Go time! The one thing you wish you had during build out

[DTKC]

Ok folks!  It's getting to be go time! My kit is in the mail.  Thanks Dave at Dave's Darkside Depot!  

 

I am fortunate to have an entire basement area to do my build.  What is the one thing you wish you had during build out!  I am not really talking tool's as I am pretty much following the recommend list from here.  

 

I am talking about things for your build area.  Was it a mini fridge to keep your beverages?  A fan to keep you cool?  A tv to watch SW movies during the build!?!?!?!   I have shelves to store my kit during the build.  A work bench.  I was waiting on my kit before I purchased any type of storage for parts etc.  

 

What would have made your life 100% easier during the build.  And saying locking your spouse and kids out of the room isn't an answer.

 

Thanks so much in advance!  

 

 

[Morgi[Staff]]

It's not "things for your build area", but "made my life 100% easier", so I'll still comment

 

A build thread and/or an Attaché. I only started my FISD journey once I was halfway done and had to rework almost everything later on. Having these from the beginning would have saved me a lot of work and time. Once I did join I started a build thread where I got tons of amazing feedback and my Attaché helped me with anything I ever needed help with. Made my build 100% easier. Thank you to all who commented on my build thread and to my Attaché Tino, you're the best! 

[DTKC]

12 minutes ago, Morgi said:

It's not "things for your build area", but "made my life 100% easier", so I'll still comment

LOL - ok fair point!  I will look at the build threads more!  

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

More research, I had numerous build threads saved on my computer but still found I had to stop building to check online for a reference or two, there is no such things as too much research

 

Tool wise another two Dremel's, I hate changing the bits mid armor trimming, I know have 3 which makes building so much quicker.

 

Good luck with the build, hope to see some progress pictures soon

[FN1313[TK]]

For me. It was definitely more space and more clamps. I was slower to build because I could only glue and clamp so much at a time due to those limitations and I didn’t have space to lay out all my armor at once to work with so it was piece by piece.


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[Doggydoc[Staff]]

For me , a belt sander was a huge plus. 

[tarok[TK]]

I think the belt sander was the only thing I bought specifically for my TK build.

Reflecting though, I’d have bought a decent knife sooner. I used a couple of cheap knives initially before finding the perfect Stanley BigMax knife for me.

The other thing is people talk about not enough clamps, but you can never have enough rare earth magnets either.

Apart from that the only things one can’t buy: time and patience.


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[riveting]

 

As many reference pictures of the OT kit as you can find and sort them into parts, display the specific ones on a wall etc, of the item your working on.  

 

more time and more patience from myself, slowly slowly catchy monkey,

 

Good luck, you'll have a blast 

[MaskedVengeance[Staff]]

Late to this party because I kept putting off finding the link in my amazon history that I'm sharing below.

 

A DEBURRING TOOL.

 

I didn't discover this until about 2 years into my build. LOL. Basically it's a blade with a slight bend in it that can be used to deburr (smooth) the edges of plastic. Essentially a beveling tool if you press with it hard enough. It works wonders for smoothing the edges of armor you've cut/trimmed, including curved pieces or straight cover strips. If I ever have the pleasure of constructing another suit from kit-form again, I'm even tempted to try using a deburring tool exclusive, with no sand paper, just to see if I can!

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003JY7LXI

 

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

Alright, I'll join the fun in case any of these haven't already been said or linked. I've learned a lot over the years and there's a few that I can't believe I ever lived without. I'll try to rank them by necessity in hindsight, though not necessarily the order in which I discovered or acquired them. Always try to search and see if you have a local hobby store you can support first when searching for supplies, but otherwise, I've included Amazon or direct links to a lot of these. Some may be regional, but will at least give you an idea of what to search for in a marketplace available to you. I'll try to add more if I get bored, but these are all products I have purchased and really gotten a lot of utility out of. We'll start with trimming, but I do love editing posts to improve them.

 

A Respirator or Dust Mask (at minimum)

 

So one thing many of the tools below have in common is that they love to make a lot of dust, so I would be remiss if I did not include a link to some PPE. I recommend the highest quality you can afford - remember, you're not just avoiding breathing in the dust that is created when you sand ABS, but also the vapors that are created as it heats up. I wear a half respirator whenever I am sanding or messing with chemicals or ABS. I've had cancer once, I don't need it again, thank you. Protect your lungs, wear a mask.

 

3M Rugged Comfort Quick Latch Half Facepiece Reusable Respirator 6502QL - $29.99 USD on Prime at time of post

and

3M P100 Respirator Cartridge/Filter 60926, 1 Pair - $35.49 USD on Prime at time of post

 

 

A Dremel/Rotary Tool

 

Even a cheap one is worth its weight in gold if you accompany it with a nice variety of bits to spin up. There is a wide range of rotary tools, with the Dremel brand being among the more popular (though I myself currently use a Milwaukee M12 Rotary), in a variety of speed capabilities, battery-operated and corded options (I like cordless), and prices, but this is an essential tool for any maker. This USB rechargeable cordless starter kit is perfect if you don't have one, but upgrading to one with more juice or in your swappable battery family is worthwhile.

Dremel Lite 7760 N/10 4V Li-Ion Cordless Rotary Tool Variable Speed Multi-Purpose Rotary Tool Kit - $64.00 USD on Prime at time of post

 

 

Abrasive Flap Wheel Sanders (80 Grit) - $7.89 USD on Prime for a 10-pack at time of post

 

A rotary is only as good as what you spin up with it, and these are by far my favorite tool for final trimming armor after rough cutting with lexan shears and/or the belt sander. Because of their size, you can get nice clean lines and curves, and variable cut with the amount of pressure you apply. I've started using these way more than the traditional drum sander as shown above. Just make sure you're wearing a respirator.

 

 

Emory Boards / Sanding Sticks

 

These were a game-changer. So obvious, but I saw Adam Savage using these in a Tested video and I haven't really used sandpaper much since. There might be a better link out there, but these ones hold up well and have two medium grits (180/240) to choose from. I often use them to dress the edges of my TK kits (in addition to the Shaviv tool Caleb linked above) so they're smooth and don't cause armor bite or wear on my undersuit.

 

ZMOI Professional Nail Files (180/240) - $7.99 USD on Prime for a 12 pack at time of post

 

 

A Belt Sander

 

A belt sander is so helpful for creating smooth, straight lines... so key in TK assembly. Most of your armor pieces join at flat lines or have gentle curves that a basic belt sander can trim handily. I use this thing for a ton of other projects too. When it finally wears out, I'll invest in a nicer one - it's worth it.

 

Harbor Freight - CENTRAL MACHINERY 4 in. x 36 in. Belt and 6 in. Disc Sander - $84.97 USD online at time of post (always check their website/flyers for in-store coupons!)

 

 

Edited August 17, 2023 by TheRascalKing

[MaskedVengeance[Staff]]

Justin got me on those exact emory boards (and deburring tool for that matter), and they’re awesome. Never tried those flap sanders, but now my interest is piqued.

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

I'm on a good one and may bust this out into its own thread, but the next two are for once you're ready to glue. I'm sure there's another supply list thread out there but some of these are specific, and the links are current.

 

If you are a first time builder, I STRONGLY recommend you use E6000 glue and utilize interior cover strips first during your build. CA glue has its time and place, and pros who can get it right on the first time often swear by it, but E6000 is the correct choice for this armor. The downside is that it does take time to dry and therefore you need to clamp your pieces together firmly for best results.

 

Spring Clamps

 

FASTPRO Nylon Plastic Spring Clamps, 4 sizes - $18.99 USD on Prime for a 12 pack at time of post

 

 

Spring clamps are awesome and easy to use for the first half of your build when you're gluing in your underside cover strips, and for the ends of your joined pieces. It's nice to haver several and a few different sizes to suit your needs.

 

Magnets

 

N52 Neodymium Rare Earth Magnet Discs, 18x3mm - $65.00 USD with free shipping on eBay for 50 at time of post

 

 

Clamps are cool, but will only get you so far once you start joining complete pieces together. To help clamp your coverstrips tight, I recommend N52 rare earth magnets, and have found that the 18x3mm are usually the perfect size and strength for armor building. The link above is the cheapest I've been able to find for the VERY SPECIFIC magnets that I like to use, but these are simply the best I've found. 

 

But BE WARNED - these magnets can and will jump over a foot to come together, and can shatter and throw sharp pieces that can and will cut you. Many times, I have also been pinched and caused blood blisters or other skin injury. These things are powerful and brittle, and DO NOT MESS AROUND. Always place them very intentionally, and I like to test and alternate the polarities while placing them in a line - that way they are always pushing AWAY from each other, and not tempted to pull together and stack. Remove them after 24 hours just as carefully. I sometimes double up for areas that need a little extra persuasion, and always scuff the surface I'm gluing with sandpaper or an emory board for maximum mechanical adhesion. 

 

As for how many you need - I've found that once I'm done trimming, my build is often only limited by how many pieces I can have simultaneously gluing, which is limited by how many clamps and magnets I have. So buy as many as you can reasonably afford - I recommend 50, as you undoubtedly will lose a few to cracking. 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 17, 2023 by TheRascalKing