Making of: Ocean's Wrath (Maxamillian/Gothic/Fantasy)

[Zetheros]

It was actually planned, I knew the metal would fatigue and crack at the crease, so I decided to design a collar. I'll be making it larger though, and weld any leftover cracking. Then I'll add some fake filed fluting.

[Zetheros]

So I tried roping for the first time. Overall, I'm surprised I didn't make any major mistakes! However there were a few lines that were a hair widths deviant that I had to duplicate to the other side. I still need to polish and do a little more finish-filing though.




Red is the color of my shirt. And the color of my swords! Muahahahahahaha!



It took the whole day to finish up the rolled edge and add roping. Good grief.

[Ckanite]

very nice!!!

[Zetheros]

Thanks Ckanite!

[veltez]

I love this thread, did i mention that? cuz i do. And that is a very nice outcome with the ropeing!

[Zetheros]

Hinges! (And thanks veltez, for the compliment!) Today I've been working on the main hinge for the middle piece. So, after much evaluation, I decided to keep the middle part as two pieces, instead of welding them into one. The neck hole was too small for my brains and cranial matter, and I didn't want to ruin any rolled edges that I've been spending hours on.

I'm about 2/3 done with this hinge. It started out as a sword and hilt design, but the more I looked at the blade end, the more it looked like a mermaid's tail. So I made the second half of the mermaid.





Ain't she pretty? Arrr... (dons pirate hat) Besides, it keeps in touch with the watery theme of the suit, and maybe, I should wear a blue shirt instead so the reflections look nicer.

[jarlragnar]

Definitely blue

[Ckanite]

Absolutely beautiful!! Btw, how did you get those spines so small?

[Zetheros]

Blistering blue barnacles! I don't have a blue shirt that I can sacrifice in a workshop environment!

Thanks Ckanite! I used an angle grinder equiped with a half centimeter thick disk (pre-used, so the edges are round ), then touched up the edges with a small round file.

[Paladin74]

Methinks you'll be getting a call from Sauron the Great in time...nicely done, my man.

[Zetheros]

Ah ha! Stuck in Sauron's shadow again!

Well it's inevitable, I guess. Even I can't think of a full coat-of-arms that has a fantasy flair, and that was also presented along with real people. I don't remember if they actually built an entire costume for Sauron or give the actor a CGI suit/effects (probably both?)

It's a shame there isn't anything even I could compare it to, other than Sauron. Except for maybe several costumes in the Game of Thrones.

Thanks though It's a great honor to have one's work compared to something out of the LOTR series.

[jarlragnar]

Ah ha! Stuck in Sauron's shadow again!

Well it's inevitable, I guess. Even I can't think of a full coat-of-arms that has a fantasy flair, and that was also presented along with real people. I don't remember if they actually built an entire costume for Sauron or give the actor a CGI suit/effects (probably both?)

It's a shame there isn't anything even I could compare it to, other than Sauron. Except for maybe several costumes in the Game of Thrones.

Thanks though It's a great honor to have one's work compared to something out of the LOTR series.

Yet another reason your scheme should be blue.

[Zetheros]

I actually found out that black dye is actually either a really dark red, or a really dark blue, and had amazing results on the cloth of my last costume.

Here's my costume from last year: http://www.instructables.com/id/My-Halloween-Costume-1/

*shudder* I hardly knew anything about armor back then, and I hardly had any time to work on it because of school. I guess it was good practice however.

I think I'll be using the same dye to create the same rich dark blue I got last time. In combination with the white water buffalo skin, my color scheme should be dark blue, steel, white and bronze. And cyan if you count the glow in the dark jewels.

[Zetheros]

I didn't get very much done today, however I did quite a lot of designing, and the cuirass should speed by in about a week. Unfortunately, the straps and assembly will take longer since I have to get the buffalo hide professionally treated.

Here's a picture of the back being formed, the two flaps will loop around my shoulder and armpit to form the front piece.

[Smilingotter]

Looking better and better!

It's a shame there isn't anything even I could compare it to, other than Sauron. Except for maybe several costumes in the Game of Thrones.

I could totally see Theon Greyjoy's dad sporting armor like this.

[Zetheros]

Yeah, me too

Updates for today. Roped the front piece and did some polishing. I also turned the collar into an up-turned collar, and plan to add a large decorative stud to each corner of the collar, maybe attached together with a thin chain. I'll probably finish the roping and polishing tomorrow, then move on to fine-tuning the fit of the two pieces, and if I have time, work on the latch!



It's kind of hard to see the roping in the first picture due to the reflection, but it's there.



Wearing sandals with loose wires all over the floor. I'm not too keen on safety. (I will be finding a solution to the wires though. Soon. I promise.) I do, however, always wear full ear, eye, and respiratory protection after having a nasty encounter with a tiny molten steel sliver sticking into my eye.

[zachos]

Looks gorgeous, but those toes made me cringe. There's so many heavy things in a workshop that will ruin your 6 weeks if they fall on your foot.

[Ckanite]

Looking very very nice!! And I'm lovin the way you're making that into a collar!! And a broken toe or two only builds character, no matter what anyone says...

[Zetheros]

Looking very very nice!! And I'm lovin the way you're making that into a collar!! And a broken toe or two only builds character, no matter what anyone says...

Haha, thanks Ckanite. Almost everything that is heavy (besides my hammer and armor) is bolted down, or can be locked down for hammering. There's still the danger of sharp metal scraps and power tools falling. I'll just have to pay attention to what I do, it helps me maintain alertness anyway.

I spent the entire day using a sledgehammer and dulled chisel to make fluting, I had to go over each line twice to make any noticeable line on the other side, my gosh that was tedious, even with correct posture and hammering technique. One of my fingers feel like they might fall off, but I'd sacrifice anything to get this suit of armor done well, and done on time, even my life. I've already sacrificed too much.

It doesn't look like much right now, but I'll post pictures once both sides are complete!

[Mac-Stanislav]

bravo, excellent work!!!

Stanislav

[Zetheros]

Thanks! I'm still working on it, but I can only work a few hours before my fingers fail me, then I cut out the plates for other parts of my armor. I'm also in the process of getting supplies for the cloth and leather parts of the armor so I have something to work on after 6 o'clock pm.

[Browin Auld]

This is not armour. This is fine art that you wear. You're doing what I want to be doing every day.

[Zetheros]

Thanks Browin!

So... Apparently instead of coldworking what I thought was 16 gauge steel, I am coldworking 12 gauge steel into Maximilian fluting instead. I think I underestimated the time it takes to do this.

I just really hope I don't get any permanent hand/arm/shoulder injury from building this suit, since now two of my fingers are starting to really be a pain. Thankfully, these should be the plates with the most fluting on them. However the shoulders might have a number as well. Also, 18 gauge feels as light and vulnerable as tin foil after working with 12 gauge. It's funny seeing everyone's eyes boggle out when I mention I'm going to be wearing all this.

Anyway, here are the results so far.

I already have both of them complete. Here is the left piece, ready to be 'curled' into half of an upper torso.


The other side. This was a crazy week. I did so much hammering and fluting that one of the stumps moved about 4 feet, and the mounted clamp on the other stump, (that I needed to hold metal while I bent the top with a sledgehammer), nearly came off.


Completed the mermaid and added a flower (rivet) to her hair.


That's all for now. I'm having trouble finding a large enough drill bit that will eat through a doubled layer of 12 gauge though. So each hole I make needs to be drilled with a smaller, harder drill bit, then painstakingly filed larger using needle files to add nails, since regular rivets aren't long/thick enough to hold together 2-3 layers of 12 gauge.

[itharnon69]

We love looking at what you are doing. But as someone who has those pains in the hand also don't forget to be taking care of your self also. Icing, stretching and taking sporadic breaks. It's better if it takes a little longer than burn out physically half way through.

[Zetheros]

This should be my first and probably last suit of armor I'll ever make, and I've just finished the hardest part, really.

I might make some more armor much later, but I'll definitely not be using 12 gauge, at least not cold. Also, my dad is an herbal doctor, and has access to a plethora of muscle-related medicines, so I actually have a bottle of amber-colored muscle-relief alcohol at my desk. Thanks for the concern though!

[Ckanite]

That hinge looks perfect! I love it! and fluting 12g would not be what I consider to be fun, kudos to you!

[Zetheros]

Thanks Ckanite! Yeah, the fluting was really tedious. But I'm done!

All I need to do now is shape the plates, put the chisel in the vice, and define the lines a bit more with a ball-pein. I already have the lower segmented plates cut out from all the downtime from giving my hands a break. They should be much easier to shape compared to the upper torso since the upper fluting narrows into a 'v' shape.

[Zetheros]

Started working on the latch today. I spent almost half the day wondering how I'll make a functional yet aesthetic latch, without having to drill a hole through barstock.

So here are the results! It takes the simple, traditional bit of barstock on a spring steel strip that probably works really well, and switches the scythe hook with a bit of my own imagination.



Yes, the arms move!



The shoulders are hovering since the main plate has not been bent into a hinge yet (which will then form the torso, shoulder bases, and legs), and the heart piece (and helmet/metal doodad) is actually suppose to be welded/riveted to the main middle plate, while the main plate of the latch is supposed to wrap around the heart (forming a heart with wings), with the sword serving as a locking mechanism (by wedging over the wings and through the heart).

Also, the metal stub I found around my workshop will be attached to a spring plate, and will work historically, but will go through the front plate of the middle upper torso plates, and the entire latch itself. It has not been carved into a helmet yet.

In short, I still have a long way to go.

Also, I'm starting to build a story that is told from the very plates of armor I'm working on. It'll use up blank areas of my armor since I don't think etching and bronzework will cover enough. So far two characters have been introduced!

[Smilingotter]

I am in awe.

[Ckanite]

Oh my Jesus! Between the hinge and the latch, I'm sold! I might one day be ordering some off you... simply stunning!!! I wanna say I can't wait for more pics, but the results you're getting are more than well worth the wait!!! I never even thought of doing a latch more elaborate than just a decorated bar slide. Really fantastic!

[Zetheros]

Your comments humble me. Although I doubt I'll actually be getting into the armorer's profession since I'm teaching myself 3d modeling, I might make parts of armor/props in my free time.

I've only started a few weeks ago, but here's an (incomplete) mutant komodo dragon!



The program is called Zbrush. You can build pretty much anything in it, even armor, which could be a useful tool for armoring. I heard that 3ds max and maya are better suited to forming hard surfaces though, while Zbrush is for organic things.

[Zetheros]

More pics!

[Oaken Rose]

At the risk of temporarily derailing your conversation, I was hoping to teach myself some 3D rendering once I save up enough for a computer upgrade -- I wanted to model the "technological" stuff for a little graphic arts project I have brewing in the back of my head. (Classic sci-fi type stuff: mechs, spaceships, and whatnot). I was directed toward Google sketchup on account that it's free and easy to use, but some of the paper designs I came up with have features such as compound curves that I'm not sure I could do with Google, based on the tutorials I saw. Should I be looking into Maya or 3ds max instead? Ideally I want something where I can render color models, paste them into scenes (with background images, ie. starfields and planets/asteroids or landscapes), pose and align the models' (many) moving parts, and convert to JPEG so I can add 2D effects.

And by the way, the armour is looking wicked cool and I love that latch idea!

[Signo]

Blender could be something to look for, it is quite different from "conventional" 3D software, but it could be suited for you, and it's freeware (and very slim).

[Zetheros]

@Oakenrose: That's alright, haha. Unfortunately, I can't really give you sound advice, since I only started learning the basics of Zbrush a few weeks ago.

I can tell you what I know about colored models however. I'm pretty sure Maya and 3ds max can render colored models, and I'm definitely sure Zbrush can. However, I have a feeling they can only render basic colors (...Nope! Zbrush has a crazy color AND texturing tools) since professionals use photoshop to build the model texture. So, I recommend using a modeling program first (The three I recommended can handle everything you need and more), then adding any detail, colors, and images you want with photoshop later.

And yes, like Signo said, if you're short on money and don't know how to torrent/don't want to, blender is the best 3d modeling freeware out there. In fact, I even used it for a few weeks Then there are the hundreds of painting freeware out on the web as well, if you can't acquire photoshop.