The first step was to measure and cut the PVC tubes for the gauntlets. I cut two 10" lengths of 3" solid core PVC piping for the bases of these gauntlets.
I wanted to customize my gauntlets a bit, so I decided I wanted spear shaped gauntlets towards the elbow. To make sure I was cutting my lines straight, I placed two masking tape lines and traced along its inside edge.
Not too shabby. After cutting the gauntlets into the right shape, I needed to sand the edges I just cut. PVC takes a long time to properly sand down, especially if the cuts were messy.
In order to make room for my arm to fit in the gauntlets, I turned to my heat gun. The heat gun is essentially a hair dryer on steroids, with heat settings at 750 and 1000 degrees. After gradually baking these pieces at a low temperature setting, the PVC was incredibly easy to bend.
Fun fact, when PVC is heated up at high temperatures, it smells really sweet. Apparently, that means it's releasing a toxic gas. So if you try this project yourself, wear a respirator. Seriously.
These top pieces are from SoaringHammer's Star Wars Galaxy gauntlets. They have a great set of pepakura files and tutorials there.
To test fit the gauntlet's sizing, I used gaffers tape to attach the gauntlets together. Unfortunately for me, I made the tops of the gauntlets a bit too small. They don't overlap enough to properly cement them together, which means I'll have to redo them.
Luckily for me, I have lots of extra material. I traced out the size of the first piece and added an additional two inches to its overall width. Two inches should've allowed for plenty of overlap.
When dry-testing the fit of the cardboard cutouts, they seemed like a perfect fit. Therefore, it was time to go back to the sawing-board!
Same drill as last time! The pipe is mounted into the vice and securely clamped in. The cardboard templates were then traced onto the pipe. Because the majority of the necessary cuts were straight cuts. I was able to use my PVC pipe saw for this entire process.
Once I cut the pieces out I tested them for the general fit. In my haste, I accidentally put the new piece backwards on top of the gauntlet. And I really liked how it looked. In fact, I liked it so much that I changed the gauntlet's design for this configuration.
The step of making gauntlets was the two part process of priming and applying the PVC cement. Oddly enough, this was one of the most unpleasant tasks I experienced during this project. The first challenge was opening the cans.
Seriously.
These caps were practically welded onto the cans. I tried opening them by hand, with a strap wrench, and even fashioned a rubber lid-opener-pad to open these things. I eventually resorted to running them under hot water and banging the lids against the sink, until I managed to open them. So that was an adventure...
The process of priming and cementing the pieces wasn't much fun either. This is, hands down, the most awful smelling material I have ever worked with. The odors are noxious and sting your eyes, even with the fume hood and a pair of safety goggles. The purple primer liquid stains anything it touches, runs all over the place, and has a fairly short working time. As soon as I painted on the primer, I had to apply the cement.
Thankfully, I had access to several bar clamps. These let me securely clamp the gauntlets in place, without having to worry about holding them in place myself.
As much as I despised working with the stuff, PVC cement really works. I tested it on a pair of scrap PVC material, and was able to drop, kick, and throw it without it coming apart. Consider me impressed...
After the cement cured overnight, I started sanding the gauntlets with the palm sander. Sanding ensured that the following layers of primer and paint would adhere to the surface of the PVC. I began with a middle-grade 120 grit paper and thoroughly scoured the entire surface. Another pass with some 220 grit paper eliminated any serious scratches and gave the PVC a pleasant, flat finish. A final, cursory pass with 440 grit paper cleaned off any remaining burrs.
This is how each gauntlet looked after priming and a quick sanding with 440 grit paper. Once the primer was dried, I immediately noticed bits of debris from the sanding. The ultra-fine 440 grit paper did a wonderful job at cleaning up the entire surface. The next step will be painting them!
Part 8: Blogger
Part 7 (Full Album): Imgur
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