Jump to content

TK 22686

Member
  • Posts

    126
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by TK 22686

  1. The thighs are snug...but comfortable.  The biceps are able to slide up and down freely (1 finger slides under the armor but not much else.  I don't have bicep hooks or them strapped to the shoulder bells...which is still something I could do.  It's just easier to add in some foam and let them sit comfortably and not have to worry about extra strapping...

     

    I'll probably go the Velcro route if I can and see if that works.  

  2. Hello all....I'm looking to install foam padding...more specifically this https://www.walmart.com/ip/Morning-Glory-Foam-Seat-Cushions-4-Pack-16-L-x-16-W-x-1-H/19397511 in to armor pieces, such as my biceps, thighs, and behind the sniper plate. 

     

    I'm wondering what the best way to adhere it to the armor is....Duct tape would leave a residue....hot glue could warp/melt the armor.  I made a set of mICH pads with this foam and an old t-shirt...and have those adhered into my helmet with industrial strength adhesive backed velcro.  I'm thinking this would work the same for the foam; however, I'm not sure how well the foam would adhere to the velcro. 

     

    Any ideas?

  3. Hello all...I want to order an Eastbay EVAPOR top....but I'm not sure how the sizing runs..

    ---------------

     

    I'm 6'0"....205lbs....42" chest and about a 35-36" waist.

     

    If I go by the sizing chart, I'm on the small side of an XL; however, I have an original Under Armor UA Heat Gear Compression Short Sleeve shirt that fits me very well in a Large.  

     

    Is the sizing comparable to Under Armor...would you recommend the large....or would you just do the XL?

  4. I was putting my Hyperfirm E-11 in and out of my holster to help work the holster and make it easier.  In the process of doing this, the charging handle on the E-11 disconneted from the E-11 itself.  It looks like it was a separate piece that was glued on.  

     

    The Anovos FB guys mentioned to take finishing nails, drill 2 holes in the charging handle, add a little bit of super glue, and re-affix it that way.

     

    Does anyone know which finishing nails to get?  Any pictures of the repair?  I've tried looking them up, but there are a lot of variations of them.  

  5. I don't have a direct answer to your question (I bought my Tandy snaps from Amazon), but I will point out that Tandy snaps are usually available for less on eBay (although be sure to choose a reliable seller!), and more importantly, those snaps go on sale several times per year for half price (Around $30 instead of the full $65 price). If you can wait, keep an eye out, and wait for the price to drop!

     

    This is where I bought my Line 24 snaps from.  They were in original Tandy packaging and have served me well.  

     

    https://www.stecksstore.com/line-24-nickel-snaps-100-pack-1263-12/

     

    You'll also want these....

     

    https://www.stecksstore.com/line-20-24-craftool-snap-rivet-anvil-8056-00/

    https://www.stecksstore.com/line-24-craftool-durable-dot-snap-setter-8058-00/

    https://www.stecksstore.com/polymer-head-stamping-mallet-medium-3301-03/

     

    When I'm setting into something like a single strip of nylon or the ABS, I'll put the male end together and trim off excess post with a dremel, so their isn't so much excess material.  The snaps are designed to be set into thicker leather, our ABS is millimeters thick.  

     

    It's normally about $70 on Tandy's website, often times they'll be on sale for $35ish.  These were about $20 and I have not had any issues with these snaps.  They're the old style Tandy that does not have "Tandy" stamped on the bottom of the snaps.  Arrived in a few days as well.  They have the setting tools that I also recommend picking up.

    • Like 2
  6. Thanks for the info...nice to know that I'm not the only one with those issues.  From what I've noticed...it's worse down by the boots than it is on top, so if anything, maybe I'll give that little bit of an edge a dip.

     

    I'm thinking I'll try velcro and see how it holds...if it doesn't do what I'm hoping, it'll be easier to remove and go the bra hook method.  

  7. Tony, about the hot water bath for the rear shin closures.....this is how mine look right now...I'm debating between Velcro and bra hooks.  

     

    TK Tom mentioned that the hooks give a bit tighter closure on the back and eliminates some of the gap...but it's not perfect.  Kman mentioned that a hot water bath isn't a bad way to go....and I'm not a huge fan of the water bath method.  

     

    This is how my closures look in the back right now....more of a V than sitting flat with each other.

     

                                   Left Shin                                                                         Right Shin

    IMG_6938_zpsznrsyx56.jpg  IMG_6935_zpsdjq6agyh.jpg

     

    If I was going to do a water bath on these....do you tape them and clamp them into shape first, then dunk for 45 seconds to 1 minute?  Or do you dunk them first, and then clamp/tape them?  I looked at part 2 of your ATA rebuild, and your section of the hot water bath using the bucket...it looks like you tied them into shape you wanted....dunked them in the bucket, and then cooled them off.

     

    I've done some hot water bathing since I initially did my back plate, and have realized that if you can move the plastic in the water or bend it where you want it, keep it there, and heat it up....the plastic will actually respond more noticably; however, if you go too far one way or the other, you'll be re-bathing it to correct the mistake.  Guess I'm just looking for some clarification here if I'm going to try and get these to sit a little bit more flat.

    • Like 2
  8. After a bit of a hiatus....really it was the shins scaring me away from working on the armor...I've gotten quite a bit done lately.  I have the thighs completely done, with the exception of strapping.  I'm planning on making a nylon belt that sits just below the belly button that the thighs straps will loop around to stay in place.  I'll take good pics of them tonight and update this part tomorrow.

     

    I also decided to shim the Kidney Plate.  I need about 2 1/4" shims on either side, but could get away with as little as 2".  I bought a No Parking sign from Home Depot, as the garage sale signs had a metal backing on them.  This was about 2mm thick plastic and should serve well as a support for the shims.   My shims came from the underside (I believe) of the chest plate cut out.  It's a good thing that I kept those large pieces of plastic intact, instead of hacking into them just to get them off.  There was a curve in them, so naturally, I had to hot water bath the pieces to get it as flat as I could.  It's not perfect, but I believe i succeeded in getting a piece that will work well for shims.  

     

                         Mock Up - Right                                                              Mock Up - Left

    IMG_6928_zpsu8uimh3b.jpg  IMG_6929_zpsreqmqt50.jpg

     

               4" x 6 7/8" Shim Piece (before)                                      4" x 6 7/8" Shim Piece (before)

    IMG_6944_zpsgg8y1z0c.jpg  IMG_6945_zpssweuc2db.jpg

     

                                4" x 6 7/8" Shim Piece (After)                                                               4" x 6 7/8" Shim Piece (After)

    IMG_6949_zps1nieazdn.jpg  IMG_6948_zpsbx4mdk8x.jpg

     

                     Shim Support (Left)                                                    Shim Support (Right)

    IMG_6933_zpsurhmmwp5.jpg  IMG_6932_zpsvnjpmvt0.jpg

     

                       Individual Shim Pieces

    IMG_6951_zpsfsvqgt5a.jpg

     

    I'm tempted to take the shim pieces above and try to hot water bath them one more time, clamping them in between 2 cutting boards while they're in the water to try and really flatten them out.  But I'm thinking that this should be alright.  If anyone things I should give it a shot, I'm willing to do it once more.  

     

     

    I'm not sure what to do for the backs of my Shins.  I have the fronts glued together and the cover strips glued on the back; however, they come to more of a V in the back and I want a nice closure on them.  Do I need to try and hot water bath them?  I really don't want to have to do that.  Kman said heat them up and then tape them, rinse them under cold water....and they should be good.  I heard another say I should use Bra Hooks and elastic, and that should take care of any issues.  Any ideas?  (The left side is just about the same)....

     

                             Right Shin (rear)

    IMG_6935_zpsdjq6agyh.jpg

     

    Sorry for the lack of, and bad, pictures.  I'll have to take a bunch later today/tomorrow and get some nice quality ones up here.

  9. Thanks for the input. At this point...return edges may keep the overall feel, but I want it done and am looking for ease...so I may just forgo them at this point. My hope is to take them off someday anyways. <br><br><br>

    Was hoping to get them installed this weekend.

  10. As someone who approves a lot of Centurion Level armor...do you prefer ab/kidney plate shims to have a return edge, or to be flat pieces?  How noticeable is it to not add in a return edge on your shims?  

     

    I tossed it out on the facebook group last night, but I'm just not 100% up for more hot water bath frustration after the back plate...which looking at the piece now, may need another round of it because it seems like the straps have reverted back to a semi-original shape....

  11. Making this cut wouldn't prevent the thigh from sliding down.  I have enough room for the mid and top of the thigh to fit fine.  It's just that there seems to be a lot of excess around the knees...to the point where I could probably fit my whole hand into the extra on picture 2.  

     

    I guess a more clear question would be...do you need to taper the thigh so that it's even throughout?  To use your picture as a reference, it would be something like this.  Like I said, not a straight up and down cut, but more of an angled cut (nothing off on the top, but a bit off on the bottom).  

     

    left%20shin%20cut_zpsdih2qf0y.png

  12. I was reading over your section about the thighs and I didn't seem to see a clear explanation of what you did for the backs.  I glued the front cover strips and am looking to glue the backs and here is where my question lies.

    The tops of the thighs fit great...if anything, maybe a tad snug, but still allows them to slide up and down.  The bottoms by the knees have a lot of extra room...Is it acceptable to taper the thigh down so that I'm taking off nothing at the top and a bunch down by the knee to allow them to fit?  

     

    Picture 1 is what it would be more fitted to me knee; however, the movement feels somewhat restricted and I think that would be taking off too much.  Picture 2 is what it is like now.  Essentially the cut I'm looking to make is going to look like a really elongated triangle to get the knee to fit right.

     

    IMG_6782_zpsilpkfl8s.jpg  IMG_6783_zpssgnl4zk4.jpg

  13. Nothing major has really been completed since the last update...but I have some things here and there....

     

    Here are the completed fronts of the thighs and the left leg.  I'm still trying to wrap my head around how I'll get the sniper plate on such a narrow area at the top of the shin...but I'm not worried about that quite yet.

     

                                       Left Thigh                                                                Right Thigh

    IMG_6719_zpse7nzyfsi.jpg  IMG_6720_zps6kovqwms.jpg

     

                                    Left Shin

    IMG_6721_zps9nyynm1n.jpg

     

     

     

    Earlier this week, I had my ANH E-11 Centurion come in from HFx.  I still wish the magazine was a little bit longer, and that the ejection port had more silver on it.  I don't know of any, on a firearm like that...that has that much black on it.  I'm happy knowing that I'll be able to take it on troops and not worry about who's carrying it or if it will get dropped.

     

    IMG_6723_zpst73rleov.jpg  IMG_6724_zpsvrdm2smm.jpg

     

    IMG_6725_zpspk0hhhr8.jpg  IMG_6726_zpsvzguyp69.jpg

     

    IMG_6728_zpsn3rp6vfn.jpg  IMG_6729_zps9qosilos.jpg

     

     

    Then, I spent an afternoon making snap plates with the snaps I bought from the Seckstore (100 snaps was around $20).  My only issue with the snaps, is that the posts seem a little on the long side...so if you're using them with something like a single layer of Nylon, you'll have to trim it down a little bit with a dremel, which I did...or just double up the nylon so it has more filler inbetween the two halves.  With leather or folded over elastic, there should be no problem.

     

    I took a board and measured out how far apart I wanted my snaps and drilled 2 holes about the size of the snap post.  Then all I had to do was put down the 2" x 1" piece of nylon, heat up the nail, and poke it through into the holes and the Viola!  

     

                                                   Board Method                                                                                    Candle with a hot nail

    IMG_6743_zpsjg5epza7.jpg  IMG_6744_zpsbdldluuc.jpg

     

                                      The Technique                                                                                                    End Result

    IMG_6745_zpsv5zl2t5a.jpg  IMG_6742_zpsfncbenx1.jpg

     

     

    I was able to get most of the snaps straight.  It feels really good when you get it just perfect, but none of them came out bad enough that I would have drill it out and try again.  

     

    IMG_6746_zps9pmsee8v.jpg  IMG_6747_zpsof0z4mak.jpg

     

     

     

    The next thing I managed to do was get my bicep straps glued into my shoulder bells.  This was a pretty straightforward process.  I just cut out the velcro pads from the Anovos supplied elastic and singed the ends to prevent any fraying...then I just glued them in so that they fit right against the bicep without the elastic stretching.

     

    IMG_6764_zpst6mfkhhi.jpg  IMG_6766_zpswhuwhbhy.jpg

     

     

     

    Next, I ordered my Aker MR1505 amp from Amazon.com through a company called Amazing Helpers.  They had the 1505 listed for $24.99.  What savings!!  I couldn't pass it up.  I did the Prime trial and got it on Monday.  Turns out they sent me the MR1506 that had an inventory tag reading MR1505 on it.  I returned and ordered another thinking it was a small mistake on their part.  I received the next one today, and it was the SAME THING!!!  I called Amazon and they gave me a $15 credit on my next order.  

     

                                              The MR1506                                                                                         Someone Messed Up

    IMG_6753_zpsyd1wit40.jpg  IMG_6755_zps9zpccs1r.jpg

     

     

     

    Last of all, I am happy to report that my iComm has arrived.  I was really surprised at how small and light it is.  Came with the PTT cable, 3.5mm patch cable, and the unit.  I got a nice card from TX-6294.  Am excited to try it out when I get around to getting the proper Aker amp, and my wireless headset comes in, in a week or so.

     

                                                        Box Contents                                                                                                iComm

    IMG_6767_zpswwnaqniv.jpg  IMG_6768_zpsiyejv9g3.jpg

     

     

    I don't have much left on my checklist of things to do.   I have to:

     

    -Glue the backs of the thighs

    -Glue the backs of the shins

    -Make and glue on bicep hooks

    -Clean up all of the glued pieces

          -Remove excess E6000

          -Round off edges and countour lines

    -Install visible snaps on Ab/Cod/Butt plates

    -Add shims to Ab/Kidney Plate connection

    -Install all internal strapping

    -Adjust strapping to proper fit

    -Order my Kittle belt and convert my Anovos belt over

    -Apply for approval (Basic, then EIB, then Centurion)

  14. The last bit I've gotten done was some more hot water bath things.  I opened up the right shoulder bell more, it fits around the bicep without scraping against the sides of it.  I also opened up the right forearm more so it's more circular instead of oval.  I tried opening up the backplate straps as best I could, and I think it should help close that gap, but we'll see.

     

                                            Set-up                                                                                            Right Shoulder Bell

    IMG_6677_zpseqxibwwh.jpg  IMG_6678_zpsr085p5zx.jpg

     

                                     Right Strap (Before)                                             Right Strap (After)

    IMG_6679_zpsbcg7npxf.jpg  IMG_6686_zpsos1nrxdn.jpg

     

                             Left Strap (Before)                                                        Left Strap (After)

    IMG_6680_zpsuu0dtxog.jpg  IMG_6687_zps8opcnklb.jpg

     

     

    That's all for now.  I'll get the backs of the thighs and hopefully the back of the shins completed this week. In the mean time, I'll probably start assembling my Snap Plates.  I picked up some 1" Velcro rolls over the weekend for about $4 (amounted to about 10' of Nylon.  I'll do double snaps for the main body sections, and single snaps when it comes to the arms and such.  The end is drawing near, but still so much work to do. 

  15. Next up, I received my latex handguards from Joseph here on the FS Commisary page.  They look and feel great...and I decided to color match them with my Anovos armor using a custom spray paint some that some of us went in together for on Facebook.  It's a direct match for the ABS color and has a glossy sheen after it dries as well.  The photos may not reflect it as much with the lighting, but in person, the difference is more noticeable.

     

                                   Handguards (Before)                                                                                               Handguards (After)

    IMG_6699_zpsuvbxzujv.jpg  IMG_6711_zps8quswytg.jpg

     

                              Spray Paint Used

    IMG_6700_zpsmix7intl.jpg

  16. Been a week or two since my last update.  I finally decided to stop kicking my feet together when it comes to the thighs and shins and to just get them done.  I trimmed down the front joints to the obligatory 20mm for the cover strips.  Got them to fit together the best I could.  I've only done the fronts so far, as I've heard that you need to have the front's glued together to get an accurate fitting on the back sides of these pieces.  I don't think I'll have to add material to the thighs, but am afraid I'll have to add about 1/2" shims on both of my shins, but when I get them finished, I'll cross that bridge when I get there.  I will need help and guidance if that is the case.

     

    I'll start with the thighs.  I failed miserable the first two times trying to glue the whole cover strip at one time.  I found that I had to do half one night, then add the other half the following night, for both of the cover strips.

     

                         Left Shin (Complete)

    IMG_6703_zpstvcptrlg.jpg

     

                          Right Thigh (1st Half)                                                Right Thigh (Complete)

    IMG_6706_zpsxioxvsog.jpg  IMG_6708_zpsrahyrqob.jpg

     

     

     

    The Shins have proven a little bit easier.  I have been able to do these in one shot on the front cover strip...I have a feeling I'll take the advice I have seen and pick up a "Garage Sale" sign and make some inner cover strips to add a little extra stability with the pieces.  I have the left one glued and when I take off the clamps/magnets tonight, I'll be gluing the other.

     

                                     Left Shin (Front)

    IMG_6710_zpsljg4g8du.jpg

  17. I forgot if it was already posted...but Ukswrath mentioned in his build thread that we no longer have to move the 22mm x 22mm notch when shimming.  You'll be fine since you did this before the decision was made...but you'll have to mention this in your submission for Centurion. 

     

    I'm thinking of what I want to tackle this weekend....I need to start making snap plates, but I'm thinking of doing my Kidney Plate shims....just not sure what I want to do yet...but I'll definitely be referencing this when I do.

  18. What I did was get inside the bucket with some sandpaper...and I sanded the extra material on the inside of the eyes down a bit (not too much, just enough to round them).  Then I "walk" the lens as close to the eyes as I can.  I center it, then move each side forward a bit until it's even and the lens is touching the ABS.  I do have a little bit of a gap, but like Kman said, it helps with airflow.

    • Like 3
×
×
  • Create New...