Female GEN2 SCOUT Armor (Spartan Commander Sarah Palmer) Build [+ more]

Ckesner · Feb 10, 2016

Re: Female GEN2 SCOUT Armor (Palmer) Build [+ more]

Marawuff said:
Guys, do you have any tips on gluing the 3D printed parts? Also, on smoothing these?
I came even to a point to make this rifle perfect and mold and cast it.

If the print is ABS, acetone or pvc solvent from the plumbing section can be used to weld it. Super glue will do just as well. For PLA, I would only use super glue. From the fact that it snapped like it did, I would venture a guess that it is made of PLA, which tends to be much more brittle than ABS.

As far as smoothing, I would advise against acetone smoothing, or even the XTC products. Both are solvents, which will essentially melt the outside of your print. It works very well for organic shapes, where smooth flowing curves and very few hard edges are desired. On your pretty new rifle, it would reduce all of the fine detail to soupy blobs. For a hard edged prop like a rifle, the only real option is primer, bondo, and lots of elbow grease. If the print is of a good quality, most times, you can get away with a high-build primer and sanding, bondo really shouldn't be necessary except for major repairs.

Don't worry, it looks big now, but when you are fully armored, it will look badass.

kaween · Feb 10, 2016

Re: Female GEN2 SCOUT Armor (Palmer) Build [+ more]

My guess too (PLA, and not very good PLA either) because it broke.
But if I can believe the reviews, there's is PLA out there these days that is even stronger than ABS (Polyflex),
However if the model was made with low quality PLA ....

Still, Mara's better off asking the mfg'er what he used exactly, just to be sure because on the face of it, it is a nice model nonetheless. I suspect the answer will be PLA too. The reason why I'm not sure is : the break seems to be 100% straight and clean, so I can't exclude the possibility it broke on a glue-weld as I don't think the rifle is a single-part printjob. If that's the case, I can't make any safe assumptions about the type of material that may or may not have attributed to the part breaking.

kaween · Feb 10, 2016

Re: Female GEN2 SCOUT Armor (Palmer) Build [+ more]

Ah. Mara, did you buy it from Procoprint perhaps ? (Belgium based)
In that case, the breakage is not attributed to the used filament but it's a glue-weld break I'm 99,99% sure. They don't have printers that can pull that type of print off as a one-piece job afaik.

So I still maintain : contact those guys, ask what is used best for glueing.

As for smoothing, I would follow Ckesners' advice. Most/all 3D smoothing tricks work a bit like a Photoshop Blur filter. You'll loose to many sharp details.
The smoothing tricks all work by essentially melting parts of the surface making them flow into each other. That is not what you want.
Which means you've got a LOT of sanding ahead of you, my dear.

Reclaimara · Feb 10, 2016

Re: Female GEN2 SCOUT Armor (Palmer) Build [+ more]

Oh yes, guys. I didn't get into details - it didn't snap as break.
It snapped between two separate pieces - the two pieces were glued together and I think the postman somehow threw it as hard that the glue didn't hold it or something. Hell, the cocking handle is like impossible to break off!
Also, I don't think PLA can break easily. I tested on pushing and pulling the pieces and they are like IMPOSSIBRU.

I pretty much figured that out that all smoothing techniques that require either acetone or other stuff will take bit off the details, but I planned on working on this gun anyway.
My biggest concern is at the moment to make it whole again.

kaween yes, I purchased it from Procoprint, they are doing great Star Wars related props.

Oh, more sanding? MOAR you say?

Oh damn... Like I didn't have enough sanding yet.

And... Well, I'm not a 3D pro and I have very little knowledge about 3D printing, but I think the rifle is a great model.

Here is a photo how it looks like, sorry, I didn't specify it earlier. It seems it was just glued together from the outside. I want to reinforce it from the inside too (fill it with foam? Also, reinforce the two pieces with something for better grip?) in the future. But looking at the details - great rifle.

kaween · Feb 10, 2016

Re: Female GEN2 SCOUT Armor (Palmer) Build [+ more]

Hehehe. You may have fooled me once with a picture, sure wasn't gonna be fooled again.

Procoprint. Heh. Good guess then. *Sherlock soundtrack in the background*. Not so far from where I live.

No seriously, I think it's a cool model and I'm afraid you'd be very disappointed with the "blurring smooth" tricks.
So yes, get your sanding block out already, what's another couple of meters to a pro like you.

The large surfaces, I wouldn't mind. But the smaller details .... I guess there will be a point where you'll just have to "let go" otherwise sanding that down is madness.

MADNESS I TELL YOU. Bwahahahah ....

As for PLA, if they used good PLA, it should not be more brittle than ABS.
In fact as I said earlier, real quality PLA is not less sturdy than ABS is.
I think PLA got its bad name from people buying cheap-as-possible PLA filament from China, and then started cursing over how bad it is.

As for the glue : Still maintain : contact those guys, ask them what they used.
I see what you mean by "looks like edge glued only" which I find even more distrubing if true.

But what I don't really like : I'm actually a bit surprised they don't work with holes&pegs to secure large pieces like that. Should not have been an issue at the printing stage to make that happen and it certainly would have added stability to the design.

May I ask, how much does it weigh approximatly ?

Dirtdives2424 · Feb 11, 2016

Re: Female GEN2 SCOUT Armor (Palmer) Build [+ more]

You could try installing a dowel or 2 to help reinforce the 2 pieces. What exactly in the rifle made of? Resin....a plastic type material? Believe it or not, Crazy glue isn't the best for plastic adhesion. Check out Duco Cement. Not sure if it sells in Europe, but you can find it on line........They have 2 types. 1 for general use and another specifically for plastics. Modelers like me use this instead of CG because despite its strength.....no one like to be glued to their project. Literally!! You have a bit more time w/ the Duco before it cures, it cleans up better and you won't get your fingers stuck together.

PerniciousDuke · Feb 11, 2016

Re: Female GEN2 SCOUT Armor (Palmer) Build [+ more]

Dirtdives said:
You could try installing a dowel or 2 to help reinforce the 2 pieces.

I like the dowel idea. Even if you glue it together there will always be the chance of it happening again with how large the piece is and how flat and central that seem is. A dowel would be easy. You just need a drill bit and a slightly smaller diameter piece of wood or metal (and precision marking/drilling the hole). You can also do more like a biscuit shape, using a power tool called a biscuit joiner. Sorry to hear about the gun.

Marves2142 · Feb 14, 2016

Re: Female GEN2 SCOUT Armor (Palmer) Build [+ more]

i tend to use Acrylic dowel with weld-on 16 its WAY better than araldite and super glues , thats probably the best PLA adhesive iv found to date, if its done right you will have a join as strong as the printed piece, also a good way to smooth it all down is spray on putty primer, if you do it layer by later you wont lose any detail, still requires a tonne of sanding but its better than trying to sand PLA

Reclaimara · Feb 19, 2016

Re: Female GEN2 SCOUT Armor (Palmer) Build [+ more]

kaween said:
Hehehe. You may have fooled me once with a picture, sure wasn't gonna be fooled again.
Procoprint. Heh. Good guess then. *Sherlock soundtrack in the background*. Not so far from where I live.

No seriously, I think it's a cool model and I'm afraid you'd be very disappointed with the "blurring smooth" tricks.
So yes, get your sanding block out already, what's another couple of meters to a pro like you.
The large surfaces, I wouldn't mind. But the smaller details .... I guess there will be a point where you'll just have to "let go" otherwise sanding that down is madness.

MADNESS I TELL YOU. Bwahahahah ....

As for PLA, if they used good PLA, it should not be more brittle than ABS.
In fact as I said earlier, real quality PLA is not less sturdy than ABS is.
I think PLA got its bad name from people buying cheap-as-possible PLA filament from China, and then started cursing over how bad it is.

As for the glue : Still maintain : contact those guys, ask them what they used.
I see what you mean by "looks like edge glued only" which I find even more distrubing if true.

But what I don't really like : I'm actually a bit surprised they don't work with holes&pegs to secure large pieces like that. Should not have been an issue at the printing stage to make that happen and it certainly would have added stability to the design.

May I ask, how much does it weigh approximatly ?

I'll try to troll some other day, hahaha. xD
Nah, I know that smoothing a 3D printer model can take some time... well, I can imagine. xD
I was thinking of actually instead just sanding it - thin layer of resin to make it smoother and not loose the nice layer of the PLA, to not thinner it. Then, thanks to the resin, it should be already smoother and then I can see more. xD
Nah, the guy printed great. I mean, the filament and everything. I tried to "break" on some other places the model - I was unable to do so. O.O So, other parts put together are sooo strong! Also, breaking... like really breaking the rifle seems impossible. PLA is strong! The guy in the post had to really manhandle and throw it around. T_T My poor rifle, haha. xD
Oh, how much does it weight? It's really light! Bit over 1kg? Definitely NOT more than 2kg.

Dirtdives said:
You could try installing a dowel or 2 to help reinforce the 2 pieces. What exactly in the rifle made of? Resin....a plastic type material? Believe it or not, Crazy glue isn't the best for plastic adhesion. Check out Duco Cement. Not sure if it sells in Europe, but you can find it on line........They have 2 types. 1 for general use and another specifically for plastics. Modelers like me use this instead of CG because despite its strength.....no one like to be glued to their project. Literally!! You have a bit more time w/ the Duco before it cures, it cleans up better and you won't get your fingers stuck together.

Thanks.

It's PLA, filament and thank you very much for the tips!

PerniciousDuke said:
I like the dowel idea. Even if you glue it together there will always be the chance of it happening again with how large the piece is and how flat and central that seem is. A dowel would be easy. You just need a drill bit and a slightly smaller diameter piece of wood or metal (and precision marking/drilling the hole). You can also do more like a biscuit shape, using a power tool called a biscuit joiner. Sorry to hear about the gun.

Yeah, I thought of it in the first place, to reinforce the insides, right?!

Oh, it isn't a disaster. It didn't break, just the single parts together were... well... separated. xD

Marves2142 said:
i tend to use Acrylic dowel with weld-on 16 its WAY better than araldite and super glues , thats probably the best PLA adhesive iv found to date, if its done right you will have a join as strong as the printed piece, also a good way to smooth it all down is spray on putty primer, if you do it layer by later you wont lose any detail, still requires a tonne of sanding but its better than trying to sand PLA

Thanks for the tip! :O I have to agree, it's the best "adhesive". I mean, this is pretty much how the guy glued thiese pieces together by using the same material and somehow welded them. All other parts are inseparable. I tried "breaking them apart" - no way. That mean that the postman really had to manhandle and throw around the package. <_<

Reclaimara · Feb 19, 2016

Re: Female GEN2 SCOUT Armor (Palmer) Build [+ more]

Thank you very much for the tips and help, guys!

I've been in touch with the guy and he'll send me a tool to put the parts together soon, so it's all cool! \o/

In the meantime I've started to harden the torso... I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow.
Winter is here again, it's been snowing almost all day today! T_T
Normally I like low temperatures... but it's counterproductive for my build! XD

Also, I accepted that I won't be ready for my deadline I had planned - April. Oh well... I'm NOT going to speed up the process, becasue I don't want to screw something up.

In the meantime, not much progress beside hardening. I've lately painted another knee piece.

Also, lately I've tested another way for the visor and it'll be the final version for a longer time, thanks to awesome and epic Icon Props. ^^ Will explain more with the tutorial.

kaween · Feb 19, 2016

Re: Female GEN2 SCOUT Armor (Palmer) Build [+ more]

Good to hear you get that kind of support from the builder. Let us know what he send you to repair it. It's interesting to know for anyone into 3D printing.

Off topic : Heck it's snowing there again ?! We've had days of sunshine over here. Feels like spring. Never had a "winter" like this before.
No really : not going to shout "climate change" or whatever, but still : ever since we've mounted solar panels on our roof, I have an exact reading of the hours of sunshine a day/week/month for the last 6 years.
And each and every year shows about 2% more sunshine that year than the year before, and that's 6 years in a row now. *puts on aluminum hat*

PS : work looks splendid as always.

BroodierGoose1 · Feb 20, 2016

Re: Female GEN2 SCOUT Armor (Palmer) Build [+ more]

excellent first coustume. really crisp pep.

SavedbyGraceG12 · Feb 20, 2016

Re: Female GEN2 SCOUT Armor (Palmer) Build [+ more]

It would be cool to see a tutorial on how you acheive that level of awesomeness when it comes to your paint weathering!

Reclaimara · Feb 21, 2016

Re: Female GEN2 SCOUT Armor (Palmer) Build [+ more]

kaween said:
Good to hear you get that kind of support from the builder. Let us know what he send you to repair it. It's interesting to know for anyone into 3D printing.

Off topic : Heck it's snowing there again ?! We've had days of sunshine over here. Feels like spring. Never had a "winter" like this before.
No really : not going to shout "climate change" or whatever, but still : ever since we've mounted solar panels on our roof, I have an exact reading of the hours of sunshine a day/week/month for the last 6 years.
And each and every year shows about 2% more sunshine that year than the year before, and that's 6 years in a row now. *puts on aluminum hat*

PS : work looks splendid as always.

Sure!

He is actually a really cool guy, from my hometown even! He just moved out to another land, haha.
It was snowing then. Yesterday was sunny and today was raining. -_-
Wow, may I ask where do you live? o.o

BroodierGoose1 said:
excellent first coustume. really crisp pep.

Thank you.

SavedbyGraceG12 said:
It would be cool to see a tutorial on how you acheive that level of awesomeness when it comes to your paint weathering!

On Facebook I've gotten few requests and questions about how I paint... o.o
So, you're in luck! Await a tutorial soon!

Reclaimara · Feb 21, 2016

Re: Female GEN2 SCOUT Armor (Palmer) Build [+ more]

Sooo... Big BIG update! Yay!

Some real photos I didn't show before! \o/
Well, finally I took all the armor parts I've been hardening to take some photos.

Well, here is how my build looks so far.
Chest armor - front and back... Yup, it's rondo. I've started pretty much to work with it. Oh, and the back piece isn't fully fiberglassed, so it's still flexible.
I actually fitted them first on the mannequin and then I put some resin. Then I rondo'd it. Yup, just from outside. When it fully dried I took pieces off and resined inside. Front piece is already fiberglassed, but will need more rondo inside.
I used bit of the tape (just tiny bit, because I run out XD) to keep the pieces together and took the photos. In the future when I'll be binding them both front-back, they will be farther apart, because at this state they restrict movements of my head... and it looks bit funny, but yeah, just an inch farther apart and it'll look better.
Also, forearms - you can see they aren't perfectly smooth - slowly getting there.
As for the shoulder armor - damn. It was tricky. Why? Because it's a full closed piece and it's hollow inside. Same technique - resined from outside and then rondo'd. Then cut the piece out to harden it from inside. You can't see, but the shoulder pad isn't whole. xD

But, I think everything together looks nice. Nothing too big and nothing too small.

Just more photos - one shot from the back (see the AI chip sticking out of the helmet?

)... and also me without helmet. XD

AND.... Ta-da! My miserable skills with foam. I tried my hardest here withe these 'shoulder pads' and the crotch piece.
I dunno, I *might* redo the crotch piece to make it out of less parts... but I'm happy with the shoulder pads so I'm probably going to try to fill the gaps with something... (here, mightly foam users - what magic do you use to fill the gaps?)

So yeah, I'll be off for a week visiting my mom, so everything's on hold. T_T

SavedbyGraceG12 · Feb 21, 2016

Re: Female GEN2 SCOUT Armor (Palmer) Build [+ more]

Concerning the paint tutorial, awesome! So far everything is looking excellent! For the foam work, it doesn't look bad at all. Also, the files I'm using for my build, the shoulders are enclosed. There is someone else doing the same build, he did the same thing with the thrusters that attach to the back of the torso. I was curious, did you rondo the inside of the shoulder? Or did you use resin? I was thinking resin wouldn't cut it unless the hole was big enough for you to get a paintbrush in there to apply the resin.

AcroAnomaly · Feb 21, 2016

Re: Female GEN2 SCOUT Armor (Palmer) Build [+ more]

wow pretty big update... it's coming along very well and your foam work is not bad at all just keep doing what your doing and I can't wait for that paintjob!

Reclaimara · Feb 21, 2016

Re: Female GEN2 SCOUT Armor (Palmer) Build [+ more]

SavedbyGraceG12 said:
Concerning the paint tutorial, awesome! So far everything is looking excellent! For the foam work, it doesn't look bad at all. Also, the files I'm using for my build, the shoulders are enclosed. There is someone else doing the same build, he did the same thing with the thrusters that attach to the back of the torso. I was curious, did you rondo the inside of the shoulder? Or did you use resin? I was thinking resin wouldn't cut it unless the hole was big enough for you to get a paintbrush in there to apply the resin.

Thanks.

It doesn't look so bad, but I'm trying to figure out how to seal the gaps to make it into seamless transition.

Especially on the shoulders.
In my case the thrusters are permanently attached to the back piece. I just fiberglassed them first as it's a very big piece. ^^'
This is how I cut the shoulder armor.

Very big hole. XD Everything fiberglassed. I have to rondo the 'cut' part and then I can close the piece... but I'm still debating if I should think of doing some LED on the piece or not.. :/

SavedbyGraceG12 · Feb 21, 2016

Re: Female GEN2 SCOUT Armor (Palmer) Build [+ more]

Wow, ok. I'd imagine it would be hard to re-close it. Thought I'd ask, because I would feel very uneasy doing the same thing to the thrusters which might not be to bad, but the shoulders on the other hand. Thought about putting 2 good resin coats on the shoulders, and the thrusters, then mold them to make cast copies. But then another thought comes to mind, will the parts lose shape, or collapse during the molding process? Idk, just thinking, never did any mold, and casting before.

Reclaimara · Feb 21, 2016

Re: Female GEN2 SCOUT Armor (Palmer) Build [+ more]

SavedbyGraceG12 said:
Wow, ok. I'd imagine it would be hard to re-close it. Thought I'd ask, because I would feel very uneasy doing the same thing to the thrusters which might not be to bad, but the shoulders on the other hand. Thought about putting 2 good resin coats on the shoulders, and the thrusters, then mold them to make cast copies. But then another thought comes to mind, will the parts lose shape, or collapse during the molding process? Idk, just thinking, never did any mold, and casting before.

May I ask why? I dunno how about other armors but at the Scout build the thrusters aren't a closed piece. They are integrated to the back part... Without both pieces being together the parts would get disfigured. So - I can touch every part of the thrusters from the inside.

Only the shoulder armor pads are hardest because they are closed pieces.

Well... about molding and casting - I've never done it either. XD If I was rich I'd mold and cast the whole armor, so I wouldn't have to worry if I'd screw something up or something would get destroyed, etc.

But, well... I'm not rich, so I can't. xD

Depends.

I was thinking of multiple ways of closing it.
You could even fill it with foam inside and then - easy close
I'm leaning more to make LED lit shoulder armor... but I have literally no knowledge about building electronics so this is actually what is stopping me. T_T
Here is the area of the lit up part in the shoulder. Isn't big, but yeah... I would like to make both shoulders and chest front+thrusters at the back lit up.

Female GEN2 SCOUT Armor (Spartan Commander Sarah Palmer) Build [+ more]

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