Tee-Bowls

So last night I was able to do a little work, not as much as I would've liked but I had to finish grading papers and writing a test. I was able to get some accomplished so that's the important part! So the bad(ish) news first. I did have some pieces that had paint issues. The 'ish' part of the news is I was able to sand and scrape the old paint off so It's not terrible. Old paint scraped off and sanded. The problem areas resprayed with primer. Hopefully everything will fill in correctly and look smooth. The good news finally! All of the other pieces came out great! I didn't really take a lot of pictures of these pieces yet but I will. I was excited about the helmet! Here is my helmet! I was so excited I had to snap a picture before I was even able to put the ears on. Here are the attached ears. I also tried to glue my mic tip mesh. I'll probably have more to post tonight when I get home and get to work. If anything doesn't look right so far let me know! Thanks again for checking out my thread!

Thank you! I try and take a picture for every step I take. Not only does it help me remember where I messed up, but it might help somebody else someday. I'm trying to live by the motto of this forum "Troopers helping Troopers".

So last night after some light sanding with 600 grit sandpaper and cleaning of my pieces I decided it was time to make everything white and glossy! For the most part everything came out great! However there were still some spots that "wrinkled/cracked" with the paint. One of the TD end caps. One of the shoulder straps. A little on the belt. Hopefully once everything is pretty dry I'll be able to sand it off and repaint. This whole spray painting for the correct glossiness has been super stressful. Luckily one of the major sections that set me back looks like its going to dry and look great! The face plate The cap/back I'll be adding detail work very soon and maybe have my first 100% finished piece!

So I made some major progress this month but due to circumstances such as illness I was unable to make my Halloween goal. I'm aiming for finishing sometime in November. So back to my test paints, everything worked out much better than before. One change I'll be making for my actual armor is including some time for sanding/cleaning of the primed pieces. I spaced on it during the test process and I feel my pieces would've come out even better. Here's an example of how it came out on the Right shin. The Plastidip came out great on the inside of the helmet. So moving on to the major update of items. It was Cover strip making time! Then came sanding/rounding off the cover strips. The Right Forearm ready for gluing. The Left Forearm ready for gluing. Both Shins. The Biceps Then it was time for gluing! The Glued Biceps The Glued Forearms The Glued Shins Then it was time to work on the Thighs! What was trimmed of for my short legs. The thigh cover strips. The sanded/rounded cover strips plus the bicep hooks. Then it came time to start of the kidney and ab plate shims. I'm still working on the shims so I'll post pictures when I'm happier with them. This was just the inner support pieces. The glued thighs. Not a huge fan of the thighs and how thick a lot of my cover strips are so instead I'm going to be trying what HansDC did with his thigh fix on a majority of my pieces. It'll make it easier to fit my body into the different armor parts if I'm not stressing so much about the size of the cover strips plus I can hopefully get Centurion that way. Fast forward to last Saturday I figured while I'm prepping to deconstruct and rebuild some parts I could start painting some of my other pieces and setting up locations for snaps/rivets/strapping. Here's where I drilled the holes for the posterior armor snaps. All the pieces set out ready to primed. Right after everything was primed. Sunday morning after everything had dried. The plan for tonight is to re-sand these pieces so they'll be ready for the final coat tonight or tomorrow. There's plenty of work left to do but I feel this is the closest I've even been to finishing! If you notice anything that I can try to change or fix please don't hesitate to let me know! Yes my cover strips are super thick and i plan on changing them. The shims are not finished yet so please don't think they are. Other than that I'll get back to building!

A major update for tonight! Over the month of September I realized I didn't like the bend of the belt so I tried to add snap to fix the problem. It didn't really change anything so I'm not going fight with it. I did make my first set of snaps. I also sanded down and shaped my posterior armor. I painted my mic tips black as well. Now onto the start of my October updates. I sanded down the inside parts of my helmet so I could Prime and plasti-dip the inside. I also taped everything up. I also figured now was a good time to start priming/painting the old drop boxes to see how the process reacts with already painted pieces as well as painting the old shins to see how the process works. The Primer. Everything Primed last night. The added Plasti-dip and the final layer of paint on the test objects that were sprayed tonight! If this process works out I'll know what to do with my paint and try to get caught up on my building so I can try to make my end of the month goal!

Time for a major update! First off I found the solution to my forearm problem. I decided to trim the inner forearm instead of the outer and the fit is much better than anything I've ever had. So I had this potential set up for the belt. I figured the extra spacing would secure the belt and stop any potential wiggling. So after designing the set up It was time to sand down all the pieces for the belt. Everything set up for sanding. The sanded TD pieces. The sanded and rounded belt spacers. The left drop box. The right drop box. The left inner forearm. The left outer forearm. (The lines were from the previous trimming plan. They have since been erased.) The right inner forearm. The right outer forearm. (The lines were from the previous trimming plan. They have since been erased.) I then decided it was time to readjust the helmet. After a bit of trial and error I finally got it to a point I like. The new right side of the helmet looking at it. The new left side of the helmet looking at it. So now it was time to start the ears! Slightly finished ears that need to be sanded. Fitting of the ears pre-sanding, After liking how everything looked it was time to drill the inner holes for the EAS. Then it was the ears turn to have the discs section sanded. Fitting the sanded ears and added the Mic tips. After having everything sanded down it was time to start finishing the belt. Punching holes for the belt. Trying the screw with the spacer attached. Gluing down the post part of the screw attachment. All the holes punched. The front of the attached belt. The back of the belt. After all that work I realized I didn't need the spacers I built. Next up was attaching the holster. I found a lovely graphic that had all the measurements on it to make sure it's in the right spot. How it hangs from the belt. Of course I couldn't wait to put my E-11 in the holster to see how it looked! Phew! That was suppose to be a few smaller updates but I was in a work zone and I kept going. If there's anything that needs to be fixed or I didn't add the right angles, photos, or anything like that let me know and I'll post them when I can. Up next is heat molding the belt and drop boxes!

So I have a trimming question. My forearms are long for me and restrict some movement so I trimmed the outside down to the notches and it still seems a bit long. I recall reading somewhere that the forearms need 11 of the dimples to be approved at a basic level. Is this still the case? I don't see anything about it on the current CRL's but I'd hate to mess up (again). Here are my proposed lines (Rough lines that will be straightened out). I'm not cutting any yet. I've got other pieces I can move onto. Thanks everyone for all the support and help!

So after having to replace the water main and an AC unit i was finally able to get some work done! I was determined to get some pieces trimmed and sanded and while the shins were ready to sand I wanted a few more pieces. Up first for a trim was the right bicep. I trimmed all the edges down 1 CM to help with how the pieces fit on me. Up next was the left bicep and the pieces were also trimmed down 1 CM. I then took both sets of biceps and shins out to the garage to get sanded and cleaned up. The sanded biceps. The sanded shins. The left shin. The right shin. A few examples of the cleaned up edges. I plan on starting the forearms today.

Well it's time for another update before I get to work again tonight. I'm still having issues with the helmet. I trimmed the excess off the bottom of the helmets and ended up with weird gaps between the bottom of the face plate and the cap/back. Right side of the helmet Front view Weird gap between the forehead section. The gap from below. I also started working on sizing my shins. Luckily I had my old shins which fit good length wise to measure from. Measured out the inner and outer for both legs. I also decided to line up the shoulder straps to where they need to be sanded down. The cut inner and outer left shin. The cut inner and outer right shin. Finally set up a space in the garage for the sander until I can finish organizing everything. This sander....Just wow! I should've invested in one a long time ago! My shoulder straps look so much cleaner now and it was much easier than trying to hand sand or cut plus this specifc sander is really quiet. I couldn't heqr it running from the outside of my garage. Here are the sanded shoulder straps. I forgot to grab more pics at the time. If need be i can always take more. I decided to try out the knee plate with it's weird shapes. It looks so much better! I'm going to continue working on the helmet and hope to get more use out of the sander.

Well I finally decided to invest in a belt sander! I went down to Harbor Freight tonight and picked up this beauty for around $55! Along with the only sanding belts they have. I'm not sure about these grits and how they will react to the HIPS. If anybody uses a different grit let me know. So the past few days I worked on trimming the remaining parts. First things first the parts were all cleaned up before I did anything. Trimmed off the return edges off of the left shin. Trimmed the return edges off of the right shin. Trimmed the edges of off the shoulder bells. Now the shins, biceps, and forearms are all going to be cut down to fit and hopefully sanded with my new belt sander. If anybody has any tips on how to use it best for armor let me know.

Hey Daniel. I'm currently working on a set of CAP armor. It should be able to be approved. If I can help don't hesitate to ask!

So Saturday night I was able to get some more work done. Trimmed the return edges of the inner and outer right forearm. Trimmed the return edges off of the left bicep as well. Trimmed return edges off of the right bicep. Now that the biceps and forearms have been roughly trimmed it's time to size them and get started on making cover strips. I haven't made any progress on the helmet yet for fear of messing it up so if anybody has any ideas as to what went wrong/hoe to fix it let me know. I'll be working on the shoulder bells and possibly the shins soon.

Yeah Mike, the heat gun is a last resort, so I'm holding off on the helmet right now until I figure out whats going on. I started trimming the left arm last night. I'll be cutting it down since I have shorter arms. Removal of the return edges on the outer left forearm. Removal of the return edges on the inner left forearm. School is officially out today! Woo no more work until next week when I have a conference to go too. I hope to really finish some pieces this month so I can be ready in time for some summer troops!

After staring at the brow for a few days I decided to re-drill the holes on the left side of the face plate to see if I could get it to line up better and I think it looks even. However the underside where the ears are suppose to attach is completely messed up. The Right side. The Left side. I'm now wondering if I trimmed off too much or not enough. Maybe it's the screw placement? I'll trying and figure it out. On a good note the brow trim looks much better now. I have a heat gun maybe I'll trim/sand then flatten everything out to make it match underneath. That'll be a last resort though. Hopefully it's a simple fix and i'm just overthinking it.

Today I was able to work a bit on the eyes. Up first was tracing out the mold lines. One eye done. Second eye done. My Cap/Back was already trimmed when I received it. With it already trimmed I figured attaching the two helmet parts would be easy. I added the brow trim for a test fit and something seems off to me. I think I might have either drilled the holes for the screws in the wrong place or my trimmed Cap isn't trimmed all the way. I'll keep trying to adjust it. maybe there isn't anything wrong at all and I'm worrying over nothing.

Last night I decided it was time to face my fears and get started on the helmet! Now that I've already done a partial helmet build I have more confidence in my cuts. My initial lines before I had the artist of the family (the GF) re draw them. The redrawn lines. After the trim. As of right now the outside edges of the face plate still need to be cleaned up a bit but I don't want to sand/trim too much off yet. So my next step was to get started on the teeth in the frown. I drew out my cuts. Started cutting out the front of the teeth. Up next was trimming the back of the teeth. The left side facing the face plate. The right side facing the face plate. The finished teeth. Up next are the eyes! This is going a lot quicker since I have a good idea of whats going to happen.

So with the school year winding down I'll be able to get back to work on a regular basis. Last night was pretty much spent on prep work. Cleaning all the new pieces (except the shins). I used Acetone diluted with water because the fumes give me a massive headache. I first cleaned up my helmet parts. Then moved on to the biceps. Finally the forearms. I hope to get started again soon! I have a Hard deadline of Halloween 2016 and a soft deadline of end of June/Start of July.

In High School I was really into Ceramics. I was the Vice president of an Open Ceramic Studio Club and my nickname is usually Tito. I had to make over 100 bowls on the pottery wheel for a fundraiser and i did it within two days. My president and everybody else in the group thought that was awesome and Tito turned into Tee-Bowls. I've stuck with it for that last few years.

Yesterday was Big Brown Box Day part 2! After my painting mishap (and the failures of trying to clean everything up) I decided to just start over on some armor parts! This beautiful box was delivered right as I got home what luck! Scootch is an amazing guy who put up with my constant messages and question! Finally all of my new pieces! New face plate, cap/back, both biceps, both forearms, both shins/knee plate, shoulder bells, and new drop boxes. Plus plastic to make cover strips. I was extremely busy last night finishing over grades for progress reports so I was only able to start one drop box and slightly trimming the knee plate. Everything seems much less daunting now that I've already gone through it once. The only issue with a majority of my previous parts occurred during the paint stage so I should be able to bust out some finished pieces soon!

Well I couldn't help myself after getting my amazing DLT-19 I just had to get a new E-11! Last night was BBD and I again was too excited and opened the box before I took the pictures. The D-Ring. The barrel/muzzle. It fits great in my holster! A great collage. Both of my Hyperfirms, the DLT-19 and the E-11. I also ordered replacement armor parts that should be arriving soon! Things are starting to get accomplished again!

I just purchased an Elite E-11 after having a B Grade DLT-19. When I get it I'll send you some pictures and my thought on it if it helps.

So work has been pretty hectic these last few weeks. Trying to prepare my students for their end of the year/standardized tests which start this week. Luckily last night I was able to finally touch my armor if only for a short time. I made some rough outlines to where I need to trim the shoulder straps. A closer look at some of the projected lines. I can't decide if it would be better to cut from the front in or from behind out. I also gave up on trying to sand off the old paint and decided to buy replacement parts. I caused too much damage to the face plate and figured I might as well replace all of my messed up parts. While I wait for my order to go through I'll focus on some detail work and stuff that needs to be finished soon or later. I know this isn't the thread for it but I'd rather not start a whole new topic for it, but where does the wire on the DLT-19 go? I know it's somewhere but I can't see it on any of the reference pictures. Hope to get some more work done tonight.

Well last night a big brown box came in! I was too excited to get any work done but I did take some pictures! My first Hyperfirm! It was a birthday present to myself and I'm glad i got it! I can't believe how light it is! It's a little long but that's probably because I'm pretty short. I paid extra for the charging handle and I think its worth it. Now to clean it up a bit and add the wires and I'll have a great looking piece to add to my collection. I think my next investment will probably be a Hyperfirm E-11 so i can keep my Phoenix Props as a display piece. Hopefully I can get some more progress done on the belt tonight.

I totally spaced on probably one of the easiest fixes out there. I've been focusing so hard on making it work I overlooked a simple solution. Thanks Jason! I'll go ahead and start lining up/attaching everything when I get home.

Well I went to Lowes yesterday and picked up a few of these babies. I figured I can place the screw posts on the inside of the rivet covers and then run the screw from the back of the belt in. I feel like that way I can get everything secured tight. The screw post is quite a bit smaller than the rivet cover indent so I'm going to have to make sure everything is centered properly before i even attempt to make my holes through the canvas belt. A top down view of what I'm planning to do. Of course I need to center everything and line it all up on the belt. I do worry that the screw/screw posts are too long and will cause the screw to scratch my ab plate when i try to wear the belt. It's one of the main reasons I haven't excluded the idea of using snaps. As a side view on the thickness of the belt along the armor with the screw in the correct indent. I have plenty of snaps and I have the correct amount of screws if I decide to go one way or the other with this.