The Walking Dead - Merle Dixon's Prosthetic Bayonet Arm (lil merle)

not much of an update but i did test out some leather and the buckles. i thought these buckles would work but they're a bit big. i'll be ordering new buckles to replace these so hopefully the new ones work. i haven't attached the smaller vertical leather strips as that will be done last.

the metal for the side pieces came in today so really the only things i still need to buy are some nuts for all the bolts and the new buckles. i should have a nearly complete piece sometime this weekend.

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today i cut the two little plates, painted them and attached them to the prosthetic and arm braces. as you can see i've used little nuts on the inside of the piece to hold the arm brace in place. i would like to skip the nut and just tap the holes but i'm not sure how durable that would be since it's only plastic. putting the nuts on is a real pain so i don't know what i'm going to do about all the lower bolts used to hold the leather in place. if anyone has any suggestions please let me know.

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As long as your open palm fits inside the gauntlet, it shouldn't be too difficult to put the nuts on. The trick is to hold the nut static, while turning the bolt on the outside. You could also try using 2 ratchets if you need it really tight. One ratchet goes inside the gauntlet to hold the nut in a static position, and the other ratchet turns the bolt on the outside.
In order to protect the plastic on the inside, you could use plastic and rubber washers. Those can be found at Home Depot in the Hardware section. They won't be hanging on the pegs - they'll be in the big metal drawers.
 
What if you used an Inner threaded stud? You could install it from the inside, and epoxy it right to the tube. That way you could screw a bolt in from the outside, and it would be stronger than just tapping the hole. I am pretty sure I have seen them in various sizes.
 
i think for the arm brace i'll stick with nuts and bolts and add a rubber or plastic washer. i might have to do the same thing for the lower bolts as well. i have big hands and arms so that will be a challenge but i'd rather use simple hardware to put this thing together.

i just don't want the lower bolts to take a few hours to put on lol.
 
yeah, my dad has tons and tons of automotive tools so i'll have to go see if he has a ratchet long enough to fit down the tube.
 
It doesn't have to be long. It can be a regular ratchet. Just extend the handle by wrapping some masking tape around it to create a gasket, then slide a metal or plastic tube over that, and voila.

Once it's done, you can pull the tube off, unwrap the handle, and clean the glue off with acetone.

Also, if it's difficult to see inside the gauntlet, while both hands are occupied, you can hold a pocket flashlight in your mouth. I know that sounds kinda stupid, but I do it all the time.
 
again, not much progress but i attached a another piece of leather to the arm brace. then i realized i attached them with the buckles on the wrong side lol.

i'm using some chicago screws at the connection point on the arm brace. it looks very clean and it's removable but i think they might loosen as it's worn. so i don't know if that's going to be final.

tomorrow i'm going to attach the rest of the leather on the lower belts and adjust a few things here and there.

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You should make a soft foam bayonet for conventions, since they don't allow any real metal weapons, even if they're blunt.
 
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