Stainless Steel

[dorns]

Hi all. Just joined and bought a CORA helmet. I'll be using this as a template for a Stainless Steel helmet I would like to make by using sheet Stainless steel and a TIG welder. Hopefully I can get it as perfect as the original 1978 costume. It should be wearable and depending on how much work it takes I could make more. Stainless steel does buff to a mirror finish. So should be a good project.

[Cylon-Knight]

Welcome dorns!

Can't wait to see your project take shape. Awesome!

[dorns]

Gladly I will post some pictures. I'll get some templates put together next week. I would guess to complete should take some weeks. Once Polished and with electronics I am sure it will look SWEET!

[GoldCylon]

Stainless steel? I thought the Cylon helmet was a challenge, but I bet this will really be. I have one of the hockey helmets that was the type they used for that, but the badge on the helmet is so lacking any real good deals it is hard to say what it is. Good luck with the build, and welcome on board.

[dorns]

I wanted to build a full metal Cylon helmet in 1982 - while I was at school. However I lacked the money, equipment etc.
Now I have all of those I can take on the project. Stainless steel is a very hard metal. Especially as I am using 2mm sheets. I have already built garden spinners and made a 4 foot tall lightening bolt from 2mm stainless sheet. Cutting it accurately is one of the most difficult things to do. However if you leave plenty of space extra you can grind this extra away and add stainless steel with filler rod. As long as I get the dimensions correct and manage to weld it without warping the metal it should come out fine. It's a wonderful material to work with especially when you finish it with polish. In theory making one out of stainless steel would be the most hard wearing - I'd even wear it into battle!

[Cylon-Knight]

... a 4 foot tall lightening bolt ...

^ ?! ^

And now you get to learn one of Cylon-Knight's "famous" sayings...
Photos - or it didn't happen.

(Please! Sounds too cool, I gotta see this lightening bolt. )

[dorns]

Stainless Bolt.

Stainless bolt - I had to make it, then I thought, 'what to do with it'? I'll put it in a future sculpture.

[Cylon-Knight]

Now that ROCKS!
Thanks for sharing the photo.

[dorns]

Thanks for the compliment. It must weigh in at 8kg (17lbs). It's 3 dimensional and is about 3 inches deep. Because the stainless is very thick (2mm - reason is the thicker the material the easier it is to weld) it makes the bolt heavy. One day I will make a sculpture and include it somehow.
As for now I am thinking about the cylon helmet. There are many curved surfaces and this will cause some problems with shaping the stainless sheet. I'm pretty sure some heat will be used. Just as long as I don't discolour the metal.

[GoldCylon]

Hi all. Just joined and bought a CORA helmet. I'll be using this as a template for a Stainless Steel helmet I would like to make by using sheet Stainless steel and a TIG welder. Hopefully I can get it as perfect as the original 1978 costume. It should be wearable and depending on how much work it takes I could make more. Stainless steel does buff to a mirror finish. So should be a good project.

OK I get it now. CORA the member selling helmets. I was thinking of the Starbuck helmet that he used with the computer CORA in the Viper.

[Hand-Schaub]

Neat project. I have had similar goals with metal cylons too. I already do the vacu-formed kind and 'stamping' metal armor is not that different. Well... it is, but in theory not too different.


I did cast up three helmets in bonze! They weigh around 20-22lbs. But they are pretty awesome. A stamped or formed sheet metal helmet would be totally wearable.

Years ago I sculpted and cast full Jango Fett armor for my costume. That costume has seen A LOT id wear including a walk in the Pasadena Rose Parade. It weighed about 65lbs for the entire costume.

[dorns]

Bronze has to be an awesome material to work with. I'd love to be able to have a go with that. Hopefully this week I can have a go at getting some templates and measurements done. I'll get photos as this one progresses.

[Red Eye]

Welcome aboard!

I must say you've picked up an interesting project. I'm looking forward to see your future build thread.

By the way, there was another guy who created some metal Cylon armor before.

Here's a link in case you haven't seen it:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25387371@N ... 392929954/

[dorns]

That is very good - anyone have any more info? Like how thick was the material and what is it? I was thinking of using the same pattern - with my own adjustments to attempt something that looks 100% accurate. The template shot showing the parts - they all seem very clean cut. I wonder how that was done? I'm looking to use a grinder to cut the parts out. Oh how I wish for a plasma cutter or even better still someone with a laser/water cutter.

[dorns]

My larson eye scanner turned up today from the USA. Has been built already and is working fine. Yes not many LED's 9 - but I got the big ones for testing. I may rewire the LED's so I can get the spacing different for the eye scanner.
Also put an MP3 of the eye scanner sound on a small mp3 player so I can add that to some powered speaker and have the electronics complete.
Today I finished a TIG welding project which was on hold for a while. Just one more tig welding project to finish (garden gate). Once that is done I can start the helmet project.