elkamino

I have yet to build a drying oven myself but have talked to many plastics manufacturers. Main thing is to make an oven that can sustain 275 degrees F. The ABS will need about 24 hours of drying time at that temperature. A simple slatted "hot box" heated by a halogen lamp(s) made of wood or metal was what I was going to try.

When vacuum forming helmets I use 0.060" for the faceplate (to capture the detail) and ears and then use 0.090" for the dome. 0.080" is an oddball size with 0.090" (actually 0.093" based on 3/32" conversion) being the most common. It also very hard to find ABS that does not have "haircell" which is the grainy pattern on one side as well. But contrary to most's belief the haircell does not reduce the details you can get vacuum forming....its the humidity factor. ABS is highly susceptable to humity and moisture retention. Most plastic manufacturer's will say you should bake the sheet goods at 275 degrees F for 24 hours to remove all moisture from the product.

Glad to hear its back up....cheers!

I use the tan 1" foam liner from my local fabric supplier. After leaving it in my basement untouched, it has started to 'brown" along the edges after just a few months. I prefer the blue "memory" lining for compfort, but the tan is okay.

Great find!!!

Nice work TOM. Its really shaping up to a nice ROTJ TK. Hopefully we can all get together on this again soon and make it 501st compliant.

DO NOT USE BLACK ABS CEMENT!!!!! I have used this for plumbing sanitary lines. It is a mess and impossible to clean up. I recommend IPS Weld On ABS in milky white or else you can go to Home Depot and use the All Purpose CPVC, PVC, and ABS Cement (its in the red container).

Half of what Phil said I almost thought I typed myself. I have lived almost a parallel life to yours. Life has always be up and down but you have to remain yourself. As for wearing the armor, its often a surreal and euphoric feeling at times, even though the realization that part of society will think its childish. For me, its almost like the feeling of when I was 6 years old seeing Star Wars on the Big Screen again....so childish yes, but why not try to regain that childhood feeling regardless of what anyone thinks. Its the closed-mindedness of others that they don't want to relive childhood experiences and have to voice their opinion. Just take into account everything in moderation and realize to each his own.

I recognize the top of Braun Shaver Cleaner used...nice work!!

Agreed. I've changed the size and location about 5 times now, but they definitely need to get a bit smaller (shorter in height). Thanks Bro for posting! Hopefully someday soon I can get back to work on this.

Yep, standard silicon, clear is preferred but not necessary.

Looking great John. I really like the cam lock idea. Let us know how it works. My suggestion would be to use four (4) cam locks on three sides with a continuous piano hinge on the fourth. 2 cam locks opposite the hinge and one each adjacent side. As for suction. I was able to build a vacuum chamber pretty cheap. I use an Gage 2067 Oil less vacuum pump bought for about $35. I had some old motors around but if you don't have any this would be the biggest expense. I have a 1 1/2 HP motor which I eventually did buy for about $40 (I got lucky I almost spent about $200 on a new one). For the chamber I use an old 20 or 30 gallon propane tank which was going to be scraped. Add maybe another $50 to $80 for suction hose, pipe, valves, fittings, gauges, etc. I haven't hooked up the gauge yet but it pulls very very well for my uses (mostly ABS). I only use the chamber for difficult pulls like a helmet and a few other pieces.

I don't use any adhesives at all. If it is necessary, I'd use a silicon adhesive.

Great work Pat!!! Keep them coming.

I use a vac chamber and shop vac system. I use a 2" check valve in the shop vac line for when I give it a short "blast" with the vacuum chamber to keep it from losing suction through the shop vac.

Is that a recast?

Nice progress so far John. I've started with a single hole table like studio creations. I've since gone to a multi hole setup. I prefer the multi hole for more versatility but does seem to require a better vacuum source. I have quite an elaborate vacuum system now.

Shoot, I can't remember....its in a blue tube is all I can remember. I got it from Advance Auto Parts, they had an entire line of Goop Products. I just read the packages til one said for most plastics and fabrics.

IPS Weld-on for ABS, thick milky. 2 years of trooping and no signs of any seams coming apart. You have to be careful with this stuff though.

Man I need a vacation. What better place to go than Hawaii. Have a great time. Awesome pic. I didn't know TE2's were local pick up only,

I've used No. 5 and 3. I prefer 3...5 is really dark and if you're inside it can be really hard to see if it is low light.

I use GOOP for fabrics and rubber parts.

This is like the History Channel on roids...I am loving this information.

I'd recommend starting with styrene (HIPS) to get some practice for the simple fact it is cheaper than ABS. I would not go over 0.125" (1/8") for any armor. Maybe pick up a sheet of each thickness and each type of material to see how they form. The HIPS will form most armor up to 0.125" with fair to good detail but definitely not a helmet and maybe not the upper back and abdomen. If you use ABS forget using anything over 0.093".......0.0125" may only work for the chest and lower back and maybe only a couple other parts. As for paintball, either material will work while ABS being the more durable. The breakage will occur from wear and tear of physical use rather than impact from enemy fire. Finally, haircell ABS is pretty much industry standard. I have only found two suppliers offering smooth on smooth and the costs are over double what I pay for haircell ABS. I have not had any major difficulty with haircell but others have noted it telegraphs through. Perhaps my experience has shown that thicker ABS (I use mostly 0.093") will prevent the haircell from telegraphing through...just a thought.

Very well said Fabien. All I can say is Mr Laws' Helmet is stunning (No pun intended) in its attention to detail, crisp lines, and overall appearance. IMHO I think its what Mr. Lucas would have liked to have seen back in the 70's. True craftmanship.