Gauntlet Advice!

[Rat Fett]

Ok, I've got my kit (Ruffkin) and I'm about to dive into the nightmare of building it. I've prepared myself with weeks of searching this site ad naseuma, and gotten my ref. CD, so I've pretty much done my homework. I'm still left with a few questions.

Adhesives. I see alot of people talk about epoxies. Is that the route I should go, or just treat this styrene like a model kit and super glue, etc?

The resin pieces. Some are pretty rough, what type of sandpaper is recommened so I don't overdue it? And what is preferred for trimming resin pieces, especially the much thicker pieces?

Trimming the styrene. Do most people just use scissors and a hobby knife, or is the Dremmel route the best?

Prep for painting. The filled (bondo'd) areas are obvious, but does the styrene need a light sanding prior to the primer?

Lastly, and this is just an anal assembly question. From the reference pics, the flamethrower box sits about 1/4 of an inch lower from the outer edge. Some people just bulid it flush with the top, what the consenus?

I'm tackling most of this at a higher novice level. Plus I'm a type A, so I want everything to be exact, but I know this ain't gonna happen. I'm just trying to do this right the first time. I know you'll laugh at that statement.

Thanks for the help!
~rat

 

[pghfett]

pm sent

 

[TeamFett]

I actually have a few questions of my own to add to this, along with rat's questions.

When trimming, should I leave that little lip on the front and back? (I hope you know what I mean)

Do the little indented squares on the bottom halves face inside or outside, or better put, which bottom half goes to which top half?

Should I fiberglass them before or after I trim them?

Thanks.

 

[batninja]

For glue, I used cynoacrylite, which is pretty much the same thing as Super Glue. At some hobby stores, you can find this adhesive is multiple thicknesses, with different set/dry times.

I left a slight lip on my gauntlets, as it makes them look 'real' in my opinion. Thicker, more like real armor. The trick is to sand the lip down until it's comfortable over your juimpsuit sleeve; don't leave so much of a lip that it pinches your arms!

 

[superjedi]

I agree with Batninja, I did my edges the same way. Just left a hint of a lip so it appears to have more thickness. I cut pretty close first with scissors, then used a sanding drum on my Dremel to get really close to where I wanted it, then finally used some sandpaper to clean up the 'boogers' left by the Dremel.
I used regular old superglue to attach the top/bottom halves, reinforced by 2 screws w/washers. That's on the outside seam of each, on the inside I used industrial strength Velcro.

 

[BH 4928]

Hello and some one help me find a way

 

[Gator Fett]

Adhesives. I see alot of people talk about epoxies. Is that the route I should go, or just treat this styrene like a model kit and super glue, etc?

I chose to use epoxy. I love the stuff called Plastic Welder it works great. Available at WalMart.

The resin pieces. Some are pretty rough, what type of sandpaper is recommened so I don't overdue it? And what is preferred for trimming resin pieces, especially the much thicker pieces?

Trim with a Dremmel. My #1 tool for a Fett project. As for sandpaper start with a 60 grit and work your way down to a 200 grit. Thats about as smooth as you will need your armor pieces.

Trimming the styrene. Do most people just use scissors and a hobby knife, or is the Dremmel route the best?

Dremmel and hobby knife for the tight spots.

Prep for painting. The filled (bondo'd) areas are obvious, but does the styrene need a light sanding prior to the primer?

Yes. I would recommend a light sanding on any of the surfaces you will be painting.

Lastly, and this is just an anal assembly question. From the reference pics, the flamethrower box sits about 1/4 of an inch lower from the outer edge. Some people just bulid it flush with the top, what the consenus?

Not really a consensus, but I offset mine.

Be sure to show us some progress pics.
Gator

 

[Rat Fett]

Thanks much for the input, it really puts me on track. BTW with permission, here is the PM that pghfett sent. Just wanted to share the information with anyone else reading this thread.

Resin can be sanded with any type of sandpaper without a problem.
You can use plastic adhesive - the fluid type used for model building, this actually fuses the plastic together. You can also use screws in the resin parts if done so with care, like drilling guide holes prior to screwing in the screw. The dremel tool should come with a holster for how useful it is for all hobby stuff - the thinner plastic can be cut with other tools but you get great control with the dremel.
Also epoxy is great for resin attachments but doesnt adhere to the "shiny side" of any plastic, thats why I mix it in or on a plastic cup or sheet.

 

[stormtrooperguy]

i always use goop for things that i want to hold well. it bonds really well, but remains rubbery. i've had jbweld/superglued parts snap when hit with some pressure. i used jbweld on my gauntlet for the part that the hose connects to, and it snapped off the first time i used it. i've since riveted the thing on and now it's holding :-D

 

[pennywise]

Check out TK-409's web page, he has good instructions!

 

[Rat Fett]

Check out TK-409's web page, he has good instructions!

Yeah, like I said I pretty much did my homework and his site is always a great reference. These were mostly those unanswered or just confusing questions I had. There's always those nagging steps in the process that someone didn't post, that you wish they had. I would love to see a virtual step by step process of just building the Ruffkin gauntlets. The painting portion is pretty much covered.