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[Dresdon Acacin]

Yea...drink the enitre can before you continue sanding-don't wanna be drinking Bondo-brew.... 


So you makeing a Tshirt/resined cast over Zappa for the side plates, then cutting them off and mounting them to the pre-existing carboard torso plates?   Which will then be resined and attached to the side plates?

[Zophar Ptay]

nope.  If I stretch the shirt over the tubes as I think it will, then the entire thing will be resined at the same time, not done in separate steps and then trying to attach hard parts to hard parts.  I think it will go much easier if I resin the whole lot at once, then trim the excess shirt where needed.

[Dresdon Acacin]

I suppose.....

[Zophar Ptay]

Liberty Tree emailed me today that they only had one of the Tokarev pouches in so they cut me a deal on shipping and got my email in time to add one of the belts in as well.  Total with shipping in is now $88 USD, Dresdon.  Though, admittedly, that is shipping to Washington and I'll run down one evening and pick it up when it comes in.  Shipping to Canada I think they said would have been $15 more.

[Dresdon Acacin]

No worries, couldn' afford them anyways

[Zophar Ptay]

 Iirc, the triple pouch was 20, not terrible but yeah.. I understand completely

[Ghostwalker]

after banging around your surplus store's site a bit I really like their WW2 Italian officer bandolier but it's waaay to pricey (~150$). But I also stumbled on something else I like that will hopefully stand in...
A Chinese made SKS stripper clip magazine pouch waist/chest belt.
I picked one up today at Omaha's Surplus for 26$, hope the canvas will take black dye alright.
That ought to make a smashing bandolier when filled with dummy magazines and mounted to my chest plate.

Yes Ducttape will work for resin work, same as ceran wrap.
Your plan sounds like it'll work but I have never used a shirt as a resin base. In theory a shirt's tight cotton weave will make for an amazing stiffening medium.

[Zophar Ptay]

I have never used this surplus shop before, but they did have a nice selection and the prices were reasonable if maybe a couple dollars higher than ebay.  I saw that leather bandolier too and did a double take when i saw the price.

As for the shirt, i think the theory is sound.  I might get to start on it tonight

[Dresdon Acacin]

Most wartime canvas pouches have this baugey coloured stuff on them that i think is for the mildew/rot?    You'd pronbably need to get that off before you can dye them...I would try a hot, thorough wash on them and them colour removed is optional....I dyed some wartime BrenGun mag poouches that had the baugey stuff on them and the dye did not do too good of a job. yes, they came out black, but the dye was not in there eniterly strongly. Hot wash, colour removal, dye in boiling water, maybe even a couple rounds of dye-that's what I would try......but I'm self-taught at 85% of my hands-on skills....so someone else may have better input than me though......

[Ghostwalker]

Well the SKS pouch belt is Chinese made, Vietnam era.
It doesn't feel treated but I'll give it a good hot wash anyways.

[Dresdon Acacin]

What you amy lso get is one dyeing better than the other, that happened to me, again, with the BrenGun mag pouches,getting all the dust/debris/whatever else is on it off could also help with the dye's.......dyeing...procedure....and stuff

[Zophar Ptay]

Alright... Proof of concept!



Four coats of resin later I have started removing the masked areas and cut off the excess t-shirt.  The unit lifts as one piece and wold come off nicely if not for those pesky arms.  The weather has taken a dive and it is currently 10°C outside so I can't get any more fiberglassing done right now anyway so ZAPPA has a slight reprieve and gets to keep his arms for another day.  I may lop them off this afternoon so I am ready to go when the weather warms.  Abs are formed and waiting for glass, so they are on hold until the weather cooperates as well.  That leaves gaunts and legs on deck.  Given their shape and design I an thinking cut PVC would be ideal for those with some bondo sculpting on the legs and some sintra work on the gaunts.  I'm thinking I should have ordered a second belt fro that company to use as matching leather strapping... hindsight is 20/20 I guess.

Also, for posterity, the pipe insulation made it through entirely intact and unscathed.    IN fact I even forgot to saran wrap it so it was bare insulation tubing under the shirt which was directly resined.  It pulled off the back of the finished resined shirt just as easily as the duct tape did with no visible ill effects. 



So work yet to be done, in no particular order, and excuses why they aren't done:

• Gaunts - simple design but I've never worked with sintra so I don't know how long they will take.  PVC to be purchased next weekend, sintra yet to be sourced
• Shin/Knee - very simple design shouldn't be too rough.  PVC to be pourchased next weekend, all other supplies in hand
• Boot Plates - easy enough once weather warms for resin.  I think it was either Talos Kot or Spanner who saran-wrapped their boots and glassed right onto them to get a tight fit, I plan to do that
• Blaster - started but early stages.  I think I'll work on this today since the weather is too cold for glassing
• Holster - on hold until the blaster is at least in its final shape
• New Bucket - current model in the possession of CyraxLionheart who has been helping with it, so I need to get with them to see where that is at
• Ab Plates - formed and ready for glass
• Gloves - worst case, I have my old black nomex flight gloves from jump school, but I'd rather find a pair that matches the flightsuit better

[Dresdon Acacin]

So were was the shirt in all of this?...

[Zophar Ptay]

Perhaps that explains it easier than i could.  You can see the sculpted chest piece, the rest is resin-over-tshirt to make the sides and the collar.

[ConDar Ward]

You Sir , have a long neck .....     jk ...


I can't wait to see more of this build .... looks cool so far .......  8)