Crack prevention

[F943[501st]]

Sorry if this is not the right place to post this or if this has been discussed before.
I'm just wondering if other members do anything to stop cracks from appearing such as reinforcing certain areas prone to cracking with spare material left over from trimming.
Would UV resin coated around the edges be enough do you think if layered up?

Edited January 13, 2025 by F943

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

My OTTK is ATA and that's one of the thicker armors out there, the only thing I've had issues with is the shoulder straps, I've had one crack and I ended up heating a pieces of ABS sheet to conform to the strap then sand and glue it, I do this to all my TK builds now.

 

Really depends on your armor, how thick it is, what you do wearing it, I had a member with RS which is pretty thin, he was pretty rough with it, he had cracks everywhere, he would add some material and superglue behind the cracks to stop them getting worse.

 

You can also use scrap plastic and E6000 but that has flex, 2 pack glue, devcon, JB weld, superglue (although I don't find that very strong), ABS paste or fiberglass mat and resin. There are so many ways you can fix and strengthen areas really up to what you have available and what you are comfortable using.

 

 

[F943[501st]]

I like the idea of using fibreglass but it's just too expensive.

 

I suppose having a suitable trunk to carry the armour around would help also. I've seen some people squeezing their kit into a travel case.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

22 minutes ago, F943 said:

I like the idea of using fibreglass but it's just too expensive.

 

I suppose having a suitable trunk to carry the armour around would help also. I've seen some people squeezing their kit into a travel case.

I use a suit case for most troops, I've had to travel by air a few times and take a stanley box which is pretty tough but cargo crew did managed to knock off a wheel. I also had foam inside the box and wrapped all armor pieces with soft cloth pouches.

 

 

 

Suitcase is much easier for transport locally 

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

I have Anovos which isn’t the thickest of armours. I didn’t do anything ahead of time but as cracks develop I’ve been using bits do an old shirt and superglue to “fix” them. Essentially the same idea as fibreglass. 
 

I cut a small section of white cotton from a tshirt a small amount larger than the  crack. Put a small dot of glue on the crack and place the material where you want it. Then flood the material with glue. This goes hard in about a minute. It does put out a lot of fumes so goggles are smart. 
 

In theory you could also use an epoxy glue too but you’re now looking at an hour or so. Whereas I’ve fixed armour mid troop with the superglue method. 
 

Storage for me for a long time was a big Stanley box but it’s a huge thing to keep around or transport so it’s currently in the shed. My armour is in a suitcase. A slightly larger one would be nice but they can be just as expensive as the trunks. 

[Sly11[Admin]]

Storage and transport: I use a suitcase. Same set up as Chris where you fit pieces inside each other.

 

As to crack repairs, I have used both the fabric backing method, and the ABS piece glued behind method.

It really depends on where the crack is to how I make my repairs.

Have also made ABS paste to clean up crack lines, specially on the shoulder bridges, after I have backed them with shape ABS for reinforcement.

It's a good practice to always keep some of your ABS off cuts from the build process of a TK, as the rigours of trooping are not always kind to your armour.

[andylah[TK]]

Another piece to preventing cracks is not rushing, take your time to kit up and equally take your time getting dekit. The number of times I have seen damage happen taking a kit off is not one, so be careful....

 

I ONLY use hard crates for armour and even them am careful with how its handled.

 

Like others have said reinforce the shoulder straps (and be careful with them when packing/unpacking, and reinforce your edges where you can....

[Morgi[Staff]]

As one of our local experts in getting cracks (wonder how that could be ) here's my advice:

 

- be careful when taking your armor off. Seconding @andylah here, cause I've gotten a few cracks when the snaps got stuck or I was careless

 

- be careful when moving. You've likely got a more limited range of motion when in armor than outside of it. Now, don't let the fear stop you from sitting down! But move slowly and avoid "rolling" over your armor (for example, sitting on the front part of your buttplate and then shifting your weight backwards). Sit straight down, adjust carefully.

 

- if your armor pieces get caught/stuck, don't remove them with force. It won't ever turn out well.

 

- there are a variety of repairs. Fabric with superglue is easy and fast (ideal for at a troop!) but it's the most likely to crack again, since it's really thin. ABS paste also doesn't tend to hold up well, so only use it for filling up gaps or cracks. Instead I recommend pieces of ABS plastic glued into your armor. If you've shaped them properly (curved to fit the armor piece, a bit larger than the crack) they almost never open back up again, and even if they do, it's highly unlikely to become bigger. 

 

- don't bend your armor or put stress onto it, if you can avoid it. Bend your ABS often enough and it'll crack. 

 

- remove unnecessary return edges in high stress areas: I recommend no return edges on your buttplate if you want to sit down in armor. Not only is it more comfortable, but without a return edge the armor won't crack as easily. 

 

Personally, with my next ANH armour I'll be removing the buttplate return edge and I'll put some ABS into the codpiece, buttplate and chestplate arm holes, since those were my common crack areas. Just don't let the fear of cracks stop you from having fun! Checking your armor after every troop and repairing cracks as soon as they appear will help you keep your armor looking good.

 

Hope this helps! 

[F943[501st]]

Thanks everyone for the replies, very informative.

I'll definitely fork out for a big enough crate to keep it all in.