I need some help in restoring my pack. After 4 years of busting, and moving around for college, and all that fun stuff, my pack has taken quite a few bumps. So I’m going to list some of the issues I have and see if anyone has some good suggestions to make them better. Note: I do not have large array of tools at my disposal because of the move, so the simplest way to go about this would be best. There are picks as well to give you an idea of what I’m dealing with.
Cyclotron lights. – originally put on there with hot glue and the lights were held on by four Gatarade bottle tops I modded to house them up near painted plastic “screens”. As you can see the glue job is not the best but it does the job. How should I go about better mounting these things to the pack? Also, what would you suggest for the red lenses for the lights?
N-Filter. Originally made from the bottle of a Pringles can, some quick cuts, spray paint, and hot glue did it just fine. IT got smashed in my move out to Cali and I was thinking about just doing the same thing. Thoughts?
Hose. Always had a problem with this. Although originally I was able to liquid nail the ■■■■ out of it and spray paint it, i never really like hot it turned out. In reality it’s held on by a heavy duty screw inside the cyclotron so staying on the back is not an issue. On the pack it’s starting to look quite disgusting and now the opportunity is right t fix that issue. I was thinking about going to an Ace Hardware or something of the like and getting some kind of connection to put on this spot to make it look more “authentic”. But still, keeping that piece attached might prove to be an issue too.
General consensus– what’s better to use than hot glue to keep things together? Albeit I think the hot glue avoided some irreparable damage to some of the parts, but some parts just have to stay. Always liked Liquid nails myself.
I have a couple other minor issues I’ll go over later with the pack as well as the wand. Any help would be greatly appreciated fellas.
Well, I’m not much of a builder and I’ve always been on a limited budget, so I kinda know where you’re coming from. Repairs, modifications, constantly rebuilding parts as I learned better ways to make them… so here’s my advice for your questions. Hope it’s helpful.
I’ve always used GOOP and similar stuff. So far it’s held up pretty decently so long as it’s not something that’s going to be flexing against the glue ALL the time. Might want to look into epoxy putty also. It’s like the modeling clay of glues, just mash it up until both colors are mixed and then apply to whatever needs adhesion.
For the cyclotron lens, if your a fan of the “reflector” look, walmart should have some red reflectors you can use somewhere near the Home Improvement section. If you prefer the plain glass look, hobby lobby sells glass in all colors, as well as glass cutters. Or you could use a CD case sprayed with translucent red paint. I’ve also seen clear red binders being cut apart for lenses so there’s another option. The way I glued mine in was to hold them in place and put glue over the edges onto the inside of the cyclotron, avoiding the glue squishing out of the lens holes like it did with yours. Also, it never hurts to use large pieces for the lenses so that there’s plenty of surface area glued to the inside of the cyclotron.
The N-filter was something I didn’t bother adding for a long time, until I got bored and made one from a soda can. It lasted a few months before it finally was crushed against the pack and I ripped it off. I’d say either check around for a resin one or do the pringle can thing again, because there’s no telling how many times I attempted to make one from PVC and had to scrap it and start over.
On a side note, it looks like your pack is vacformed. Where did you get the shell? I only ask because my last pack was also a vacform shell and you don’t generally see too many of them. Also hot glue as well as GOOP can sometimes be tricky unless you take sandpaper to the shell and roughen up the surface so it has something to grab onto. Otherwise it’ll be too smooth and the glue will peel off with a little effort.
I swear by two-part epoxy. Get the stuff that comes in two separate bottles (no stupid plungers). It’s more expensive to buy the separate bottles, but they last a long time. I’ve had mine for 3 years.
