Vest Help with installing plastic screws/grommets for armor attachment

[kurtyboy]

I'm aiming to use RafalFett's info (http://www.thedentedhelmet.com/showthread.php?t=47395&p=601743&viewfull=1#post601743) for my armor attachment. I have the plastic screws and washers plus the brass grommets.

Also, Bobamaker's tutorial will come in handy http://www.thedentedhelmet.com/f20/attaching-armour-tutorial-20322/?highlight=grommets+tutorial

Without the luxury of making resin copies of my armor plates with holes drilled through them, I'm looking for some advice to get everything lined up. How well would cardboard templates work since they will be flat and not curved like the armor plates? I can just see me screwing this up after waiting so long to get my Clothears vest LOL!

Thanks

Incidentally, the picture of the vest sans armor in the new Costumes book has silver colored grommets which I scale to 8mm as opposed to the 12mm brass ones seen on the exhibit costume and in RafalFett's blueprints. Which is screen accurate for ESB? :wacko

 

[bcurtis]

I'd be interested in this info as well.

 

[RoboTarot]

I JUST tackled this task yesterday and it was scary as hell because I wanted the placement to be correct and not screw up my flak vest! I used Raf's anchor points template as a guide and then glued my plastic screws to the back of my armor first. Once the glue dried, I pressed the armor against the vest and marked where the screw tips were flush. The armor was all spaced appropriately with a TON of masking tape to keep things from shifting and making sure everything was consistent. Once I had all my eyelet areas marked, I went to town using the punch to install all 23 eyelets/grommets. After that's all done, it's just a matter of attaching the armor to the vest with washers, nuts, etc

I didn't do a great job documenting my process, but you're welcome to check it out:
http://www.thedentedhelmet.com/f20/taking-my-best-shot-robos-esb-fett-52114/index3.html
I apologize if I just made your process more confusing!

 

[kurtyboy]

I hope I can do as good a job of it as you!

What size grommets did you use?

I JUST tackled this task yesterday and it was scary as hell because I wanted the placement to be correct and not screw up my flak vest! I used Raf's anchor points template as a guide and then glued my plastic screws to the back of my armor first. Once the glue dried, I pressed the armor against the vest and marked where the screw tips were flush. The armor was all spaced appropriately with a TON of masking tape to keep things from shifting and making sure everything was consistent. Once I had all my eyelet areas marked, I went to town using the punch to install all 23 eyelets/grommets. After that's all done, it's just a matter of attaching the armor to the vest with washers, nuts, etc

I didn't do a great job documenting my process, but you're welcome to check it out:
http://www.thedentedhelmet.com/f20/taking-my-best-shot-robos-esb-fett-52114/index3.html
I apologize if I just made your process more confusing!

 

[RoboTarot]

The center opening of my grommets is about 1/4" and the plastic screws are slightly smaller (of course) in diameter.

I took solace in the fact of knowing that, however far off the holes in my vest were, I could cut off the plastic screws and re-glue them in the correct spot on the back of the armor. Perhaps give yourself a little "wiggle room" when gluing the screws?Don't put them right on the edge!

 

[kurtyboy]

Good advice, thanks.

So your grommets are about half the size of the ones on the exhibit vest photos and Rafal's blueprints. Yours are more like the ones in the Costumes book. There's one more at the center bottom of the ab plate by the way.

 

[RoboTarot]

I hope the smaller size doesn't bite me in the butt! And thanks for the heads up about the extra ab screw! After fitting a few times, I don't think I'll need it because the battery pack for my chest display is RIGHT behind my ab, pushing my flak vest up against the armor pretty tightly.
I'm looking forward to seeing how your armor attachment turns out!