Hi everyone! This is Lomi, and this week I'm back to working on Rune's armor.
This week I'm working on his gauntlets.
The base is already sewn together, so now all that's left is the finishing work.
I've added studs to a piece of cream colored vinyl, and since I want this to remain flexible
so it'll fit over his fingers, I'm sewing it onto the base.
The hard part is going to be attaching the metal plates.
For these, I'm using pieces of sheet aluminum.
I've sanded them a bit to make them look a little worn.
I cut these pieces freehanded since they're just rough rectangles, but I'll want a template
for the rest of the plates so they'll at least be similar in size and shape.
Once I have a template, I trace the shape onto another piece of sheet aluminum.
Once they're all traced, the safety goggles go on and it's time to cut them out.
These giant scissor looking things are tin snips.
They cut through sheet metal as easily as scissors through paper.
I just have to be mindful of my fingers, and cutting in a straight line can be tricky.
Now that all the plates are cut, I'll try attaching them.
I've used a lot of different glues on vinyl and none of them have ever worked.
An automotive customization forum suggested Liquid Nails, since it's designed to use with vinyl cove molding.
So we'll give that a try, since I already had some around for home improvement projects.
I'll glue the metal pieces on, and also the vinyl straps, so I can see how it works with
those different materials.
After the glue has had 24 hours to dry, I can see right away it won't work for the metal.
I barely have to touch it to make it fall off.
But it does look like it's adhered the vinyl pieces fairly well.
I won't pull too hard, since it needs a few more hours for a full cure, but I think it's
a good option for gluing vinyl to vinyl.
I'm disappointed I'll have ugly glue marks left where this didn't work, but it's on to a method I know will work.
I use a hammer and nail on the metal pieces to create dents to hold a drill bit where I want.
I won't bother with measuring, since these don't need to be perfect.
I imagine his gauntlets are something he's made for himself, or at least customized on his own.
As long as they work, he probably won't care how it looks.
Then it's time to drill. That gets hot!
I'll use pliers to hold the rest of the pieces in place.
With all the holes drilled, I mark the gauntlet base and then punch out holes for rivets.
They come in a lot of shapes and sizes, but I'm using rivets that have domed caps on both
ends, since I figure that will be less likely to scratch his hands.
Before I put the long plates on the back, I punch holes and add eyelets for laces.
In my original art, the closure was on the underside of the arm, but I moved it to the
side for the doll version to make it easier to put on.
Then I arrange the plates how I want them, mark holes, punch them and start riveting
the plates in place.
The last thing to do for now is use rubbing alcohol to clean the permanent marker off the metal.
This is all I can do for now, since I'm still waiting for the buckles I ordered for his gauntlets and spats.
It's still one step closer, and I think they look okay.
That's all for this week, though. Thank you for joining me again.
See you next time!