Forearm Issues - Won't Come Together

[Impatience[TK]]

So I've finally started my build.  YAY!!!  I've trimmed all the pieces for forearms and started trimming one side of the biceps.  Since I'm using E6000, I've only been glueing one portion of one of the forearms per night to make sure I don't make any mistakes and to just get my first piece under my belt.

 

Well, thats where problems have begun.  I'm at the point where I've put the cover strip on both sides and connected the two pieces on one side for one forearm, but now I can't get the other side to come together.  There is too much tension trying to pull the pieces apart.  I've tried LOTS of clamps, rare earth magnets, tape, etc to try and keep it together, but there is just too much tension in the plastic pulling the pieces apart.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated, this is VERY frustrating.  (I've done everything I can not to take a saw to my plastic).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

--Impatience

 

 

[Tusken RTT]

Have you tried wrapping the tape around the entire piece a couple of times?  Apply your glue and then wrap around the middle with tape good and tight;  you should hopefully then be able to get your clamps and magnets in place on the parts without the tape, so you can check the alignment.    

[Impatience[TK]]

I can get the alignment by:

1. Applying glue

2. Having wife apply edge clamps and tape while I hold it

3. Apply magnets, additional clamps etc

 

But the glue area still separates leaving a large enough gap that it's ugly and glue won't hold. Also, problem with taking first is then I can't get the glue in.

 

 

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[russellr2d2[TK]]

Wrap it up in tape squeezed together so the ends overlap a bit and dunk in a bucket of steamy hot water. Try about 5sec. Then run cold water on it. See how that does.

 

 

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[Clonecollector[TK]]

How about gluing an inner shim using CA glue and accelerator?

 

You could then E6000 a cover strip afterwards.

[Darth Aloha[Admin]]

Hmmm. The hot water bucket trick may work.

 

I suggest letting it sit with E-6000 clamps and take for a 2-3 days. Maybe rough up the areas to glue with some sand paper before reapplying glue. 

 

-Eric

[Impatience[TK]]

Hmm, can probably give the water a try.

Darth Aloha - I can't even get the gap to close initially for the two pieces ( cover strip and other piece) for glue to work. Have to push with hands to get enough pressure for cover strip and piece to go flush.

 

 

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[Coastertk]

If I could make a suggestion, it would be to align the upper part of the forearm (flush) and trim the overlap on the wrist edge. You also seem to have a bit of a return edge at the wrist, so this might kill 2 birds.... Just my 2cents

[Impatience[TK]]

Try a picture here of the gap with clamps and magnets and tape. Maybe I need stronger clamps and longer ones.

 

 

 

 

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[Sly11[Admin]]

CA glue is the quick trick here, but don't glue the full length in one hit.

Glue 1" at the wrist end and clamp, hit it with zip kicker and weight 5 seconds .

Wipe off the zip kicker.

Know run the ca glue up the cover strip with bias towards the inside edge but join so any runs would be minimal and align the parts and hold tight for 30seconds to 1 minute..... Boom, forearm is complete.

It's what I had to do and job was done in minutes not days.

Use the green bottle Zappa gap as it gives you a little more time to move parts before it locks.

Sometimes E6000 just to hard to work with when you have lots of outward force.

 

Also ad some internal cover strips, they don't need to be full length but will give some added reinforcement.

 

 

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[Impatience[TK]]

Coastertk - Not understanding your first point. Sounds like something I'd want to do, but not visualizing the suggestion.

 

 

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[Coastertk]

From your first photo it seems that your wrist edge is all even around, but your elbow end is offset. One half sits higher than the other. My suggestion was to remove your initial cover strip, align the "elbow edge" and cut off any overlap at the wrist edge. This would remove the return edge at the wrist side which you definitely want to do.

Also for clamping I would recommend using two pieces of wood (rulers/paint stirrers) and clamping them on either side of your seam. Even if only doing an inner or an outer cover strip. Might give you more contact, and E6000 is a contact glue, not a gap filler. Shoutout to Pandatrooper for teaching me that!!

[russellr2d2[TK]]

I just noticed you do not have INSIDE cover strips. You should use them. Makes life easier!!

 

 

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[Impatience[TK]]

I've seen that mentioned a few times. Do the inside cover strips first make construction easier? If so, I'm assuming they would be smaller than the 15mm outside strips? Maybe 12-13mm?

 

 

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[TK bondservnt[501st]]

Hmmm. The hot water bucket trick may work.

 

I suggest letting it sit with E-6000 clamps and take for a 2-3 days. Maybe rough up the areas to glue with some sand paper before reapplying glue. 

 

-Eric

hot water? NO!!!

[TK bondservnt[501st]]

you simply need to get strong clamps to put them together!

 

http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/clamps/8-inch-deep-throat-c-clamp-45917.html

 

[Tusken RTT]

Those magnets are not near as strong as the smaller circular ones you can find.  That makes a huge difference also.  The nickel sized round ones you can barely pull apart.  

[Impatience[TK]]

LOL I have three different size/shaped ones already . I have some thick round ones also and it takes great effort to pull those apart and they weren't working either. Time to get my fourth order in hehehhe

 

 

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[Tusken RTT]

Dang.  Those babies must be like pulling a spring together!  

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Another trooper you may not want to stand too close to ... TWANG!......AHHHHHHHHH!....THUD! 

[russellr2d2[TK]]

See my build thread for my ATA armor. I used some pretty hefty C clamps to get one of the thighs together. Also the inside cover strip lets you have a piece to brace the shell of the arm or leg piece against while clamping and gluing the two halves together. It really helps.

 

 

 

 

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[Tusken RTT]

Another trooper you may not want to stand too close to ... TWANG!......AHHHHHHHHH!....THUD! 

Post of the year!!  Great stuff.  

[russellr2d2[TK]]

inside cover strip:  The inside cover strip gives the piece extra strength and a place to rest the loose half of plastic while you glue the two halves together....something to press the loose edge against while you clamp and glue.

 

-First glue in the inside cover strip on just one side.  Let dry a couple days.  

 

-Then put the two loose halves together and glue and clamp, front side only for now.  

 

-Wait a couple days with E6000 and then glue on the outside cover strip. The outside strip gives the seam extra strength.

Clamp for a couple days.

 

-THEN close up the back with same steps.

 

 

 

Gluing in one side of the inner cover strip.

 

 

 

 

 

Inner strip in and glued both sides. Clamp for a couple days before taking them off.

The outer strip lays ready to be attached. Add the outer strip before going on to try to close up the piece.

In this photo I have not yet added the back inner strip. First do that before trying to close it up.

 

 

 

PULL the two halves together. Use tape, clamps, magnets ....whatever you need to get the two halves together and the seam must be flat!

 

 

You need to clamp the seam so the two halves meet flat or your outside cover strip will not lay correctly.  You can sand the raised seam a bit to make it flat but only a bit. I did on all my seams to smooth out any glue mess.  I used some CA glue in this seam it was so crabby about going together   .

 

 

(Don't stand next to me!!!!!     )

 

 

CA glue in here.  Sanded flat later before adding cover strip.

 

 

 

 

 

A final outside front cover strip goes on last.  This provides extra strength to the seam.  Let all this dry a couple-three days.

 

Edited April 3, 2015 by russellr2d2

[hon143]

When I was building my armor, I would use a heat gun to align the edges of the arm or leg pieces where the cover strips would go over. I would do it a section at a time. Heat a section for about 7-10 seconds and then use a straight piece of extra abs to push down on the edge.

 

Then, when I put the two half pieces together, I could see that they would line up straight and still allow the opposite side to line up together. Basically, if the edge made an obtuse angle to the adjacent side, it would make the opposite side to bow out when you attach the cover strip.

 

It was more time-consuming. But I didn't have to worry about the other side not aligning after I glued one side first.

[ukswrath[Staff]]

inside cover strip:  The inside cover strip gives the piece extra strength and a place to rest the loose half of plastic while you glue the two halves together....something to press the loose edge against while you clamp and glue.

 

-First glue in the inside cover strip on just one side.  Let dry a couple days.  

 

-Then put the two loose halves together and glue and clamp, front side only for now.  

 

-Wait a couple days with E6000 and then glue on the outside cover strip. The outside strip gives the seam extra strength.

Clamp for a couple days.

 

-THEN close up the back with same steps.

 

 

 

Gluing in one side of the inner cover strip.

 

 

 

 

 

Inner strip in and glued both sides. Clamp for a couple days before taking them off.

The outer strip lays ready to be attached. Add the outer strip before going on to try to close up the piece.

In this photo I have not yet added the back inner strip. First do that before trying to close it up.

 

 

 

PULL the two halves together. Use tape, clamps, magnets ....whatever you need to get the two halves together and the seam must be flat!

 

 

You need to clamp the seam so the two halves meet flat or your outside cover strip will not lay correctly.  You can sand the raised seam a bit to make it flat but only a bit. I did on all my seams to smooth out any glue mess.  I used some CA glue in this seam it was so crabby about going together   .

 

 

(Don't stand next to me!!!!!     )

 

 

CA glue in here.  Sanded flat later before adding cover strip.

 

 

 

 

 

A final outside front cover strip goes on last.  This provides extra strength to the seam.  Let all this dry a couple-three days.

 

 

Beautiful!