Quartermaster

Congrats Mike! Never a doubt.

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.

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...

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.

Awesome job Mason! Great to see you over here on the MEPD. What electronics are you putting in? Is this for you or for sale?

Hey Pat. Yes, industrial strength velcro is what I use for mounting. Holds great and have had no problems with it during a troop.

Looking real good Jesse!

On to the Radar Dish. There are a few sources for these. The ones I usually use are made by Crashmann or I use an actual 2 qt. tupperware lid when I can get them. Ebay is usually your best bet for the real thing. The one I will be using for this build is a new dish that I got from TK4510 (Mike). I had sent him an actual Tupperware lid a while back and he made a mold of it for vac forming. It is spot on accurate and comes with a backplate as well. After some minor trimming and sanding, I make sure the 2 pieces fit together well. Then I drill a hole in the backplate big enough for the mounting screw to fit through and a corresponding hole in the front of the dish for the plastic knob. Once that is done, I apply a thin bead of ABS cement to the outer edge of the backplate. Then insert the backplate into the front dish, slide the mounting nut through the back and tighten the plastic knob down on the front. This will hold the assembly together until it sets up. Here is a picture of a Mortar Tube from my last build with a real tupperware radar dish installed... Next I will trim the end caps. I will be using caps from TK4510 for this as well. Minor trimming and sanding and they will be ready for paint. Even though these parts are already white, I like to paint them anyway so everything matches. These pieces and the Radar Dish will also get washed with a mild detergent before painting. If you don't have access to end caps from TK4510 or Crashmann, you can make a set fairly easy from a set of Black ABS 2" couplings. The 2" coupling has a small ridge in the center interior. Make a cut about a 1/4" above the ridge. Sand the rim smooth rounding off the edges just above the inner ridge. I use some .060 Black ABS to make a center cap. You can also use a for sale sign to trace them from in a pinch. Place the coupling on the ABS sheet and trace the inside circle. Cut it out, sand smooth and cement in against the inside ridge. Once dry, sand the whole thing again, wash and paint. For the Thermal Detonator Pad, I will be using a Crashmann Det Pad. This is pulled in a high gloss ABS, so I will not be painting this. I trim the sides using a straight edge and razor. The ends are trimmed with tabbing shears. Al, the edges are sanded smooth and I round off the corners for a nice finished look.

Thanks Luis! I believe you have one of my older modular packs with the Mortar Tube that has the raised coupling. If you ever decide to apply for SWAT and it presents a problem, just let me know and I will swap out the tube for the newer style. That goes for any other overseas troopers who have this version as well.

Now it is time to make the ABS sleave that will join the 2 sections. I take a 6" piece of 2" ABS pipe and lay it into a vise. Using a pipe cutting saw, I remove about a 1" section of the tube along it's length. After sanding the edges a bit and making sure they are straight and even, I place it back into the vise and heat it up using a heat gun. While I heat it, I slowly close the vise until the ends almost touch. Then apply some ABS cement to both edges and continue closing the piece in the vise until they meet. The vise will hold the assembly until it sets up. (I let it set for 24hrs.) Once it is set, the entire sleave gets a good sanding with rounding off of the edges on the ends. One end is then ABS cemented into the top section of the Mortar tube and alowed to set up overnight again. Next I will work on the Radar Dish, Thermal Det pad and end caps.

Mortar Tube OK, lets move on to the Mortar Tube assembly. I will be using 2" Black ABS pipe for this. It is much lighter than PVC and the white ABS pipe. Because this is a modular pack build, I will be making the mortar tube so that it can break down into 2 sections. The easiest way to do this is to use a 2" coupling, and I have done this on other modular builds in the past. Due to the new SWAT program and the stricter standards, I had to come up with a new way to do this. A raised coupling could pose a problem for anyone applying for SWAT status as it is not screen accurate. I will be custom making an ABS sleave that will joint the 2 sections. First, I measure the pipe and cut it to the proper 29" length. Next, I sand the entire tube down using a medium sanding block. I make sure the edges of the tube ends are rounded off a bit. This will make it easier to slide the end caps on later. Laying the pack frame on it's left side, I lay the pipe on the frame and measure about 2 1/2" down from the top of the tube to the top of the frame. Using the pre-drilled holes in the frame from earlier, I mark the tube with a small drill bit. Holes are then drilled into the tube at these marks. Two 1 1/2" long #8 panhead screws are inserted from the inside of the tube out and epoxyed into place. A small #8 nut is installed onto the screw outside the tube and tightened into place. This will hold the screw securely until the epoxy sets up and will also act as a spacer for later when attaching the tube to the frame. While I have the the epoxy out, I drill the hole for the Radar Dish mounting bolt about 4" up from the bottom of the tube and so that the dish will be facing out. I will be using a special bolt with a flat rectangular piece on one end and a black plastic knob that threads down onto it. Now it is time to cut the tube. The mounting bolts are inserted into the pre-drilled holes on the frame and I measure 12" down from the top, just about at the center frame bend and mark it. This is where it will be cut. I use a miter box and saw to make sure I get a perfecctly straight cut. this is important so the two sides match up perfectly and almost no seam is visible.

I have the Aker Amp, Memorex wireless Transmitter/Receiver and the i-comm and I have no problems with the sound. Works great and no feedback, even on the VOX setting. Could be a few things causing it... 1. Location. Where do you have everything mounted? 2. Fans? Do you have any in your bucket? If so, you could be picking up some ambient noise inside the bucket from them or if they are blowing on your mic. 3. Faulty wire/plug. I have my amp mounted inside my chest plate facing out. i-comm is mounted next to the amp in the chest. Wireless receiver is mounted in my backplate. Wire connecting the two runs up under my shoulder strap. Mic and wireless transmitter are mounted inside the bucket. I also have 2 fans in there with no feedback trouble.

The top 2 trays for this pack get 3 coats of Fusion Flat Black. The bottom 2 trays get 1 coat of Fusion Flat Black and 2 coats of Rustoleum Satin Slate Blue. The electrical tape is then applied to the bottom 2 trays. I use a 3" wide tape for the top of the tray and a standard 1 inch tape for the bottom. Now it's time to attach the back trays to the frame cross braces. I will use 6 aluminum pop rivets and washers for this. The rivets used are 5/32" (4mm) with a 1/4" (6mm) grip and a #6 washer. I will also reinforce the rivet on the inside of the tray with scrap ABS that I cut into squares. First, I take the bottom section of the frame and mark the center of the cross braces. Holes are drilled at these locations. Then the tray is centered properly and corresponding holes are drilled in the tray. Rivets are placed in each hole with an ABS square and #6 washer on the back side. Once these 2 mounting locations are anchored, 4 more holes are drilled about 1/2 to 3/4" of an inch from the ends of the bracket and tray. I like to anchor the trays almost at the ends of the cross braces as this will eliminate most flexing in the brace. These steps are repeated for the top section of the tray and the top backside tray. Stay tuned for more....

Great shots Rob! Looks like you guys really had a good time.

My prayers are with you all. Stay safe.

Seed Trays Next up we have our main trays that make up the pack. There are lots of choices out there for this, some more accurate than others. For this pack and for the mojority of my builds, I will be using the Park Seed Trays. They measure 8" x 12" x 2 1/2", are readily available at a very good price and are durable. They also can be easily modded and take paint very well. First, I will carefully remove the raised company logo stenciled on the trays using a razor. (No Sandtrooper should have any visible logos on his pack as far as I am concerned....ie Park Seed, Tupperware, Made in USA, etc...) I always carefully remove these as part of the parts prep. Then, all trays will be sanded using a medium grit sanding block. Then I will go over it once more with a fine grit block. I have also cut 2 ABS strips to add to the bottom tray. These are also sanded and shaped on the ends to closely match the factory ribs on the tray. After sanding, the trays get a bath in a mild detergent. The ABS strips are then added to the bottom tray using Gorilla Glue Super glue. I love this stuff. It will glue your hands together if your not careful! LOL The strips are only added to the outside bottom tray and not the back side tray. The back tray is really not visible, so only the outside tray gets them. Once these have set up, its off for the first coats of black fusion paint.

Lets finish out the frame. After it has been sanded and washed, it will get it's first coat of paint. Because I am using Krylon Fusion paint for plastics, no primer is needed. I have not found any benefit to using a plastic primer under the Fusion paint. After the 1st coat is done, I will make my measurements for my ABS cross braces. I like to label them 1-4 with some paper tape from top to bottom so that after all the holes are marked and drilled, everything lines up perfectly. I like to use a small 1/4 inch #8 panhead screw to attach the braces. You could also attach them using rivets, but I prefer the option of easy removal in the event future repairs are needed to the pack. I will also drill all necessary holes in the frame for the mounting of the Mortar Tube and the two lower shoulder strap anchoring points. Then it's off for 2 more coats of flat black paint. And here you have your finished TD pack frame....

Thank you Joey! Now on with more build...

Way to go Mike! I didn't realize you would be posting this today when we spoke earlier. Your gear looks great. I don't see anything that should keep you from deployment. Should be an easy pass. Congrats brother. If you need anything, you know all you have to do is ask.

You know I am in to build a backpack. Just need to know if those willing to donate pack parts want them used for this build or not. I will build the pack regardless of donated parts or at my expense, makes no difference.

Thanks Leo, but the Congratulations go to Mike TK4510. This is the result of his hard work. I am just the messenger.

I will be posting the entire radio build in my new Pack build tutorial soon, but I wanted to share this with you guys now to get some exposure out there for my good friend Mike, AKA TK4510. I had asked Mike awhile back if he would be interested in making a new radio face plate to go along with his other new pack parts he has recently made available. He gladly took on the project and I have to say, he really did a fantastic job. My one stipulation was to make the plate fit a standard 8" x 6" x 3" Black electronics project box. That size is about 1/2" smaller than the new Onyx cast Crashmann Zenix plate, so the size difference is minimal. The upside is that you no longer have to custom build a box for the faceplate. Mike was kind enough to send me some prototypes to try out and I am just about finished with the first one. I really think that for a vac formed faceplate, the detail he was able to get out of this is awesome. This is just one more option out there that is very user friendly and available at an affordable price. Way to go Mike! Here are some pictures. The large dial is supplied by Dana, AKA Voodoo. The small knobs are made by me. More will be posted in my build thread at a later date.

I have a good friend that does custom graphics and lettering locally. As a matter of fact, he currently has the contract with another local company that produces the TK and Vader suits for LFL and Walt Disney World. He makes the decals for the TK helmets for them. I spoke to him about this and I have an appointment with him later this week to go over it and see what he can come up with.

Way to go Viktor! Let me be the 1st to say congrats on your official deployment!

Since this pack frame will be used as a "Modular" pack build for overseas shipping, I must cut the frame. First I measure 6 1/4" down from the top seam on each side and mark it. Then using my pipe cutter, both sides are cut to length. After cutting and re-checking the measurement to make sure they are both even, I cement two 1/2" PVC couplings onto the top section of the frame. Once they have set up, I slide the bottom section of the frame into the couplings and drill a hole through the assembly. Finally, a 1 1/4" number 8 threaded pan head screw is installed with a wing nut on the back side of the tube. These will hold the frame together and allow it to be disassembled for shipping later. The entire frame is then sanded and washed in a mild detergent and is ready for paint. The cross braces will be installed after the 1st coat of paint dries and then the entire assembly will be painted with 2 more coats of Krylon Fusion Flat Black. More to come....