Blade Gaunt ... Vid Update & Rough Shroud

[Lowdmekon]

Firstly a great big thank you to all buddies on the Lair. I've taken notes and inspiration from many members on here, so I'm gonna give it a go and try and make my own version of a gaunt for as little money as possible with the best outcome as possible. Not sure if anyone's gone down this route yet, but here goes.... Polyester casting tape/bandage.

I've had the fortune of being given an old broken printer/scanner So I took it apart mainly for greebles and in the process come across a few parts that made me think. This kind of looks like a gaunt. So I gaffa taped them together and used a piece of plastic,see the first two pic's. You'll see what I mean. Very gaunt like and had two grooves for blades and everything.

So a few nights ago I looked into what I could use to make a cast of the inner shell of my gaunt so I could adorn with epoxy putty, foamies and whatever I could find. It dawned on me that a few years back I had an arm cast and it was fibreglass so I looked into them and found the I could get hold of a few rolls of the stuff for free from a friend. Cellacast active. I've used the main base of the printer parts and the plastic and moulded around them with one roll to get the main shape. See picture 3, but i intend to use another roll as one is not rigid enough. It holds its shape well but is a bit bendy.....

I also drew out a Idea of what I hope I'll end up at....... Pics I'll post once I get it right where I want it.

Wondered if anyone had use the Polyester casting bandage before?

 

[Lowdmekon]

Here is a sketch of what I'm hoping the inside edge of the finished gaunt will look like, a mix of Wolf and AVPish. I've still to draw the other side, but I will deffo continue the loop area underneath and sightly up the other side. Was thinking of inlaying a hammered aged leather effect. The blade upper part is still being kicked around in my head, I don't want to many greebles like on a P1. But definitely a few.

 

[made007]

Looks good! Looking forward to see it done

 

[Lowdmekon]

2nd layer of fibreglass polyester bandage, 1st couple of layers of foamies. I need to lay on some more epoxy putty around the edges so it merges into the foamie and creates a smother edge so if I do end up making a suit it won't rub. I've been using superglue stuff to glue on the foamies, what do you guys use? I've got some plastic ribbed tube in the post to use as the snaking banding around the lower and upper parts of the gaunt.

Looking into other threads and post, some of you use coats of pva over the foamies. I've got some acrylic primer I use for plastered and porous walls when I tile. I'm gonna give that a go as an undercoat to seal it up. I'll trial it of a spare piece of foam and then try to paint it. Should I use some plastidip paint before the acrylic or what is the best process?

Cheers all help welcome and all comments welcome.

 

[troggs]

Looking good so far, I've used superglue for sticking the foamies, the only problem was if I used too much it soaked through and stuck the foamies to my fingers.
I started using pva to seal it, but as I had some plastidip brush on primer in the house I tried that, it sealed the foam with just one coat and so far the acrylic paint has stuck ok.
For good measure I sealed it with clear plastidip.

Plastidip is great but the fumes are something else.

 

[wonko]

Not bad, not bad at all. I like the idea of the bandages, should be pretty rigid. Not sure if you've given it much thought or not, but I didn't take into consideration the extra bulkiness of the torso skin and they ended up too small. Just something you may want to keep in mind. Keep up the updates!

Brian

 

[Lowdmekon]

Looking good so far, I've used superglue for sticking the foamies, the only problem was if I used too much it soaked through and stuck the foamies to my fingers.
I started using pva to seal it, but as I had some plastidip brush on primer in the house I tried that, it sealed the foam with just one coat and so far the acrylic paint has stuck ok.
For good measure I sealed it with clear plastidip.


 
Plastidip is great but the fumes are something else.P

Cheers buddy, just ordered another 50g of superglue from fleabay. I'll give the acrylic sealer a go and let you guys know how it's turns out.

Not bad, not bad at all. I like the idea of the bandages, should be pretty rigid. Not sure if you've given it much thought or not, but I didn't take into consideration the extra bulkiness of the torso skin and they ended up too small. Just something you may want to keep in mind. Keep up the updates!
Brian

Cheers buddy. When I formed the shape I used a piece of plastic and a part of an old printer to give the gaunt it's shape. Luckily it does fit over a thick hoddie. So fingers crossed it will fit over a suit. When I get some finds and my finger out. Deffo good call thou buddy.

 

[Lowdmekon]

Epoxy putty around the cuff and elbow end edges on and smoothed in. I added the start of some detail on the bottom by heating on the stove a spring and pressed into the foam. I've also gone around all the edges and superglued down so the foamies all feel like one piece when you flick your finger across them. I've started to detail the insert on the elbow end. Not quite sure what I'm gonna use or sculpt yet..... Still TBC. I've also had a rethink about the height and I cut off the top so I can install a flat piece for the blade mechanism to secure on to. What do you guys use to stop the gaunt slipping round your arm and still loose enough so you can get your arm and hand through. I was may be think about some kind of adjustable strapping inside and under the blade mechanism. Then when the top shroud"held on with earth magnets" is in place I would hide everything.

I'm also learning that what you draw doesn't always come through into what I wanna make and I adapt and rethink parts. Like the hand end on the drawing has some stepped part on the way to the top that I may not now incorporate into my gaunt. Hey ho. Their are no rules to your own build.

 

[Lowdmekon]

Looks good! Looking forward to see it done

If it turns out 50% as good as yours buddy I'll be over the moon.

 

[wonko]

Looking good, I really like this.  Seems like it's going to be very durable when it's all done.  As far as keeping it in place, I have foam pieces that I cut to fit inside it after it's been put on.  In other words, after the gaunt is on my arm, I stuff the foam down inside it to "wedge" it in place (it's not seen once it's inside the gaunt).  Not perfect by any means, but it does the job, and is still comfortable enough to wear for extended periods of time.

Brian

 

[Lowdmekon]

Looking good, I really like this.  Seems like it's going to be very durable when it's all done.  As far as keeping it in place, I have foam pieces that I cut to fit inside it after it's been put on.  In other words, after the gaunt is on my arm, I stuff the foam down inside it to "wedge" it in place (it's not seen once it's inside the gaunt).  Not perfect by any means, but it does the job, and is still comfortable enough to wear for extended periods of time.
 
Brian

I like it buddy, strangely when I try it on for size I've been wedging up the arm of my hoodie out of sight. Kind of what yo do.

 

[Eaglewood]

just keep at it-- the thing will come to life and you will love it-- good job.

 

[Lowdmekon]

just keep at it-- the thing will come to life and you will love it-- good job.

Cheers Buddy.


I've been fetteling around to make the blade pop out mechanism. A lot harder than I first anticipated. After 4 different configurations and springs of all manor of shapes and sizes I've come up with this, you gotta ignore the blade it's just a mock crappy pice of hardboard. It's loosely attached as well . You'll see that in the vid. It's got 15.5 cm of travel. And it uses some uber strong fabric coated elastic type stuff I found in one of the draws in our kitchen. The trigger part was freshly harvested from the printer I took to pieces for greebles. It's nothing special, I'm sure it's all been done before, draw runner , bolts and stuff. I've got some grey acrylic 5mm in the post to shape some blades out of.

Pics just incase vid don't work.

Also it's on an old pice of mdf so I can work of where I need to drill holes when I attach it to lid of the gaunt. Then I can start to make the shroud part.........mmmmmm more scuplting.

 

[wonko]

Small world...I've been working on mine as well and was gonna start a new topic on it in a day or two.  Looks like that thing has allot of power behind it.  How big is the finished gaunt gonna be?  Keep the updates coming!

Brian

 

[Lowdmekon]

Please delete for some reason it double posted

 

[Lowdmekon]

Strangely it kind of locks when the blade fling out. Just enough for a gental nudge and then the click back in. I'm hoping its not gonna be to bulky. I'm gonna make the top half on magnets so I can slide it off and get to the mechs like in da movies. Who hooooooo. Hardest part will be trying to make a shroud close enough so it's not to large but big enough so I do sent foul the mechanic parts. I may have a go at some casting like in Made007 gaunt lid.

 

[troggs]

Coming along nicely, do you think it might be catching because of the elastic being on one side only, so it's pulling it over at a bit of an angle?

Just another quick thought, have you tried it with both blades on? it might even out the action.

 

[Lowdmekon]

Coming along nicely, do you think it might be catching because of the elastic being on one side only, so it's pulling it over at a bit of an angle?
 
Just another quick thought, have you tried it with both blades on? it might even out the action.

Cheers buddy, no the locking is a bonus as it stops the blades bouncing around on the elastic/springs.

 

[Double H]

Hey bud, this is coming along nicely. Great to see someone else taken on the spring loaded approach. You look like you've got the right idea with it. The locking that your getting is due to the power of the elastic/spring tension you are using. Be careful though, the ball bearings in the slide may be forced inwards after continuous use and that is bitch to put back together. The way to stop that is to add a small bolt on the inside of the slide at the very end edge.

Looking good bud, keep it up

 

[Lowdmekon]

Small world...I've been working on mine as well and was gonna start a new topic on it in a day or two.  Looks like that thing has allot of power behind it.  How big is the finished gaunt gonna be?  Keep the updates coming!

Brian

Yeah it's pretty quick I can't wait to get two blades on it. I like yours buddy what did you make your blades out of? I've just had my acylic turn up, it feels very brittle. I'm not to sure how tall it gonna be, probably similar to yours about 2 1/2 inches but mines gonna be about 11 inches long give or take. I say It's pretty quick and I bloody hurt my thumb earlier playing with it. I must of retracted and popped it forward a hundred times, just for fun.

Hey bud, this is coming along nicely. Great to see someone else taken on the spring loaded approach. You look like you've got the right idea with it. The locking that your getting is due to the power of the elastic/spring tension you are using. Be careful though, the ball bearings in the slide may be forced inwards after continuous use and that is bitch to put back together. The way to stop that is to add a small bolt on the inside of the slide at the very end edge.

Looking good bud, keep it up

Cheers buddy, I couldn't dream of going down the mechanised electrical route yet. Elastic/Spring powers more than enough for be at the min. Yeah I learned about the bolt the hard way and everything went ping across the garage floor. Good call thou.