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Thread: Greetings from Toronto Canada

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2018
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    Default Greetings from Toronto Canada

    Hello my name is George and as the title reads I'm from Toronto.
    This will be long winded to some of you. Here we go.
    I worked in jewelry from 92 to 03. For the most part on the retail end of it. I had gotten into jewelry purely motivated by spite. Now I'll explain.
    Growing up in a poverty stricken household, topped with a side order of welfare and a big dash of alcoholism. Dropping out at 15, it wasn't hard to figure out how my life would end up. That was ok for me then, I simply accepted my role in life.
    Took a job as a cleaner at a pawnbroker and one day a client asked me a question only to have the sales rep cut in and explain that "I know nothing". I get home and this really began to bug me as who is she to say such a thing. Well the next day was the beginning of it all. I started taking home books by the CJA & the GIA. I began studying. I then took a course in the jewelry arts at my local college. Next thing I knew I was working the counter. From there I moved on to an upscale boutique in Toronto's upscale neighborhood of Yorkville, where I managed for three years. But then 911 hit and as we were recovering SARS hit. Time to move on, but 10 years was a good run.
    Jump to the present and now I am the senior electroplater at a chrome plating shop. I am also a hobbyist who needs to reacquaint myself with jewelry to help further my goal of completing my project.

    I am building an exoskeletal armour based on the War-Machine from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
    This will be made of steel, aluminum and titanium. It will boast a full range of motion with lights sounds and servo motors. This will be a full scale wearable armour. Now when I started I had no prior experience on how I would build this. So I began to do some research and development, studying the following disciplines.
    Metalcasting
    Hammer forming
    Animatronics
    Mechatronics
    Kinetic movement
    Robotics
    Welding
    Design
    Now i realize that I need jewelry skills to help me along with this.
    Yes I told you it was long winded.
    Thanks for having me...

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Scotland
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    Hi George, welcome from me.
    That is some story and an amazing set of skills are you sure you need us!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Toronto
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    Quote Originally Posted by CJ57 View Post
    Hi George, welcome from me.
    That is some story and an amazing set of skills are you sure you need us!
    Absolutely I need as much help as I can get. As mentioned in my first post, this will be in steel, aluminum and titanium.
    Steel joints with an aluminum frame and titanium accent pieces.
    These are sample pics of what I'm looking to do. These are NOT MINE. Only for reference...
    Well this is embarrassing, I am unable to upload pics. I've been waiting 10 mins and nothing...
    Last edited by Murdoch; 22-05-2018 at 10:56 PM. Reason: Failed at posting pics

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
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    Central London
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    Hi George. Welcome from me and thank you for your inspiring mini memoir. Jewellery skills might only be marginal to your project, but if we can help we will.

    Lets hope you already have enough tools to cope, without spending $$$ on new.
    Dennis.

  5. #5
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    May 2018
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    Toronto
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dennis View Post
    Hi George. Welcome from me and thank you for your inspiring mini memoir. Jewellery skills might only be marginal to your project, but if we can help we will.

    Lets hope you already have enough tools to cope, without spending $$$ on new.
    Dennis.
    No I would disagree. Not sure if anyone here has seen the Iron-man movies, but in the prop building community suits are limited to the range of motion. The hand for instance, only the fingers move. Where as the palm is just a rigid plate. The abdominal area is a flat plate, so you can imagine how cumbersome that can be. The boot pivots back and forth, unlike a human foot of also pivoting side to side. Now I am just learning to weld with a stick and a MIG Fluxcore welder. These welds are big, whereas a nice jewellers seam would be more intricate and clean. I have 0 experience with titanium. Welding aluminum also is a problem for me. I can braze aluminum but not weld it. So with my limited education I am using what I know. In the past I was a cyclist and with a limited background in jewelry, I can utilize these into my project.
    I have figured out the palm, abs and boot mechanisms with a full range of motion. But to make these nice and clean is another subject. My thinking is why not look at each piece as a piece of jewelry. I hope that this is an appropriate answer to you inquiry...
    As far as spending on tools lol let's just say I'll soon be eating cat food. $300. Hammer lol...
    Last edited by Murdoch; 22-05-2018 at 11:38 PM.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
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    Welcome to the forum.
    Interesting project and inspiring memoirs, thank you for sharing.
    Dennis is right though, not many jewellers work with the metals you work with or the MIG welder.
    My husband who is an engineer would be more use to you than myself, I will see if I can get him to stop by on Thursday- we are out all day tomorrow.

  7. #7
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    May 2018
    Location
    Toronto
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    Quote Originally Posted by enigma View Post
    Welcome to the forum.
    Interesting project and inspiring memoirs, thank you for sharing.
    Dennis is right though, not many jewellers work with the metals you work with or the MIG welder.
    My husband who is an engineer would be more use to you than myself, I will see if I can get him to stop by on Thursday- we are out all day tomorrow.
    I'll clarify, I am using the welders for other applications. But for the finer pieces, like the glove. The glove is not so different from a ring but in aluminum. Now I have seen aluminum and titanium jewelry. I am looking to gain info in that area to help me.

  8. #8
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    Sep 2014
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    I don't know of any jewellers that work with aluminium and Titanium is unusual too.
    It requires a massive amount of heat to weld, and a specialist set up to do so.
    Ive only seen rings made from it that are turned on a lathe.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Toronto
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    [QUOTE=enigma;100420]I don't know of any jewellers that work with aluminium and Titanium is unusual too.
    It requires a massive amount of heat to weld, and a specialist set up to do so.
    Ive only seen rings made from it that are turned on a lathe.[/QUOTE
    Jeez if in can post pics I would show you lol. Ok thanks...

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
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    Scotland
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    Titanium jewellery used to be all the rage in the 80s but not now. It was popular because of the colours that could be achieved using electric currents if I remember but I don't think it could be soldered only cold connected. We all work mainly in silver and gold, others start off in copper
    You'll have to wait until morning now for the glitches to be repaired in the website. There are only a handful of night owls about at 2am!

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