Thermal Detonator Ends Caps

[Aradun]

Does anyone know of a vendor that sells the concave end caps for the TD? I don’t see anything on Etsy and the only thing I’ve come across is a listing among SC’s replacement parts. Just wondering if there are other vendors.

 

My kit came with flat end caps and I need to replace them with concave caps for Lancer.

 

 

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[Chopper]

Back in the day you had to add the concave portions to the end caps yourself. 

I'm not kidding! Even a few years ago most end caps that came with scout armor kits were flat. 

With a hair dryer and a rubber ball or baseball you can add the indents. 

Put your end caps flat on a cement or wood floor and slowly heat up the top of the cap. As it heats up, use the ball to push an indent into the flat top portion. 

You could probably also use a soak in hot water instead, but I didn't use that method when I formed mine. 

It might take a little while, and you have to go slow, so you don't warp the sides, but that's the way it used to be done. 

 

[Aradun]

Thanks for the tip Corey. I was actually thinking about using a hair dryer to do just that, but was wondering how effective it’d be. Glad to hear that that is a viable option. I’ll give it a shot this weekend and see how it goes.


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[Aradun]

Well the hair dryer was somewhat successful. I was able to get a minimal concave impression using a baseball. Gave it a hot bath in some boiling water (not fully submerged to the rim wouldn’t warp). That made it slightly better.

Then the second cap cracked while trying to remove it from the detonator. That bugger was glued to ensure survival through Armageddon.

Looks like I’m purchasing concave replacements from SC.


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[Aradun]

[mention]Chopper [/mention] Give me your honest opinion on whether this would be acceptable for submission.

 

Here’s the end cap from RS. Started flat, applied heat from hair dryer and hot bath in boiling water and got a little concave curve going after several attempts and applying pressured with a baseball.

 

You can see from the shadow that depth of the concave.

 

 

 

The second RS cap cracked so I decided on a trip to Homedepot to see if there was anything I could fashion one from. I found this monster and at $1.67 I said “why not?” It’s sitting next to the original.

 

 

After a applying a pvc saw, several dremel tools and about an hour of sanding (including sanding with a baseball!) here’s the homemade end cap on the right. You can see that it has a deeper concave from the shadow.

 

 

And here are two shots of it on the end of the TD.

 

 

Thought I’d run this by an Armorer first so let me know what you think Corey, and if there’s any issues or further mods that might be necessary.

 

Anyone else who wants to chime, your thoughts are welcome.

 

 

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[Chopper]

Hey Dennis. Great job adding the indents on both the RS and Home Depot end caps.

Regarding the modded PVC end cap from Home Depot, the overall size, shape, and indent looks good. However, for Level 2/Lancer the primary issue I see is the thickness of the plastic when viewed in profile.

If you look at the original caps shown in the Magic of the Myth Exhibit, you can see that they're about the same thickness as the rest of the armor. For just basic clearance, I can't see any problem with what you've got. However, I know you're aiming for Level 2, in which case you should probably look towards finding replacement parts that have the correct plastic thickness.

Trust me, every single one of us (myself included) has written the "need replacement parts" email as a part of our various builds. This sorta stuff happens, it'll be ok!

[Aradun]

Thanks for the feedback Corey. I thought the thickness might be an issue, which is why I posted that angle shot showing the edge on the TD. I’m going to try to thin the insides down with a dremel and sanding bit. It’ll take some slow and steady going. I’ll repost some updated photos tomorrow to see if they’ll pass muster.

 

Worst case, I use these to get basic like you said, and then replace with abs replacements when I submit for Lancer. Thanks again!

 

 

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[Aradun]

Hey Dennis. Great job adding the indents on both the RS and Home Depot end caps.

Regarding the modded PVC end cap from Home Depot, the overall size, shape, and indent looks good. However, for Level 2/Lancer the primary issue I see is the thickness of the plastic when viewed in profile.

 

Why put off for tomorrow what you can knock out today? I reduced the profile. The caps are primed in gray, but I sanded the edges down to white so that you can see the profile against the TD.

 

Cap #1

 

Cap #2

 

 

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[Chopper]

Nice. That looks much better.

[Aradun]

Thanks Corey. I’m redoing the entire TD with the wire wrap method. Didn’t care for the molded tube from RS.


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[Retrofire]

1 hour ago, AradunFF said:

Thanks Corey. I’m redoing the entire TD with the wire wrap method. Didn’t care for the molded tube from RS.


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Keep in mind that when you do this you will increase the weight of the TD significantly! It’s not required to do that for Lancer so it’s something that you might want to think about. I have a wire wrapped TD and it’s HEAVY. I added rare earth magnets to it and my belt to keep it locked in place. Make sure you have sturdy belt clips and that they are well attached to the tube. Not trying to discourage you here just want you to know the possible draw backs and make sure you are in the know on how to best make it work. We’re here for you so if you decide to go that route we’ll help you all you need.

[Aradun]

6 hours ago, Retrofire said:

I have a wire wrapped TD and it’s HEAVY. I added rare earth magnets to it and my belt to keep it locked in place.

Thanks Pete.  I did notice the weight of the TD when finished it last night.  I’m using Chopper’s tutorial on how to secure your armor for trooping, which including adding Velcro to the back of the TD and belt, but he does note that that set up is one thing he’s do differently if he had to do it again.

I like the rare earth magnet idea.  Can you post up pick of your set up? I might go that root to keep the TD secure.  I think adding the magnets combined with the Velcro tab Chopper added to the CB, which attaches to the Velcro on the back of the belt, will secure everything in place and keep the weight of the TD from pulling down the belt.  

Edited July 3, 2020 by AradunFF
Added link to Chopper’s Tutorial for reference.

[Chopper]

Yeah, having the velcro on the back sure did keep the TD on securely, though it made it very difficult to slide the det on when getting dressed. I eventually ended up removing the velcro from the tubing bc I didn't really need it in the end.

I had also built up my own wire wrapped tube originally as well. As Pete said, it's really heavy and it weighed down my belt a lot. Nice for accuracy, but not necessarily very practical for continual trooping. You may want to keep both as a option, depending on how it feels when you wear it.

[Retrofire]

I ordered two of these magnets on my TD from Amazon the rest I got from Trooperbay but you can get get them pretty much anywhere. The mags in the belt are 0.5” dia and they are sewn into pouches that are in the left side of the picture. I learned that from Terry “Pandatrooper” when I was building my armor. I’ve had it drop off a couple of times when trooping and it self destructed both times requiring some attention. That’s why the clips seem a little sloppy as I added epoxy around them to give them more strength. Corey is right that although it’s accurate it can be a bit of a nuisance for everyday trooping. The Armoury team is actually looking into some alternate products that will give the accuracy without the drawback of the weight so more to come in the future on that.

[Aradun]

Thanks for advice guys. Magnets ordered. Fingers crossed .


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[Retrofire]

Oh and another thing to keep in mind is that your end caps might not fit once you wrap it. So be prepared to “shave” down the cap ID. I tried to force the first set and cracked them requiring a wait for a new set. You also may have to trim back the TD openings for the tube as well. Just take it slow and don’t force anything. Measure and trim in small increments if it becomes necessary. That RS is really nice so don’t go acrackin it.😉

[Aradun]

I checked.  The caps are good to go.  I hope to have pics of it all finished soon.  Just need to paint the caps semi gloss white and mount them.  

[Aradun]

Just to wrap up this thread...here it is all finished. I really like this, but am going to switch back to the RS for the interim until I can get some new clips with two mounting holes so that I can rivet them on. They’re currently screwed with a single screw, but I don’t think it will last that way. There’s a lot of flex b/c I can’t get them super tight.

When I eventually get into 3D printing, I’m thinking about creating end caps that have a 1” round protrusion on the inside so that it pushes into the hose of the DIY TD which has a 1” ID. No glue and lessens the chance of the end cap breaking off if the TD is dropped.


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[Harbinger]

6 hours ago, AradunFF said:

When I eventually get into 3D printing, I’m thinking about creating end caps that have a 1” round protrusion on the inside so that it pushes into the hose of the DIY TD which has a 1” ID. No glue and lessens the chance of the end cap breaking off if the TD is dropped.

I glued some rubber wine corks that I cut in half to my end caps before putting them on my wire-wrapped TD, with similar thinking.

[Aradun]

I glued some rubber wine corks that I cut in half to my end caps before putting them on my wire-wrapped TD, with similar thinking.

Genius! And way easier! I may give that a try in the interim. Thanks Brien!


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