Belt accessories: Mag holders, pouches, etc...

[stormtrooperguy]

Much like the holster thread I started, the goal of the magazine holders was the make something that looks the part but doesn't require hand forming sheets of plastic. I went through a couple of iterations, but the end result is one that I'm happy with. These were done in black styrene, but I'll be ordering some kydex to do another round of them.





The forms are pretty simple... just a couple of blocks of wood cut to the right dimensions. There's 1 back piece, then 2 fronts... back glues into front, so there's a small seam that isn't visible from the front or sides.

Having 1 back piece ensures that the two holders stay together.

The tab to hang them off the belt remains to do. I'm thinking I may do it in leather rather than plastic... it will be more durable for wearing the costume, and will conform to my waist better than an arbitrary curve. I'll figure that out over the next couple of days.

To date the hardest part has been finding the right screws

 

[rolandblais]

Re: magazine holders

Looks great!

 

[baron von blondle]

Re: magazine holders

that looks awesome!

 

[Matw65]

Re: magazine holders

To date the hardest part has been finding the right screws

I know that they're called Chicago Screws in the US, but over the pond they are also known as Binding Screws (you might know this already. but I thought that my post might be of help).

 

[stormtrooperguy]

Re: magazine holders

My problem was that I couldn't find any binding screws with allen head screws. I ended up having to get slotted binding screws then replace the top half with separately purchased screws.

 

[Matw65]

Re: magazine holders

My problem was that I couldn't find any binding screws with allen head screws. I ended up having to get slotted binding screws then replace the top half with separately purchased screws.

Ah, I see.

- - - Updated - - -

My problem was that I couldn't find any binding screws with allen head screws. I ended up having to get slotted binding screws then replace the top half with separately purchased screws.

Ah, I see.

 

[midnightblu]

Re: magazine holders

That looks great, could you give us the dimensions, and how long are those spacers,

 

[While]

Re: magazine holders

Are you considering selling these along with the holster?

 

[stormtrooperguy]

Re: magazine holders

Are you considering selling these along with the holster?

If we do them, the holster + mag holders all sort of come together. One pull on my vac table does a holster and 2 pairs of mag holders.

Midnightblu... oddly enough, at no point did a ruler come out other than to draw straight lines. I just scaled them off of the magazines. The spacers are 1/2... I had those left over from building out my workshop:

http://www.amazon.com/Uline-Pegboard-Mounting-Hardware/dp/B004SIOWW2

 

[stormtrooperguy]

Continuing through the belt accessories.

Our group of local judges opted to make our own pouches, since there are a bunch of us and the $$$ adds up

Here are the med pouches:



The stamp was very simple... a piece of 1/8" styrene cut to shape then hit really hard with a hammer!



Repeat many times. We are making 6 full sets of belt accessories.



All the sewing is being done by hand.

For dye, I ended up mixing Eco-flow forest green, black and java brown. Once dyed, they get a few washes of heavily diluted brown and black to give them a nice lived in look.

 

[stormtrooperguy]

Next up we have the flash bangs and holders. We went super cheap on the grenades... 1.75" diameter wooden balls, painted green.



More leather:



To cut the slots, I used a 3/8" hole punch for the top and bottom, then a ruler and razor to connect them. The body is sewn together. The top is glued in, the bottom glued then reinforced with stitching in the corners.

- - - Updated - - -

For the cuffs, I wanted to make something that could be used safely at conventions for photo ops, and that would be durable. So, instead of zip ties I used rubber strips. They are thicker than screen used, but it makes them rugged enough that they can be used multiple times without damage.

I fashioned the center piece out of sheet styrene and epoxy putty, then molded it and cast them in Smooth-On's Onyx Fast resin:





And a quick belt loop out of leather

 

[stormtrooperguy]

Next up is the smoke grenade and its holder. I'm using 1" OD pvc pipe for the body.

The top of the grenade is machined from a block of resin:

Step 1: Fill empty paint bottle with resin:


Step 2: Cut off bottle and cut it on a lathe:


The body of the grenade had the slots cut in the lathe, and the holes drilled in a drill press using a little custom jig to ensure that the hole placement was relatively consistent:



Additional detailing on the top part added with epoxy putty:




Bit of silicone and resin later:


I haven't made the handle or holder yet, but that's coming soon!

 

[Matw65]

Wish I had or had access to a lathe.

 

[muttmo]

Impressive.. Your progress on belt parts of the dredd uniform have imspired me.. Hopefully I can make them look that great.

 

[HalfPint Harley]

definitely interested in a holster/mag holder set.. if you start producing them! My judge is a very slow W.I.P., as I am not up on casting or vacuforming (yet).. Got a few bits I am not pleased with, so am looking for better ones.

 

[stormtrooperguy]

I finally finished up the grenade. Originally I was going to make the cap and handle 2 separate parts. Ultimately I realized that this thing isn't leaving my belt, and doesn't really need a movable handle.

So... new cap:



And first casting from it. This one was resin, since I wanted to make sure the mold was good. Subsequent castings will be rubber to prevent breakage. I'm also embedding a 16 ga. steel wire in there for rigidity.



Once the grenade was done, it was on to the holder. I ran out of thread 1" from the end of the stitching up the back, so I wasn't able to finish it just yet. New thread is in the mail now, and that will give me time to make the other 6 I need for our sector.