Hockeytrooper
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Experimental Leg Assembly
It seems the standard on this is to use hinges and such. Has anyone experimented with just using thick elastic? Leave it stretchy enough to slip your leg/foot all the way through and have the elastic pull it closed. I might give this a shot. The upper leg could still be attached via bungie cord, a handler would have access through the gap in the back of the leg pieces.
Last edited by Hockeytrooper, 3/13/2013, 12:16 am
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3/5/2013, 5:44 pm
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matthew007
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Re: Attaching calf back
Hi there I fiberglassed my brackets in then made some bent keys look like allenkeys these fit into the hinge works really well.are you on facebook I've got some pics up
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3/5/2013, 6:37 pm
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GordonTarpley
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Re: Attaching calf back
Might work but it may be very difficult to get your foot through unless the elastic is pretty lose which might lead to other issues as you walk.
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3/5/2013, 8:37 pm
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Hockeytrooper
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Re: Attaching calf back
I'll experiment with it over spring break and post a couple of pictures and such with comments. It would probably be something that the elastic would need to be replaced every so often if it got stretched too much. I'm thinking multiple connections throughout the leg so that it stays aligned and maybe adding a "lock and key" type tab to help with alignment as well. If it doesn't work I'll just do what everyone else does with the hinges and L pin, but I figure this might be worth a shot since it is cheap and wont really cost me anything if it doesnt work
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3/5/2013, 9:04 pm
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Hockeytrooper
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Re: Experimental Leg Assembly
Here is a make-shift idea of what I intend to try. The command hooks seen in this picture are too bulky to be able to wear with your leg in there, so I will be hunting down a different hook that isn't quite so big. If you look carefully toward the far end of the leg you can see that the back half of the calf is attached with elastic. The test fit of this worked pretty well. Ultimately I'll be added another set of elastic straps and a "lock and key" so that the pieces don't get offset and out of place. If this doesn't work then I'll probably go with what everyone else does with the hinge and pin method.
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3/13/2013, 12:20 am
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matthew007
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Re: Experimental Leg Assembly
Does the hooks catch your leg theses not much room in there to get your leg in.
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3/13/2013, 3:56 am
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GordonTarpley
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Re: Experimental Leg Assembly
Have you tried with the bungees on both sides of the leg yet? Looks like it's going to be a very tight fit when you do.
I see you are looking for smaller hooks, which will help.
What I think might still be an issue is the metal part of the bungee cord (where the elastic and hook attach) you'll have 4 of them in a really small area. This was part that really started to dig into my leg after only a few minutes and became painful.
I ended up cutting it off of the end that is by my knees and tying it to a loop inside the leg, which cured the problem. Now there are only hooks to attach at the top.
10 days ago I did my longest walk in the suit, about a mile and a half, and had no issues with suit's knees hurting me at all.
Another really important thing to remember is that you want the bungees to be very tight. Otherwise the knees can come off their tracks pretty easily.
Last edited by GordonTarpley, 3/13/2013, 11:10 am
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3/13/2013, 11:09 am
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Hockeytrooper
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Re: Experimental Leg Assembly
Yeah with the pictured setup there are only hooks on one side, the intent is for there to be hooks on both sides ultimately.
Fiberglassing the hooks in will allow me to make the bungees tighter. In this demonstration they aren't very tight because I was just relying on the sticky back from the command hooks.
Unfortunately I didn't bring any other kinds of hooks to Colorado with me to experiment with. The only other things I can work on here are the hands and sanding since I have the materials needed for both of those.
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3/13/2013, 6:18 pm
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Hockeytrooper
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Re: Experimental Leg Assembly
Lower part of the leg that I'm working on
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xXvcpHXXBg&feature=youtu.be
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4/20/2013, 3:45 pm
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Baxterianism
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Re: Experimental Leg Assembly
Great to see a video post on this! I find it really clarifies the idea.
for my two cents I think it would be far easier for a handler to attach the back of lower leg via the accurate hinge method.
when I suit up I have to swivel the whole leg around to put my foot through. I cant see this being very easy without the back lower leg already off. Have you tried stepping into and sliding your legs down inside with the backs on yet?
also, the lower leg has a better 'fit' with a gap either side which is large enough for the hinge to fit into. (Hope that makes sense).
--- Usually found as C-3PO for Make-A-Wish Foundation UK
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4/20/2013, 5:44 pm
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