From The Ground Up! Stage I: Feet

I'm starting with the feet!
Seriously. I've put everything aside and am working on the boots.

Not my boot... just a space-filler pic
until i can take a better pic of mine.
Anyone got like a week's worth of spare-time
they can lend me so I can get something
appreciable done on this?  LOL

I have decided to see if I can take the malleable properties of the aluminum and minimize the number of seams that I have by using pop rivets in specific places and bending the aluminum to fit each piece
If it works, I will have a metallic look to the armor with minimal sharp-edge seam exposure...
(and yes L-EF, I will be grinding the edges to smooth the metal out LOL)

It works in theory, anyway...

As an aside, does anyone have any idea how to get VirtualBox (running Windows 7) to recognize a printer with a 'base' of iOS 10.7?
I have the printer driver all installed, the printer works fine when printing from iOS (naturally) and it apparently sends the signal OUT when sending it from VirtualBox/Windows7... the printer is being recognized and everything...  but apparently there's something not connecting the signal to the printer... might it be a networking issue?
Do I need to open permissions for the printer on the iOS side of things?
/grumblestupidWindowsplatform

The Best Laid Plans...

I know... I take forever to post new content.
I have an excuse.
I'm currently working seven days a week in a push to drop the hammer on some student debt.
Worry not, though... I'm reducing it to six days... when work starts interfering with my capacity to hit the gym, I start getting cranky.
Gotta keep perspective!
(Yes, yes... I know I was injured... shush! LOL )

In terms of the armor, my work schedule has interfered with THAT, too... but fear not, True Believers! I may have stumbled upon something that could simultaneously solve my surfacing issues *and* my joint material issues...
... I just need to talk to some plastics experts in regards to adhesives and painting options...

The BAD news... is that the armor isn't going to be ready for Hallowe'en... it's a bit of a low-expectation year this year anyway...

So I'm re-evaluating.
The armor WILL be completed... but I've decided to de-emphasize the 'huge con-stress' style of smashing everything together and hoping the glue holds it long enough (I have NO idea how people can be happy with Plasti-Dip... =/ ) and focus more on assembling the pieces to last longer than the time it takes to put it on and then tear back out of it.

(Worry not Toronto Ironman... I'm leaning back towards metal again... but in a slightly different direction. =D )

I've been drawing up plans... and I'm starting with the feet.

Side-benefit... this will allow me to take more pictures.  =)

Metallic... uh...

Yeah... in adding to the laundry list of 'Things I should Have Thought About Before I did Them..." 

... I now have six sheets of 2' x 4' 1/16" thick aluminum.

"WHY?" you ask?

As I said... it's Toronto Iron Man's fault. (Curse you, Robertoooooo!!!!)


(j/k... Roberto's a kick-ass guy. Props to him for the idea!)

This is him: https://www.facebook.com/TorontoIronMan?fref=ts

See... he cut the Mk VI out of foam (via the pattern - the same one I was using before I started the Mk VII) and then turned around and cut the same pieces AGAIN out of sheet metal... and hot glued them to the foam.



It WAS working... kinda... then I ran into a few snags... namely the little pieces, the unwieldy-ness of the cutting of the aluminum and the pointy edges.
I'd rather not snag someone else just brushing past them. =(

So - for now - I will be resuming my foam + white glue + polyurethane process... and I'll likely re-examine the metal process after Hallowe'en.

To that end, though... I've taken to pouring miniscule (like capful-sized) amounts of 'Part A' and 'Part B' of the polyurethane and mixing them, pouring them in small dollops onto the armor pieces... then smearing them around with my fingers (in rubber kitchen gloves).
Seems to be working... the urethane spreads thinly enough so as to not drip all over the place, gets spread evenly and is spread soon enough within the urethane's pot-life of three minutes that I can get it all ON before it starts congealing.

Sometimes over-thinking is actually not the best thing to do.  =)

Stay tuned!

Somebody stop me! O.O

Quickie update...

95% done the back... just need to fill in one of the shoulder support-thingees... and then 'tape' it into a shape that will sit properly on my body.
Then apply the flaps (see previous post).

Going to finish the boots tonight as well... leaving me free and clear to start on the gloves on the weekend...

That said... I went out today... and made a purchase of something that may take my armor in a different direction.

Hoo-boy...

"Toronto Iron Man" - this is all your fault!  =)

I will do a test-run tomorrow of a small piece - probably hand-plates and/or hip pods again... and if it works as I hope it will... then I'll do the chest.

Then spend the weekend going bananas.  LOL

Flap flap flap!

Quick and dirty update...

FLAPS!

Nothing fancy... I SHOULD be at the gym right now... but a minor pull in my lower back has me sitting on the couch, Netflix on the television... and a small cutting board on my lap.

All that's left to do currently is the rest of the back, bits of the boots and the gauntlets.

Oh... and the elbow and knee and hip joints...   =)

Stay tuned!

Adriaaaaaan!

Quick update... 

I not only finished the thighs (and spent a day or so hammering through the shins) but got the first (of three) layers of the 'sealant' white glue layers onto them.

Layer #2 happens this afternoon, layer #3 probably on Sunday.

I've finished cutting/pasting probably 50% worth on the boots... still haven't figured out where some of the pieces go... but that was a thing from even BEFORE I started with the foam.

So all that's really left to do is the back (and the thruster flaps) and the gloves.
Still haven't gotten to the urethane, truth be told... I shall bite the proverbial bullet and do a small sample today. Probably the hip pods and hand plates... as they are fast and easy to replace if I wreck them. =)

"Uh, yo well, uh, maybe I'll fight Apollo, uh, maybe I won't, you know?"

Also... my elbow/knee and hip joints?I have an idea... instead of using pop rivets and sheet metal, I'm going to try cutting the pieces out of thinner foam and 'plastic-ing' them like I am the rest of the armor... then assembling them (layered like before) with an elastic strap instead of pop rivets. Theoretically the pieces/layers should be connected to each other and move as units, one atop the other... so 'hot glue + strap' should be no less effective than 'drilled hole + pop rivet'. The trick, i think would be to cut them layer by layer... an easier task, I'm wagering, if I don't have to calculate extra length due to edge-folding and stabilization due to material and rivet strength.


I just wish I had figured this stuff out BEFORE making all the mistakes. /sigh
Ah well...

"I fight so you don't have to fight." ~ Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) "Rocky IV"
P.S. Don't ask why I'm quoting Rocky. I don't know. It's just THAT kind of day.

Yeesh!

Apparently I need a reminder or something...

Seriously... how do people find crap to talk about every single day they do a blog?

I'm of the mindset that if I have nothing to report... you don't want to come to the blog just too see me say 'Erm... nothing to report'... THAT would be lame.

That said,  I (finally) have a little to report...
Sorta...

Got the white glue coats on the following pieces:
- chest
- upper forearm (2)
- lower forearm (2)
- upper arm (2)
- abs/torso
- cod
- hip pod (2)
- hand plate (2)
- upper shoulder (2)
- lower shoulder (2)

The thighs are 90% complete in terms of foam and hot glue... they will then undergo the white glue undercoat before I urethane THEM as I will be (likely) urethaning the above pieces tomorrow.
ALl but the abs, at any rate... for some reason, I decided to assemble them BEFORE I solidified them... so the glue application has been - to say the least - interesting...

Does this outfit make me look fat?

Still have the shins, boots and back to do with the thicker foam... I should be able to accomplish them (at very least the shins) by the end of next week.
I'm going to then tackle the gloves with some slightly-thinner craft foam I picked up at Michael's (it's a chain store for crafting people - mostly nick-knacks and hobby stuff, but occasionally I can find suff of use to me)

I met a guy on Facebook from Toronto who did the foam pattern from the MkVI suit and then hotglued sheet metal (he says 1/16") cut into identical slices right onto the foam.
I have to admit, I'm sorely tempted. He says it (the whole suit) weighs around 20 lbs.
I can live with that... it won't get done for Hallowe'en this year, but I'm thinking I'll do it for convention season 2013.