Batman: Steel Knight Upper Armour Custom : 9 Steps (with Pictures)

Being a huge fan of the dark knight movies and superhero himself, i decided to make some upper body armour with some of the scrap metal i had laying around at my work. during my lunch hours i used varied equipment and machines such as guillotines, metal rollers, spot welders, and many drills.

I didnt know of instructables prior to making this so i dont have very detailed pictures and steps to provide.

It was just a bit of fun and was my first craft :)

Can be worn but is pretty heavy and you'll need padded clothes underneath!

Cowl was purchased along with the neck armour

Hope you like it.

Step 1: Equipment Needed

Plenty of metal... i used 0.9 galvanised steel mainly because we have alot of it
drills...rivet size
rivets
spot welder or welding equipment( not completely necessary as rivets can be used but takes more time)
sander
nylon straps ( i used some from a sports bag)
black spray can
metal roller machine
guillotine ( could use snips but would take forever and would be hard to be accurate
pictures of the Dark Knight suit used in the nolan films
metal folder machine, or manual
snips
metal sheers

Step 2: Bat Symbol

pretty straight forward step, trace the symbol how you want it on flat sheet of metal, cut it out using metal sheers or snips.
sand around the edges to make it smooth
fold around 25m each side of center line on 1 side then 40m on opposite side of symbol to give 3d effect.

Step 3: Front Torso and Back

sorry again for brief and undetailed explanation

cut metal flat sheet to size you need, depending on torso size of yourself
taper the sheet so it is narrower near the waist
fold a slight crease down center line to create a more body fitted shape
roll the upper pec area in a roller machine
fold the sides how you feel to create a hug effect
shaper the torso to almost create a vest like shape

the back piece is virtually the same as the front, keeping the crease down the center.

match the side folds to the front and the roller of the upper back to match the front.

try your best to keep the top of the back and the front matched at the same dimensions so it fits and looks nicely when worn.

Step 4: The Pec Plates

cut pec shapes out from flat sheet, using curves or straight lines, easier with straight line.
cut angles with around 65 degree fold down the middle for the flat pec to become 3d. spot weld the angles around the flat pecs. cut smaller pieces with the fold down the middle and spot weld over the gaps.
spot weld a v shape metal connecting piece to the pec plates, this should give it the same torso crease angle so it looks less boxy from the side.
cut more angles to go at the bottom of each plate which will be connecting to the torso, aim to make them fit onto the torso so it hides gaps and sits flush. this is tricky and may take a while to find the exact angles you need. image 1 shows finished angles around the edge.
cut a flat piece which spotwelds on top of the pecs(triangular shaped in image)
spot weld or rivet symbol in the middle.

sorry again for the undetailed explanation and lack of pictures.

Step 5: Lower Torso Abdominal Armour

After spot welding the pec plates to the torso at the desired measurement move onto the abdominal armour.
Cut out the abs or however you wish the abs to look, spot weld onto the torso at the desired measurement.
Make sure to keep all the plates and shapes identical either side of the crease line for optimal effect..
Rivets can be used for these steps but be sure to sand the heads off on the inside of the torso to avoid annoyance.

Step 6: Shoulder Armour

cut out strips for example 40mm thickness and length to how big you want the shoulder.
Roll strips to give curve of shoulders
Spot weld the strips at slight angles seen in the picture to curve the shape.
Cut some more strips, just like the pec plates, and cover the gaps.
This was trial and error mostly

Step 7: Fitting It Together

use the nylon straps from a rucksack or whatever straps you have to fix the front and back torso together.
Make sure to leave around a 20mm gap between the torso's and attach straps at then top using rivets and washers. Keeping a gap and using the nylon will enable the torso to lift upwards and be easy to put on
Straps around the waist can be fitted to bind the sides for a tighter snug fit.
Use the same concept of riveting nylon strips and using washers to attach the shoulder armour to the top of the torso. Keeping a small gap between the shoulder and torso will allow you to move your shoulders up and downs freely.