jo-Ann? I have tried Michaels with no luck. Wal-mart has some sort of snap tool and snaps, but not as a kit. At least not in heavy-duty snap-kit form. Is Jo-Ann's the place to get that?

 

ABS squares. Where do I buy a sheet of ABS for this or is there a better way? I had thought putting the snaps through some thick elastic then E-6000-ing the elastic to the suit would be a way to go. Is a "For Sale" plastic sign at Wal-mart good enough to just cut out squares?

 

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

I picked up a tube of E-6000 at Wal-Mart today. It has a nice tip on it it looks like. My tube from Michaels has a big hole on the end and is a pain to work with. I hope the smaller tip is better.

 

If anyone needs E-6000, it is in the craft section at Wal-Mart, over a couple aisles from the fabrics. There is a small "Glue" section and the E-6000 is hanging on one of the high bars if anyone is interested.

 

I will have to take a look at some tutorials, but since CBP just got done doing this, a fresh insight is quite helpful.

 

Thanks.