Trimmed vs Untrimmed

[kpresseault]

Sorry if this has been addressed in another post... I've been digging and didn't find anything...

 

I was just curious as to whether or not it is better, as a newbie, to go with a trimmed or untrimmed TK armor? I'm pretty handy with tools when it comes to construction and house renovations, but I've never worked ABS plastic before.

 

So I'm wondering:

 

- what kind of tools do I need to do the trimming work myself? Does it require special tools?

- how easy is it to wreck the armor? I always follow the Bob the Builder rule of "measure twice, cut once" but, again since I'm a wood guy and not plastic, does it snap easy and you end up having to order replacement parts frequently?

 

Part of me prefers the idea of going untrimmed... and not even for the money savings. I like the idea of me working on my own armor - just like how I loved refinishing my hardwood floors

 

Any thoughts or feedback, or links to other discussions, would be a great help!

 

Thanks!

[Locitus[Admin]]

It's really easy. Just get yourself a "laxan scissor" (it's a $10 item) for the curved cuts and a metal ruler and x-acto or similar for the straight cuts. Buying untrimmed "forces" you to make your armour your size and not someone elses. And should you not be a perfect fit for a trimmed kit, you would still have to trim it to make it fit, thereby spoiling the pro's of buying trimmed.

 

When you're not using any power tools it's very hard to "ruin" any parts since you're going slow enough to see what you're doing well before it gets out of hand.

[Brent]

Part of me prefers the idea of going untrimmed... and not even for the money savings. I like the idea of me working on my own armor - just like how I loved refinishing my hardwood floors

 

Get untrimmed.

 

Trimming is probably not for everyone, but if you can work your way around woodworking projects, you can certainly handle plastic. It's different to be sure, but you already sound like you will be more then careful enough to be comfortable. It's a good learning experience, and you will be a lot more familiar with your armor and comfortable with what it can handle and how to do repairs if you spend the time to trim it yourself.

 

When I started out every cut was terrifying and I would shave it down just a millimeter at a time. By the time I was done trimming I was ready to eyeball my trimming and moving fast.

 

For tools: lexan scissors and sandpaper were my primary tools. I also used the sanding wheel of my dremel when I needed to trim back stuff that was too thin to cut and too thick to manually sand down. Lots of people also "score and snap" with an exacto knife.

[DizzyStormtrooper[501st]]

i'm a metal guy and not a plastic guy lol, id say go untrimmed since youll have it scaled to your body and have plenty of excess scrap for snap plates

[Tray[TK]]

I used a scoring blade #16 exacto knife to trim the pieces as close as I can. Then used a table sander to finish the edges to the trim lines. Hand sanded the edges with 150+ grit sandpaper to smooth the edges then used a utility knife to remove the burred edges. This gave me a clean smooth edge.

 

The helmet I did with a high speed dremel cutter for roughing out the eyes. The used a sanding wheel on the dremel to finish the eyes to the trim lines. The frown I drew where I wanted to remove the holes and drilled holes all in teh area. Then used a #11 exacto blade to finish the frown. Doing it by hand made sure I did not screw up the helmet. When using a dremel you have to be very very careful. It can get out of control in less than a blink of an eye and ruin the faceplate, or any part, before you even know what happened.

[Spectre]

Yep, dremels can do damage of you aren't careful. I have a few nicks and chunks missing on my faceplate caused by a momentary loss of control of my dremel.