Attachment Systems

[Egothrasher]

I've read all sort of posts about harnesses and strapping, even that well made post about the custom made strapping. With the key holes so the strapping is hidden. I was just wondering if there are any other viable methods for attaching/wearing the armor for 3d printed pieces.

I remember reading somewhere someone mentioning snaps. Can these be used, or are the finished armor pieces just too heavy? If you had a good underlayer, could the armor pieces just snap onto it?

Along this train of thought, could magnets be used in lieu of snaps? Say put magnets inside little sewn pockets along key positions of the underlayer. Strong enough to hold the armor but easy enough to disengage when taking it off?

Or, would velcro work at all? To me it seems like it would be a pain to have to align and put on /take off the pieces with velcro.

I appreciate all feedback and suggestions. It's one thing to print and paint pieces, make them look pretty. It is a whole other thing to then be able to wear said pieces, move in them and not have them jangle and shift everywhere.

 

[PaiganBoi]

Magnets, snaps and velcro are all valid attachment systems to use. You just have to make sure you use the right size/strength or amount of snaps or magnets to hold the part.

 

[Egothrasher]

This may sound like a stupid question, but how does one figure out where to place the snaps on the clothing. You place the snaps on the armor piece, then put the armor piece on. But, how do you determine where the other end of the snap goes? It's not like there is a lot of room between the armor and the under layer to eyeball it.

 

[Negativecacti]

My neck seal attaches with velcro that has seemed to hold up in testing so far with no rips or tears so far and velcro also on my chest that has held perfectly after I swapped it out from a buckle clip. With magnets I'm just starting to get into, this tac pad has 6 x2 stack magnets and the same on the forearm and seems pretty sturdy so far. Alignment of velcro is way easier than magnets but nothing a paint market can't help with

 

[Egothrasher]

Thanks for those pics and the video. What size magnets did you use, it seems everyone uses neodymium magnets. Just don't want to get ones that are too big or strong and then the pieces never come apart lol.

 

[Negativecacti]

They're 8mm X 2mm neodymium magnets. 8mm is roughly 1/4" and I use a drill bit by hand to make the holes

 

[BHE Photos]

Something to remember with magnets is that they can be pretty strong for "pull apart" force, but are generally pretty weak in terms of sliding. A lot of people use magnets to hold things like faceplates on (Deadpool masks are really popular applications for magnets), but I probably wouldn't use them for something like holding a shoulder in place due to all the different directions that the forces can come from.

I have seen a couple of people use purse clasps (magnets with an alignment dimple in the middle) to allow pieces to move when needed, but then they "snap" back into place when they get close to their original position. Those are usually paired with straps and/or buckles to make sure the piece can't move too far.

 

[MicaHusky]

I used a few different attachment methods for my suit. The most distinctive I think is the toggle latches that hold the back and front torso armor together. They’re cheap on Amazon, like $10 for a half dozen of them.

I used a decent amount of nylon webbing and Velcro straps to hold some of the armor on; and when I needed to attach the straps to the 3d printed pieces I ended up using screws with fat “fender washers” to distribute the load and keep them in place. On the outside it’s just a small washer and the bolt head which does NOT look out of place on what is otherwise military combat armor…

I don’t have any good pictures of them in use; but the way I hold up my leg armor is these little “bungee balls” that are basically a plastic ball with a bungee cord on them, and a little “cup” shaped thing it latches into. They’re made for awnings and curtains and such I think.

 

[xPointbreakx]

This may sound like a stupid question, but how does one figure out where to place the snaps on the clothing. You place the snaps on the armor piece, then put the armor piece on. But, how do you determine where the other end of the snap goes? It's not like there is a lot of room between the armor and the under layer to eyeball it.

Easiest way is to have someone help you. I know using webbing you would use a piece longer than required so you could hold it where it's needed while the other person takes note and marks where it has to go or for bits fixed straight to an undersuit you could make a template on paper or cardboard to simulate where the armour would sit but still have easy access to attach the snaps.

 

[N8TEBB]

Personally I love my Velcro

If I don't have a mirror then there are a few things I need a friend to do up for me, but if i do have a mirror I am able to suit up entirely on my own. I use Velcro to do up my cod piece, both sides of my clamshell torso section, there's velco all along the spine of the ab warp, velcro holding on the knees, and velcro holding the show armour to my boots. I don't have any magnets or snaps on my suit right now. I do use a lot of parachute clips however