ATTACHING SNAPS TO FETTPRIDE ARMOR...WHAT GLUE/ADHESIVE ARE U GUYS USING?

ok, the time has come for me to get my armor attached to the vest...i have FP v.3 armor, and was wanting to know what you guys use to attach the snaps, or bolts, to the armor...i am afraid of using something that will generate too much heat, and melt the armor...any suggestions? i have spoken with a few friends, ahem Dave, and they said they used superglue...would like to hear other opinions and experiences with the superglue, and whatever will work for the ABS armor...thanks guys!

Chris, hopefully you see this and maybe chime in, brother...

D,
For what it's worth, here's my 2 cents. I have the FP, V3 armor as well. I started out using velcro actually. There are pros and cons. I liked that the velcro held all of the time, and never failed. The biggest plus to the velcro was that it actually gave the armor some extra weight, and strength by adding it completely the backside. But the velcro didn't hold it as tighly to the vest as I would have liked. You could also see the velcro from cetain angles while moving. The biggest draw back was that the "hooks" on the velcro ALWAYS seemed to grab at the wookie braids. I was always fixing that.

So, I ended up switching to snaps. I liked the upgrade from the start. The snaps hold the armor tight ot the vest. It was just a bit more difficult lining the snaps on the vest with the snaps on the armor. It has to be perfect when you do it. Believe it or not, I ended up using hot glue to hold the snaps to the armor. If you don't over do the amount of glue, there's no chance of melting the armor. You just need a small dollup on each snap, and you have about 3-4 seconds before it actually sets. Then if you HAVE to remove the snap, it WILL actually still come off of the armor with enough pressure. If yo u use super glue, I'd be worried about removing the snap later. My only issue with snaps is that they CAN detach from a severe stretch or movement during a troop. No big deal, just a quick press and re-snap, and you're in bussiness.

I was considering moving over to screws, but I just haven't had THAT many issue with the snaps. Hope that helps.....

D,

Use E6000 glue, this is what many TK costume builders use to glue the snaps to ABS. First create you snap using say a 1inch sqaure piece of ABS. Drill a hole through it so the snap fits and hammer it home. Then use the E6000 glue on the snap and glue it to the armour.. Cures in 24hrs... solid and will not ever come off.

Here's an example of some snaps made for TK armour... Made by a good mate of mine FBJ... You can see the square pieces of ABS to which the snap fits and these are then glued to the armour..

I do something similar for my stormtrooper armour, the only difference is I use squares of webbing glued with E6000 to the armour instead of squares of ABS. The difference is that webbing can work better on uneven surfaces ... but squares of ABS looks sexier and more professional

E6000 will come if you want it too, I pulled apart my stormtrooper thigh armour a week or so after it set. It comes apart with a little brute force, and can be fully removed with white spirit, leaving no trace of it. But it's deceptively strong stuff and won't come apart by accident, or normal use.

The only downside with it, is that it takes 24 hours to cure, but if you make a mistake that can be seen as a bonus.

thanks fellas! great work and advice! appreciate the input...i totally agree that lining those snaps up with the vest placement is going to be tricky...i wonder if i get one side of the snap on the armor, then put the other side of the snap onto the fixed side, mark the edge with a pencil, then press the armor up to the vest to leave a mark where the side of the snap needs to go onto the vest...kind of extends the snap some to where it reaches the vest easier...

keep em coming fellas! i am mostly just concerned about what i use to attach the snaps...dont want to melt my armor...lol...well, wouldnt be funny, but ya know what i mean...cheers!

Hey D, I used screws instead of snaps. I made the holes into the vest using some kind of o-rings. The screws are glued directly onto the backside of my armor with epoxy-glue. It is a 2 component glue. Just mixing it and it is ready after 2 minutes. Hard as a rock and it doesn´t melt the armor. I afterwards used some hotglue to protect it even more.

Hope it helps buddy!

cheers brother! i was wanting to get confirmation on the 2 part epoxy resin, thanks! i have been using the 2 part epoxy for awhile, just wanted to make sure that it wouldnt heat up enough to melt the armor...awesome...

I used a combo of Scott and Shiv's methods above. Snaps on an inch square of plastic. Close the snaps on the vest add a little super glue place the armour on and then carefully undo the snaps. I then went around the edges of the plastic with hot glue. Job done.

Originally Posted by Bobby Fett UK

I used a combo of Scott and Shiv's methods above. Snaps on an inch square of plastic. Close the snaps on the vest add a little super glue place the armour on and then carefully undo the snaps. I then went around the edges of the plastic with hot glue. Job done.

very nice way of getting everything lined up! so basically you put the snaps on the vest first, with the tabs, yes? then lined up the armor, and glued the tabs onto the armor?

Originally Posted by FettDad

cheers brother! i was wanting to get confirmation on the 2 part epoxy resin, thanks! i have been using the 2 part epoxy for awhile, just wanted to make sure that it wouldnt heat up enough to melt the armor...awesome...

Just don´t get the whole armor covered with epoxy and you´re good to go. My armor (FP) still is like before. No problem at all. And using epoxy you don´t need much of it to get the snaps or screws fixed. re-touch it with some hotglue afterwards and that´s it! :-)

awesome....thanks so much brother! a wise man once said...."Allllmost thEeere...AAAlmost TheEre!!"

Yes D. I drew the armour onto the vest (tailors chalk is best) then applied my snaps to the vest, the nice dome side you press. I then made up the opposite side (with the flatter profile) using roughly inch squares of thin plastic from my local model shop. I get it in sheets. I made up 50 but had some left. I then closed the snaps so you have say 10 bits of plastic uppermost. I apply a little glue, thinking about it I think I used hot glue for this too. A spot on the back of the snap. Then press the armour into place. Before gluing you may opt to trim some plastic of the snap backing to get the best fit. Once dry carefully remove and then use hot glue all around the edges of the backing plastic. They are now stuck firm, but I think you could remove if you really had to. I will try and get some photos for ya, at work now - on my phone lol, can't keep away from the dent!

sweet, pics would be great too fellas! thanks to everyone for their help...really appreciate it guys...

Originally Posted by Lucksy31

D,
The biggest draw back was that the "hooks" on the velcro ALWAYS seemed to grab at the wookie braids. I was always fixing that.

I have to make new braids because of this!
I actually used JB Kwik/ bolts on my already painted V3 FP armor. No issues with melting the plastic. Now I have to just put grommets onto my vest and complete the attatchment.

oh and another bonus with using E6000 is doesn't melt the platic to bond to it

I think I should try getting a job as an E6000 sales rep, lol

Totally agree, E6000 is top dog for putting TK costumes together, infact it sticks to anything and can even bond and cure underwater!
Don't lay it on too think and the bonus is, it's self levelling.....

Hey D, I cut out card stock "thin cardboard" the same size as my armor pieces used them as templates. Then punched holes in them where my snaps went then put the templates on my vest and marked the vest through the holes. Worked great for me. Hope this helps.

Tony

thanks brother! appreciate the help...once i get these harnesses finished up, and a few other commissions, i am going to give it a shot...wish me luck!!