How To Make Prop Armor - PREVIEW

How to Make Prop Armor with Professional Blacksmith Tony Swatton

Ever wanted to craft your own armor, but didn't know where to begin? Welcome to your starting point. Here, you'll learn everything you ever needed to know from a real-life #blacksmith.

Watch as Tony Swatton, owner and founder of Sword & Stone in Burbank, takes you through each metal-forming step of recreating a 16th century closed helmet. You've seen much of his armor in films and television, and now he's teaching his skills to you.

COURSE HIGHLIGHTS:
-- Patterning and cutting out the aluminum
-- Using hand tools to form the metal
-- Using larger fabrication tools to speed up the process
-- Welding together the pieces
-- Electrochemically etching the metal

Approximate Run Time: 02:15:30

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More COURSES from Stan Winston School

METALLIC PAINTING TECHNIQUES - ROBOT FINISHES

METALLIC PAINTING TECHNIQUES - REAL METAL EFFECTS

HOW TO MAKE A SCI-FI HELMET PART 1 - BUILD A VACUUM FORM MACHINE

MAKE A SCI-FI HELMET PART 2 - DESIGN, PATTERN & VACUUM FORM

HOW TO MAKE A SCI-FI HELMET PART 3 - CONSTRUCTION, GREEBLING & FINISHING

HOW TO MAKE A MASK - WEARABLE DYNAMIC ART - PART 1

HOW TO MAKE A MASK - WEARABLE DYNAMIC ART - PART 2

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SEE the BLOG - Predator 2 - New Weapons for a new Predator

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[StanWinstonSchool]

RD~ That's the spirit. And there's so much more coming that'll excite the artist in you. Thanks for continuing to support the cause! - John

[StanWinstonSchool]

And as with Tony and his shop, it's been decades of toiling and mastering, and a million dollars of equipment and collecting knowledge from the world's great Smiths. Yes, you can find other stuff online, so feel free! But you don't find Tony Swatton out there. This guy makes steel for the great films of our time. He is a total master and he is offering info for students to absorb.

[RyanDavidHale]

When you compare it to going on a course, becoming an apprentice or trying it out with no knowledge, $60 isn't that bad. SWS always do high quality videos and teaching so it is worth the money. I own quite a few of their videos myself and am happy to pay for the information.

RD

[CIoneOutcast]

Tony is just amazing. Seeing his work on the AWEme channel is just breathtaking.

[StanWinstonSchool]

sayagain! It is our pleasure to be on the lookout for you! I will do some investigation about UK shops. I know Dave Elsie is English but he just did a BIG movie here in LA so he ain't there at moment. Keep peeking at our stuff, take from it what you can, and be in touch with us. We aren't a job-placement firm, but we do know people and if your art is coming along... you never know who might be looking... right next door to you! - John

[MoonstruckMasks]

Thank you so much for uploading these, All you people have been inspiring me for most of my life to create cool props and make litle films you's will continue to inspire me forever!

[kevinreicks]

From the smith I have listened to, they did do raising but it was more about keeping it thick at the center. Check out Parker Brown's videos. Also, armor had a whole bunch of thicknesses depending on what part of the body. On a single breastplate, the mid center thickness could be around 2.5mm thick, tapering down to less then 20 gauge under the arms. Other body parts seemed to be around the 20 gauge and thinner. Bottom line, prop armor doesn't need the same complex geometries.

[GakkiSai]

Hey! Man at Arms! I wasn't even looking for you!

[StanWinstonSchool]

The mallet in question is a 1.5 lb. bossing mallet made of non-marring poli-urethane mallets for sinking without leaving marks. It is not a lemon. - David

[seanschofield]

How hard have you looked? I'm a student at the University of Hertfordshire on the MSFX program. We have 3 courses; Special Effects (animatronics, pyro, mechanical type stuff), Model Design (architectural models, scale models etc.) and my pathway, Character Creation & Technical Effects (character design, monster making and general prop making). I just finished working on Thor 2 in the armoury for 2 months as part of the course. It's brilliant :]

[ctsittin]

You guys really outdid yourself this time! WOW

[StanWinstonSchool]

T.G.N.F, you might need to contact Tony directly for that. But give it a shot. You should be able to reach him through his Burbank, CA shop, the Sword and the Stone. - David

[StanWinstonSchool]

We hope you'll find something of value in these online apprenticeship opportunities the way thousands of other grateful students have, but if not... no reason to come here and hate. Go somewhere cheap and learn what you can! Come back when we have something YOU are interested in or if you truly care about it at all.

[SteeleOkami]

Hey! It's the guy from Man at Arms!

[geneervin]

The craftsmanship is beautiful. Could you make armor that was of the same material  that were used in the movie Knightriders by George Romero?

[MrPdante]

I'm not a master smith or anything, and I can't speak for Mr.Tony's shop, but I believe most "real" armor is made of thicker steel, such as 16ish gauge, whereas "prop" armor is made of a lighter steel, perhaps 20 or 18 gauge steel. Also "real" armor would have been raised in one piece to work harden the steel, making it stronger.
hope this helps.

[howlingowl]

I'm an aspiring blacksmith in Los Angeles. What type of lemon did you use at 0:33?

[Mrrabott]

i can´t see the prop side in his armor´s. the work is so incredible!

[timb]

What is the difference between prop armor and replica/real armor?

[Carancerth]

You can fight with an armor, you can't with a replica.
I mean, have fight, not a choregraphy.
This is perhaps the simple way to make a difference, and both can be marvelous, full of details and really fancy ;)
Trust me, I'm paid for perform in armor etc and I also work with people wich make them, they can be as fancy as props.
The way it moove change also a lot, and the materials used, are also a thing wich matter a lot in the possibilities that you have in the making process ;)
-Chris