Sandbagger's Iron-Man builds - Now in STEEL

[sandbagger]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

Might be able to keep going with the aluminium build after all!


A very generous and total stranger has just offered his TIG welder to me to construct my Iron Man suit!

 

[stigmorgan]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

Awesome, dont ya just love good samaritans

 

[sandbagger]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

Thanks so much to my new random internet friend named Ben for dropping off his TIG today! You are so very kind and generous to give so freely mate! Now I can really get going on the suit!


These kids in their wards are going to go beserk with happiness!


Baz.

 

[Murdoch]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

Hey Baz if you are doing an aluminum build, what gauge are you going to run with?GM

 

[sandbagger]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

Hey Baz if you are doing an aluminum build, what gauge are you going to run with?GM

Under 2mm. Probably 1.6mm.

 

[mrjbarl1]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

Very nice work, very impressed. Hopefully I'll be able to get rolling again on my own steel build. I do a lot of work with steel/aluminum, so if you have any questions about working with or welding steel or aluminum, feel free to ask.
Keep up the good work!

 

[sandbagger]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

Very nice work, very impressed. Hopefully I'll be able to get rolling again on my own steel build. I do a lot of work with steel/aluminum, so if you have any questions about working with or welding steel or aluminum, feel free to ask.
Keep up the good work!

Thanks mate. I've been watching your build too. Quite curious to see how you go. It's hard to get time on the project I know, but we just have to push ourselves sometimes.

 

[sandbagger]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

Some updates from the last few weeks. Sorry it's been so long.


I had a little practice run at TIG welding.


Finally, I have found something I am not only bad at... but I totally suck at beyond human comprehension.




I have absolutely no idea what I am doing at all.


This is so hard, it's almost discouraging enough for me to scrap the whole project.

- - - Updated - - -

It really is frustrating when you hit a wall like this.


Trying to keep my spirits up and a positive attitude on this, I picked up the correct grade of aluminium today, (5005). Clean, no paint or residue and the proper one for welding and anodising.

Got the aluminium supplier to guillotine some 1mm strips off the parent sheet so I can use the same grade as a filler rod when welding.

These should keep me going for a while.

- - - Updated - - -

NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE!!! GAAAAAHHHHH!!!


This time I used clean sheet, no contaminants and had a practice weld. I was happy with it.

The moment I went to a suspended gap weld, it went to ****.

So I ground it back, cleaned it and had another go. Worse.

Stuff this. I'm about to give the whole project away.

- - - Updated - - -

Well, it's decision time. Time to close the door on the aluminium build.


Ben, who lent me the welder came to my aid today to see if I am trainable in TIG welding. I'm not.


The hardest part was accepting the fact that I am not good at something I really want to be. It actually comes as a relief. Time to move on to the things that I am good at.


TIG welding a job like this is something to be attempted by someone with years of TIG experience. Even then, it's a daunting job.


I know it is unrealistic to expect to be instantly good at it. I realise it does take a lot of time to practice, but it's time I don't have.


I'm going back to steel and going to be MIG welding, which I can do. The suit will be heavier sure, but still manageable. I can fabricate in steel in a fraction of the time it takes to do the same in aluminium.


I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Ben_Wilson publicly for his tremendous generosity and helping heart in this, as well as Mad_Mic3 for his very inforamative PM's he sent me to help, which look like he put a lot of time and effort into composing for me.


Here's 3 pics to illustrate the arrival at what I think is a sound decision to move on.

- - - Updated - - -

Playing with cold-rolled mild steel now. Very soft and easy to work.


Finally got the metal-cutting blade for the band-saw, cut two pieces out beautifully and as I switched the saw off, it went BANG! $40 Brand new blade broken.


I'm seeing a pattern of every time a door opens, another one closes on this project. How many years have I been at this? :wired:

Getting very fast at this part. Cut and shaped it in 1/2 an hour. Ready to weld. Should be able to get this welded up on Saturday.

- - - Updated - - -

Had a little win last night. My aircraft-grade tin-snips cut the smaller pieces with ease. Bottom lip cut in less than two minutes.

SUCCESS!!!!! I welded the steel faceplate all up this afternoon! A bit of fiddling with the settings on the welder as I am not used to welding steel this thin, (1mm). Now to grind it back and sand it smooth. Let the real suit begin!!!!!!!

 

[sandbagger]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

Grind back with a flap disc. Looking good.

 

[sandbagger]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

Did some fill-welding in low points and cracks then re-ground smooth.

Welded in some thin strips in the eyes. I'll be doing this right around the faceplate.

Thin strip filed smooth and shaped the edge. That's starting to give it some depth now.

Started on the next bits. Small steps and taking time will get this done.

 

[creative stress]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

THIS is looking sweet!!!:thumbsup

 

[TBONE2402]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

Sorry to here the aluminum didn't work out. Been following your work for a while and excited to see the steel helmet come together. Looking great, keep it up!

Sent from my HTC_PN071 using Tapatalk

 

[montified88]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

I've always wanted to learn to weld.....sorry with the aluminum. Keep going tho. I hate when a project doesn't go as planned.

 

[Mithosphere]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

Will you be filling in low spots with a body filler? I assume you're either going to paint it the classic red-and-yellow colors or you're going for a polished-look like the movie... Do you have a good buffer with a couple of nice buffs?

 

[sandbagger]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

Thanks guys. It's OK. I think the key is to remain flexible, realise your skills have limits, even if governed by time and finance. We work within those parameters and still manage to turn out some amazing stuff.

Mithosphere, I will be filling in the low-spots with a combination of beating it into shape and for the little dents/cracks etc I will fill with weld and re-grind. I have a bench-mounted buffer so that should put a nice finish on it after I give it a good go over with some wet and dry and scotch-brite.

Eventually I will paint it but until all the work including moving parts/animatronics is in, I will merely buff it to a high shine to keep me motivated by it's pure awesomeness..

 

[laxman09]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

when i read the part where you said you were going to use aluminum and tig it, instantly i was like HA nope there's no way he's going to do that! haha not insulting your skills here at all, tig welding aluminum takes a ridiculous amount of work, and with those sized gaps i figured that wasnt going to work out very well. it was a great idea however, aluminum wouldve been great on weight. an alternative to welding all of the aluminum (if you continued to do it in aluminum) would be to cut out larger portions of the helmet and either hammer it into shape or use one of those rollers (forgot what it was called but they are fun) and then weld all the larger pieces together. BUT this way with steel is definitely going to be easier to weld, looks like you're cleaning it up nicely too so looks like this project definitely has potential! if you end up pausing this project for a year or two i might try and hijack it from you (; cant wait to see more, looks great so far!

 

[sandbagger]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

when i read the part where you said you were going to use aluminum and tig it, instantly i was like HA nope there's no way he's going to do that! haha not insulting your skills here at all, tig welding aluminum takes a ridiculous amount of work, and with those sized gaps i figured that wasnt going to work out very well. it was a great idea however, aluminum wouldve been great on weight. an alternative to welding all of the aluminum (if you continued to do it in aluminum) would be to cut out larger portions of the helmet and either hammer it into shape or use one of those rollers (forgot what it was called but they are fun) and then weld all the larger pieces together. BUT this way with steel is definitely going to be easier to weld, looks like you're cleaning it up nicely too so looks like this project definitely has potential! if you end up pausing this project for a year or two i might try and hijack it from you (; cant wait to see more, looks great so far!

It's not that I CAN'T do it in aluminium, it's that I currently don't have the TIME it takes to learn. I'm sure if I didn't have a wife, son, mortgage, job and many other commitments, I COULD very well do it. I had to be wise with my time to devote to the task.

Many people told me I would never be able to build THIS, but I did.

Although you started with a good scoff, I thank you for finishing with encouragement. Good save.

The roller you speak of is called an English wheel.

 

[laxman09]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

always gotta put down the good projects so the maker gets an extra motive to finish and say "TOLD YOU I COULD DO IT!" haha. totally agree about the time comment though, sucks not having as much time as we'd like to do the things we enjoy more than work, but i guess that's life!

It definitely appears like you know what you're doing here on this project with the testing on the previous suits so i have no doubt knowing that it's going to turn out well, i mean hell you built your own obsevatory! noice

 

[Syrus54]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

I dont understand why you built the suit COMPLETELY, out of bondo, carboard, cardstock, etc...
and Painted, THEN, turned around and made it out of Metal.

Lots of Extra Work.

You're not gonna just chuck the Already-finished suit in the garbage, are you?

 

[sandbagger]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

Thanks Laxman09.

Syrus54, Each step has given me better understanding of the suit's construction, articulation, comfort, ups and downs. Using a variety of materials also gives me a much better education in preparation to moving to steel. Can you imagine if I had attempted steel first try? It would have been an abomination!

I'll flog the other two suits if anyone will buy them. I have no need or room for three suits!

SB.