SpacesNoTabs Posted August 15, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2023 Been nearly a year since I've been working on my armor! I think I got somewhat discouraged, but feeling better now and back at it with some more questions. First up, here's my butt plate and kidney plate connection. Some of the straps look like crap. When I put the snaps together, I get about half of them looking good, and the other all misaligned, but they're still functional, albeit a bit challenging to snap/unsnap at times. Now I have to figure out how to attach the back plate and kidney plate. I'm not understanding how to attach these to where they will fit together since the bottom edge of the back plate is so curved. Any tips appreciated! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaskedVengeance[Staff] Posted August 15, 2023 Report Share Posted August 15, 2023 Welcome back, Chris! I know the feeling of stepping away for some time myself well. As for your question of the back to kidney connection, the important thing right now would be to have the pieces centered horizontally. You'll then eventually need to adjust the tightness of your strapping in order to pull the pieces together appropriately and minimize the gap. Here is a photo of my internal strapping: Depending on how the pieces fit on your body you may eventually find that everything comes together perfectly, or that the pieces need further reduction. AJ document the extra corner trimming well on his build thread in both THIS post and again later HERE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpacesNoTabs Posted August 15, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2023 Awesome! Thanks for that response Caleb. Some follow up questions: When you talk about "adjusting the tightness of my strapping" I assume that you are talking about remaking new straps longer/shorter depending on my needs? I can't think of another way to easily adjust the straps unless there is something I'm missing (yellow highlight) I'm having a hard time tracking down exactly how to do the shoulder straps! What's that black piece in the center of the strap (red highlight) Why do you have an extra set of snaps on the kidney plate? Or are your straps just not attached there? (blue highlight) Again, I'm sure it's out there but I've had a hard time finding how to do the kidney/ab connection. What are the black pieces that go vertically between the rivets? Below those straps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted August 15, 2023 Report Share Posted August 15, 2023 Using elastic allows some give and can be more advantageous than using nylon. Using a snap guide can help get the snaps in the right spot each time. A plate of plastic cut to the width of the elastic/nylon, then add two holes for snap placement in the middle, then use a color marking pen to mark the holes, as you can see below they are all pretty much in the same position I use adjusters on my ab/chest plates makes it easy to make corrections. If your straps are too long can can add extra snaps, as it appears was down in Caleb's image Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpacesNoTabs Posted August 15, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2023 Thanks @gmrhodes13! I do use a snap guide, but I have been just using a hammer and the snap setting tool so I'm still not very accurate! I'll have to look into those adjusters, that seems like a good idea. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpacesNoTabs Posted August 16, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2023 Hey @MaskedVengeance, would you have a moment to address my questions about your straps? If not that's totally cool! Another question for y'all: what's the best way to clean up the paint edges? For example, I need to clean up some of the paint on my helmet, just little bits here and there. I've tried using a toothpick in mineral spirits, but it hasn't worked great for me. I read on the supply list that Goo Gone is an option. Would that work better? Or is paint thinner OK to use? Thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted August 16, 2023 Report Share Posted August 16, 2023 11 minutes ago, SpacesNoTabs said: Hey @MaskedVengeance, would you have a moment to address my questions about your straps? If not that's totally cool! Another question for y'all: what's the best way to clean up the paint edges? For example, I need to clean up some of the paint on my helmet, just little bits here and there. I've tried using a toothpick in mineral spirits, but it hasn't worked great for me. I read on the supply list that Goo Gone is an option. Would that work better? Or is paint thinner OK to use? Thanks so much! DON'T USE PAINT THINNER it will melt the plastic (thinners and scrap plastic is how we make ABS paste ). Normally a toothpick and mineral spirits does the job for me, any stubborn areas I cut a pieces of scrap plastic so it has a sharp edge then use that to scrape off the excess, some times you do need to use some polish to remove any smudge. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpacesNoTabs Posted August 16, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2023 6 minutes ago, gmrhodes13 said: DON'T USE PAINT THINNER it will melt the plastic (thinners and scrap plastic is how we make ABS paste ). Normally a toothpick and mineral spirits does the job for me, any stubborn areas I cut a pieces of scrap plastic so it has a sharp edge then use that to scrape off the excess, some times you do need to use some polish to remove any smudge. Thank you for saving my armor 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaskedVengeance[Staff] Posted August 17, 2023 Report Share Posted August 17, 2023 Absolutely, Chris. Sorry I didn't see your comment earlier! The yellow highlight that you pointed out is the shoulder bell snap that is roughly midway on the strap between the chest and back armor pieces. It is on the underside of the shoulder strap to reduce visibility, and you can faintly see the stitching for the same snap on the opposite shoulder strap. With your red highlight you pointed out a set of spare snap plates I installed on my back-kidney connection. This is purely to give me flexibility on my armor fitment and how much black gaps I want to show between my armor pieces. This actually addresses your first question about adjusting the tightness of strapping. Rather than making new straps I simply added an additional set of snaps, and I now actually have a corresponding set of second snaps on my chest-back pieces, so basically I can move my back plate up and down. Glen was exactly right with his answer. As for the blue area, I got a little exotic with my ab-kidney connections, and first put down a strip of black plastic on all the edges as reinforcement. I then added some tabs for alignment purposes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaskedVengeance[Staff] Posted August 17, 2023 Report Share Posted August 17, 2023 18 hours ago, SpacesNoTabs said: Thank you for saving my armor One thing other than mineral spirts that worked for my is isopropyl alcohol. You could try 70% before moving up higher to like 92%. Be sure the overpaint that you're trying to remove actually gets some of the moisture of whatever solution you use. I generally start with q-tips or some fine-tipped ones from a craft store. Think of them like a fine-tipped sharpie vs a regular one. They're absorbent, but tipped for precise application. Depending on how much paint I'm trying to remove, I may then use a toothpick to chip away at the paint, or stick with the fine-tipped swap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpacesNoTabs Posted August 17, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2023 Thanks so much Caleb! Really appreciate it. So I need to actually sew some snaps on there? Uh-oh Wait, are those where the shoulder bells are supposed to connect? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaskedVengeance[Staff] Posted August 17, 2023 Report Share Posted August 17, 2023 In Glen's photo you can see that he uses two regular snaps in his white elastic shoulder straps, but some troopers use a sew-on snap so there's no snap base to be visible (if people are looking that closely). It's advised to attach your shoulder bell mounting point closer to the front of your shoulder strap than the rear; that way your bells are more likely to stay forward (making you look better when viewed from the front) rather than rotating to the back. You can see in Glen's photo that his middle pair of snaps on the white strap are closer to one of the two ends of the strap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKSpartan[Staff] Posted August 17, 2023 Report Share Posted August 17, 2023 3 hours ago, SpacesNoTabs said: Thanks so much Caleb! Really appreciate it. So I need to actually sew some snaps on there? Uh-oh Wait, are those where the shoulder bells are supposed to connect? Hi, perhaps this image can help And this one I found 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpacesNoTabs Posted August 17, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2023 Those are fantastic! Thanks so much @TKSpartan 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted August 17, 2023 Report Share Posted August 17, 2023 Having your snaps a little closer to the front helps to bring the shoulder bells inwards when you move your arms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpacesNoTabs Posted August 18, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2023 I'm attempting to identify all the fabric that I need. Currently, I have an excessively large roll of 2 inch black webbing and another large roll of 2 inch elastic. I bought them before I totally knew what I was doing! So far, all of the straps and snaps I've done use the nylon webbing. But I know there are some other things I need and wanted to get verification. Shoulder straps are 2 inch wide elastic - white. Are there other places where 2 or 1 inch elastic is useful? What about 1 inch wide black nylon? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpacesNoTabs Posted August 21, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2023 Do these look ok? I assume that the ab side will look the same!After that, how are the other sides of the ab and kidney connected? I can't really tell from the various pictures I've seen but I probably haven't looked in the right places! Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKSpartan[Staff] Posted August 21, 2023 Report Share Posted August 21, 2023 9 hours ago, SpacesNoTabs said: Do these look ok? I assume that the ab side will look the same! After that, how are the other sides of the ab and kidney connected? I can't really tell from the various pictures I've seen but I probably haven't looked in the right places! Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk Take a look 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaskedVengeance[Staff] Posted August 21, 2023 Report Share Posted August 21, 2023 Apologies if this has already been previously posted, but just in case you haven't seen it, the image below can be helpful. Additionally, below is the whole strapping section from the resource thread I compiled. Strapping Systems Rivet Setting 101 by justjoseph63 (Print PDF) Snap Setting 101 by justjoseph63 (Print PDF) Snap Setting Hardware Solutions by TheRascalKing E6000 and Snaps Discussion by Harbinger, Snap Options by ukswrath Snaps with Rivet Heads by TheSwede Split Rivet Placement by DroidHunter How to Use a Rivet Tool by huttman How to Make Snap Plates by stukatrooper Elastic ABS Reinforcement by Cricket Magnetic Shin Closures by Cricket (Print PDF) Magnetic Shin Closures (supplement) by Zugor Alternate Magnetic Shin Closures by OddViking327 Types of Inner Strapping by Shinyarmour1 Internal Strapping by justjoseph63, nrgband RascalSnaps by TheRascalKing Thigh Garter System by Pencap510 Making Thigh Garters by Spectre Bicep Hooks by Pyrates and Brent Shin stabilization by Cricket and themaninthesuitcase 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpacesNoTabs Posted August 21, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2023 3 hours ago, TKSpartan said: Take a look Wow. That's amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpacesNoTabs Posted August 21, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2023 Does anyone know a good place to source the split rivets? My armor came with 6 but looks like I'll need a few more. I can buy them on Amazon if I want 100 or so of them Which is fine! But if anyone knows a place to buy a smaller amount, that'd be great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaskedVengeance[Staff] Posted August 21, 2023 Report Share Posted August 21, 2023 47 minutes ago, SpacesNoTabs said: Does anyone know a good place to source the split rivets? My armor came with 6 but looks like I'll need a few more. I can buy them on Amazon if I want 100 or so of them Which is fine! But if anyone knows a place to buy a smaller amount, that'd be great! I got mine from Joseph through his centurion hardware thread, but I'm not sure if he's currently processing them. I say get the 100 and have some to spare and also share with other builders following in your footsteps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpacesNoTabs Posted August 21, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2023 17 minutes ago, MaskedVengeance said: I got mine from Joseph through his centurion hardware thread, but I'm not sure if he's currently processing them. I say get the 100 and have some to spare and also share with other builders following in your footsteps! That's a great way to give back! I'll probably do that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doggydoc[Staff] Posted August 21, 2023 Report Share Posted August 21, 2023 Glad to see you back at it again Chris. Looks like you are making progress again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpacesNoTabs Posted August 21, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2023 37 minutes ago, Doggydoc said: Glad to see you back at it again Chris. Looks like you are making progress again. Good to see you again Gerald! I hope you've been enjoying your trooping 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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