Gauntlets: Hinged or not?

Hello all,

I want to buy a set of ROTJ gauntlets.
I like the ones from Bobamaker, but they're not hinged but connected with velcro.
Does anyone of you have some experience with this?

My Fettpride gaunts were not hinged either, but I modified them for hinges - I think it's way better to have the hinges IMHO. Takes some work - I think there's a tutorial somewhere...

Hinges are innaccurate
that's why the top makers do not include hinges.

And if they are not hinged, is it sturdy enough to wear?
I mean: the 2 halves wil not come apart?

Originally Posted by slave1pilot

Hinges are innaccurate
that's why the top makers do not include hinges.

Agreed. I don't know why the hinge option is so popular when it is so obviously inaccurate. No offense intended, but why do people pay so much to get accurate armor only to finish it off in an inaccurate manner.

Sorry, but I would do everything I could to avoid the hinge look if you're doing Boba.

if you have MOW gauntlets, that have resin bottoms that are rigid, and the edges of the top and bottom halves line up, then velcro is out of the question... you have to have an overlap of the 2 halves to use velcro...if you have plastic or abs bottoms, then velcro would work, since you could get the overlap with the two halves...but have you tried to undo gauntlets that are velcroed? try it... just my 2 cents...

completely agree with the accuracy of the velcro, and if that is your goal, then velcro is the way to do it...

you know, a lot of people have used magnents on hinged gauntlets to hold that side together....why not use them on both sides? Would that be unstable and prone to opening and falling off?

Good to know the hinges are inaccurate. I was wondering about this looking around.

I am not at all bashing accuracy as it is cool to come as close to screen looks as possible, but for functionality I would have to say hinges are best.they provide less strain on the shells,and are easier to take off and put on.And you gotta remember that the screen used items were only worn during the scenes.after the movie they get put away.for people that troop or just wear their suits a lot you need things that are a little more practical.with a lot of velcro you are constantly fixing the velcro that lifts and like fettdad said it can be a pain to deal with.Kind of sucks to have to have assistance just to put your gaunts on,and to take them off.lol
I use just enough velcro on one side to hold them shut.that is really all you need.
I know this board is all about accuracy and being a professional costumer I fully understand, but for tons of wear and long lasting props, you got to relax just a bit on accuracy and focus on functionality.If gaunts like this were real for instance ,ad they held real firepower, I am gonna guess that they would not be held together by velcro alone.lol

I agree with wickedbeard, I understand people wanna be accurate but if you only have velcro and something happens while ur trooping and it comes unstuck it means ur gauntlet is going to hit the floor something you dont want to happen, I would go with the hinge on one side hidden of course and magnets on the other side, this is how im going to do my gauntlets just waiting on the magnets coming from the states. But go with what you think is best for you not what is best for everyone else as people differ.

I have Boba maker guantlets and have cut off the velcro tabs on one side and added a piano hinge as I didnt like the way they felt to me velcro'd together, was worried about them comming apart.
Hinge one side earth magnets the other for me be it accurate ot not thats how I wanted mine, its all down to personal preference I suppose

I understand the issue of the issue of being functional, but I personally cringe every time I see hinges, and I'm not nearly as anal as some.

i love seeing boba, bottomline...

after having to repaint my accurate gauntlets every 3rd or 4th troop, i went with hinges too.

Originally Posted by stormtrooperguy

after having to repaint my accurate gauntlets every 3rd or 4th troop, i went with hinges too.

I'm with you. I'm planning to costume with my Fett and I wanna make sure my guantlets are secure.

Movie accuracy to go out the door for me.

Wouldnt un-hinged be more secure??? With the clam shell method, (glued secure on one side, velcro on the other,) mine cant come off my arm even with the velcro undone!!! I would think a hinged set could open all the way up and fall off your arm???

I use 2 hinges, on on each side. One hinge has a fixed pin, the other has a removable pin. When I put the gauntlet on, I slide a roughly 8" long pin back down into the hinge. That is NEVER coming out by accident

My biggest complaint about the velcro method was that over time the paint would crack / peel due to flexing. In a busy time, I was trooping as Boba 3-4 times a month, every month. So, as a result, the paint would wear down fast.

The hinges aren't accurate, but the visual distinction is lost on all but the most hardcore people, and it makes for a more practical trooping suit.

Ahhh...I didnt realize that guys were doing hinges on each side. Yeah, after while the paint does tend to crack on em a bit from the flexing.

If you like the "I just ripped my gauntlets in half getting them off" look. Go with velcro.

As you can imagine. Hinges for me. Im a big fan of MOW hard bottom halves also.

Gonna try the magnet method for my next set.

Originally Posted by slave1pilot

Gonna try the magnet method for my next set.

I've been experimenting with magnets on my clone. I'm really digging these:

http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=D82E

1/2" diameter, 1/8" thick, diametrically magnetized and epoxy coated (which helps glues stick to them). I'm using them to keep the back seam in my shins closed. So far, so good! I'm using 8 in each shin... 4 pairs, sticking to each other.

Question:

Is it possible to glue hinges, but have the cylindrical part on the inside?

This way it doesn't show outward but you still have the functionality of a hinge. I though I read that someone here did that. (a long time ago)

Anyway, the open side could be rigged to close with magnets.

Any thoughts?

Originally Posted by clonecollector

Question:

Is it possible to glue hinges, but have the cylindrical part on the inside?

This way it doesn't show outward but you still have the functionality of a hinge. I though I read that someone here did that. (a long time ago)

Anyway, the open side could be rigged to close with magnets.

Any thoughts?

not sure on that...if the edges of the 2 halves meet, and you put the hinge on the inside, i dont think it will allow for the hinge to open, meaning the edges wouldnt allow it...?? plus, with the hinge, the gauntlets have to open away from the other side of the gauntlet from where the hinge is, and with the tube part of the hinge on the inside, the gauntlets would have to open towards the other side, and i dont see how that would work...

Originally Posted by FettDad

not sure on that...if the edges of the 2 halves meet, and you put the hinge on the inside, i dont think it will allow for the hinge to open, meaning the edges wouldnt allow it...?? plus, with the hinge, the gauntlets have to open away from the other side of the gauntlet from where the hinge is, and with the tube part of the hinge on the inside, the gauntlets would have to open towards the other side, and i dont see how that would work...

Thanks D...

I'm currently making gaunts for my son... before I hinge them (I will) I will experiment a bit to see how (if ) it could be done. I will take pics of the build of course!

It's possable if you mod your gaunts, or when scratch building, make them custom. Fettdad, maybe he meant use the hinges in the same direction as normal, but move them inside a little bit. Not backwards henges. That's what I visioned anyway. I'm going to scratch build my gaunts using Alan's (WOF) temps as a basis. This is what I will be attempting. Will post pics and what not when that time arrives.

Originally Posted by Slowmo

you know, a lot of people have used magnents on hinged gauntlets to hold that side together....why not use them on both sides? Would that be unstable and prone to opening and falling off?

I was wondering the same thing. I know for a fact that you can get rare earth magnets that'll hold together secure enough to not have to worry about them accidentally pulling apart. I used some cylindrical rare earth magnets on my clone helmet neck ring and that sob isnt going anywhere without some serious force. I believe the ones I picked up were pulling something like 16lbs of force, which is far from being the strongest type. Really, I see no reason to not be able to use magnets on both sides really. If youre worried about flex, you can always reinforce from the inside. I think the problem people might be having with magnets is due to the fact that they just arent pulling an adequate amount of force, something you really have to pay attention to when looking around for magnets.

Originally Posted by Copley the Fett

It's possable if you mod your gaunts, or when scratch building, make them custom. Fettdad, maybe he meant use the hinges in the same direction as normal, but move them inside a little bit. Not backwards henges. That's what I visioned anyway. I'm going to scratch build my gaunts using Alan's (WOF) temps as a basis. This is what I will be attempting. Will post pics and what not when that time arrives.

Thats what I was picturing too, just moving the two halves closer together in an attempt to hide the hinge. The only problem I see with that is that you really need to have a certain amount of space between the seam to allow for the two parts to open without hitting each other.

Well, there might have to be a space.. or a different kind of angle there, I think the insides of the gaunts would have to be modified so they would work. When I get to that area of my project I will play around with it

Wearability is always a concern. If you can't wear them without them falling apart, then there is no point to getting them. I'd go hinges, but those can be added.

A few good questions to ask if you need them or not is how often do you troop, what's the weather like, and what do you do in costume. If you troop a lot and make rapid moves, I'd suggest hinges. I've done quite a bit of trooping, and unfortunately I have had far too many instances of my gauntlets coming off and sustaining serious damage from impacting the ground. I'm getting close to going with hinges.

If you don't plan on trooping too much, velcro is a good choice.

i have been wondering about this for a while now also, does anyone have pics or a good tutorial for attaching hinges of magnets to fiberglass gauntles?