The Iron Man. Part2 - Beginning construction

 Ok I said I would be going over RTV moulding and Resin casting..Well I decided just skim the subject coz it's..
A) More a technical discipline rather than an artistic endeavour.
B) There are resources on the internet where you can glean more/better info on this subject (just Google casting in resin).

The Masters(in grey)

and Casts(in white)

Assembled master and cast.

 Having decided I wanted to make my figure("Irons" from here on in) a pose-able figure, I would need multiple joints for hips,shoulders,knees and elbows(8 in total) the quickest and easiest way to do this was to make a "Master" and cast copies.Once a prototype hinge joint was made,it was split into its component parts and cast in RTV rubber,a pourable slow curing mould compound. Once the RTV had cured,Masters were cut from the mould. Polyurethane resin was used to make the joints I will use on "Irons" for speed and because the casts are single pour moulds they are also structurally stronger.

 I'm going to use a Bessemer furnace as a torso(see previous post),I decided to make a scale model of said furnace,and being a bit strapped for cash right now I rooted around the house for scrap(plastic) and any forms/shape that I thought would fit in with my design("Iron's" belly is a hangable Tent light,and his head is a base from a pencil sharpener). Necessity IS the mother of invention after all. 

The inspiration.

Rough Marquette Sans legs/arms. 

Torso and head construction.

The torso needs more work and lots of detail to be added before I feel satisfied,but watch this space as next time I will be making legs and arms for our hero..

Comment and criticism welcome :)

Ed Allen 2012

The Iron Man. Part1 - Design

The Iron Man by Ted Hughes. A short story for children about a mysterious Iron giant roaming the English countryside,and a boy called Hogarth's fascination with said giant. A favourite book of mine when I was a child,that having re-read recently I still found charming now I'm a grown up.
 I decided I would construct an actual figure of the Iron Man in the style of an "action figure/collectable",this meant a character between 8 and 12" in height and painted to look like huge Iron/steel man.

I started by sketching various Iron men,not the muscles and spandex type of Marvel(TM) men but figures made of chunks of steel and scrap metal.

Random Iron Men

Bit more thoughtful Iron Men

After a little work with various solid forms I did what I should have done from the start,and researched Iron and steel properties and manufacture.

A Bessemer furnace(early means to make high quality steel)

The hay-days of steel and Iron were in the Victorian era,steam power,iron bridges,ships,trains,which led me to the Steve Jobs/Bill gates of engineering Isambard Kingdom Brunel.A real Iron Man!

I. K. B.

Which set me thinking

Behold! Furnace bellied Iron Man

I now KNEW I wanted a Victorian steam age feel to my figure. Now I needed to worry about construction,Will he stand up? can I make him pose-able? will my 2D designs look ok in 3D?

Hogarth and Iron Man.

Tune in tomorrow when I'll be ranting about RTV moulds and resin casting.

Comment and criticism welcomed
Ed Allen 2012