Hydroforming a Captain America Shield
What to do when a high school student in the Midwest emails you looking for advice on how to use hydroforming to make a Captain America Shield?! You say yes! I was first contacted by Cole in September of 2021 when he was starting the CTE Capstone Program:
CTE Capstone program. - a program designed to combine students' different learning disciplines and challenge them to explore new areas of learning. I have 18 weeks in this class and I will be learning the 6 P's of manufacturing. Proposal/paperwork, Product, Paper, Portfolio, Poster and Presentation. Each student enrolled in the program requires a mentor for the program, someone who has experience in the subject area of the project and who is willing to assist and advise me during my project/can give constructive feedback. I would love for you to consider filling the role of my mentor because of how well versed you are in hydro-forming (I've read up on your documents on Xenith hand-pans and watched your instructional presentation).
For the next 18 weeks we had weekly meetings where we would check in, review his progress and plan, and I would offer advice on how best to move forward. Having never hydroformed aluminum I thought it best for me to order a sheet and run it in my hydroforming machine. This way I could safely get the needed data for Cole to make a safe machine. It took 100psi on a 21.5” diameter to get to a depth of 2.5”. I sent him the shell that I made just in time for his 18th birthday.
Like so many, Cole experienced all the challenges that come with fabricating a DIY hydroforming machine. Pressure loss, ruptures, wrinkles, and plumbing problems. Each week we addressed these issues and came up with potential solutions. By week 17 Cole had his machine dialed in and successfully hydroformed his first Captain America Shield. He then went a step further and gave it the fitting paint job.
It was a joy to get to work with such a passionate and driven young man. To pull off what he did in just 18 weeks, as a high school senior, was extremely impressive. The future is bright for Cole!
Enjoy this montage of Cole’s journey into hydroforming!
