First Suit Build (Noob Commentaries)
- Thread starter SergantTinkers
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SergantTinkers
Jr Member
Thanks! I will have my update on the whole hardening process up by the end of the week!
Xtremenoob
Active Member
Yeah man nice pep work
SergantTinkers
Jr Member
My apologies for such a late update (my cars battery finally crapped out, so that delayed me for about two days), but I have finally finished the hardening process! What I have done is two layers of fiberglass and a layer of rondo. The two layers of fiberglass obviously strengthen it, while the layer of rondo is to smooth out the inside to make it comfortable to wear.
Before hardening, I cut out some of the pauldron for the right shoulder, simply to ensure plenty of room for the Security shoulder:
One problem that occurred was curing. The downside of hardening for me is not knowing when to stop! One day, I was really close to finishing a couple of pieces (The last pieces of the first layer) and made the mistake of applying fiberglass too late in the day, when it was too cold for the pieces to cure. So I had to improvise, and used my space heater and put it in my garage overnight:
Lucky for me, my space heater has a setting that allows it to shut off after a pre-set time, otherwise this may not have been possible on account of fear of heat damage. This worked absolutely swimmingly.
Unfortunately, this happened AGAIN while working on the second layer:
What's more, I dun goof'd on the resin mixing while hardening the torso, and it was unable to harden. I tried multiple things to solve this. First, I tried adding a large amount of drops of hardener to a paper towel and dabbing it over the unhardened parts of the piece, which did absolutely nothing. Then, I tried pouring some hardener into my mixing bowel and using a brush to spread it all over the persistent wet spots, but to no avail. Finally, I decided to simply re-resin the areas, which completely and totally solved the problem!
Before hardening, I cut out some of the pauldron for the right shoulder, simply to ensure plenty of room for the Security shoulder:
One problem that occurred was curing. The downside of hardening for me is not knowing when to stop! One day, I was really close to finishing a couple of pieces (The last pieces of the first layer) and made the mistake of applying fiberglass too late in the day, when it was too cold for the pieces to cure. So I had to improvise, and used my space heater and put it in my garage overnight:
Lucky for me, my space heater has a setting that allows it to shut off after a pre-set time, otherwise this may not have been possible on account of fear of heat damage. This worked absolutely swimmingly.
Unfortunately, this happened AGAIN while working on the second layer:
What's more, I dun goof'd on the resin mixing while hardening the torso, and it was unable to harden. I tried multiple things to solve this. First, I tried adding a large amount of drops of hardener to a paper towel and dabbing it over the unhardened parts of the piece, which did absolutely nothing. Then, I tried pouring some hardener into my mixing bowel and using a brush to spread it all over the persistent wet spots, but to no avail. Finally, I decided to simply re-resin the areas, which completely and totally solved the problem!
SergantTinkers
Jr Member
As for rondo, I don't have a lot of pictures yet, but will later. What I can say is that rondo is absolutely WONDERFUL! It is well worth using, as it drastically smoothes out the inside of the pieces, making them incredibly comfortable. For mixing, I personally prefer the 50-50ish ratio of bondo to resin, as the runniness makes it easier to spread around the suit pieces while making sure they spread smoothly. I will have pictures of the rondo inside the suit pieces later.
Moving on to the next step, which is adding detail pieces! Let me just thank Spitfire22V again, as this step is entirely derived from his work, while I will attempt to explain it in as much detail as I can.
First off, I decide which part of the LD piece I wish to add a detail. I print off that particular part of the pep document on cardstock, and section off the area I want to work on. Here's me working on the forearm detail:
While I don't have a picture of me drawing the design onto the detail piece, you can tell how I chose the area to work on.
Next, I cut out the detail piece. What's important is that you cut out the WHOLE SIDE of the area you are working on, and not just the design itself. For instance, on the forearm detail above, the entire sectioned-off area will be added to the suit, and not just the design I add to it. But I digress.
After cutting out the detail piece, I trace it out onto posterboard. HOWEVER, I did not just use any kind of posterboard! I used premium posterboard - the expensive kind. This is because this posterboard is just about the thickest you can get that I know of that isn't currently being beta-tested in a military-sponsored lab beneath Chernobyl. Here's all of the detail pieces, with the exception of the ones I cut out ahead of time:
Obviously, labeling is important to prevent confusion.
Next I have to cut them out and sort them based on location:
The next step is to glue them onto the hardened suit pieces. Some of them are glued on before bondo, and some after.
Well, that's it for this update! Again, I sincely appologize for such a late update! I hope to have another up by the end of the weekend, though given my track record, I'm not really in a position to promise anything!
Moving on to the next step, which is adding detail pieces! Let me just thank Spitfire22V again, as this step is entirely derived from his work, while I will attempt to explain it in as much detail as I can.
First off, I decide which part of the LD piece I wish to add a detail. I print off that particular part of the pep document on cardstock, and section off the area I want to work on. Here's me working on the forearm detail:
While I don't have a picture of me drawing the design onto the detail piece, you can tell how I chose the area to work on.
Next, I cut out the detail piece. What's important is that you cut out the WHOLE SIDE of the area you are working on, and not just the design itself. For instance, on the forearm detail above, the entire sectioned-off area will be added to the suit, and not just the design I add to it. But I digress.
After cutting out the detail piece, I trace it out onto posterboard. HOWEVER, I did not just use any kind of posterboard! I used premium posterboard - the expensive kind. This is because this posterboard is just about the thickest you can get that I know of that isn't currently being beta-tested in a military-sponsored lab beneath Chernobyl. Here's all of the detail pieces, with the exception of the ones I cut out ahead of time:
Obviously, labeling is important to prevent confusion.
Next I have to cut them out and sort them based on location:
The next step is to glue them onto the hardened suit pieces. Some of them are glued on before bondo, and some after.
Well, that's it for this update! Again, I sincely appologize for such a late update! I hope to have another up by the end of the weekend, though given my track record, I'm not really in a position to promise anything!
SergantTinkers
Jr Member
@TheRabbit: Are you referring to the two episodes I had of needing to use the heater? The only reason for that was because I had applied the resin too late in the day. Most of us know that resin needs to be at a certain temperature to cure. This is especially problematic in Wyoming, where the nights are cold and come early!
If you're referring to the episode with the torso, then don't worry; that was just a harmless mistake that has only happened once! I truthfully think I just forgot to add the hardener entirely!
If you are, however, referring to the hideous dark spots that riddle some of the pieces, then that is just residue from the glue (I'm a pretty messy worker!).
Overall, I really had no major problems other than the torso incident, which was completely resolved, so no worries!
@PigBenis: Thanks for the compliment! And don't worry about the shins; they are a very good size. What I will be doing is adding a hinge-based device on the bottom of each, making it easier to take on and off.
If you're referring to the episode with the torso, then don't worry; that was just a harmless mistake that has only happened once! I truthfully think I just forgot to add the hardener entirely!
If you are, however, referring to the hideous dark spots that riddle some of the pieces, then that is just residue from the glue (I'm a pretty messy worker!).
Overall, I really had no major problems other than the torso incident, which was completely resolved, so no worries!
@PigBenis: Thanks for the compliment! And don't worry about the shins; they are a very good size. What I will be doing is adding a hinge-based device on the bottom of each, making it easier to take on and off.
Okay sir . i just want to warn u as soon as possible !
im glad that mine arent too big either ! ^^ Well good luck my friend . u will do it!
SergantTinkers
Jr Member
Today, while the weather was bad, I worked on the detail pieces. All of the pre-bondo details have been added. Now, only the details that have to be glued on after bondo will have to be added, which would entail the thigh details and the details on the codpiece.
Here's a look at three pieces with detail pieces. This shows the handplate, helmet, and the back of the torso:
I understand these details probably look marginally impressive at best, but understand that these are being applied before the bondo phase because I will be using bondo work to merge the detail pieces with the suit, so that they don't look tacked on. They will (with luck) look much better after I get the chance to bondo the respective pieces.
Here's a look at the details I added to the EOD rebreathers:
What I will be doing here later is making some holes similar to those on a vent that will go inside the details, making them somewhat functional. I may also add cloth onto the inside, or may not. Point is that this will increase attractiveness and functionality!
Anyways, due to the feces-ish weather, I had some free time, and can now show my rondo work! Here's the inside of a handplate:
You may not be able to tell - due to my crappy phone quality - but this is SO smooth! Even the pieces that weren't able to have such a thourough application of resin were made WAY more comfortable! Unfortunately, I'm a real butterfingers, and accidentally chipped a small portion of the torso while moving it:
I know what you're thinking: You're probably thinking something along the lines of my spaz level, or thinking that such blatant disrespect of suit pieces is just sad, but this is not a problem! This had happened earlier to the shins and the helmet ( 'cuz I tripped...hard ('cuz I'm a major spaz)), but on a greater level. Fortunately, fiberglass is supposed to fix stuff like this, and a combination of that, resin, and some superglue fixed the problem to the point that you can't tell a fracture ever occurred on any of the pieces!
That's it for now! I'm not sure when my next update will be, but I can assure you that I will be working on Bondo for a while, so keep checking back!
Here's a look at three pieces with detail pieces. This shows the handplate, helmet, and the back of the torso:
I understand these details probably look marginally impressive at best, but understand that these are being applied before the bondo phase because I will be using bondo work to merge the detail pieces with the suit, so that they don't look tacked on. They will (with luck) look much better after I get the chance to bondo the respective pieces.
Here's a look at the details I added to the EOD rebreathers:
What I will be doing here later is making some holes similar to those on a vent that will go inside the details, making them somewhat functional. I may also add cloth onto the inside, or may not. Point is that this will increase attractiveness and functionality!
Anyways, due to the feces-ish weather, I had some free time, and can now show my rondo work! Here's the inside of a handplate:
You may not be able to tell - due to my crappy phone quality - but this is SO smooth! Even the pieces that weren't able to have such a thourough application of resin were made WAY more comfortable! Unfortunately, I'm a real butterfingers, and accidentally chipped a small portion of the torso while moving it:
I know what you're thinking: You're probably thinking something along the lines of my spaz level, or thinking that such blatant disrespect of suit pieces is just sad, but this is not a problem! This had happened earlier to the shins and the helmet ( 'cuz I tripped...hard ('cuz I'm a major spaz)), but on a greater level. Fortunately, fiberglass is supposed to fix stuff like this, and a combination of that, resin, and some superglue fixed the problem to the point that you can't tell a fracture ever occurred on any of the pieces!
That's it for now! I'm not sure when my next update will be, but I can assure you that I will be working on Bondo for a while, so keep checking back!
SergantTinkers
Jr Member
Let me just again say that I sincerely apologize for the poor quality of the pictures! I merely have no alternative than my phone
SergantTinkers
Jr Member
Hello again, 405th! Let me just apologize in advance for the lack of updates (it has been 30 days). But, I can assure you that I have indeed been working on my suit, and plan to have every piece of it coated in primer by the end of the weekend! I'm posting because I can well imagine that this thread probably got lost in the forum on account of the lack of posts and the forum update.
But I digress, what do you think of the suit so far? What do you like? What do you dislike? Please, feel free to post your thoughts on my thread while I work on that update!
But I digress, what do you think of the suit so far? What do you like? What do you dislike? Please, feel free to post your thoughts on my thread while I work on that update!
SergantTinkers
Jr Member
Hello again, 405th! It has taken longer than I expected to post anything update-wise. But, now I have quite a large amount of content to put out! I have finally finished the bondo, have started adding primer, and have started adding pieces to the suit. I will show my progress with each step.
First, here's the progression with bondo of the security shoulder. Here's what it looked like after the first coat:
Keep in mind that the only reason I applied multiple coats is because it was necessary for the piece to become smooth, so those corners wouldn't show. Here's it after the second coat:
Here's the security shoulder with the final coat of bondo, along with some of the other bondo-ed pieces:
Now, here's the helmet. It didn't need nearly as much work, since most of its parts are just bended paper, and didn't have harsh corners:
The worst part about sanding this helmet was the mouth area. Because of the rebreathers, it was made very difficult to sand. So, my only option was to carefully apply rondo to it. It turned out pretty well, I think:
One thing I should note is what I did after bondo. While I was at work, I had the idea to use resin to fill the numerous voids I still had in most of my suit pieces (I'm currently pretty bad at bondo). So, for each piece, I applied a coat of resin to it. I believe it worked pretty well, and I think you will be able to tell later on.
First, here's the progression with bondo of the security shoulder. Here's what it looked like after the first coat:
Keep in mind that the only reason I applied multiple coats is because it was necessary for the piece to become smooth, so those corners wouldn't show. Here's it after the second coat:
Here's the security shoulder with the final coat of bondo, along with some of the other bondo-ed pieces:
Now, here's the helmet. It didn't need nearly as much work, since most of its parts are just bended paper, and didn't have harsh corners:
The worst part about sanding this helmet was the mouth area. Because of the rebreathers, it was made very difficult to sand. So, my only option was to carefully apply rondo to it. It turned out pretty well, I think:
One thing I should note is what I did after bondo. While I was at work, I had the idea to use resin to fill the numerous voids I still had in most of my suit pieces (I'm currently pretty bad at bondo). So, for each piece, I applied a coat of resin to it. I believe it worked pretty well, and I think you will be able to tell later on.
SergantTinkers
Jr Member
Next, I started adding engravings to the suit pieces. I used the circular cutting tool on my dremel.
Here's the ID code I added to the back of the helmet. I know it looks like trash, but whatever:
Here's an unnecessary cut I made (it's just horrible marker lines in the picture) onto the EVA shoulder. You can also somewhat see how well the resin helped the piece:
Next, here's the thigh engraving:
I did do engravings on the gauntlets and codpiece as well. The engraving on the codpiece can be seen in another picture.
Here's the ID code I added to the back of the helmet. I know it looks like trash, but whatever:
Here's an unnecessary cut I made (it's just horrible marker lines in the picture) onto the EVA shoulder. You can also somewhat see how well the resin helped the piece:
Next, here's the thigh engraving:
I did do engravings on the gauntlets and codpiece as well. The engraving on the codpiece can be seen in another picture.
SergantTinkers
Jr Member
After that, I started adding primer to the suit pieces that I wasn't going to split. That's when I really got excited! For the most part, they turned out really well. The minute imperfections that were not there by intention were just sanded down and re-primered.
Here are the handplates. They turned out really well:
Here's one of the thighs:
Here's the helmet. I really like how the detail pieces blended into the rebreathers:
And, here are the shoulder pieces:
Here are the handplates. They turned out really well:
Here's one of the thighs:
Here's the helmet. I really like how the detail pieces blended into the rebreathers:
And, here are the shoulder pieces:
GuitarMaster157
Member
I'd say you're doing pretty good! Keep up the nice work!
SergantTinkers
Jr Member
Next, I started splitting the suit pieces. I'm not done splitting them, but will be soon.
Here's the codpiece. I intentionally split it into four pieces to give it more mobility. Also, you can see the engraving I did:
Here's what I did to the back of the greaves. I did this because I have high foot arches, so putting them on is almost impossible:
Here's the boots split in half, with the middle portion completely removed:
Also, I split the front of the upper half of each boot as well. I did this because of, again, foot arches. The hinge will indeed be on the outside, and painted a different color from the rest of the boot:
So, that's it for this update. Please, please, please give me your input! I would indeed love to hear from you guys!
Here's the codpiece. I intentionally split it into four pieces to give it more mobility. Also, you can see the engraving I did:
Here's what I did to the back of the greaves. I did this because I have high foot arches, so putting them on is almost impossible:
Here's the boots split in half, with the middle portion completely removed:
Also, I split the front of the upper half of each boot as well. I did this because of, again, foot arches. The hinge will indeed be on the outside, and painted a different color from the rest of the boot:
So, that's it for this update. Please, please, please give me your input! I would indeed love to hear from you guys!
SergantTinkers
Jr Member
@PigBenis & GuitarMaster: Thanks guys, I really appreciate it!
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