Cricket's RS Stunt Build (for the Vertically Challenged)

[Cricket[TK]]

I picked up the stainless steel strips as suggested in the FB tutorial, and they're very, very 'grabby'.  But if y'all think something else would be better, I would use that, too!  Science has never been my strong suit.  

Edited October 5, 2016 by Cricket

[MoSc0ut[TK]]

I picked up the stainless steel strips as suggested in the FB tutorial, and they're very, very 'grabby'. But if y'all think something else would be better, I would use that, too! Science has never been my strong suit.

Well you are there with the material and if it works go with it! Is it already white and with any "pokey" parts filed off?

 

I saw that tutorial just a bit too late to do mine that way. I may do a retro fit. Fastening the bra hooks are a pain but I'm getting quite adept at it. (So many jokes come to mind with that last sentence.....but I'll be good!) and I do not like the Velcro for this application at all. But magnets would be amazing and I'm getting the itch to work on my armor again.

 

 

Jim - TK50899

[Addertime[TK]]

Well you are there with the material and if it works go with it! Is it already white and with any "pokey" parts filed off?

 

I saw that tutorial just a bit too late to do mine that way. I may do a retro fit. Fastening the bra hooks are a pain but I'm getting quite adept at it. (So many jokes come to mind with that last sentence.....but I'll be good!) and I do not like the Velcro for this application at all. But magnets would be amazing and I'm getting the itch to work on my armor again.

 

 

Jim - TK50899

Ha! @ the bra hook thing. They are far more difficult to remove than the normal application aren't they? I figured I could easily do it one-handed.

 

And yeah, some blends of stainless are more magnetic than others but all of them offer less magnetic bang-for-the-buck than a nice strip of hot-rolled bar stock which is fairly rust-resistant due to the fire scale. I used to do a lot of welding/metal work in my younger days. 

 

But if what you have has a enough grab, Christine, go with it. The calf closure takes a lot of abuse though and it flexes open a lot with the elastic/bra strap method. I've often noted since completing my armor that the entire Imperial Army could be brought to a standstill if the rebels just added a step or two in front of their base.

Edited October 5, 2016 by Addertime

[MoSc0ut[TK]]

Ha! @ the bra hook thing. They are far more difficult to remove than the normal application aren't they? I figured I could easily do it one-handed.

 

And yeah, some blends of stainless are more magnetic than others but all of them offer less magnetic bang-for-the-buck than a nice strip of hot-rolled bar stock which is fairly rust-resistant due to the fire scale. I used to do a lot of welding/metal work in my younger days.

 

But if what you have has a enough grab, Christine, go with it. The calf closure takes a lot of abuse though and it flexes open a lot with the elastic/bra strap method. I've often noted since completing my armor that the entire Imperial Army could be brought to a standstill if the rebels just added a step or two in front of their base.

I think Luke is safe on top of that island as long as they don't land on top of it. By the way is Chewie totally a jerk or what? "growwwolll....arrrgggg!" Translation: "Get out Rey, you can walk from here!"

 

Sorry for the side track. Back to this amazing build!

 

 

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[zv288bot[TK]]

[Cricket[TK]]

And yeah, some blends of stainless are more magnetic than others but all of them offer less magnetic bang-for-the-buck than a nice strip of hot-rolled bar stock which is fairly rust-resistant due to the fire scale. I used to do a lot of welding/metal work in my younger days. 

 

 

Okay, Michael, now I'm trying to find something better than what I've got.  I could be happy with the grabby stainless strips I have now, but I want my shins to be mega-grabby!

 

Trekking down to HD, I picked up the thinnest piece of plain steel sheet metal, which is a 22 gauge.  The magnets love it.  I should be able to cut it just fine, but I'm wondering if you think that maybe something thinner would suffice.  There is a really big selection over at Amazon (who knew they had a Steel Shim department?!), but I don't know what would be best for the application I'm using it for.  Any tips would be great!  Thanks!

 

I think Luke is safe on top of that island as long as they don't land on top of it. By the way is Chewie totally a jerk or what? "growwwolll....arrrgggg!" Translation: "Get out Rey, you can walk from here!"

 

 

Haha!!  Yeah, I was wondering the same thing!  Maybe he's still bugged about not getting a medal all those years ago...

[Addertime[TK]]

Okay, Michael, now I'm trying to find something better than what I've got.  I could be happy with the grabby stainless strips I have now, but I want my shins to be mega-grabby!

 

Trekking down to HD, I picked up the thinnest piece of plain steel sheet metal, which is a 22 gauge.  The magnets love it.  I should be able to cut it just fine, but I'm wondering if you think that maybe something thinner would suffice.  There is a really big selection over at Amazon (who knew they had a Steel Shim department?!), but I don't know what would be best for the application I'm using it for.  Any tips would be great!  Thanks!

 

There's a big difference, right? I think that will probably work and should cut like paper with a good pair of snips. Just make sure to knock off the sharp edges.

[Cricket[TK]]

Done!  Pics to follow. 

It was very easy to cut the sheet metal.  I used one of the stainless steel strips as a template.  After I cut one out, I Dremeled the edges smooth (but they didn't need much clean up).  I bent it a bit to get it to fit inside the shin, and it's much better than the stainless strip with regards to strength with the magnets.  Woo hoo!

I've also decided that I want to try solid magnets rather than the hole-in-the-middle ones.  More magnet = more strength.  I know that the e6000 will give sufficient strength for the bond, so I don't think that the extra hole in the middle is all that necessary.  I have one shin completed with the holey magnets, and I'll wait to complete the other shin until the new magnets arrive.  That way I can do the full Pepsi challenge on them and report on which one holds together better.

[Addertime[TK]]

I'm curious to hear the results.

[Racermouse[TK]]

Maybe put a coat of some hard lacquer or paint on the sheet metal strips. Trooping is a sweaty business, and as you know salt and steel or iron don't go well together. If rust gets on the ABS, it will be very hard to remove.

 

BTW the amount of work I did to fit my armor is nothing compared to what you are up to. RESPECT!

Edited October 8, 2016 by myys

[zv288bot[TK]]

Agreed, I would go stainless cause it's gonna get sweaty. I would think you would also want some ability for "flexing" allowing the magnets to come undone and re align themselves after the stress/strain is over. I once read a thread about someone using magnets to hold various parts of their clone trooper outfit and it held in place perfect but also gave a little with any major twist, turn or strain.

 

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[Addertime[TK]]

Agreed, I would go stainless cause it's gonna get sweaty. I would think you would also want some ability for "flexing" allowing the magnets to come undone and re align themselves after the stress/strain is over. I once read a thread about someone using magnets to hold various parts of their clone trooper outfit and it held in place perfect but also gave a little with any major twist, turn or strain.

 

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You bring up a good point Jorge. It does need to flex and realign. This is a concern I've had all along and certainly the biggest shortcoming in the velcro closures I've seen. I'm anxious to hear how this all goes for Christine because she's a tenacious little construction wolverine who is going to tinker with it until it works.

[MoSc0ut[TK]]

So you might consider this as an option. 8 did a similar thing with magnets but with my side closure on my Abs.

 

First I sewed a little pouch to hold the magnets. This is 3" wide elastic, but black Coudura nylon would work because once you sew the elastic it stops being stretchy.

 

 

Then I glued with e6000 it to one side

 

 

Matching magnets CA glued to the other. Tried e6000 but the magnets kept pulling each other out of the puddle of glue!

 

 

I also have a snap and elastic both top and bottom.

 

Now if I bend or twist at the waist the magnets allow the armor to split apart but as soon as I stand back up the magnets pull the front and back back together and it looks all neat and tidy.

 

This could easily be adapted to the backs of the shins. You'd just need to maybe add a traditional bra hook or maybe some elastic and a snap plate on the top to keep them from flying completely off.

 

Just a thought.

 

 

Jim - TK50899

Edited October 9, 2016 by MoSc0ut

[Addertime[TK]]

Hmm.... interesting solution, Jim.

[MoSc0ut[TK]]

Hmm.... interesting solution, Jim.

....and no rust or sharp edges! In fact I am now motivated to modify my shins with this mod!

 

 

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[Cricket[TK]]

I am really digging all this brainstorming!!!!  You troopers are the best!

Hey Jim, how did you cut your magnets?   Hack saw?  Dremel?  And is there a reason why you chose to cut up round ones versus picking up some rectangle ones?  I'm trying to get an idea of how your magnet system fits together when it's closed.  Would you be able to post some additional pics of what you've built, or maybe a simple diagram of it?  I'm really curious about it.

 

I'm also thinking about the flex issue.  I still want to use the magnetic closures, but you all are so spot on about the rigidity issues.  So I'm guessing that maybe a velcro/elastic combo might be a good addition to this.  The magnets as currently installed would keep everything snapped up vertically, but inside horizontally there would be 3 short strips of elastic attached (with industrial velcro on one end, and e6000 on the other).  So if they flexed open, the elastic would pull it all back together enough for the magnets to reattach.

Thoughts?




 

[MoSc0ut[TK]]

I am really digging all this brainstorming!!!! You troopers are the best!

 

Hey Jim, how did you cut your magnets? Hack saw? Dremel? And is there a reason why you chose to cut up round ones versus picking up some rectangle ones? I'm trying to get an idea of how your magnet system fits together when it's closed. Would you be able to post some additional pics of what you've built, or maybe a simple diagram of it? I'm really curious about it.

 

I'm also thinking about the flex issue. I still want to use the magnetic closures, but you all are so spot on about the rigidity issues. So I'm guessing that maybe a velcro/elastic combo might be a good addition to this. The magnets as currently installed would keep everything snapped up vertically, but inside horizontally there would be 3 short strips of elastic attached (with industrial velcro on one end, and e6000 on the other). So if they flexed open, the elastic would pull it all back together enough for the magnets to reattach.

 

Thoughts?

 

 

 

 

 

They actually snapped in half when I set them on the table too close to each other, call it a "fortunate mistake"!

 

If you leave out the "X" pattern and only sewed in a channel big enough for the magnet it would retain the "stretchiness". I like the idea of Velcro for the back up to the magnets too.

 

I can take some additional photos when I get home. I'll draw a quick sketch too.

 

 

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[Cricket[TK]]

I'm anxious to hear how this all goes for Christine because she's a tenacious little construction wolverine who is going to tinker with it until it works.

 

Hahaha!!  Love this.  I will hereby proceed on the rest of this build embracing my inner tenacious construction wolverine.

 

 

[68Brick[TK]]

I'm loving the look and secure-ness of the magnets. It's a great idea and looks clean too. My only concern is transportation. I think you'll have to be careful how you pack things and where you put your electronics (if you plan to run any). Strong magnets can destroy cell phones, etc., and I don't know the impact next to battery packs or Icomms. Also, you'll have to be careful who and what you unpack next too. You don't want to damage anyone else's kit, or private property.

 

Not to mention, all your pieces will be attracted to each other in your bin like a bunch of Christmas lights!

[MoSc0ut[TK]]

Here are some pictures I took yesterday. Good thing I pulled my kit out too. One of my shoulder straps was coming loose so fixed that and then took a look at the rest and did some maintenance. It's been troop after troop and I haven't had time to check all the parts and maintain it lately.

 

Any way, here are the pictures of my magnet side closure for my abs. The bond between the magnets isn't super strong because they are only halves of magnets. But with several more full magnets the bond would be much stronger.

 

 

 

 

 

I hope this shows a little better how this works in action.

 

Cheers!

 

 

Jim - TK50899

[TKZombie[TK]]

Why not just use the bra hook closure method for the calves? I ahve them on my TK and TD and never had a issue, they flex if you move and hold tight. My thoughts...

[Cricket[TK]]

I'm loving the look and secure-ness of the magnets. It's a great idea and looks clean too. My only concern is transportation. I think you'll have to be careful how you pack things and where you put your electronics (if you plan to run any). Strong magnets can destroy cell phones, etc., and I don't know the impact next to battery packs or Icomms. Also, you'll have to be careful who and what you unpack next too. You don't want to damage anyone else's kit, or private property.

 

Not to mention, all your pieces will be attracted to each other in your bin like a bunch of Christmas lights!

Certainly all great points!  With these little magnets, though, I doubt that they would attract something more than just an inch or so away.  While still n50 in strength, these magnets aren't as large as the ones typically used when building armor.  So if someone has their cell phone right up next to my shin, then I suppose that they deserve to lose the functionality in their device.  

[Cricket[TK]]

Here are some pictures I took yesterday. Good thing I pulled my kit out too. One of my shoulder straps was coming loose so fixed that and then took a look at the rest and did some maintenance. It's been troop after troop and I haven't had time to check all the parts and maintain it lately.

 

Any way, here are the pictures of my magnet side closure for my abs. The bond between the magnets isn't super strong because they are only halves of magnets. But with several more full magnets the bond would be much stronger.

 

 

 

 

 

I hope this shows a little better how this works in action.

 

 

Yay!  Yes, this helps a lot.  Thanks, Jim!

 

 

 

Why not just use the bra hook closure method for the calves? I ahve them on my TK and TD and never had a issue, they flex if you move and hold tight. My thoughts...

I was debating this earlier...  

Pros Screen Authentic: flexible and comfortable, it's screen authentic, dammit

Pros Velcro: snug, tight fit, less of a visual gap when seen from the opposite side, fairly easy to install

 

Cons Screen Authentic:  may unhook while trooping, holes may weaken and crack over time, bit of a visual gap when seen from opposite side, more work to install

Cons Velcro:  can pop open while trooping (I've seen this myself!) due to its lack of flexibility, it's not screen authentic

 

Then Jorge showed me the whole magnetic closure thing, and I like how it keeps the gap closed up when seen from the side (like velcro), but it also has the ability to open and close as well.  Kind of a hybrid of the bra hook method.  

 

 

[TKZombie[TK]]

Hope all is okay, your build thread has gone quiet! 

[Cricket[TK]]

On 10/28/2016 at 9:52 AM, TKZombie said:

Hope all is okay, your build thread has gone quiet! 

 

Thanks for checking in on me.    Halloween is huge at my house, and it takes up nearly all of my free time as we get closer to the big night!  Here is what last year looked like, and this year is turning out to be bigger.  Exhausting, but fun.  I'm looking forward to getting back to my TK after all the Halloween madness is over.  

Edited January 21, 2019 by Cricket
link update