DudeSidious Posted September 4, 2012 Report Share Posted September 4, 2012 And here is the right bicep and forearm being strapped together as per this discussion: http://www.whitearmo...l=&fromsearch=1 your armour coming along nicely mate,i'm just wondering why glued your strapping to the duct tape ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clamps[TK] Posted September 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2012 (edited) duct tape was notch cut under the strapping, so it is actually attached to the abs and inner shimming material. There might be a tiny overlap, but not much. Edited to say: Thank you for the comment though Wayne, it's these little details that people pick up on that make this community so awesome! Edited September 4, 2012 by chookaboom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clamps[TK] Posted September 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2012 (edited) Alrighty, so, this is the moment I have been waiting for for a few weeks. The first full all parts in test fitting. All in all, I am happy with the progress of the individual parts. When they all came together, I definitely have some ISSUES to deal with. before I can really ask for feedback. But would love opinions on how to solve any of the identified issues. ** Note the sniper plate and thigh ammo belt not attached yet. Also, kidney split rivets not installed (only holes drilled). biggest issue is the Chest/Back/shoulder connections. It is all weenie-eyed. I am hoping it is just a strapping problem that can be dealt with by lengthening a strap. But then I noticed the whole back has to come down another couple inches. if I do this, I will need to remove the plastic shoulder straps and make it shorter on the chest Raise the thighs higher with my adjustable garter strapping Definitely will be trimming out behind he knee on back of thigh so I can walk. Gonna need rear strap on hand plate to keep it from sliding forward. I will likely do most troops with nomex and formal ones with the rubber glvoes and with KArin's handguards (that are on their way) Butt plate has the popped out look... gotta figure that one out. Kidney plate is digging into my back and there is a little flair on my shims. I think if I heat and re-shape the kidney a little, this will fix both issues. Need to add the Velcro to shoe trick to keep shins straight once things are locked in. RIght forearm/bicep is using the elastic connection strapping method. this worked well until I put it on with the shoulder bell. Then once it slips under the shoulder bell strap, it catches every time I bend my arm, limiting the range of motion big time. LEFT bicep and forearm have no strapping, thus the gap and high riding bicep. Be gentle now, remember this is the FIRST full test. Currently curing are the Shin front shims and Bicep shims. Edited September 5, 2012 by chookaboom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clamps[TK] Posted September 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2012 God, what the hell is happening with the fonts in the last post. lemme try to fix that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigironvault Posted September 5, 2012 Report Share Posted September 5, 2012 (edited) I'm going to try give my feedback for what's it's worth biggest issue is the Chest/Back/shoulder connections. It is all weenie-eyed. I am hoping it is just a strapping problem that can be dealt with by lengthening a strap. But then I noticed the whole back has to come down another couple inches. if I do this, I will need to remove the plastic shoulder straps and make it shorter on the chest - ... I think that some of your problems can be solved with a harness to bring your crotch higher (and by default the torso section higher) and of course snaps on back plate and ab plate. Definitely will be trimming out behind he knee on back of thigh so I can walk. - Definitely Gonna need rear strap on hand plate to keep it from sliding forward. - I stole that idea from Andrea, it works AWESOME! Butt plate has the popped out look... gotta figure that one out. - Shorten straps, pull snap plate closer and you can velcro strap down - worked for me. Kidney plate is digging into my back and there is a little flair on my shims. I think if I heat and re-shape the kidney a little, this will fix both issues. - Have to see it first in person, can't see the problem. Don't reshape it yet until you've tried absolutely everything. Cause you won't be able to get it back to original perfectly. Need to add the Velcro to shoe trick to keep shins straight once things are locked in. - absolutely, works like a charm. That one Andrea borrowed me from me haha! Edited September 5, 2012 by bigironvault Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrooperTim Posted September 5, 2012 Report Share Posted September 5, 2012 I agree with Keith, push the ab/crotch higher if you can or adjust the straps so the chest sits a bit lower. Maybe do both. Not to go all TMI, but my cod does act as a cup. I used velcro to attach the butt and kidney on the sides with 2 elastic strips/snaps attached in the middle. I don't see any issue with the kidney. Yep, I have my boots velcroed to my shins so they act as one piece. One of the best mods I've done with my kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clamps[TK] Posted September 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2012 Thanks guys, I will have a looksee at raising the ab, which is EASY to do with my adjustable harness I will bring it up and see what happens. As for the butt, I will shorter straps. in an earlier fitting I had shorter straps, but they kept popping off. I will put those back on and then velcro to see is that helps out. was thinking about the forearm-bicep strapping method test, I think I need to research the bicep hooks I saw somewhere, this may be what I need to keep it from dropping to low and causing the lock-up. So excited as I am getting close!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigironvault Posted September 5, 2012 Report Share Posted September 5, 2012 If you do shorter straps you have to move the snap plates on both sides closer together otherwise they will pop off. The butt lift happens because there's too much slack. I'll take a pic for you Charles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clamps[TK] Posted September 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2012 (edited) Just a little progress update: Butt plate popping out issue resolved i went back to my older straps amd then added four velcro tabs I raised the torso as high as it would go, based on physical limitations of the "boys" Based on current default trimming. The thighs won't come any higher. In this shot they are actually smashing/ wedging my flat a$$ butt cheeks Shins complete (minus sniper plate), Biceps complete, Left forearm complete. Decided I wanted a touch more room in the right forearm so I cut the inner for sale sign strip. This is where I realizes that these strips, while a blessing for install, are a nightmare to pull out as they fall apart or simply won't come off without getting a knife involved (which I was hoping to avoid so I don;t slash my armour OR my hands. Anywho after trying to clean that out of 1/2 of a forearm for 30 mins. I moved on to gluing a covers strip to 1/2 of the open side. Will glue the second half tonight. And then decided to totally rework my chest/back/shoulder situation as it was twisted up. Step 1 remove the parts: Step 2 wa to rub all the E6000 off. No problem for the chest. Kinda a pain on the shoulder straps. But all went well until I noticed THIS. <in my best Family Guy "Bruce" voice> Oh No </Bruce voice> that ain't good. I was very careful to support the strap when removing and cleaning. I dunno how that happened. I figured it should still be ok as that is the front part and glued down well with lots o support. Still sucks though. Had the wife hold the back in place and then the front and we made a temporary connection to get me started on the elastic strapping. Once that is done I will revalue he shoulder straps. One thing we really noticed that I never did before is on the chest piece the two breast are very different angles relative to the whole chest. this was giving my wife fits last night as she was helping me try to test alignment and she kept using the breast as a reference point. Once we realized they were imbalanced, we use the relative positioning of the Bottom edge as a whole and had better success. Is this a SA thing that I just never noticed before? Edited September 6, 2012 by chookaboom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigironvault Posted September 6, 2012 Report Share Posted September 6, 2012 Hey dude great work. Yeah the chest is messed up. Use the arch at the bottom to align with ab buttons. Also ou might want to round off the tips of our thighs for a more finished look. cheers bro cant wait to see the kit on the 29th Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrooperTim Posted September 7, 2012 Report Share Posted September 7, 2012 Thigh position looks fine. Yeah, my TK pecks are off too. Best way to fix cracks - ABS slurry. Melt chopped up abs bits in a small amount of acetone to a thick glue like consistency. I would only apply it to the inside of the piece. Make sure you let enough of the acetone evaporate (may take an hour or two) otherwise it'll eat the plastic too deap and mess up the exterior side. My shoulder straps cracked in half at C6. Most of the time I use velcro to keep them down and the strain of undoing that over time caught up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigironvault Posted September 7, 2012 Report Share Posted September 7, 2012 Just to be clear Charles, I think all AP chests are a little off. Mine is as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clamps[TK] Posted September 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2012 Thanks guys! if the crack presents an issue in the next fitting, I will consider the abs paste fix. For now, I thing it will be a non issue as it will be glued down on the chest. we'll see. Finished sealing up the right forearm tonight to give a teeny more breathing room. pulled the snap plates from the chest and back and will replace. I had two snaps per side and I think this was causing some of my mis-alignment issues. with a single snap, there is room for rotation of the snap to allow the font/rear to sit proper. I will know on my next formal fitting (which I am timing out to be Saturday). Added snap plates for back to kidney connection. Shortened my suspension system connector so it would not catch on the top of the AB plate. Added elastic hair tie to rear of hand plate to keep the plate from sliding forward. Researching bicep hooks so I can keep the SA bicep to forearm strapping (keeps popping out of shoulder bell and then catching when I bend my arm...locks the whole thing up. Holes drilled for thigh ammo belt, using temporary brads to hold it as I want to put my coverstrip on first. That's about all of the progress so far...if all goes well on Saturday's fitting, I will be submtting for approval next week!!! oh, and interestingly enough no one, not even myself mentioned that I forgot to have my TD on in my last full fitting *D'oh! that's all for today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigironvault Posted September 7, 2012 Report Share Posted September 7, 2012 (edited) Can't wait to see the pics dude. Edited September 7, 2012 by bigironvault Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clamps[TK] Posted September 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2012 yeah, me too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickles[TK] Posted September 7, 2012 Report Share Posted September 7, 2012 Can't wait to see it live! gogo Clamps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clamps[TK] Posted September 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2012 Yay mailman/lady!!! Karin's rubber hand guards have arrived!! Now where's my superglue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted September 7, 2012 Report Share Posted September 7, 2012 Looking good there Charles, have to remember a few of your issues when I finaly get to work on my armor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clamps[TK] Posted September 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2012 Looking good there Charles, have to remember a few of your issues when I finaly get to work on my armor oh dear, if I could keep track of ALL my issues Today's issues... normal super clue no likey sticky to Rubber hand guards....time to go out and get the kind with activator pen and try again tomorrow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted September 8, 2012 Report Share Posted September 8, 2012 I am planning on using normal silicon to hold the rubber pieces on to the gloves, is really strong and flexible, may be worth trying Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TK bondservnt[501st] Posted September 9, 2012 Report Share Posted September 9, 2012 tire repair kit glue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigironvault Posted September 9, 2012 Report Share Posted September 9, 2012 Yeah not sure why Loctite didn't work for you Charles. You can use mine if you have a problem after. (Actually one of the Loctites I have I think is Jennys... oops) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clamps[TK] Posted September 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2012 Rubber hand guard mounting fail #2 today. Friend was over today working on a costumer and he had some Gorilla Glue. Same result. Will look for the tube repair glue. Keith used Loctite on his and it worked perfectly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clamps[TK] Posted September 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2012 Yeah not sure why Loctite didn't work for you Charles. You can use mine if you have a problem after. (Actually one of the Loctites I have I think is Jennys... oops) my fail was grazy glue not loctite, so I will try that too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clamps[TK] Posted September 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2012 Too lazy to post photos. But work is still proceeding: Chest/back strapping and shoulder belts reworked. Thigh rear cover strips added Left bicep to forearm strap added Evil AP sniper plate glued on with what seemed like 1/2 a tube of e6000. SES it at the top center and will add white silicon caulking to re enforce once e6000 cured very well. To do list: Thigh front cover strips Paint helmet screws Put cap rivets on thigh ammo pack Minor trimming on legs Glue hand guards Velcro on shoe and shin to hold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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