1st Build Mark VII and Mark V (b) mash-up build

[OhSevenFour]

Alright Spartans... lets do this..

After what feels like YEARS.. 3 actually. I am finally going to try and join the ranks with my own actual armor! I have been slowly trying to put a suit together for a while now but I have decided that it is time to go all in and build a full suit!

I have been painting and customizing helmets for a while and I hope that I can translate that into the full armor. I have already gotten my handplates printed and ready to be sanding and painted, as well as some gloves to go with them. The hardest part for me is the scaling and printing of the suit itself. I have tried to start another suit about a year ago and got stuck on the first piece, that kind of fit but was slightly oversized and made the part uncomfortable. I have also printed multiple pieces that were just slightly to small (which are being used for a different build I will post about another day). Now the armor below is what I will be attempting to build, it is kind of a mashup of the Mark V (b) from reach and the Mark VII from Infinite. I have also thought about messing with putting the knee piece onto the shin like in the Mark V (b) but with the Mark VII pieces. I have also chosen to use the Master Chief's boot armor from infinite as they seemed to fit better with my boots than what else I could find.

Some of the pieces are still a little oversized after looking at this picture..

If anyone has any suggestions to help me improve the armor please feel free to let me know!

As the build continues I will update!

So lets get this party STARTED!

 

[VonSnake]

Your definitely not alone with using armor smith and having fitment issues lol. Honestly sometimes it just takes time and feel out the suit when wearing it to make improvements.
When I first started my suit I just went to a tailor and got my measurements done, then figured what I was using for padding and the locations of it roughly. Also start on a small piece first like forearm or something.

 

[OhSevenFour]

Your definitely not alone with using armor smith and having fitment issues lol. Honestly sometimes it just takes time and feel out the suit when wearing it to make improvements.
When I first started my suit I just went to a tailor and got my measurements done, then figured what I was using for padding and the locations of it roughly. Also start on a small piece first like forearm or something.

Thank you! I appreciate the support and advice!

 

[OhSevenFour]

Update 3/13/24

After attempting to print my first forearm of the build, my printer decided to give me some troubles.. I narrowed it down at first to a cleaning issue and gave it some TCL. After cleaning it out as good as I could at 1 am, I gave in to my need to start it back up asap and put a new nozzle in the hotend. After tightening it back up and giving it one last look I noticed that the nozzle looked a little crooked.. turns out the hotend block was a little more dirty then I thought, and it had cooled down before I tried putting in the new nozzle. Since I tightened the nozzle with the strength of Thor I ended up cross threading the block..

After some Amazon review reading and figuring out how to disassemble the hotend. I found a part to replace the block and ordered it! (Also ordered and upgrade for my CR-10s that I will try and also use for this project) After waiting hopelessly for 2 days I finally got my part and was ready to install! After getting my tools ready once again and opening the part.. I tried installing it when I ran into a problem.. my thermistor didnt work with this block..

Now I sit and wait hopelessly once again for a new hotend assembly since I could not find the correct block..

If you are reading this.. im sorry and thank you for reading my oh so interesting story for the week!

 

[Wicked Demon 15]

Sorry you're having such a hard time with your printer! I can't wait to see this build finished though! I was also originally going to use some of my Reach armor for the new mk7

 

[VonSnake]

Thank you! I appreciate the support and advice!

Anytime, glad to help.

 

[VonSnake]

Update 3/13/24

After attempting to print my first forearm of the build, my printer decided to give me some troubles.. I narrowed it down at first to a cleaning issue and gave it some TCL. After cleaning it out as good as I could at 1 am, I gave in to my need to start it back up asap and put a new nozzle in the hotend. After tightening it back up and giving it one last look I noticed that the nozzle looked a little crooked.. turns out the hotend block was a little more dirty then I thought, and it had cooled down before I tried putting in the new nozzle. Since I tightened the nozzle with the strength of Thor I ended up cross threading the block..
View attachment 344104View attachment 344105

After some Amazon review reading and figuring out how to disassemble the hotend. I found a part to replace the block and ordered it! (Also ordered and upgrade for my CR-10s that I will try and also use for this project) After waiting hopelessly for 2 days I finally got my part and was ready to install! After getting my tools ready once again and opening the part.. I tried installing it when I ran into a problem.. my thermistor didnt work with this block..

Now I sit and wait hopelessly once again for a new hotend assembly since I could not find the correct block..

If you are reading this.. im sorry and thank you for reading my oh so interesting story for the week!

Were you able to get your printer going again?

 

[OhSevenFour]

Were you able to get your printer going again?

I apologize for the delay in response and the build up of anticipation.. but I have sadly not been able to get my printer up and running properly.. I have gotten the parts and made replacements.. even upgrades. Sadly I keep having some sort of issue.. right now my issues are and not limited too, my extruder the feed motor sprocket will not stay in place and is sliding up and down during a print which leads to no more feeding of filament, I have tightened the setscrews and they seem to want to try and strip out before getting tight enough to not move. I think I MIGHT have it in place now, but I have said that 3 times now just for it to happen again. Now on my CR-10s, I purchased an upgrade to get a direct feed to the heating element, but I cannot get the old sprocket off of the motor... the set screws in the motor are stripped beyond all recognition. PLEASE SEND HELP!

 

[Bloxxer]

Hey! So sorry about all the printer troubles! I remember having similar issues with my Ender 3 in the early stages of my printing journey. If you post any photos or videos of your issues here or in the discord, I would be happy to help to the best of my ability!

First off, it sounds like your extruder is loose. When you say "sprocket" are you referring to the gold-ish toothed gear on the motor itself? If so, double check that those set screws are nice and tight, and that they are sitting on the flat part of the motor axel.

In regards to removing a toothed gear from the motor, they can be quite a pain. They tend to be quite tight from the factory. When I replaced mine on my Ender 3, I literally had to use a chisel, hammer, and pliers to pry it off. It was not a fun process. It is possible though, so don't give up hope!

I'll keep an eye out here and the 3D printing channel on the discord (feel free to tag me Bloxxer in case I miss it)! Best of luck!

 

[VonSnake]

I apologize for the delay in response and the build up of anticipation.. but I have sadly not been able to get my printer up and running properly.. I have gotten the parts and made replacements.. even upgrades. Sadly I keep having some sort of issue.. right now my issues are and not limited too, my extruder the feed motor sprocket will not stay in place and is sliding up and down during a print which leads to no more feeding of filament, I have tightened the setscrews and they seem to want to try and strip out before getting tight enough to not move. I think I MIGHT have it in place now, but I have said that 3 times now just for it to happen again. Now on my CR-10s, I purchased an upgrade to get a direct feed to the heating element, but I cannot get the old sprocket off of the motor... the set screws in the motor are stripped beyond all recognition. PLEASE SEND HELP!

For your extruding issue, where do you have the filament roll? I have a custom built printer based off a CR10 and was having the same issue of filament not reliably feeding. On mine, the extruder gear was constantly chewing through the filament even on the loosest setting. Found out where the source roll of filament was was at too sharp of an angle and the extruder gear didn't have enough pull to consistently pull filament. Which lead to inconsistent feeding issues.