MOW RotJ Gauntlet Help

HI,

I've started to put together my Man Of War Return of the Jedi gauntlets and I think I've run into a problem. The left gauntlet top and bottom don't match up. They do at the back but as it moves to the front of the gauntlet the outside of the bottom piece slants down and away from the top. The inside of the left gauntlet matches up just fine top and bottom. Do I need to heat up and reshape the bottom piece or is the outside of the bottom piece supposed to attach to the flame thrower body somehow? I was going to try Cruzer's hinge system but I can't see how to make them work if the top and bottom pieces don't line up.

I'm pretty new to all of this and don't know where to go from here. Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Yes, put the pieces in hot water, it won't take long before they are workable. Get them into the position you want then quickly submerge them in ice cold water to freeze the shape. It may take a few times to get them to where you want but it is a normal process when dealing with resin products. Just don't put them in boiling water that could be very bad.

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Oh and also it is strongly suggested to reinforce the gauntlets with fiberglass. High temperatures while wearing will cause them to warp if not. I used fiberglass cloth and Smooth-On resin as recommended here by another member and it worked great. I forget the thread it was in or the member or I would post a link but just look around the forums, there are plenty of topics on the gauntlets. Take your time and don't rush them until you have them just where you want them.

Set one hinge up- (May have to do some sanding to make them flush) Then with one hinge installed, dunk in hot water then clamp into position anyway you can. Then cold water dunk. The resin is quite mailable with little heat applied.

Thanks guys I appreciate the help. I think I am going to a bit of a different take on the Cruzer method though. I'm going to hinge the inside of the gauntlet but I'm going to use magnets to close the outer side instead of the second hinge. I've got some 22 lb pull weight magnets that I originally bought to secure the armor but I'm thinking they may work for this too. I'm trying to think of any downsides other than the gauntlets popping open when I don't want them too but if I put 3 sets down the out side edge they should be pretty tough to get open.

NoGoodToM3D3ad said:

Set one hinge up- (May have to do some sanding to make them flush) Then with one hinge installed, dunk in hot water then clamp into position anyway you can. Then cold water dunk. The resin is quite mailable with little heat applied.

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Indeed, thanks for mentioning that, I forgot to add that in.

As for the magnets, I'm regretting them on mine. They WILL pop open and the heavier the pull the worse it will be on the gauntlet unless you can control the closing. Once I get almost done with the whole build I'll revisit the gauntlet closer for a better method.

Piano hinges are the way to go. However, If you're going to use magnets to close them, super gluing little Velcro patches near the magnets makes them a million times better. The Velcro and magnet combination keeps you from casually popping apart.

Okay I'm convinced. No magnets. Thanks for the advice.

I used a hing on both sides. Unlike some I mounted mine on the inside. To open and close them I remove both pins. This allows them to come completely apart and does not stress the resin.