So, I’m getting to the point of my build where I would like to see everything come together. I’ve got 3/4" clear tubing covered by split loom between pack and wand…
Question here… how have people secured this hose to the wand and to the pack, but still allowed for cabling to be routed through the hose? Unsure if folks are using clamps at the end’s or what?
I’m sure there are numerous solutions, so I’d like the community to share some of their ideas and solutions.
Sure I’d be happy to help.
The way they did it on the actual packs in the movies was to simply drill holes in the mother board and thrower handle and zip tie around the split loom. They also used strips of electrical taped wrapped around the split loom to help seal it up:
It may eventually rip the split loom, you see that on some of the movie packs now.
I’ve never used the clear tubing inside the split loom but I assume it could be done with it
Some people in the For Sale section make custom made clamps you can use on your shell to attach it but I’ve had no experience with them.
Hope this helps!
EDIT: They only drilled the holes on that particular thrower handle, they must have done something different for the other hero packs, maybe someone here knows
The clear hose will make your loom extra heavy. There really is no need for it. I have used both split and splitless loom and don’t really see one being better than the other. Split is more accurate and like Lowberg said just put some electrical tape every foot or so to keep it from opening.
I have a splitless loom with the clear tube inside. It does, indeed, make the hose heavy but it moves and feels more “solid”, which I count as a good thing. It is a pain to route the wires through it if you have a lot of connections between pack and wand, though. I recommend a wire snake like they use to route wire through walls and under carpets and such.
Lowberg - thanks for that picture. Of all the research I’ve done the last few months, I’ve never seen one showing those holes in the wand handle. :crunch:
That’s how I did mine:
But the other hero packs were attached differently.. possibly with a wire or zip tie going underneath the grip?
I have a clear tube in mine, I like the feel of the heavier loom…
To secure it to the pack, you can dremel out the “tunnel” in it’s appropriate location just smaller than the loom and it acts like a clamp. OR you can buy a clamp from Wiz (if he’s currently selling them).
With securing to the wand… (and bare with me on the details) I secured my rear grip with flat stainless hex screws to simulate rivets. The screws are something like 1" or 1.25" long and protrude into the handle a decent distance. I ran the splitless loom into the handle all the way to the gun body and just wrapped electrical tape around the loom fairly thick in between the two screws to keep it from sliding out. It works like a charm.
Here’s the link: Grimmy's Particle Exploding Protonish Pack Thingy(Pic Heavy) - #481 by Grimmy_GB - Proton Packs - GBFans.com 1/4 of the way down you’ll see the flat screws I’m talking about that keeps the loom secured.
I’m a huge fan of not having to cut something away to remove an item, rather loosen some screws and you’re good to go.
I know in your OP you asked how WE do it, so I will start with that. For my packs, I forget the clear tubing. It adds weight & additional unnecessary cost.
For the gun, I use 19 gauge wire on the edge. Drill a 1/8" hole as a guide, and then punch the other end through the split loom (though you would need to drill that side as well, if you use clear tubing.) I then use the “twistie-tie” approach on the interior of the split loom.
For the pack side, I drill a circular opening using a paddle bit that is smaller than the split loom. Although it is a snug fit, I don’t want it being yanked (which happens at conventions), so I use two large safety pins (1 1/2" inch or larger) criss-crossed on the interior. Again, just punch through the split loom (and the clear tubing).
As far as the movie packs, they used wire on the gun handle AND zip ties. And they weren’t consistent, so you may have zips on the top, wire on the bottom, and then reversed on the next guy’s pack. On the other end (pack and motherboard), they cut a half circle shape on the shell (NOT a full circle) and then attached the split loom directly to the mobo with a zip tie (two holes drilled in motherboard).
I used a single hole and poked the cable tie through two holes in the loom… Worked fairly well, and it looks neat and tidy… (please excuse the dog hair, it’s all over the place)
Thanks for the responses! For my last build I really liked the vinyl tube, it felt more stable. On my last one I was able to get a hose barb and zip tie the tubing in place. I think this time around I’ll drill a couple of holes in the wand hande/hose and zip tie & tape in place.
Again, thanks for the insight. This forum is awesome and the community is fantastic.
Not to take over this post. But can I get pictures or ideas of how to do the hose to the pack? I wish wiz was still making his clamp, but he is not. So i need idea on how to get this done.
Again, this is how I do it. I like to adhere to the K.I.S.S. method of prop building. I don’t know about all this “clamp” stuff that is being talked about.
This link should be public, but let me know if you cannot view the images.
https://plus.google.com/photos/109890446055154121898/albums/6186057646022434433
I don’t have any pictures of the inner working of my pack at the moment but what I did was drilled a second hole through the bottom bracket on the motherboard that the shell mounts to (right beside where the hose enters the pack) and I just used a bolt to attach the hose the pack. It is secured with a nut but there is still lots of room for the wires to run. Keeping it simple here too.
I cheated. I used splitless loom and the allen caps I used to hold the hand grip on press against the loom and hold it secure. To hold the hose to the pack, I drilled out the shell to the same diameter as the shallowest parts of the loom and popped it through (as opposed to the standard “U” opening). the nubby on the inside, I built up with electrical tape and wrapped a ziptie around it I believe. I honestly can’t remember now, but it’s not going anywhere! 
Great minds 
I place clear hoses inside the loom. I agree that the clear hoses make the loom feel more solid, but it also helps the loom from getting crushed during transport, storage and use.
I like using reducers/couplings in both cases. Zip tie the tubing around the reducer/coupling, and secure it inside the wand handle/shell. You can always bolt a coupling to the mb. And you can still run wires through it.
But that’s just me.
The “clamp” we speak of is this one… it was quite awesome, and made for quite the clean build… Too bad it is no longer produced…