Shinyarmour1

Thanks that's what I had in mind

That's what I was looking for to go in my bucket. I'm not a teck savvy person, but I would like to have a go at connecting 5v fans to a USB cord for a USB power bank instead of constantly buying batteries. I've had a look at the link along with some other items as well and wanted to ask a few questions before deciding. Some of these questions may sound obviouse, but I am on a budget and don't wish to purchase the worng products or have ideas that might not work and left with a product that I never use. 1. What are the dimentions of the lipstick charger? 2. Since the fans will be 5v, the lipstick charger would also need to be 5v and no less than 1.5amp. It looks like Ukswarth charger ticks those boxes, but I don't know how many chargers I need. Some troopers connect 1 fan to 1 charger or even 2 fans to 1 charger using a Y split connector (also supplied seperatly by Ukswrath) https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/600189617/5vdcy-harness-for-ukswrath-sha-and?ref=related-7 I plan on having 2 fans in my bucket, so would I need 2 of these chargers or can I use 1 charger and 1 Y split connector? 3. Having 2 fans hooked up to a lipstick charger from a Y split connector, does the split connector provide 5v and 1.5amp to both fans equally? Or does it send half of the chargers power to 1 fan and half power to the other? 4. The hearing assist is something I'm still unsure about if I need one. By having a hearing assist, would it amplify the quiet fan sound making it loud in the ear? 　 Any other additional information that I might have left out would be greatly appreciated.

Still searching for USB power banks for when I do the interior. Is this lipstick charger the same as the others that I could hook up to a fan? Preferably one that does not heat up next to my head would be ideal. https://www.amazon.com.au/POWERADD-Auto-Detect-Technology-Indicator-Smartphone/dp/B088B7Y2H1/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&m=A2VVAOHXC1PR5P&marketplaceID=A39IBJ37TRP1C6&qid=1602724259&s=merchant-items&sr=1-3

I was going to make a start on the canvas belt today. I already drilled the holes in the ammo belt, all I need to do was make the hole in the canvas belt. I made the first hole, stopped and thought about the belt length. Since I trimmed down my kit to fit me better, what about the canvas belt length itself? After doing a quick test fit I discovered that the belt is too long. Here is the length where the velcro meets and it is way too big (even if I didn't trim down my kit, it would still be big so I would need to take it in a little). Here I tried to tighten the belt as close as I could to fit me and there's a small amount of velcro with a lot of excess belt overhanging. You can still see a bit of gap though. This is where the velco is on the belt. What should I do? Should I trim the excess belt material and add some velco? I am open to any and all suggestions.

5-7mm is what I read on Ukswrath build and he has specific measurements and screen references which I have been reading for my build. Although its not a requirement for L2 or L3., that measurement helped with my strapping placement.

The gap between biceps and forearms should be roughly 5-7mm, but everyone height is different. That's just what I have read I hope it helps.

Thanks Mario, it has helped to clear things up. I'll adjust the right shin to match the left so they will both be 2 fingers gap. As for the thighs, the images you used to show the alignment is the 3 finger gap picture. I'm assuming that's the size to start with (I can always take more in if they are too big).

Test fit I have to keep in mind that because I am a thin fellow, I can't have the shins/thighs too close to me or else the legs will not be in porportion with the torso. However, because I am using E6000 for my build, I can make it a little big (just to be on the safe side), then take it apart and size down. Thank goodness E6000 is flexible that way. Lets start with the shins by themselves. What I did here was trim the shin at the front, tapped them up, but left the back alone until I know how much I should remove equal to both sides. I did 2 different sizes for in the same image so you can see the difference side-by-side and let me know which one is correct for me. My right shin I can a fit 1 finger gap and my left shin I can fit 2 fingers gap. As you can see the left shin sinks doen my leg a little, but fits better around my boot (I will be using these boots for my kit, but I'll explain that later). My right leg looks to be in correct position, but I don't know how high/low it needs to be in regards to my knee. Here are the thighs except this time, I used only 1 size for the fitting. This is so I could have a proportion comparison with the shins. and thighs My shins are still the same (Right shin 1 finger - left shin 2 fingers) but the thighs are 2 fingers gap. In these next photos, the thighs are 3 fingers gap. I don't know why but even when the thighs are the same size, my right thigh looks bigger than my left. Mabye when I know which size looks best on me, I would just have to take my right thigh a finger size smaller to match. What is the correct finger gap? Which ones look best for my size? I am going to use these boots and paint them with Angelus white leather paint. I can't remember where I saw it on this site , but that's what they did in the movie. But before I can paint them, I just need to know the correct size for the shins before I place the velco on top of the boots. 2 finger gap shin was used for this display. I've asked a lot of questions here, but I would greatly appreciate as much feedback and advice as possible. Thanks everyoe for all the help and support

So is the coverstrip supposed to cover the ridge at the bottom of the thigh, but have some ridge exposed at the top? I'm still unclear about the ridges/coverstrip. Looking at my other images, if I adjust the thigh for so the coverstrip can conceal the lower ridge, won't the ridge at the top be exposed more even with a curved coverstrip? Also I measured the ridges, marked the centre, taped up and measured again; the top - 22mm/middle - 20mm/lower 25mm . I found that if I made the top and bottom 20mm by sanding it straight down, then the coverstrip would be hanging over the curved middle ridge by 3mm and not glued onto it. 3mm is not much, but would that be acceptable?

Onto the shins and thighs now. I've already trimmed and sanded the coverstips:- 20mm - Thighs front/back and shins front 25mm - Shins back Now its just the shins and thighs themselves to work on. The shins seem to line up alright. The thighs are a bit more of a challenge. As I have read in build threads that the front left thigh lines up beacuse they are both straight. But the right thigh has a straight half and a curved half. So I was wondering what the protocol is for the coverstrip/ridge exposed underneath. The coverstrip will need to be curved slightly, but with 1 straight half and 1 curved half, how can I conceal as much ridge as possible? I already marked the area for where I believe it lines up best, but does it look correct? Also, the thigh backs both don't meet at the top. If I trim the taller side down would that be taking too much off? If I had to do that it would remove a portion of the return edge, so all of it would have to go. Or can this just be covered over by the coverstrip? I did a very quick test fit and found that because I'm a thin guy, I would need to take the thighs in a bit. This would make the top half even higher and I'd have to remove a lot for the back tops to meet. What's the best thing to do? I'll provided some more images when I do a proper test fit so you can see what I mean.

Thought I might do something simple like the knee ammo belt. Trimmed the corners by using the extra pipe piece from the TD build. After a hot water bath. I'll get back to the ammo knee belt when the thighs are complete.

Looking good, making some awesome progress there

The CRL does not mention a specific number of rib requirements, so I'm not too worried about that. Onto the TD First, I made a start with painting the tube. Since I did not have a spray can with the matching colour, only the small Humbrol pot and some brushes, I had to paint the tube by hand. While I left that to dry, I worked on the measurments for the control panel and end caps. I used the Canon reference measurments from Ukswrath build thread and adjusted it accordingly. The control panel has been trimmed to 121mm in length and the end caps 19mm. The paint has dried, but the end caps wouldn't fit on because the tube circumference is slightly bigger. Some troopers use the hot water bath technique to slip the caps on, but I'm not going to do that. Since the cap circumference is smaller than the tube, forcing it onto the tube could cause a noticable bulge on the caps or make them split from the pressure. So what I did instead was measure the tube ends 5mm, tapped around and sanded it down. This allowed the caps to slip on much more easily. It wasn't till after installing the end caps that I measured the tube and found it to be too long. No problem, it's an easy fix. I measured again how much it was over by (current length 198mm - needs to be 184mm). So I measured and removed 14mm from the end, sanded down 5mm around the paint end for the caps to slip on. After that, the rest was easy. Just placed the control panel inbetween the end caps and measured the correct spacing, then glued into place and waited 24 hours. I looked at the supplied painted screws and could see a little paint chipping off. So I touched them up with some gloss black. Since I already asked about these being L3 acceptable and Justjoseph63 said that they would be. While the glue was drying I got to work on the metal clips. The belt clips are also supplied by Mark and after doing some research on these, I found that troopers made 3 recommendations in modifying the TD:- 1. Bend the belt clips to better secure into the canvas belt and add accuarcy. 2. File the belt clip corners to prevent dings and scratches on the armour and add accuracy. 3. Apply velcro (soft part) to the clips to better secure into belt and prevent damage to the armour. I did all 3 to my clips and it will pay off in the long run. The glue dried and that meant I could place the metal clips on and mark where the drill holes would be. Hopefully this meets L3 requirement - TD completed.

I've already made the test before making a start on my armour. After waiting 24 hours to dry on a scrap piece, I pulled hard trying to remove the snap to get a feel of the adhesion strength, so even with the tape covering the snap, it still held perfectly. And I cut the tape to leave enough room for the glue to bond onto the nylon surface., but I will keep you suggestion in mind for the rest of the snaps. I managed to get some time to paint the screws and split rivits, so they will be ready for when the time comes. Instead of ordering a neckseal, I decided to have a go at handmaking my own. I found a tutorial on making a neckseal from scratch and thought "Why not"? I gatherd the required materails and improvised for the others:- 1. An old black t-shirt 2. Zipper 3. Window insulation foam tubing (from local hardware store). 4. Neadle and thread 5. Measuring roll I don't own a sewing machine, so I had to doing this all by hand. But I am very pleased with the results (sorry no progress pictures, just after images). I had enough material left over to make another neckseal. Except this time I made it with the dip for under my chin giving me that little extra comfort. Next item on the agenda...Thermal detonator.

NOW...something very important that I want to share with any furture builders reading this thread, a helpful tip that I have learnt before gluing any snaps in. There has been some debate about E6000 glue coming in contact with the metal snaps, and how it reacts by creating heat that can cause melt indents on parts of the armour. I've conducted these tests and experiments before making a start on my armour itself. Although I didn't take any photos of this process, I can still share my results and experience. These rumours are 100% true. When E6000 glue comes into contact with the metal snaps, it reacts in a way that creates heat and that heat does cause the armour surface to melt (even more so when heavy clamping force is applied). I used several pieces of nylon webbing with snaps installed and glued them onto scrap pieces of ABS; waited 48 hours and removed the nylon from the ABS to see the results. Here were my results:- Test 1. If you are careful and just glue around the edges of the nylon (without metal contact) then you should be good. Test 2. I glued along the edges of 1 nylon snap, applied glue onto the snap base itself and used a light clamp force. After ripping it off there left a small melt mark on the surface. Test 3. Same thing as step 2 only instead I used a heavy amount of clap force. That left a larger melt mark on the surface. Test 4. With this one I cut a piece of blue painters tape and covered it over the snap base (but not the entire nylon strip). Glued along the edges of the nylon and onto the painter tape, used light clamp force and remove the nylon. It worked perfectly, there was no trace of melted plastic and not even any blue colouration or tape residue. 　 Option 4, was the best result and its the tecnique that I will be using for the rest of my build. 　 Please Note - These test and experiments were performed on AP armour, which is slightly thicker than other ABS plastic from other armour makers. Which means that the results of plastic melt could be more severe to other armour parts which is thinner. I strongly advise that you first perform these tests to understand the limitations and strength of your armour. I hope this helps.

Hi everyone, sorry its been a while since I last posted anything, but I haven't have much opportunity to work on my kit (real life does get in the way sometimes). Anyway, I managed to progress with the strapping system for my arms: The elastic going around the shoulder bell. Installed the snaps and straps. I measured the placement of the snaps several times in order to get the positioning accurate and even. Following Ukswrath build, the forearms-to-biceps spacing should be 5-7mm. I have made mine 5mm spacing. Overall, I am realy pleased with the function of the snaps and the assembly slowly coming together.

I have just tried soaking it in warm soapy water for 30 minutes - nothing happened. Then I tried your suggestion of warm salt water for 30 minutes - nothing happened. Is there a measurement of how much water and salt to put in? And for how long to soak it?

I've run into a problem with my gloves and am in need of some help. I took the measurments for the rubber hand guards and taped the ends as a guide for the gluing position. I even rolled up some bubble wrap to place inside for the hand like shape instead of gluing flat and risking wrinkles. I purchased Loctite super glue for this because so many builders have said that this is a difficult area to bond. As the instructions stated, I used the activator on both surfaces, waited 60 seconds, applied the super glue, pressing down and waited a few more seconds. It wasn't until afterwards that I realised the glue not only oozed out from the sides, but 2 parts folded over by the thumb had glued together. As you can see it doesn't look good. Is there anyway to fix these issues, maybe something to remove the residue and undo the fold? Or am I going to have to cut the rubber hand guards off the glove and purchase new gloves? I am open to any and all help to fix this issue.

Thanks for the feedback. Since the medium size fits best, I'll probably go with that. Great tip about the cotton gloves by the way, I do have a pair that can easily fit inside the medium, so that's good.

Okay great, thanks for the reply guys. Here is a picture of the AP screw (the ones for the TD are already painted black, this one is from the helmet packet, but they are exactly the same). I remember Justjoseph63 you already mentioned that they would be good to go because the requirements for the dome screws were dropped last year, but I just wanted to triple check. I guess when I eventually make a start on the TD, that last thing I want to do is screw the clips on, glue the end caps in place and receive a comment that the screws need replacing for L3. But since you think they are acceptable for L3, then that's good enough for me.

I have had second look at the glove sizes and was wondering if the medium might work after all. There doesn't appear to be much of a size difference. Although the medium glove length is a little storter, I did a test fit with the forearms and there is no risk whatsoever of the gloves popping out of the forearms (no matter how hard I tried). So which one looks better? Like I mentioned in the preivous post, the large moves forward after several finger/fist clenches, while the medium doesn't. So now that I know the length of the gloves wouldn't be an issue, I am still wondering about the glove size. Here are some comparison images:- Medium Large Although in this image it looks like the medium is too short, I've tested it before and won't pop out of the forearm. Would it be acceptable for me wearing AP rubber hand guards on size medium gloves instead of the large gloves?

I always like to see a fellow AP kit, it looks awesome. You went with an untrimmed kit same as me, great choice (especially for the first time builders). I too have been doing what Justjoseph63 mentioned above, keep the scraps and use them for tests and experiments. Don't be afraid to ask questions, it's better to take a few seconds to ask a question, then taking a few hours to fix a mistake.

Hello everyone I wanted to ask to ask about the TD screws that AP provides, are they L3 acceptable? I have asked this question before on my build thread and have had only 2 replies. One comments said ''No they would need to be replaced with flat slotted pan head screws''. But the other comment said ''Yes , because the idea about dome headed screws not being L3 acceptable was dropped last year''. Does anybody else know about the AP screw acceptance?

I have recently been testing and experimentting with making ABS paste on some scrape pieces of plastic. So far the results have been good and i'll be able to fill those gaps and deep scratch that have occured during the build process. As for the torso, I'm going to give that a break for now and focus on something else. It's best not to do too much of the sma ething and work on some other parts. When the shins and thights are roughtly cut, I'll tape everything up and do another test fit just to see if any more hot water bath adjusting is needed. Until then, I'm moving onto the silicon hand guards. I've looked into all the reference pictures provided by Justjoseph63 on the silicon hand guard positions and done several measurment checks. https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/49105-attaching-flexible-hand-guards/?tab=comments#comment-686234 I found that the position would be 2.5cm (25mm) between the hand guard tip and the finger valley. But then I discovered, after several fist clenches, the hand guard moved too far forward. So this is whats happening:- I place my hand into the gloves with the guard positioned ontop, I would then clench my fist and the hand guard would be in perfect position. Then I would do this 4 more times but because of the size of the glove, it would move forward. So after that when I make a new fist the hand guards would overlap my knuckles by alot. Because the gloves are a large size and I am a medium, I found that the glove would move forward because of it. I have tried wearing cotton gloves underneath, but it still moves. I even purchased medium size black gloves but they look too small for the hand guards. Here is where my finger tips are in the glove. This is when I put the gloves on making the first fist clench. And this is after 5 fist clenches. I really don't want to go a buy another set of silicon hand guards. But would like to know:- Is there is a way round with what I have already or am I just worrying too much about nothing? Does the positioning look correct 2.5cm? When making a fist (in general), should the hand guard overlap be glued down, or does the guard need to be flush and straight? Going to use loctite glue (not E6000), do I glue right to the guard edges or leave a 1mm gap? 　 Would appreciate all the help and feedback. Thanks