Seams on the Denuo Novo TFA Kit

[Vader's Wingman[TK]]

Hello Fellow Builders,

 

I'm working on a TFA Denuo Novo armor and have a few questions:

 

1.)  Acetone-  Is this the same whether I get this from Home Depot or from CVS in the nail polish section?  The CVS version say  "100% Acetone" so I don't know if there a different with using either one.

2.)  Slurry paste-   What is the ratio of abs scrap pieces to acetone mixture?  What is the mixture texture quality supposed to look like?......toothpaste.?....thick gravy type?.....stiff putty? 

3.)  How long does it take for scrap abs and acetone to sit before it's ready?  How long is the slurry good for after it's ready or does it need to be used right away as soon as the abs is melted?

4.)  Am I supposed to fill in the seams in the yellow areas of the pictures attached to cover them up entirely or to use just enough to close out the gap when i glued the pieces together?  I know there is not supposed to be any seams visible on the yolk/harness chest and back pieces assembly and the abdomen piece.  Not sure about the other pieces.

5.)  For those ammo boxes, do the seams need to be filled in or is it OK to have a slight gap?

 

Thanks for your help!

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

1.)  Acetone-  Is this the same whether I get this from Home Depot or from CVS in the nail polish section?  The CVS version say  "100% Acetone" so I don't know if there a different with using either one. No it is not, I only found one source locally that would melt the plastic scraps, trial and error I'm afraid 

2.)  Slurry paste-   What is the ratio of abs scrap pieces to acetone mixture?  What is the mixture texture quality supposed to look like?......toothpaste.?....thick gravy type?.....stiff putty? Add acetone as needed 

 

3.)  How long does it take for scrap abs and acetone to sit before it's ready?  How long is the slurry good for after it's ready or does it need to be used right away as soon as the abs is melted? Usually from a few hours, I normally leave overnight, if you keep in an airtight jar it can last a long time.

4.)  Am I supposed to fill in the seams in the yellow areas of the pictures attached to cover them up entirely or to use just enough to close out the gap when i glued the pieces together?  I know there is not supposed to be any seams visible on the yolk/harness chest and back pieces assembly and the abdomen piece.  Not sure about the other pieces. I would advise have a look through the CRL https://databank.501st.com/databank/Costuming:TK_-_First_Order and gallery https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/gallery/category/20-fotk-reference/ Sides of abdomen and tops of yoke/chest need filling. Justin has a nice build to follow and uses ABS paste 

These need filling (use thin coats of ABS paste to reduce air bubbles when drying)

 

 

5.)  For those ammo boxes, do the seams need to be filled in or is it OK to have a slight gap? OPTIONAL Level three certification (if applicable):

• The seams between the abdominal armor and the 7 boxes should not be filled.

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

From memory most of those seams you highlighted should remain, but do check the CRL and the reference images.  The key ones that need to be filled are the 2 on each side of the abdomen armour and the two shoulders. I don't believe any more than that needs to be filled.

 

I would also suggest you smooth out some of the trim lines to make a nice clean line as in a few places the cuts are a bit uneven.

[Vader's Wingman[TK]]

Thank you so much everyone for your help!

[Vader's Wingman[TK]]

Hello Fellow Builders!

 

I'm trying to use and apply the slurry method for the chest and back pieces but this is becoming a lot more difficult that I had anticipated!

 

After apply the slurry in thin layers, I am using 220 sandpaper but not making any progress with getting ABS to smooth down.  How are you guys sanding down ABS on your armor?  This is really getting frustrating for me as I'm going nowhere.  

 

Also I notice the slurry paste is not matching the color of my armor though I used scrap trim pieces from the same set.

 

I'm trying to avoid using the bondo and painting method but may have to if I can't get this seam to disappear!

 

Any suggestions on what to do?

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

It is tough going, I use wet and dry with water and a few drops of dish soap, helps the sandpaper to glide and not get clogged as much. You can also use a rougher sandpaper, then use another coat of slurry and sand with a finer sandpaper.

 

Colour can depend on how your scraps are trimmed, are they all perfectly clean, also different solvents can affect drying time which can change the color, as well as thickness of layers, the thicker you go the more air bubbles you can get. I found only one acetone here that would melt ABS scraps so I was stuck there, we mush have low quality ones locally.

 

I have found I needed another very thin wet coat after all the sanding was done, which dried a lot closer to the original color, less final sanding too, sand wet 1500 and 2000 then compound polish. 

 

A helpful thread on wet sanding 

 

It's a very time consuming job, but stick with it, you'll get there eventually (or fill and paint like most of us did in the Alpha/Beta/Charlie days)