Quartermaster Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 The pack looks great so far! I do have a question about the mortar tube, the 2" dia. Is it I.D or O.D.??? Drain pipe? Also, What is the I.D. of the piece that goes on the mortar tube. (the control panel?) Thanks!!! Hey David. The pipe I use is standard 2" black ABS plumbing pipe. The 2" size actually refers to the INTERIOR of the pipe. The exterior is about 2 3/8". The black ABS is much lighter than your standard white ABS or the gray PVC. Unfortunately, it is not available in all areas due to local building codes. I am lucky enough to live and work near a Home Depot that does carry it. The Control Panel or Thermal Det Pad is a vac formed piece made by Crashmann (MEPD memeber). It is made to fit over the exterior of a 2" pipe. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dav'ika Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Sure does! Going to get the pipe in the AM! Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkRyno Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 This is such an inspiring thread (for a newb to building stuff)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quartermaster Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 Syphon / Cistern Mods Moving on to the syphon. Again, there are a few options out there for this. Crashmann makes a vac formed kit that when used along with tupperware hamburger stackers makes a good looking syphon. The hamburger stackers can be found on ebay. The more accurate syphon now available and the one I will be using for this build is supplied by "Gordonator" right here on the MEPD. Even though it is pretty close to what is seen on screen, it still needs some mods to make it more accurate. First thing to do is to trim the plastic knob off the top of the unit. I trim it off using a razor knife, then grind it down smooth with my dremmel. Next I remove the small plastic insert in the top of the dome. Do not discard this piece. I will be using it later. Then the excess plastic on top of the dome is trimmed off again using a razor knife and dremmel. Once that is done, I drill the hole closest to the vertical stack slightly larger using a stepped drill bit. This hole is a bit smaller than the hole the insert came out of and I will be installing that insert into this hole, so it needs to be a bit larger. I also file out the inside of both holes using a small curved file so that the glue and filler I will be using has a rough surface to bond to. Once that is done I glue the insert into the inner hole with a small amout of Gorilla glue. More to come... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quartermaster Posted August 2, 2011 Author Share Posted August 2, 2011 Next I insert a small plastic plug into the bottom of the larger hole from the inside of the syphon. This is kind of a specialized piece I have fashioned for this purpose. The purpose of it is to stop the epoxy filler I will be using from running out the bottom of the hole. A piece of heavy duty tape or a large bolt / screw would also work. Next I will be mixing up a small amount of plastic epoxy. The one I use has a 5 minute set time. This is then poured into the hole from the top to fill it. Once it has hardened, it will be sanded down flush with the top of the dome. Now the entire unit gets sanded down with a medium grit sanding block. I even sand the interior of the dome and the down tube as these will be painted inside as well. The unit will get a bath in a mild detergent after sanding. Now it is time to install the ridges on the syphon. For this I will be using a 24" black tie wrap (three of them). First I drill 3 holes in the plastic that joins the dome to the down tube. Once the holes are drilled, I use a small file to file the side closest to the dome flat so that the tie wrap will lay flat against it. The heads of the tie wraps are hidden behind the dome in the groove were the holes were drilled. I also place a few drops of Gorilla glue on each tie wrap to anchor it against the syphon so it won't slide up or down. Next, using some Industrial strength heavy duty black Gorilla Tape, I cut the 2 small rectangular detail pieces out and apply them to the top of the dome. Then the hole unit gets it's 1st coat of Krylon Fusion paint for plastic. Once the 1st coat is dry, I will install the 2 mounting screws. The first one is installed in the back of the dome along the upper ridge. I #8 pan head screw is installed from the inside with a drop of epoxy on underside of the head. A small #8 nut and washer is installed on the outside and tightened down. This will hold the screw in place while the epoxy sets up. It will also stay on later when mounting to act as a small spacer against the tray. The 2nd mounting screw will be installed in the back side center of the down tube. This requires threading a thin nylon string into the drilled hole and out the bottom. The screw is then pulled up into the tube and through the hole. A small amount or plastic epoxy was is also applied to the head before pulling it up inside the tube. A #8 nut and washer is also tightened down here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD-4510 Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Awesome!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quartermaster Posted August 4, 2011 Author Share Posted August 4, 2011 The next part for the syphon is the disc and mushroom cap for the bottom. Again, I use a specialty part that I have access to. It is a round heavy duty black plastic disc that is the perfect size for the opening in the bottom of the syphon. It has a "vented" look on one side. I also use these discs for the top and bottom of my round filter assembly on the Sergeants Pack. You can also use a pieces of ABS or some other rigid plastic for this. Simply place the syphon over the plastic and trace a circle on the plastic. You will need to cut your disc about an 1/8" smaller than your trace line so that it will fit inside the syphon dome, unless you plan on attaching it flush with the bottom edge of the dome. I will be using 3 small rectangular pieces of aluminum to mount the disc inside the syphon. Each piece is about 1" wide x 2" long. Each piece is bent at a 90 degree angle, then spaced out evenly in a triangular pattern. Three holes are drilled in the aluminum and the disc. The mounting tabs are then riveted to the disc. A coat of paint will cover the rivets. I then mount the mushroom cap (provided by Mr. Bojangles here on the MEPD) to the bottom of the disc using a #10 1" bolt. A washer and a nylon nut are used under the cap. I use the nylon nuts on ALL mounting screws to prevent them from coming loose. The mushroom caps from Mr. Bojangles are great because they come with an ABS adapter that fits perfectly on the top of a wet ones bottle, or in my case, an aluminum water bottle. I will show this part in a bit. Next, I drill 3 corresponding holes in the syphon between the middle and bottom ridges so that they line up with the aluminum mounting tabs. The entire assembly is then riveted to the syphon. Another coat of black paint will hide the rivets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quartermaster Posted August 4, 2011 Author Share Posted August 4, 2011 The bottle used for the syphon as well as the center of the top tray are aluminum water bottles. They cost a bit more, but I like them much better than the plastic wipes bottles. For starters, they are metal, which to me adds a bit more authenticity to the pack. They also take paint much better than the plastic and because they are aluminum, are still very light. You can even add a few dings and dents to it as part of the weathering process. You can't do that with plastic. First, I measure the bottle at 6 1/2" and mark it with tape. Then using a hacksaw or a cutting wheel on my dremmel, I cut the top off the bottle. The bottle then gets a quick file of the top edge so it isn't sharp, and then the whole thing gets a sanding and washing. Once it is dry, I will give it a base coat of black paint. Then it will get 2 coats of Rustoleum Satin Blue. Going back to the Mushroom Cap and adapter supplied by Mr. Bojangles. First I will trim any excess plastic off both pieces and sand the edges smooth. A mounting hole is drilled in the top center of the cap and a much larger hole is drilled into the adapter. The hole needs to be larger in the adapter so that it will fit over the mounting nut used to mount the cap to the bottom of the syphon. The top of the adapter is sanded and cleaned as well as the inside of the Mushroom Cap so that they will bond well when glued together with the ABS Cement later on. Here is what it looks like when the adapter sits inside the cap. Next, the adapter is mounted to the finished bottle. I drill 4 holes through the adapter and the aluminum bottle in a criss cross pattern and attach the adapter with rivets. It is now ready to be mounted to the syphon. I do not mount it now however. This is one of the last pieces assembled on the pack. I do this to prevent it from being in the way or possibly getting damaged during final pack assembly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthChridan Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 Awesome John... i like such tutorials Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leo Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 I love this step by step John , Thank you Leo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccatkins Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 any more steps coming for this as its will really help with my pack build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quartermaster Posted October 31, 2011 Author Share Posted October 31, 2011 any more steps coming for this as its will really help with my pack build. Sorry for the delay in recent posts. Life, work and other pack builds have been keeping me super busy. I will try to get some more updates posted soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccatkins Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Excellent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dav'ika Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Don't it suck when life gets in the way of a costuming habit!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyBoy Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 looking good man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAVALIER Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Awesome tutorial to date! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyBoy Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 absolutely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quartermaster Posted December 31, 2011 Author Share Posted December 31, 2011 Thanks guys! I have to really apologize for not posting more on this. I have just been so busy lately. I promise to post more soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quartermaster Posted December 31, 2011 Author Share Posted December 31, 2011 Radio OK, so lets continue on to one of the most important pieces of the pack. The very famous Sonix Victory Radio. Again, there are multiple sources for some very good, very accurate faceplates out there. Some are vac formed and others are extremely detailed poured resin or black onyx. I have used both and the one I am currently using most of the time is a relatively new faceplate offered by TK4510 or Trooperbay.com It is a very user friendly vac formed plate that Mike was gracious enough to rework his Mold for to to create. It is 8" x 6" and was made to fit perfectly onto a standard 8 x 6 black ABS project box from Radio Shack, thus eliminating the need to custom make a box for it. Size comparison to the new Crashmann/Zenix Onyx faceplate is only about a 1/4" smaller in both width and height. I will show both here starting with the TK4510 plate... You will use the project box faceplate along with the TK4510 face plate. After drilling out the TK4510 plate, place it over the box plate and mark the hole locations to be drilled out so they match up. After your switches and speaker grill mesh are installed, the radio face plate is glued to the box plate for added strength. The lip on the project box plate also makes lining it up and the box a snap. The plate comes with some pretty nice detailed lines and even has the raised box area for the dial and the 2 offset recessed oval areas for the switches. Also comes with your choice of dial stickers and the small "SONIX" sticker for the lower left corner. You will need to drill out holes for the switches and dials (unless you are going to glue your dials on). I like to make my radios as realistic as possible, so all switches and dials will move, turn or click. I also drill and bevel all the small corner rivet details of the raised plate areas. Of course the speaker grill also gets drilled out and mesh is placed behind the holes so your MP3 sound comes out nicely. A steel band from Home Depot is bent to the correct width and then riveted into place in the box. A Rare Earth magnet is then installed into the back of the faceplate lined up with the steel band. This holds the plate on. Here is a side by side of the Crashmann Zenix plate and the TK4510 plate for size comparison... And here is the finished, weathered vac formed TK4510 Radio, complete with Crashmann small knobs and strap holders and a Voodoo Large knob installed. Also TK4510 radio dial stickers. Two large aluminum rivets are installed for the plug ports on the left side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inglorious trooper Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 hey john, good to see more pics of your ongoing pack build,the faceplate tutorial couldnt come at a better time as ive just received my facepate from mike and am looking at starting it soon.i think your made an awesome job of it and il be taken all your ideas and putting them to good use with mine! thanx for taking your time to do these threads for us,its much appreciated,keep up the great work buddy!! marcus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quartermaster Posted January 3, 2012 Author Share Posted January 3, 2012 Thanks Marcus! Feel free to drop me a PM if you have any questions. Now, on with the build.... I wanted to show the new Crashmann Faceplate as well, since this is also a great option. For both the TK4510 and Crashmann builds, I used the same switches and knobs. The switches are small silver toggle switches from Radio Shack, the large knob is from Voodoo here on the boards and the 2 small knobs are from Crashmann. I prep the 3 knobs the same way. I drill a small hole in the back center of the knob about halfway into the knob and epoxy a threaded #8 machine screw into the hole. You will have to cut the head off the screw and make sure you thread and epoxy the cut end into the knob, leaving the clean end to thread your nylon nut onto later. The #8 nylon nut on the back of the knob threads will allow it to turn just like a working part and not loosen up. Just make it snug, not too tight when you install it. This particular Crashmann radio was made awhile back and I decided to try and install 2 small hinges on one side of the faceplate. I backed to faceplate with a piece of black 1/8" thick ABS and cemented together to give the Onyx some added strength. I also used to same ABS to build a custom box to mount the faceplate on. And hear it is after weathering. I also installed a clear dial cover on this build, but if you are going for SWAT, don't as it will not pass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FIVE Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Dude... that radio is amazing!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inglorious trooper Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 yet anooother awsome build! nice one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leo Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Mama Mia!!!!!! Oh my God !!!!!!! Amazing!!!!! Leo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voodoo Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Thank you, John, for the plug (with the picture). I just wanted to let anyone who is interested know that I have bumped my thread on the "For Sale or Trade" section for anyone who may want to order a large knob. Fantastic work, by the way. As always. Thanks again. Dana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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