Sandbagger's Iron-Man builds - Now in STEEL

[sandbagger]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

Thanks peeps. It's all about sharing. Awesome dudes like ROBO3687, JFCustom and Sharkhead7854 were good enough to share their hard work in pep unfolds with the world - it is the right thing to do and is a good feeling to similarly share my experience and learning curve with everyone to help them with their own builds.

SB.

Faceplate cut and pre-polished.

 

[sandbagger]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

I made a few tools today to help me shape the metal for Iron Man.


1. A short piece of an old post, reshaped into a mallet-head with a wide and narrow end, an old broken sledge handle, cut down to make a good handle for the mallet.


2. A thick piece of steel with a slot cut in it at the thickness of the aluminium I am using, then a spanner on the side to provide enough torque to bend the sheet-metal right on the line.


3. Finally, a short but thick piece of steel, shaped on the grinder to act as a battering ram to achieve very tight and precise curves.

 

[sandbagger]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

These tabs all fold up to form a step to the next piece. The large blank bit in the middle needs to be cut out, but it is best to do that after the tabs have been bent. I'm thinking that instead of these clunky tabs, I will cut them all off and just cut a long flat strip, then curve it into a ring to form the circular step instead.

More helmet pieces cut from aluminium.

 

[sandbagger]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

Got about an hour and a half this afternoon to work on the aluminium suit.

 

[figuresmaniac]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

How are you gonna smooth the lines?

 

[sandbagger]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

How are you gonna smooth the lines?

TIG welding the seams then sand/file smooth.

- - - Updated - - -

Abs, ribs, lumbar and spine templates ready to trace onto aluminium.

Templates traced out onto 3mm aluminium.

Spine done in aluminium and pre-polished.

 

[sandbagger]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

1. Abs sections cut from 3mm aluminium.

2. Shaping one of the overlapping aluminium plates at the back of the helmet around to the ears.

3. Earpiece showing folded tabs to be ground and sanded smooth. I found that if I tried to simply bend the tabs to 90 degrees, they would invariably fatigue and crack or even snap off. Fix? Clamp it between two pieces of thick steel and beat it over with a hammer and flat punch.

4. Got a bit of work done today.

 

[stigmorgan]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

So frelling awesome

 

[ShaunDark80]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

Shiney

 

[sandbagger]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

Up until a few weeks ago I knew absolutely NOTHING about working aluminium apart from cutting, drilling and shaping with a few basic tools. Since then, I have been watching many YouTube tutorials, checking with manufacturers and suppliers and talking to qualified welders. There's a lot to it.


We have a good quality large MIG welder at work which I have been using a lot lately building steel gates and the like. I've been talking with a welding guy today which was interesting. He said our MIG with aluminium wire (0.8mm) will weld my job just fine but warned me to practice on some scrap first. My aluminium is 1.6 and 3mm so I will follow his advice as I don't want to blow holes in it or warp it too much.


I'm also going to try annealing this week as we have an oxy-acetylene set there to play with. (Apparently you can even do it with a standard butane torch.) Annealing uses heat to change the properties of the aluminium. Once heated, you can bend, fold and twist it into shape almost like putty, even when it's cooled down. Working the metal hardens it over time, so to continue it looks like you have to re-anneal it. Should be interesting to see what I can do with the 3mm stuff.


Most of the suit is being built in 3mm, but the delicate stuff like the hands and helmet are in 1.6mm.


To be sure I'll post up the results, good or bad.

 

[sandbagger]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

Iron Man suit slowly progressing. Managed to get all the old paint off this second-hand aluminium. This is the armour at the lower back and around waist to meet up with the abdominal plates.

 

[sandbagger]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

The joys of second-hand donated aluminium...


Managed to get all the old powder-coating off the aluminium abdominal armour plates today. Next - a quick polish and start shaping and joining.

 

[sandbagger]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

So, as no one has a TIG welder I can use to weld aluminium, I have decided to change materials AGAIN, to steel. I have access to a MIG welder plus I can MIG weld pretty well.


Before I go cutting shapes and building a faceplate again, here is a trial cut and weld of an old steel plate. First, clean it up then cut a small test piece, then beat a bit of a curve in it, then cut a 1mm slot in it, then weld the slot up, then grind it smooth again.

Test sample steel plate.

Beaten into a bit of a curve then a 1mm cut in it.

1mm cut welded up and ground smooth. This all took nearly five minutes.

 

[ApophisV]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

Nice! Looking forward to more progress pictues!

 

[sandbagger]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

One issue I have is the RPM or my bandsaw which is 1200rpm. My current blade has been cutting aluminium sheet like it's not even there! I've just ordered a special blade for the bandsaw. Once it arrives, I'll get a sheet of 1.2mm steel and start some pieces.

 

[ShaunDark80]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

What will be the weight difference of steel vs aluminium?

 

[sandbagger]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

What will be the weight difference of steel vs aluminium?

It depends on what gauge I use. I may be able to make some weight savings in places as well, but nowhere near as heavy as your regular knight in shining armour...

 

[ShaunDark80]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

When it's done, do you plan to test it against small calibre weaponry/sharks?

 

[stigmorgan]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

What colour scheme are going with or are you going to keep it bare polished metal

 

[sandbagger]

Re: Bazza's Iron-Man suit build

ShaunDark80 - As I possibly have more than half a brain, there will be no testing of the suit against small calibre weaponry/sharks.

Stigmorgan - I was going to anodise the aluminium, but since I am now building in steel, I will polish it. If I like it polished, I may leave it, or I may paint it with anodise paint.

SB