FABRICATING a real IRONMAN suit out of STEEL.

[mrjbarl1]

First off i'm really liking this build now that pics are up. But not to rain on your parade, the last pic of you wearing the mask. The angle i am looking at the plate appears to be large on your face, mostly at the bottom. That can be my perception from the angle but i would hate to see you go so far and then realize that it has to be redone...GM

Good eye sir! There are two reasons why this face plate looks so big. First is because this particular faceplate is actually 10% larger than the actual size, which was originally a test to see how the steel worked.

Second, the face plate looks extra big on the bottom because of the way that it is pressed against my face; the top is against my forehead and the bottom wasn't even close to my face lol. I tried to take a good picture but it didn't work very well. That's also why I didn't take the picture from straight in Front of me, with the mask being 10% larger, it made me look cross eyed in the face plate lol.
Thank you for the concern and the input!


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[Maverick2212]

Where do you buy your metal?

 

[mrjbarl1]

Where do you buy your metal?

A local fab shop that I worked at for 5 years, and contractors steel co. Or Clinton aluminum For anything else.


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[mrjbarl1]

Here's a quick update on progress of the helmet. I wish I had a chance to get more done but with thanksgiving and my entire family and I catching the Worst flu virus ever; I needed a little time off. But I'm back at it now and was able to put a few more hours into it tonight. More pictures to come soon!


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[Murdoch]

Crap i love it. Damn you lol. The only thing you really need to do is get a photobucket account so that the pics are larger...GM

 

[EyeofSauron]

do you intend to get rid of all those seams by welding them shut and then sanding them or are the seams gonna stay?

 

[-VERTIGO-]

do you intend to get rid of all those seams by welding them shut and then sanding them or are the seams gonna stay?

Not answering for him but I'm sure much like the bondo stage of many peoples fiberglass pep's, he'll use some sort of filler in those seams to get rid of them.

 

[mrjbarl1]

do you intend to get rid of all those seams by welding them shut and then sanding them or are the seams gonna stay?

The seems will all be welded shut and ground/sanded smooth at the end because the steel will warp with the heat from welding, and would be misshaped. I'll have the whole helmet tacked together before I finish the welding; that way everything will be braced by itself and will eliminate warping. I will then make it all perfectly smooth with body filler, high build primer, and sanding.


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[Dumontrudisel]

Very nice work. Reminds me of when I metal worked last year before the shop closed

 

[Chris Fields]

The seems will all be welded shut and ground/sanded smooth at the end because the steel will warp with the heat from welding, and would be misshaped. I'll have the whole helmet tacked together before I finish the welding; that way everything will be braced by itself and will eliminate warping. I will then make it all perfectly smooth with body filler, high build primer, and sanding.


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Yep, as a metal worker myself, this is a huge issue when welding sheet. The warpage is extremely hard to avoid. I'm guessing, even with all the tacks, you'll still get some warpage. I'm curious on the weight of the helm. I'm doing a silver centurion build, I got the foam suit from IM Nation which is awesome, but I will be replacing many parts with actual aluminum or stainless (maybe even titanium). So my build will be more of a hybrid of metal and foam. I'll be keeping my eye here though. Good luck

 

[joshvanrad]

That is sicker than a 20 year old me! And I had cancer!

 

[Schlenn]

Ok! I only just found your thread tonight, and at first when I heard what you were going to do, I was like "Yeah, sure. I'll believe it when I see it." Then seeing all the comments and such made me believe it would never happen.

I am so bloody glad I was wrong! As soon as I saw the metal face plate, I was thinking "Damn! I do believe I have to eat my words now!"
But in all seriousness, this looks absolutely terrific! After seeing the helmet in metal, you can now count me as a subscriber! This just looks too awesome to not be subbed to!

And lastly, even though this is my first post on this thread, I am sorry I doubted you! I was most certainly wrong!
Can't wait to see more.

 

[mrjbarl1]

Crap i love it. Damn you lol. The only thing you really need to do is get a photobucket account so that the pics are larger...GM

Haha I'll look into the photo bucket thing and I'll post the next set of pictures a little bigger


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[mrjbarl1]

Ok! I only just found your thread tonight, and at first when I heard what you were going to do, I was like "Yeah, sure. I'll believe it when I see it." Then seeing all the comments and such made me believe it would never happen.

I am so bloody glad I was wrong! As soon as I saw the metal face plate, I was thinking "Damn! I do believe I have to eat my words now!"
But in all seriousness, this looks absolutely terrific! After seeing the helmet in metal, you can now count me as a subscriber! This just looks too awesome to not be subbed to!

And lastly, even though this is my first post on this thread, I am sorry I doubted you! I was most certainly wrong!
Can't wait to see more.

Lol no worries bro, thank you very much! This really is a fun build. Thank you for the support!


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[mrjbarl1]

Got a decent amount done on the helmet tonight, and really pleased with how it's coming together. I'm really looking forward to getting it all welded up and ground smooth so I can start working on the fine details. The helmet fits great so far; can't wait to get it finished!











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[chainmailchan]

looking real good dude.. is it starting to get heavy?

 

[mrjbarl1]

looking real good dude.. is it starting to get heavy?

Thanks! its really not that heavy at all. the only thing I could think about comparing the weight of it to is a football helmet while I had it on my head, but even then it still wasn't even close to being that heavy. im sure once its all together and done; it will be just like wearing a football helmet which in my opinion isn't that heavy lol

 

[heromaker1]

Dude thats looking sweet! i once attempted to make a metal helmet... didnt go so well haha keep it up!

 

[heromaker1]

Hey man,

I understood this forum to be one of support, not a place for ridicule. Like yourself, I like to share my thoughts and ideas with people. Not for my own gratification, but because I get excited about new projects. Pictures or no, I believe it's important to have a place where we can be free to express ourselves. ESPECIALLY in a hobby like this, where you can't exactly go down the street to the "Replica Prop Store" and hang out and share ideas.

Sometimes I'll have what I think is an amazing idea, and someone will start throwing daggers and asking too many questions and it really makes me regret expressing myself. I'd hate for that to be the case with you or anyone else on this forum.

I will continue to follow this thread WITH SUPPORT and the hopes that it turns into something amazing. If not, oh well! You offered the idea of an amazing concept. I'm sure whoever reads this thread will consider what it would be like to actually own a full metal suit! That's good enough for me...

The RPF should SUPPORT creativity... Not find reasons to "bully".

My two cents...

Grammar police? I am not.

Amen!!

 

[joberg]

That looks like fun (and a lot of work); eager to see that helmet completed, welded and shiny!