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[A'den Ca'tra]

I'm one of the not too many who wear metal armor. Mine is a mix of car hood and aluminum. My shins are aluminum.

At WonderCon this year (2011), I did my first official troop in my Mando. I hadn't had any opportunity to do it before. By the end of the first day, I discovered...shins are NOT easy to keep attached!

I really wish I had taken pics to show how I had mind attached. Well... needless to say, even industrial strength adhesive on the velcor doesn't like aluminum, so by the end of the first day...both shins popped off and I had no means of keeping them on. I used velcro straps as well as leather cords to secure the plates but they were secured by the velcro. FAIL! Yeah, I know...wasnt the best idea. BUT I did that because I don't want to put holes into the plates. I was hoping to keep my all plates absent of any kind of hole.

So, I know there have been a many a thread about this issue. My issue is...I can't get my shins attached to my fightsuit - due to the shape of my shins as well as I don't want my shins attached to my flightsuit cuz it will flop around. Also, I can't even get my boot armor to stay. The elastic popped off.... No adhesive or glue wants to work on Nissan hoods or sheet aluminum...

Having said this, is there ways of solving this issue? I thought about grieves but I don't think it would work all too well. Ive thought about several different ways of making this work but *shrugs* I thought to ask for a second or third or fourth opinion. Ideas? Advice anyone?

Thanks!

[Hondo Karr]

Velcro to keep them from "floating" and elastic straps, hidden inside the flightsuit, to keep them snug to your body. Tried and true method that seldom fails  and when it does, it's usually operator error lol.

[A'den Ca'tra]

Well...everything was external. If you saw how I had to put my flight suit and armor on, you'd see why. Nothing would stick to aluminum and if it did, it didn't last very long. Elastic is a must have for me, given my body shape, so there's no way around that... I didn't want to do the half velcro on armor/half on flightsuit cuz I didn't want it looking cockeyed when I tried to attach the plates. I don't have patience for it, nor money for sewable velcro...

My major issue was the means of keeping stuff glued to the metal. I used hot glue, Loctite glue... Not even leather stayed attached. I just need to figure out how to keep stuff basically stuck to the sheet aluminum. I even took my dremmel with a sandpaper bit and created a surface for it to adhere to. Nothing.

Help! lol I wanna walk without my shins popping off!

[Hondo Karr]

Ah gotach... use some 60 grit, really rough stuff, sandpaper and really scuff up the underside of the plate where the velcro will go. Then use Industrial Strength sticky backed velcro. Use a heatgun on the sticky backing of the velcro... don't cook it but heat it up so it's good and tacky then stick it on the back of the plate and let it sit til set. Oh yeah, it can be removed but, it's going to take some serious effort to do so.

[Jerek Darr]

You could try JB Weld, it was originally used in the automotive world for spot repairs. If something like that doesn't hold, your only recourse may be rivits. If you are dead set against drilling the plate, make a smaller dummy plate to attatch the strapping to, then epoxy that to the inside of the shin plate. The dummy plate will take most of the stress of flexing with your legs, so the metal plate will be less inclined to pop. In addition to what Falin said, if you spray the mounting point of the shin plate with a quality spray adhesive before you attatch the velcro, it will help the adhesion. Just let it 'tack' up before you set the velcro.

[monkey]

sorry if this is in the wrong place.if some one makes their own custom armour do the shin and thigh armour straps  still have to be hidden under the flightsuit.i know that it is not screen acurate,as per the movies but as it is a character that is not in the movies or even the expanded universe is it okay to have the straps on the outside,if even for a little while until i feel confident enough to make the slts,thanks

[Kel Toi]

Its ok to have the straps on the outside , as long as they are functional . Like havin holsters or pouches .

[monkey]

fantastic,thanks

[Hondo Karr]

That's kinda a misquote or an incomplete statement on my ner'vod Kel's post.

Per the CRL's, visible elastic strapping is ONLY allowed on the backs of knee's, elbows or as Boba thongs. And then must be as aclose as  possible a color match to the flightsuit. Otherwise it must be hidden inside the flightsuit or/and completely hidden from view by accessories. The only viable option for visible leg strapping is to use an in univers material such as leather belting/strapping or web strapping.

Basically, when you look at a kit from the sides and behind that has a total of 10 straps going down the legs, it tends to completely through off the asthetics of a kit. My advice, if you use straps on your thighs, wear a kama. If you use straps on your shins, make them leather. You can pick up kids leather belts at thrift stores for twenty five to fifty cents each. They work great for this.

[Kel Toi]

Sorry , i should have eleborated about the elastic . Strapping like leather webbing etc  my bad , I shall try to explain masel better next time , Cheers Falin 

[Thaxos]

Personally, I used web strapping and attached them by riveting them onto the shin armor.
Drill hole through the metal, punch a hole into the webbing, insert rivet, slide on metal washer on the end to hold the strapping in place.
Buckles attach behind the calf and above the ankle.

[randall ace]

thats how i did mine ..... i had mark make me some customized metal shin armor , and  i have drilled the holes to attach the strapping via rivits , and have quick release  buckles in the back  ( like my vader shins )