Tools needed.

[Tech151[TK]]

So I'm getting ready to order my first TK kit and was wondering if there was a list of commonly used tools (glue gun, rivet gun, etc.) that someone could provide. and i guess by tools i also mean things that are required to assemble the armor whether is adhesive such as that E6000 (i think) or rivets. Thanks for the help guys. Look forward to being up and trooping by C V!!!!

[DarkTrooper[TK]]

TOOLS AND SUPPLIES NEEDED:

 

Snap Pliers.

Box Cutter.

Striaght edge.

Pliers.

Clamps.

Scissors.

Lighter.

Painter's Tape.

150 & 400 grit Sandpaper.

6 tubes of Plastic Welder

Super Glue Gel.

1 can of Rustoleum Plastic Primer.

4 cans of Rustoleum Pro Enamel Gloss White.

1/3rd Yard of 1" WHITE Nylon.

1 Yard of 1" BLACK Nylon.

2/3rds Yard of 2" BLACK Nylon.

1 Yard of 2" BLACK Elastic.

2/3rds Yard of 3/4" BLACK Elastic.

4' pack of Industrial Velcro you can find.

5 packs of Dritz Heavy Duty Snaps/ 35 Snaps(They come in packs of 7)

Spare Styrene/ ABS/ Large For Sale sign.

1/8" x 3mm Aluminum Rivets.

 

I got this from TK4488's build. Check out the build & assembly section of this forum, there are other builds and "tool" lists there as well as builds.

 

Hope this helps.

[Tech151[TK]]

Any idea how much this would all cost? I'm trying to figure out how much money i need to acquire to be purchase and build all this at one time. I just bought my under armor and am ordering my boots and gloves this weekend. Slowly moving along.

[SuperTrooper]

That list is through, but some of it will depend on what type of plastic your kit is made of.

[Tech151[TK]]

How so?

[DarkTrooper[TK]]

build all this at one time.

 

Wow. If you got the TIME go for it. I've had my ATA (thanks again Terrell )since the week before Halloween and I'm still working on it. Ballpark estimate (armor & tools/materials) I've spent close to $700+. Add an extra $200 for a hyperfirm blaster. Not a cheap hobby . . . but well worth it.

 

If the armor is made of ABS you don't have to paint it, just polish it, but if its HIPS you do.

[Tech151[TK]]

Well right now im looking into getting TE2 so that's HIPS i guess, yeah im aware it's expensive.... been working on getting the money for this since at least 2007 and with C V coming up, its time to buckle down. However im still not settled on the TE2. Only thing that worries me is that i'm on the tall and slender side of things so i hope that doesnt pose a problem with the TE2.

[GosHawk[501st]]

Had this list on my phone. Taken from a site I found awile back.

 

 

Supplies You will need to Modify Your StarWars Movie Prop/ Suit

 

1) Industrial Strenth Velcro (White) - (Lowes & HD) 

 

2) Devcon Plastic Welder (Several tubes) - (Wal-Mart)

 

3) Cargo Loc 12' Lashing straps #84045 Black - (Wal-Mart) Only one box.

 

6) Sandpaper (Med) - (Wal-Mart, Lowes & HD)

 

7)600 grit wet 'n' dry, then some 1200 and 2000

 

8) e6000 glue

 

9) Blue 1" Painters Masking Tape - (Wal-Mart, HD & lowes)

 

10) Black/white elastic 2" to 3" - (I used a Suspenders and cut it up. Used on the Ab & back plate) (Wal-Mart)

Note: you can also use them to hold up your Ab plate & back plate and use more elastic on the sides to hold it together.

 

11) 15mm Heavy Duty Snaps or Tandy snaps line 24 black.

Vario pliers or setter and anvil

 

12) Black window screen - (Wal-Mart, Lowes & HD)

 

13) Hot Glue Gun & glue sticks - (Wal-Mart)

 

14) Fans for the helmet - Radio Shack

12VDC Micro Fan -

Model: 273-240  |  Catalog #: 273-240

 

15) 9V Battery holders for the helmet - Radio Shack

Model: 270-326  |  Catalog #: 270-326

 

16) On/Off switch for the Fans in the Helmet - Radio Shack Model: 275-617  |  Catalog #: 275-617

 

17) 9in wide canvas, fold it over 3 times and sew it together 

 

18) Lexicon scissors: straight and curved

 

hope this helps a bit also.

[Tech151[TK]]

a) Lexicon scissors where can I find those?

 

I looked up the Cargo Loc lashing straps and couldnt find anything on Walmart.com do you think you could provide an image or link?

 

c) e6000 about how many ounces will i need I noticed Michaels had some the other day but i think their biggest tube was 3.7 oz. Is that enough or will i need more?

 

Great list(s). Product numbers and locations are top notch thanks a lot. I'm going to form my shopping list and start scouting out this weekend. to get some idea of how much this will all cost. Glad to see I don't need any heavy machinery

 

Thanks for all the help and quick replies.

[SuperTrooper]

You will need a couple tubes of E-6000 or whatever glue you choose. Also you need to become familiar with your local craft store like JoAnn's for some of the straps and snaps on the list.

[GosHawk[501st]]

Sorry I gave ya the horribly wrong spelling of the scissors. They are called Dynamite Lexan Scissors (curved/straight) I found them at a local hobbie shop. But they are easily found through google.

 

I never actually bought the cargo loc stuff. This was just a list I copied from a site as a guideline. But now that I look at them they do look like they would make a pretty good harness heh :

http://tiedownstraps.org/uncategorized/all...e-downs-2-pack/

 

Get atleast two tubes of the e6000 glue.

 

Snaps can be bought directly from Tandy leather : http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/

 

http://www.tonybarnett.plus.com/tutorial.html : this one of the many sites that helped me out with my armor build.

[TK bondservnt[501st]]

Well right now im looking into getting TE2 so that's HIPS i guess, yeah im aware it's expensive.... been working on getting the money for this since at least 2007 and with C V coming up, its time to buckle down. However im still not settled on the TE2. Only thing that worries me is that i'm on the tall and slender side of things so i hope that doesnt pose a problem with the TE2.

 

Be careful where you get TE 2 from, the seller needs to be respectable. my advice to you brother is to GO ATA.

 

there are lot's of people on this board who have purchased TE2 and never gotten their armor@!

 

alex, you should call me on the phone, since we're in the same town, I can help you with tools, assembly help.

 

I have all the tools and supplies you'd need.

 

paint, glue, assembly help.

 

I already have the correct paints for the blaster, and AB buttons, as well as material for making your lenses

into a one way mirror. all of this can be given to you.

 

all the parts and supplies you need can be found locally, and I probably could give you some glue, I purchased 5 tubes of E6000 for my

build. I have extra gloves, parts for making a neckseal, the list goes on, and on and on.

 

and since we're trooping together in the same garrison, ect, it only makes sense to get over here and check out

this fun process!

 

you have less than 200 days until celebration V in florida... that's not much time! but we could do it!

 

cutting out armor is simple, you score it with a razor knife and then snap the cut by hand.

sanding the cut is quick and easy with 60 grit dry. the key is making your cuts firm and smooth.

if you do it firmly enough you don't need scissors and the cuts come out curved and smooth.

 

making your own inner strips and clamping them on makes for a strong bond.

I even lined the inside with white tape for a little extra strength along the seams.

 

I even have the rivet gun for the AB plate, knee power cell and other parts.

 

vern

[ThayNerd[TK]]

Just for clarification it's T*E that has a problem getting people their armor in a timely manner. TE2 on the other hand is a very reputable armor maker, I should know since I have two of his helmets and never had a problem getting my items. I'm pretty sure anyone else who has dealt with TE2 can agree he is a stand up guy.

[TK bondservnt[501st]]

Just for clarification it's T*E that has a problem getting people their armor in a timely manner. TE2 on the other hand is a very reputable armor maker, I should know since I have two of his helmets and never had a problem getting my items. I'm pretty sure anyone else who has dealt with TE2 can agree he is a stand up guy.

 

thanks for the clarification there Boss!

 

here's a relevant quote from another post:

 

(trooper18938 @ Aug 11 2009, 03:15 PM) *

Looks good, Joe. I was under the understanding that TE's new "ROTJ" lids were actually copies of a "TOUR" helmet.....therefore a recast of a recast so to speak... could TE shed any light on this?

 

so if TE sold his work to TE 2 doesn't this apply to the TE 2 type as well?

[firebladejedi[TK]]

You could have a whole workshop full of tools but realistically you only need a hand full of items to complete your armour.

 

I built my TM stormtrooper armour using only a few things..

 

Pencil, curved plastic trimming scissors, metal ruler, blue masking tape, craft knife, small clamps and a drill. Also you will need glue and snaps to strap the armour..

 

[TK bondservnt[501st]]

the only thing I'd add to that is some screw C clamps to keep parts locked together while glueing

 

the clamps pictured above are exactly the kind I have, and they do shift a little but work

 

fine on the larger parts.

 

the ruler helps a lot if you clamp that to parts of armor and use that to cut against.

 

having a straight edge clamped to a table really helped to cut the finishing strips.

 

I clamped sheetmetal / plastic armor / ruler to the kitchen table and cut with

 

razor knife.

 

most of the sanding can be done by hand or using a table as a flat surface

with the sandpaper clamped to the table.

 

think shoulder bell sanding? or thigh part long edge sanding.

 

good post mark

 

I don't think I've used any hot glue.

[Tech151[TK]]

from what i understand hot glue and HIPS dont go so well. Is that correct? I read that the hot glue melted part of someones ATA kit... i think it was ATA.

[tkrestonva[TK]]

Personally I'd stay away from hot glue. I've found that it doesn't hold up very well as your body starts to heat up and sweat in the armor.

[Tech151[TK]]

Personally I'd stay away from hot glue. I've found that it doesn't hold up very well as your body starts to heat up and sweat in the armor.

 

Yeah makes sense. I was just going to use the E6000 for almost everything that needs to be glued.

[Hunter[501st]]

I was looking at the rivet guns. Whats a good brand to get? I saw Home Depot has one with a head that rotates 360 degrees. Is that any good for us?

 

Thanks,

Oscar

[tkrestonva[TK]]

I was looking at the rivet guns. Whats a good brand to get? I saw Home Depot has one with a head that rotates 360 degrees. Is that any good for us?

 

Thanks,

Oscar

 

You can borrow mine.

 

Send me a PM here or on the Tyranus board & we'll make it happen.

[Chunk[501st]]

How's the build comming along? Got any pics? I got my FX kit right after C4. Just now getting to it. So far I've glued the theighs, calves,& biceps. I just need to glue the forearms tomorrow. So far I've used about 6 of the spring clamps in the the pic above,3 diffrent sizes tho. & some some 1" metal spring clamps. They work great for the ends. They are super strong & hold the tips tightly. I bought some deep clamps at Harbor Freight($5.99) to get to the middle of the larger pieces.( Theighs & Calves) I've been able to use one tube of E6000 glue I got at Walmart. I have pics of my build over in the Armor Build Threads...Check it out