Mandalorian Letter Box

by buck2217 in Workshop > Metalworking

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Mandalorian Letter Box

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For the metalwork contest I decided to try my hand at a mandolorian themed postbox..
I took inspiration from doodieszoomer log burners so started with a scrap 9 kg lpg cylinder

Supplies

Gas cylinder (I used 2)

MIG Welding machine

Grinder with cutting, sanding and grinding discs

Hinge

The Cylinder

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I started with an old 9kg gas cylinder, made sure it was empty and then removed the valve
Then I drew the "face" and cut out the aperture with an angle grinder and cutting disc

Making the Face Shield

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After cutting out the main face shield shape I cut out the centre "visor" part and also the two cheek areas
These will be rewelded in on the opposite sides in several pieces so that the are concave

Hinge (first Attempt)

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Originally I was going to hinge from the top, so welded and bolted a hinge in position
However it soon became apparent that this wouldn't be possible due to the shape not allowing the face plate to fully open
So I ground the hinge off and decided to hide from the side instead

The Face Plate in Position

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I actually cut a new face plate from a second cylinder as I had messed with the original so much it was easier and more practical to start again, the welding and grinding of the first one had misshapen it
So here is the new one in position with the cheeks welded in and the hinge relocated on the right, still only bolted in position
I'll have to weld up the holes later

Cutting Out the Visor (again!)

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Once I was hapy(ish) with the general face plate shape (and had ground all my welds so they looked a bit neater) I marked up and cut out the visor

Welding in the Visor

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Once I had cut out the visor aperture I used this as a pattern to cut out the visor insert, this was approx 1cmm bigger all round and then welded into position to give the 3D set back effect

Aerial

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I made up an aerial from Scrap bits (mainly used the scrap from the first visor) It was a bit of a faff cutting the curves, especially the inside one withe angle grinder
However judicious use of "percussion" engineering and plenty of vece grips saw it done
*percussion engineering - - hit it with a big hammer

Aerial Welded On

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I welded the aerial assembly on to the left side and then gave the whole thing a clean up with a sanding disc
Cleaned up all the welds and made it shiny
The "flag" at the top of the aerial will have the house number on it eventually

Prime

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I slapped a nice thick coat of white paint on (hides a multitude of sins) as a primer and to prevent rust
I also painted the inside white so that the mail will stay clean as it was pretty grim inside

Holding Closed

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Earlier I had welded on a small tab inside and superglued in a rare earth magnet to hold the door closed, I'll see.how that works but may have to add a latch of some sort (I had to take the picture post painting as I had forgotten)

Painting

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I had a bit of a search around and found some red, black and green paint to finish off, so I masked it up and painted then sealed with clear lacquer
Its a bit brighter than I envisaged but will do the job
Just need to paint on a number and stick on the pole at the bottom of the drive