Ok, I have been thinking and I decided I want to make a Halo costume made out of METAL, not plasticI need to know exactly what equipment to buy that would best fit the usageI have been looking into welding units but it's kind of confusing with all the types of equipment and their usage like MIG and ARC, gas flame, an electric arc, a laser, an electron beam, friction, ultrasound welding, etcwhich I don't know what the difference is, the more information you guys can give the betterI haven't decided which metal I am going to use, maybe aluminum but that's a BIG maybe since I know poop about metalIf you have a metal in mind then pls do indeed share your opinionsIf you think that I need more materials pls by all means let me know which type, I would be ever so grateful for any type of infoThank you very much all of you that post, I cannot emphasise in words how much your help means to meThanks again in advance,
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Well aluminum would probably be the only metal light enough for you to actually be able to move around in while wearing the suitIt is also non-toxicAlso, Aluminum isn't that strong for a metal; if you use thin plates of it (1/16-inch thick would work), you can easily shape it using just a hammerIt would still look and feel like metalAs far as alloys, really anything would work6061 and 7075 are probably the two most common alloys; either of them would workIn order to know which welding method is the best, you really need to have more variables locked downFor example, in order to choose the right weld metal, you need to know what base material you are using Welding is very dangerous if you don't know what you are doing, so I wouldn't suggest just buying a welding unit online and trying it in your garageWelding actually melts the base metal locally, so it's really hot and can burn you very easilyAlso, a lot of the weld gases are toxic if you breathe them inWelding takes A LOT of skill and practice to get good at it, and it has to be done under very controlled circumstances (shielding gases etc.)If you are just making a costume, then from an engineering standpoint, the plates don't really need to be able to take any significant stresses, so welding isn't necessaryBrazing would be sufficientIt's cheaper, easier, and saferYou don't even need to use brazing thoughIf your plates are thin enough to shape manually at room temperature, then just make each armor piece out of a single piece of aluminum and then attach them with hinged joints so you could move in it.
