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QuartZ's Anovos ANH Stunt Build


QuartZ

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3 hours ago, TheSwede said:

A little tension is good so how much force does it take to close? 

Good point, in order to keep the bra hooks secured in the holes I’m sure some tension is appropriate. I don’t know how much measured force is required, but my gut tells me more than I think is necessary right now. Plus, one of the alignment on the back of one calf at the upper edge is off by an inch vertically unless held/bent into alignment (which some painters tape across the seam line can hold - like 6 strips).

2 hours ago, ukswrath said:

I hot water bathed my ATA shins for the same reason. I wanted the two halves to come together naturally. I have to say it was really tough to do without adversely effecting other areas of the shin. End result was shins that closed on their own but the left shin is now really tight around my ankle. Pick your battles, carefully.

 

BTW beautiful work on those hand plates :duim:  

Thanks, the left hand guard is going through initial sanding. I’ll probably post some info about my process later.

 

I hear you on the risk of deforming other aspects of he shin shape. That’s why I’m looking for some more guidance on the hot water process which sounds much more uniform than a heat gun which I feel is pretty risky. I might start with progressively heating a large batch of water until most of the shin is warm, and then target the rear seam area is by using a shallow batch of boiling water in a pan and submerging just the backs of the shins...

 

I’ll practice on some scraps to see if I can learn something before risking my armor.

 

Any good threads or videos on the matter? PS I really appreciate all of your continued support (everyone).

 

-Dana

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21 minutes ago, QuartZ said:

Good point, in order to keep the bra hooks secured in the holes I’m sure some tension is appropriate. I don’t know how much measured force is required, but my gut tells me more than I think is necessary right now. Plus, one of the alignment on the back of one calf at the upper edge is off by an inch vertically unless held/bent into alignment (which some painters tape across the seam line can hold - like 6 strips).

Thanks, the left hand guard is going through initial sanding. I’ll probably post some info about my process later.

 

I hear you on the risk of deforming other aspects of he shin shape. That’s why I’m looking for some more guidance on the hot water process which sounds much more uniform than a heat gun which I feel is pretty risky. I might start with progressively heating a large batch of water until most of the shin is warm, and then target the rear seam area is by using a shallow batch of boiling water in a pan and submerging just the backs of the shins...

 

I’ll practice on some scraps to see if I can learn something before risking my armor.

 

Any good threads or videos on the matter? PS I really appreciate all of your continued support (everyone).

 

-Dana

Follow the link. A couple frames down the hot water bath is illustrated. 

https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/29684-anh-stunt-ata-re-build-part-2/

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19 hours ago, ukswrath said:

Follow the link. A couple frames down the hot water bath is illustrated. 

https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/29684-anh-stunt-ata-re-build-part-2/

Ahh, thanks! I keep forgetting that you have a bunch of different build threads that tackle different problems and show off different approaches!

 

Here's a shot of the right shin rear seam without the tape holding it shut. This is the resting position of the two halves. You can also see the vertical offset I was talking about where the angle edge and upper return edge are offset from each other by about 3/4" or so.

 

IMG_5208.JPG

 

I'll report back with whatever I try next,

-Dana

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Oh, and I also picked up some new 1" wide nylon webbing on Amazon. It cuts really nice and the edges can be melted really clean and uniformly with ease. The stuff that I was recycling from the Anovos kit is junk compared to this stuff. I'm going to go back and remake those 3 small connector straps for the side of the Ab/Kidney plate connections. Mainly I had bought this webbing so that I would have enough to try making flexible snap plates to see if they would work better on the Anovos armor and resolve the warping/hump issues I was getting with my 3D printed ABS snap plates:

IMG_5209.JPG

 

I also ordered and recently received a batch of Fasnap stainless steel Line 24 snaps at @ukswrath's suggestion. These are marine grade and supposedly should not have any corrosion or reaction issues to the E6000 glue so that may eliminate another factor. By switching all of these components up, it may be harder to tell which single aspect of my original attempt was the flaw. But the other thread on this issue will be where I talk more about that.

IMG_5210.JPG

 

And a comparison shot of both snap manufacturers, Tandy on the left and Fasnap on the right:

IMG_5211.JPG

 

I hope to put together a sample nylon plate with Fasnap snaps and glue it to a test piece of Anovos ABS scrap tonight.

 

-Dana

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Ok, so last night I was able to make a test nylon snap plate with 2 Fasnap snaps installed. I used a soldering iron to make the holes with the assistance of one of my 3D printed snap plates as a template for hole placement. As an observation, I feel like the Fasnap snaps hammer together easier than the Tandy snaps. I'm not sure that's scientific...but I felt like it took less time per snap with the setting tool and hammer. Here's the test plate:

IMG_5212.JPG

 

I then covered the back side of the nylon webbing with E6000 glue and went all the way up to the edges of the snaps. I spread the glue evenly across the surface and I wasn't too careful around the snaps. In fact, I intentionally want there to be some glue that ends up on the snaps because that should be the "worst case scenario" if I'm going to do this for real on the armor later. Then I got another piece of scrap ABS armor trimming that I had prepped by sanding the patch where the snap was going and laid the snap plate in place. I secured it with some blue painters tape which keeps it from moving and applies very little downward force on the assembly.

IMG_5213.JPG

 

So this morning (not quite 12 hours later) I checked on the test. Here's the same piece of scrap flipped over. I don't see any warping or deformation. The area looks perfectly flat and none of the reflections warp around the locations of the snaps (those 2 parallel line-like features on the right hand side of the ABS were already there).

IMG_5214.JPG

 

So I'll check back on this piece tonight when I get home from work. I'm guessing it will look the same, but as @Harbinger mentioned his warping may have developed over some time, I just want to give it 24 hours to make a call. I plan to remove the tape and see how the bond turned out.

 

If everything seems good and strong, I'll make up the rest of my torso snap plates like these and start gluing them into the armor late tonight.

 

-Dana

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Alright, I wanted to report back what I found when I got home. I removed the painters tape. The E6000 bond looks great:

IMG_5215.JPG

 

Flipping the test over to examine the "outside" it looked the same as this morning. However, I wanted to be sure so I grabbed a flashlight and shined it at the surface at an angle pretty much parallel with the surface and saw 2 very, very faint humps. It was the only thing I could think of that would reveal the truth. These imperfections are nearly invisible under normal lighting conditions without shining a flashlight at it. Sorry the photo isn't in focus, but hopefully you can see what I'm trying to show (there is something there):

IMG_5216.JPG

 

So, it appears that even with this method, with this combination of materials, and with no pressure applied.... it may be impossible to avoid the issue entirely. I think this result it the most acceptable to me, but I'm trying to be very critical and honest about what I report to the group on this issue. Because the truth is, if you really examine the surface, you will see that it did have an effect on the uniformity of the ABS. At least with this level of scrutiny, with the Anovos kit. I don't want anyone thinking that this is a guaranteed method for avoiding the phenomena entirely.

 

That said, I think it's acceptable to me. I don't expect anyone to shine a flashlight at my armor in this manner.

-Dana

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Thanks for the demo Dana. With this armor being so thin its nearly impossible to avoid deformities of any magnitude when attaching a foreign object to its surface be it inside or out. Compared to your earlier versions what we're seeing now is far better reinforcing the fact that whatever you changed in your process snap type or other has appeared to have resolved the issue. 

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On 2/3/2018 at 6:23 AM, ukswrath said:

Thanks for the demo Dana. With this armor being so thin its nearly impossible to avoid deformities of any magnitude when attaching a foreign object to its surface be it inside or out. Compared to your earlier versions what we're seeing now is far better reinforcing the fact that whatever you changed in your process snap type or other has appeared to have resolved the issue. 

Agreed.

 

-Dana

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This morning marked the 24 hour threshold for all of the new nylon snap plates I glued to the back armor pieces. So, I was able to take all of the tape off and snapped this shot showing how it turned out. Looks good. Next step will be to sew up my elastic straps and install the corresponding snap parts:

IMG_5220.JPG

 

I also measured and glued snap plates like these into the Ab and Chest pieces. They are currently curing and will be all set tomorrow.

 

-Dana

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12 minutes ago, QuartZ said:

This morning marked the 24 hour threshold for all of the new nylon snap plates I glued to the back armor pieces. So, I was able to take all of the tape off and snapped this shot showing how it turned out. Looks good. Next step will be to sew up my elastic straps and install the corresponding snap parts:

IMG_5220.JPG

 

I also measured and glued snap plates like these into the Ab and Chest pieces. They are currently curing and will be all set tomorrow.

 

-Dana

Looks great Dana, great job. 

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52 minutes ago, QuartZ said:

And here's a quick drive-by post of the front snap plates I installed. I just had time this morning to remove the blue painters tape:

-Dana

Nice work. I may have missed this earlier but did you originally intend to use brackets or are the screws for cosmetic reason?

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1 hour ago, ukswrath said:

Nice work. I may have missed this earlier but did you originally intend to use brackets or are the screws for cosmetic reason?

From the beginning I knew I wanted to have the screws visible for cosmetic reasons. I also realized that if I ever wanted to try the bracket method I would be able to with this setup. I planned to use the snap plate + strap method mostly due to what I had heard about Anovos plastic and the potential stress on the return edges when using brackets.

 

Ultimately, I can now switch between these two strapping methods if I chose. I did twice the work...yay! :) 

 

-Dana

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Alright, today I decided to do some little things. First I installed the "S" poppers in the abdominal plate:

IMG_5228.JPG

 

Here's that Centurion popper that faces the inside of the armor for strapping:

IMG_5229.JPG

 

Then I installed the same type of poopers on the posterior for the connection to the cod/abdominal armor:

IMG_5231.JPG

 

Posterior to cod poppers from the inside:

IMG_5232.JPG

 

Crossing stuff off the list!

 

-Dana

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I have finally been able to start putting the torso together. Here's where I started.

 

I used 2" wide elastic to create these loops (similar to the loops that come with the Mr. No Stripes brackets). I felt that the loops had more rigidity than a single flat length of elastic while still remaining flexible under stress. So, I used the sewing machine to stitch one end and the turned it inside out like this:

IMG_5226.JPG

 

Then I punched holes for the corresponding snap pieces (still using Fasnap stainless snaps). Then a bit of hammering and I had some of these:

IMG_5227.JPG

 

Here's the back armor all attached using straps:

IMG_5230.JPG

 

A little note - I did create and install 2 straps using 2" wide nylon (they are pictured above but look SO similar to the elastic straps). These were used to connect the outer edges of the kidney to the posterior in an effort to help keep the posterior edges from flaring. Worked out well.

 

-Dana

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  • 1 year later...

Wow! I put my armor build on hold for almost 2 years. Time flies and life certainly puts gets in the way sometimes, but it feels really good to be back. Quick... let's make some progress before I disappear again!

 

So I jumped back in by starting my Thermal Detonator. I measured the Anovos tube, planned a cut that would give me the proper length with the caps on (I'm shooing for 7.25" overall length when assembled). I taped of the tube so I could sand down the ends to help get the caps on easier. See below:

 

IMG_2008.jpg

 

And here's a closeup of one of the ends where you can also tell that the edges have been rounded significantly:

IMG_2009.jpg

 

I also recently ordered and received some TD clips from @ukswrath which are beautifully made. Thanks a bunch for these! I thought I'd share a photo of an original Anovos clip (left) next to one of ukswrath's clips (right) so that you can appreciate the differences in accuracy.

IMG_2011.jpg

 

I've also finished trimming and sanding all of the TD plastic parts. I did a bit of hot water bath work to also stretch the caps (in addition to my sanding the tube). I've prepped the tube for paint and my next post will be about the particular gray color I'm going to use. I'm doing a bit of extra work (me as usual) to try and see what other paint options there are that come in a spray paint can and come close to the Humbrol 5 color that is said to be accurate. I'll be showing photos of 4 options compared to the Humbrol itself and picking one for my tube. So if you're interested in that topic, stay tuned.

 

 

Thanks for having me back B),

-Dana

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Thanks!

 

Ok, so here's the results from my experiment to find spray paint options to match Humbrol #5 for my TD. I wanted to test several options recommended by other users here as well as see if there was anything else I could find that looked promising at my local hardware store. I grabbed a bunch of little PVC couplings at the store, sanded them, primed them with Krylon primer, and then applied different finishes to each. Here's what I tried:

 

H = Humbrol #5

1 = Testors - 1923 Gunship Grey (FS 36118)

2 = General Paint & Manufacturing - Premium Decor - Slate Gray (PDS70)

3 = Krylon ColorMaxx - Gloss Smoke Grey (5539)

4 = Krylon ColorMaster - Gloss Acrylic Crystal Clear - (51301) sprayed directly over Krylon Primer

 

IMG_2012.jpg

 

IMG_2013.jpg

 

Almost immediately, I noticed that paint Option 2 had a very similar hue to the Humbrol. Interesting! Option 3 was too light and Option 4 was too dark. So, I put those aside and wanted to show a comparison of just the 2 front runners (Options 1 and 2). I'm ignoring the fact that one is glossier than the other and just talking about the "color" or "hue" of the grey:

 

IMG_2014.jpg

 

I think that Option 1 is a bit more "cool" or blue/purple in hue than Option 2. Both are probably good choices for my application, but I'm leaning toward Option 2. But I've never heard of this paint and I don't know much about the quality it. So that has me a bit hesitant.

 

Here's what the can looks like for anyone interested (note the cap DOES look darker than the paint. I almost didn't buy it in the store because the cap looked too dark):

 

IMG_2015.jpg

 

IMG_2016.jpg

 

So just to recap, I think Option 2 is the most similar to Humbrol #5. I randomly found it at my local Ace Hardware Store (which used to be a True Value Hardware Store). I thought I would mention that detail because their product stock may vary from your local store due to the change in franchise. Here's the paint on Amazon if anyone else is interested:

 

General Paint & Manufacturing - Premium Decor - Slate Gray (PDS70)

https://www.amazon.com/General-Paint-Manufacturing-Decorative-360-Degree/dp/B000GPLXVE/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=slate+gray+spray+paint+premium+decor&qid=1577033531&sr=8-1

 

What do you guys think?

 

-Dana

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Not too many dramas with the grey on TD as long as it's not too dark. I use grey primer and coat with clear as I have that handy ;) 

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11 minutes ago, gmrhodes13 said:

Not too many dramas with the grey on TD as long as it's not too dark. I use grey primer and coat with clear as I have that handy ;) 

Good to know, I didn't think so. I just know this hobby is a never ending quest to try and find accurate solutions and I thought this experiment could help the community in the future. I had everything on hand except Option 2 and Option 3. Small price to pay if it helps someone out down the road.

 

-Dana

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Just a quick post. Painted my TD tube, let it dry for a few hours and then removed the masking tape. That seemed to go well and the paint set up nice. I'll let it sit for a day or so to let the paint fully harden before mounting the caps and control panel. 

 

IMG_2019.jpg

 

I think I'm going to prep the screws for black paint and then I'll move on to something else for a while.

 

-Dana

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OK, the Thermal Detonator is done. Here's what I did to wrap it up.

  • Even after letting the paint fully dry, I wanted to be absolutely confident in the finishes ability to withstand handling. So I gave it a few coats of Krylon ColorMaster - Gloss Acrylic Crystal Clear. I know this stuff. I've used it for years, and it works for me time after time.
  • Then I used E6000 to glue the control panel on. My side caps are a really tight friction fit so I didn't bother adding any glue there. I added some rubber bands and some folded paper to the opposite side so that the rubber bands wouldn't be resting directly on the recently dried clear coat (just in case).
  • Then I sanded the screw heads with 400 grit sandpaper, cleaned them off with acetone, and then hit them with 4 thin coats of Krylon ColorMaster - Semi-Gloss Black

IMG_2025.jpg

 

IMG_2036.jpg

 

Once all of that set up and dried, I took the TD clips from @ukswrath and lined them up on the tube against the end caps and control panel. I used some painters tape to keep the clips in place while I drilled small pilot holes and screwed in the black screws. Below is the finished result:

 

IMG_2037.jpg

 

IMG_2038.jpg

 

I am glad to wrap up something after having been away for so long. Go go go!

 

-Dana

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