Building an A7l replica Apollo Moon Suit

I have been working on the black bands that hold the ITMG to the suit side glove disconnects. Also continuing the work on the pressure gage.

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Well it had to happen, I just spent an hour removing gas connectors, glove disconnects and other assorted attachments between the ITMG and the inner suit. Then I removed the ITMG for the first time in weeks.

All this is necessary so I can move a pocket and add some details, including the name tag, and the injection port under the UDC flap.

I managed to acquire some thick black rubber to use as the glove disconnects restraint bands. I had black zip ties there, but was not happy with the look. So when I re-assemble the suit it will look better.

I will be checking and re-checking the details while I have everything apart. And adding some small details I have put off. (such as the velcro for the Lunar Overshoes) And just generally tidying up.

Update: The aluminum template worked fine for the pressure gage, I now have a good fit between the lens and the body for a realistic look.

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I have felt better these last few days and have been working off and on on the suit. As the pictures show, I have the aluminum neckring painted and installed. And the helmet visor on the LEVA is done.

I have also started installing the LS gas connectors, and have the glove disconnects in place.

And I have the UDC valve in place:

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Here in Ohio we are in the beginnings of what promises to be the worst winter storm this  year. So I am looking forward to having lots of time to work on the suit this weekend. Only one small problem could arise; I work for a small city near Columbus. And after 18 or so hours they run out of street department employees to drive the snow plows and start looking to other departments.

Now I am far enough up the food chain that this is not usually a problem. But if the need for snowplowing last for more than say 36 hours, I may have to go to work.

So today I have sewn the zipper flap to the suit and added the abrasion patch. And attached the velcro and snaps. I would hate to have to get out of one of these in a hurry. Two zippers, snaps and all that velcro… no wonder they wear diapers.

After the flap and patch, I moved on to the last part of the ITMG sleeve. The short tapered piece at the glove disconnects. This tapers from around 21 to 14 inches.

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I decided it was time to test fit the major parts of the ITMG to the inner suit. I had just

finished sewing the front to the two back halves.

I need to hem the bottom of the legs. Also the arm holes need to be larger. Then I’ll start working on the neck and the the rear entry flap/zipper.  The last cone on the sleeves that tapers down to the glove disconnects, and of course I need to cast and paint all the various hardware items and attach them.

Sounds like a lot, but I have the biggest part finished. And its down hill from here.

To this:

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The flex hose seems to have the correct size and feel, the photo shows a test fit. I have since lengthened the arms a couple of inches. On my last suit keeping the arms short enough while getting the shape right was a problem. It seems I over compensated the first time here. But thankfully I left the hoses a little long, and overlapped the fabric farther than I thought I needed. Now the sleeves (where the glove disconnects attach) hit about mid forearm, just as they should.

I spent a good bit of the evening working on the lower half of the suit. Adding the batting to the legs and hips to give it the “pressurized” look I want.

I hope to find some suitable boots soon. Then I will re-join the top to the bottom and install the rest of the hardware. Then its on to the real work: The ITMG

The work up ’till now has been easy, just concerning myself with the shape of things. On the ITMG or “Integrated Thermal Meteoroid Garment” I want every snap, stitch, pocket and piece of Velcro in the correct spot. It will require a much higher attention to detail.

Well if you’ll excuse me, I have some more batting to add to the lower half. Oh, and some nylon strap and some snaps…maybe some boots…and…

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Spent some time the last couple of days thinking about how to reproduce the convoluted joints on the elbows of the pressure garment.

As seen in this photo my friend Johan was kind enough to send me, the joints are just slightly larger than the glove disconnects. The disconnects are 4 inches, so I would put the joints at 5 or so.

While scrounging around I found some round foam caulking filler that looked just a bit larger than the ribs on the joint. I thought I could sew them into some black cloth and make a tube out of it. The results looked promising, but not quite right.

So I showed my contraption to my wife who said ” looks good, but why not just get a hose?”

Well, slightly easier said than done. A 5 inch ribbed hose that has enough flex to allow ease of movement. Not something you find at the local hardware. Lucky I have an industrial hose and fitting reseller near my office.

I spent my entire lunch hour with a kind salesman going through samples until I found what I wanted. Its not perfect, but should definitely work. Poor guy, should have seen his face when I said I wanted two whole feet of it. He had to order it, I can pick it up tomorrow after 4:00.

So until then, I think I’ll revisit the IV gloves, I think the connection where the cloth meets the leather needs the fabric on top of the leather with a nice double stitched seam there.

Oh, on a different note, if you are reading this blog, please register as a user so I can track the number of readers I have. Thanks!

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I am expecting some better documentation on the pressure garment, so until that arrives I thought I’d work on some of the smaller items. The IV gloves or Intra-Vehicle gloves are todays project. I have been unable to locate a good source for the black rubber bladders, so we need to get a little creative.

So first head for the local home center or hardware and buy a pair of the large black chemical resistant gloves. You will also need: a small piece of thin black leather (Large enough to cover both palms and backs of both gloves) about 16 inches of 1/2 inch black nylon strap and buckle. Also something to represent the glove side disconnect. I use plastic castings.

The first thing you have to do is make a pattern for the leather that acts as the palm restraint. Here is what I did: I took an old pair of gloves, while examining the pictures of Armstrong’s IV gloves on the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, I laid out the cut lines to make the restraint. I grabbed my scissors and cut the fingers and thumb off. Then I adjusted the holes to match as best I could the restraint area. (You only need one glove for this) Then I split the seam on the sides so I could lay it out flat. Trace this onto the leather and flip it over to do the other glove.

Stitch around the openings, and stitch up the sides. A strong sewing machine helps.

Next you want to cut two small vertical slits, just big enough for the nylon strap to slip through. One on the palm side, just above the thumb and one just inside below the “pinky” or smallest finger opening. Slip the strap through the slits, keeping it on the palm side. Then attach the buckle on the end nearest the little finger. Wrap the strap around the back of the hand and pass the free end through the buckle so it lays back over itself. attach Velcro to hold the loose end of the strap to itself.

Now on to the white nylon cloth. the circumference of the glove side disconnect is 14 inches. And the distance from the disconnect to the bottom of the leater is about 6 inches.

There are several seams and stitching deatails on these small parts, so in order to have plenty of clothe to go around: cut two pieces 24″ by 8″

Measure up 5/8th to 3/4 inch from the bottom and lightly mark with a pencil. This will end up being the bottom seam. Measure 15″ from one end and fold the cloth back on itself. Pin and sew a seam here. Fold about 1/2″ of the shorter piece back on itself about half way and make a seam. Tuck under the loose end of the short piece and sew it down making a third seam.

Insert the disconnect in the end of the black glove and wrap the cloth inside-out around the glove and connector. Pin the ends together tightly and sew up the seam. Turn the cloth right-side-out and slip it over the glove an pull it down over the end of the disconnect covering the black glove.

Slip the leather/nylon strap assembly over the glove and cloth. Pin the leather to the cloth and remove to stich on the machine.

You now have a pretty good representation of an Apollo IV Glove. Lather, rinse and repeat for the other glove.

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