Cricket

Even though I get busy with other life stuff, I’m always thinking about my TK. During the past few weeks, I’ve been trying to come up with an elegant solution for the magnetic shin closure question. The issue is about how to make the closure strong enough to stay locked. So far we (the hive mind that is the FISD, that is) have come up with: Stainless steel strip- has magnetic properties, but not the strongest, resists rust Steel strip- very strong, but has the potential to rust over time After thinking about these two options, I thought that there might be an even better, stronger way to lock the magnets. After seeing Jim's ab/kidney closure, and also pinching my fingers between magnets for the gazillionth time, I realized that the strongest way to lock the shins would be by using another magnet to secure the closure. But how? I thought about using a strip of magnetic sheet, but there was nothing I could find that equaled the strength of another n50 magnet. So I decided to make the n50 magnets work for me. Keeping the magnets in place was going to be my biggest hurdle. After much thought, I decided to make ‘buttons’ to hold my magnets in place. I traced one of my 12mm magnets onto a piece of spare ABS. I cut the hole out and cut the piece so that I could use the hole as a template to push the magnet through. (Be aware that heat from a heat gun will weaken the magnet significantly, so be prepared to use a sacrificial n50 magnet for this.) I taped the magnet to the back of the ABS, and then heated the plastic. Once the plastic was hot and pliable enough, I pushed the template down over the magnet. This resulted in nice little buttons that will hold the magnets in place and still can be glued securely to my inner calf strip. The buttons aren’t perfect, but they’ll do because they’re not visible at all. I glued the n50 magnets inside the buttons, and then glued the rest to the inner calf. So far, this magnet-to-magnet closure is resulting in an amazingly strong lock for my shins. The glue is drying on this right now, but I’ll post updates on how this holds together soon. (Magic) Magnetic Shin Closures in Action (video!)

Oh, hey y'all. I'm getting things ready to take to a little armor party tomorrow, and I feel so overwhelmed! There is so much still to work on, and I want to get as much done as possible at the party. I know I can't get it all done there; I'm having a really tough time deciding on exactly what to focus on. My biggest challenge is trying to figure out if things are fitting correctly. I've been waiting to trim the thigh tops until I get some additional opinions on where they should sit exactly. And strapping. It'll be good to have some hands-on assistance with getting everything in place. Oh, and rivets. Why do those things scare me?! I'll be getting help with those as well. I'll be working furiously today to finalize stuff that I can do on my own, like sanding, trimming, shaping, etc. Need to make the most of tomorrow! It would be great to get my TK finished before Thanksgiving, but I'm doubtful right now. Hm. Since my plan is to build this kit to an eventual TD, I realized that I need to buy another set of boots (I've got an ATA TK on order that should be here sometime in December). In case anyone's interested, the shop over at Imperial Boots is open today through November 19. Glad I got my order in!

Thanks for checking in on me. Halloween is huge at my house, and it takes up nearly all of my free time as we get closer to the big night! Here is what last year looked like, and this year is turning out to be bigger. Exhausting, but fun. I'm looking forward to getting back to my TK after all the Halloween madness is over.

Howzit Eirik! I've been grappling with the same issue as you. First I considered this setup. You'll see a pic of it at the end of the post. It's a hybrid of bra hooks and velcro/elastic on the inside. Then I was referred to a magnetic setup. I'm in the middle of working on a magnetic setup as outlined in the link above for my shins. Here's the thread so far. I will probably add a few elastic straps with velcro inside to allow for flexing and re-closure.

Looking good so far! The only things that I can see that might need some attention are with the cover strips on the thighs. They're supposed to stop just above the ridge at the bottom. Since I suck at descriptions, here are some pics for reference.

Yay! Yes, this helps a lot. Thanks, Jim! I was debating this earlier... Pros Screen Authentic: flexible and comfortable, it's screen authentic, dammit Pros Velcro: snug, tight fit, less of a visual gap when seen from the opposite side, fairly easy to install Cons Screen Authentic: may unhook while trooping, holes may weaken and crack over time, bit of a visual gap when seen from opposite side, more work to install Cons Velcro: can pop open while trooping (I've seen this myself!) due to its lack of flexibility, it's not screen authentic Then Jorge showed me the whole magnetic closure thing, and I like how it keeps the gap closed up when seen from the side (like velcro), but it also has the ability to open and close as well. Kind of a hybrid of the bra hook method.

Certainly all great points! With these little magnets, though, I doubt that they would attract something more than just an inch or so away. While still n50 in strength, these magnets aren't as large as the ones typically used when building armor. So if someone has their cell phone right up next to my shin, then I suppose that they deserve to lose the functionality in their device.

Hahaha!! Love this. I will hereby proceed on the rest of this build embracing my inner tenacious construction wolverine.

Hey Emma! I made the same mistake with making my cover strips- I used little pliers, too! Yeah, didn't make that mistake again. I found that using a trigger clamp works much better for snapping off strips. It grips well, and doesn't leave a mark. Your returns at the tops of the shins look fine to me. I wouldn't stress about the fine details of them until you've got them fitted. You can always use a Dremel to take off the excess as much (or little) as you need, and it'll look clean when you're done. I've got the same gloves as you! They were the smallest ones at Home Depot. haha... BTW, I love your blingy ruler!

I am really digging all this brainstorming!!!! You troopers are the best! Hey Jim, how did you cut your magnets? Hack saw? Dremel? And is there a reason why you chose to cut up round ones versus picking up some rectangle ones? I'm trying to get an idea of how your magnet system fits together when it's closed. Would you be able to post some additional pics of what you've built, or maybe a simple diagram of it? I'm really curious about it. I'm also thinking about the flex issue. I still want to use the magnetic closures, but you all are so spot on about the rigidity issues. So I'm guessing that maybe a velcro/elastic combo might be a good addition to this. The magnets as currently installed would keep everything snapped up vertically, but inside horizontally there would be 3 short strips of elastic attached (with industrial velcro on one end, and e6000 on the other). So if they flexed open, the elastic would pull it all back together enough for the magnets to reattach. Thoughts?

Oh! I didn't recover from cutting off the top returns of the shins. I had them replaced. I'm not that good with ABS paste.

I think you need more clamps. And more magnets. Great job so far! Keep it up!

Way to slice, Jill!!!! Looks great so far. Can't wait to see how yours turns out!

Done! Pics to follow. It was very easy to cut the sheet metal. I used one of the stainless steel strips as a template. After I cut one out, I Dremeled the edges smooth (but they didn't need much clean up). I bent it a bit to get it to fit inside the shin, and it's much better than the stainless strip with regards to strength with the magnets. Woo hoo! I've also decided that I want to try solid magnets rather than the hole-in-the-middle ones. More magnet = more strength. I know that the e6000 will give sufficient strength for the bond, so I don't think that the extra hole in the middle is all that necessary. I have one shin completed with the holey magnets, and I'll wait to complete the other shin until the new magnets arrive. That way I can do the full Pepsi challenge on them and report on which one holds together better.

Okay, Michael, now I'm trying to find something better than what I've got. I could be happy with the grabby stainless strips I have now, but I want my shins to be mega-grabby! Trekking down to HD, I picked up the thinnest piece of plain steel sheet metal, which is a 22 gauge. The magnets love it. I should be able to cut it just fine, but I'm wondering if you think that maybe something thinner would suffice. There is a really big selection over at Amazon (who knew they had a Steel Shim department?!), but I don't know what would be best for the application I'm using it for. Any tips would be great! Thanks! Haha!! Yeah, I was wondering the same thing! Maybe he's still bugged about not getting a medal all those years ago...

Oh! I bought my stencil from Trooperbay. I would never have the patience to actually make one myself.

Hey, if you want to have a go with painted stripes, you may want to consider a stencil and sponge-painting. It's really easy and takes not much time to do at all.

I picked up the stainless steel strips as suggested in the FB tutorial, and they're very, very 'grabby'. But if y'all think something else would be better, I would use that, too! Science has never been my strong suit.

All of my magnetic things have arrived, so now it's time to create some magnetic shins, shall we? I think I've lost my fear of doing crazy stuff to my armor because I feel that's all I've been doing lately. This particular mod involves making Swiss cheese-like holes in the back of the shins, so if you have an aversion to this kind of thing, then don't try it. But if you want a super nifty way to close the shins up without any issues, this might be your thing. Word of warning: this is nowhere near screen accurate (but it does still keep the butt joint construction, so yay!). I followed the steps outlined here. I have zv288bot (Jorge) to thank for sharing this idea with me. Jorge, you are continually my creative muse! I made two 3/4" x 12" ABS strips. For all the particular measurements on the strips, see the link above. I measured out where the holes would be placed, and marked the holes in the magnets as close to center of those marks as possible. Instead of swapping out a gazillion drill bits in order to get a clean hole, I used a step bit that goes up to 1/2" inch. It's a total time saver!!! I'm fortunate enough to own a drill press (a Christmas gift from Mr. Cricket last year. He knows me well...), and it made creating the holes a breeze. I drilled out all the holes and verified that the magnets would easily fit inside. Then I lined up the strip to the inside of the shin closure. Looks good so far! I clamped and glued with e6000 (because the permanence of CA glue on this kind thing of scares me!). In the morning, I took all the clamps and tape off, and checked how everything looked. Using my Dremel, I carved out the rest of the circle parts on the shin. There's no going back now!!! In the pic below, the part you see with the holes is the inside half. It won't be visible when closed. So now is where I begin to deviate from the outlined tutorial. Proceed at your own risk if you're following along with me. The tutorial mentions that Dremeling out the areas behind the cover strip was the most tedious, time consuming part of this. In the tutorial, the cover strip couldn't be removed. Lucky for me, I had attached my cover strips using e6000, so it was easy to take them off. I cleaned off the old glue and lined everything up as best as I could. My cut lines on the shins are crappy, so that makes things a bit challenging. Using a light behind my shins, I traced an approximate area where I needed to drill out as a guide and to make sure everything was lining up okay. And more Swiss cheese holes were created... Then I reattached the cover strip. Aaaannnndddd... here are the magnets getting all snug in their new homes in little beds of e6000. I'll let them get settled in before moving on to the last step- attaching the stainless steel strip! In case it's not clear, the magnets are glued to the cover strip. There will be a stainless steel strip placed in the inside of the calf, which will cover the area where you see the magnets above. Stay tuned! (Magic) Magnetic Shin Closures Part 2 (magnetic closure improved) (Magic) Magnetic Shin Closures in Action (video!)

Your ear gaps look fine to me! Some of the TKs in the movies had really big ear gaps. <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://tinyurl.com/hjxmm38'>http://tinyurl.com/hjxmm38</a><br> Regarding your bicep returns, I was told at an armor party to just remove them entirely. It all comes down to what you're comfortable with.

Good to know, Jim! Mine are on the thicker side, but don't give me any issues right now. I'm sure you know best on this, though because my shins have only seen action up and down stairs at home- not a full-fledged troop! I'll keep my Dremel on standby for this mod... BTW, I wish I had seen your tips about shin trimming before I did mine. Your explanation is great!

Haha! Yep, there's a little extra padding in my chest armor there. Thanks, Jorge! I would love to be done with this for the Children's Hospital Parade. At the rate I'm going now, it's certainly a possibility! Thanks! I'm following your build, and I can't wait to see how things go. It seems really scary at first, but it's not all that bad. The more you work with modding your armor, the easier it gets to just jump in and make changes where necessary. Aaaand for today's changes to my armor... No changes, actually. Just additions. I. Attached. Brackets! (insert glorious overtures of symphonic chorus and raucous cheers here...) This is the first one. Just half of a set, but this one is special. I don't know why, but the whole idea of bracket installation has had me terrified. So when I accomplished one, it felt like I had just crested a mountain top. And then there were four. Center bracket set attached. Here's a side view so you can see how the brackets work with the elastics. So you can see how the chest looks with the brackets installed from the outside. I will paint the screws later. The chest brackets installed. Yay! I don't have time to put it on today, but here's what it looks like all snug together. Now if I could just stay focused and get this kit built! We create a huge Halloween display, and everything started going up in the yard this weekend. I have to now divide my time between my TK and decorating. Hopefully by doing a little bit on my TK every day, I'll finish soon. I hope!

I'm assuming that you mean the flat edge on the fronts of the shin pieces, right? Don't trim off all the flat part. You'll want to keep these numbers in mind: Cover Strip Sizes Thighs (front and back)- 20mm Shins- 20mm Calves- 25mm Arms- 15mm Your shin cover strips that will be glued to the flat parts of the shins should be 20mm (or very close to that). So you'll want to have half of that number on your flat shin edge. At an armor party I was told to add an extra millimeter or two to that number so you have a little ridge still showing on the sides of the cover strips. Short answer: keep around 10mm (or a little more) of the flat sides of the shins. When you put the two halves of the shins together, you'll have a perfect base for your 20mm cover strip. Does that make sense? Here's a pic of the crappy job I did trimming my shins. Not straight at all, but I finally got them to fit. The one on the right is trimmed and shaped to fit me, the one on the left is after I attached it, but before I altered it to fit. As I understand it, the fronts of the shins are constant for everyone. The backs of the shins are where you make your size adjustments for width. And one of the shins with the 20mm cover strip. And if I'm off on this, someone please step in to correct me. As I've read it, a typical return is 6-8mm (or somewhere between 1/4"- 5/16"). If I want to create a fairly consistent cut line around the curved pieces, I tape a pencil to my finger and trace the edge like this: And always cut less than you think you'll need to. You can always sand stuff off, but it's a pain in the butt to put it back. Ask me how I know.

Hey Jill, I trimmed a bit off the top of my ab (and have since rebuilt the return on it), but I also cut the cod to fit my 5'4" height. In case you haven't made the leap yet, here's what I did. Very happy with how things fit now!