Chef Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Well, after a bit of consultation with various members of the community (going down the screen accuracy of ABS and the relative 'fear of the unknown' of GRP), and finally getting my Vac Former completed, I am now in the process of converting my GRP Fibreglass panels over into Vac Forming bucks. Sounds like a simple process, but to be honest it's a bit more complicated than it sounds. I've got a few spare panels which I have used as the basis for a buck, but I've needed to fill the backs, so they are suitable for Vac Forming. I settled on the fastest/simplest method, by which I filled the rear of the panel with expanding foam. Then when this had cured, I cut out sections and then filled the sides up with Car body filler to provide a solid area that will withstand the forming process. here is the foam layer (underneath the back hump) A layer of body filler over the foam... A bit closer to being finished up... For those panels that I didn't have kicking about, I've decided the fastest method would be to 'fence off' the open areas on the GRP moulds and then cast the entire thing in GRP. This will then give me a robust buck from which to form. Open sides of the GRP mould fenced off with Plastic-Card. First layer of White Gel coat to form the buck. More to follow as they progress. I may have to made some changes to the final bucks after I do a test pull, mainly because as you switch from female to male, there are subtle detail changes, and I'll have to see how that works out with what I have already. I've made the belt buck out of wood and is flat. I can't use the GRP mould in this instance because it is already pre curved to fit around the body, and it's not suitable for forming. Wish me luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
automaton Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Looks good! Are you still going to make fiberglass kits? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffin-X Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Very cool Chef! Hoping you might offer these up to a few scouts... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dart Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 Lookin' good so far! Just playin' devil's advocate, but have you ensured that the shoulder straps are going to be long enough? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chex Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 Nice..always love seeing processes like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pandatrooper Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 Nice work! Will the expansion foam be solid enough and widthstand the pressure of the vaccuum? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Posted September 18, 2012 Author Share Posted September 18, 2012 Andry... Yeah, I will be lengthening those areas on the bucks so the option is there for longer or shorter. You can always cut off, but you can't always add in!! Terry. The expanding foam was purely a filler material. The car body filler is what will take all the vacuum pressure, which is about a 20mm thick skin over the top of the foam. As long as I can get one decent pull from these, I can then use the resulting pull to make complete GRP bucks as and when they start to deteriorate. It's pretty easy to adjust the outer surface of the GRP buck, with sanding, body filler. So once I've got the base, that's the hard work done with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 Little bit more... Inside of the chest plate laid up with glass. This is about a 6oz Lay up, so is about the same strength as a typical motorcycle helmet. And the same panel on the outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffin-X Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Top notch Chef...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shdwtrpr13 Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 God that's awsome. If your planning on using your TB on your motorcycles on a regular bases then this would be the ideal armor. Then all you need is the kevlar bund. 4 stars man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Posted September 21, 2012 Author Share Posted September 21, 2012 finally some test pulls. A few issues to square away. Most of them are technique based I guess. I think I need to make the detailing a lot sharper on the bucks. The conversion of female panel to make bucks softens the detail on the final pull. I had anticipated this, so it's not like a massive shock to the system. I need to look at the centre groove on the chest plate, as the test pull didn't quite seem to vac fully into the groove. Again, the radius detailing probably needs to be a bit sharper. I've got the same going on with the back and hump too. That and on the tests I seem to keep scorching the ABS. But from talking to those in the know, this is probably caused by a number of factors, the major one being the hygroscopic nature of the ABS and it's probably not dry enough. So prior to it being floppy enough, the water content is blistering the surface. SO when I try to pull it before the surface blisters, it's not supple enough for a crisp pull. But hey, that's what tests are all about. So a few minor adjustments here and there, but progress is progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffin-X Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 I love this thread Chef. Wish I had your toys and skillz mate. Looking great so far. Can't wait to see the final pulls and end results. Top notch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BS1 Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 Nice job!!!!!! When can I get me sum of that fine armor.... lol... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 A few more updates. I reshaped the breast plate by raising the 'L' bits a little and sharpening the detail. I may have to sharpen the edges on the drop boxes a bit. They're not bad.... but I'd prefer better. I am definitely going to go with HIPS though. After some discussion with John (LW) and Nath (boba), it would seem as though it gets a better pull on the large home formers that we all have. I know HIPS has it's negatives, but I think they are counter balanced by the crisp pulls you can get with HIPS. These were made with pinseal ABS (apparently the same stuff they used on RotJ Stormie Helmets.... or so my prop buff buddy tells me, that's why I've got this ABS..). I personally won't be using it again because you get some of the stipple pattern bleeding through to the smooth side. These are all rough trimmed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffin-X Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Rob...wow, even your rough pulls look pretty good mate. Nice work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StudioCreations Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 These parts look fantastic!!! Kudos, Dude! I agree with you on the HIPS... it's not as accurate or durable as ABS, but it sucks down much easier and takes heat way better. "Use what works," is always my motto when it comes to propmaking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Posted November 1, 2012 Author Share Posted November 1, 2012 Cheers Jeff, that means a lot coming from you. I've done some more in HIPS now and it's a major success. Here's the Chest plate. I modded the buck a bit to make the raised areas a little more pronounced. New forearm. The buck for it. Knee. Belt and Thermal Det. The Det and Belt bucks are real dogs to get out, but hey, they're pretty crisp. Pleased with the HIPS result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffin-X Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 I wish that I had this skill and tools Rob. Awesome work, very top-notch indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimei Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Wow. Those forearms look sweet! I like. I want!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Voorhees Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 so, excuse my ignorance with this one, lol but im just curious..what is GRP armor? Was that an oldschool "brand" or? I personally would prefer ABS over the HIPS, even if the detail was a little softer... only because it will last way longer. Those part you posted up there look very good to me. Every set of armor ive owned that was HIPS cracked. If you offered both though when your ready, that may be a good option. I do get that your machine isnt like a pro machine though and the ABS is a pain to work with. But hey if this works out well for ya, you can probably upgrade your machine! It looks nice though, man. would be nice to have another vendor..keeps the stuff avaiable at a normal rate of wait time when you have options id like to do Scout armor eventually, i still need to get my vac table going though lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Posted November 4, 2012 Author Share Posted November 4, 2012 GRP is Fibreglass by it's other name. Glass Reinforced Plastic. Yes, it has it limitations, and it is heavier and less flexible than ABS, I actually prefer it as a substrate because you can make it very strong, and you get a real crisp detail on it. Here is a pic of my GRP back plate. Hey, IF I could afford a professional machine that was big enough to cope with these bucks, then I'd buy one in a heartbeat. But alas, I don't have the £5k + to devote to it........ yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Voorhees Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Ah ok cool..i had a feeling thats what it was. Yea Fiberglass is great in those respects. Kinda almost like "REAL" armor. The weight does kinda suck though lol. But yea, it is lookin good man. haha..yet..i like that....if this takes off you may be able to build a nice one. Ive seen people build pretty nice machines for under $3,000 so heres wishing you well bud! *cheers* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Posted November 4, 2012 Author Share Posted November 4, 2012 The weight does kinda suck though lol. But that's the funny thing. It's not actually all that heavy, yeah, compared to ABS it's heavier, but it's not what I would consider to be 'heavy'.... but my own armour is all GRP and I can wear it all day without any ill effects. Only last weekend I did a full 3 day stint at the UK's busiest con. Not one bit of drama. But I completely understand people's fears of it, and the whole 'screen accuracy' thing. Hence the need to strive for more personally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Voorhees Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 yea thats true. Especially with the Scout. I think Scout armor would be ok in Fiberglass, or GRP. TK armor is too much to be fiberglass, but the scout...hmmmmmm...i bet the knees are great! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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