The Armour Archive

Chris Gilman

Depending on how old you are, you may or may not remember the convention of drawing black crosses over a cartoon characters eyes, to illustrate them being dead. Which of course is not literal or realistic. I suspect, given the unlikely chance a helmet could be breached with single handed sword, this...

Chris Gilman

There are many factors to consider with building a replica armour. What are your goals? Sometimes you think you know, but write them down and be as honest with yourself as you can. Are you trying to impress others in a group? This is a fine motivator, but if it's the SCA, that bar is pretty low. If ...

Chris Gilman

Scott,
I'd like to suggest you start a separate thread with your approach on this.

Chris Gilman

Dr. Capwell was nice enough to measure the caps on the real armour and they averaged out at 11mm & 8mm I found some mass produced brass domes that seem to work very well. They unfortunately are only available in 8mm & 10mm Since they are already punched, these are a little tougher to solder than th...

Chris Gilman

UPDATE: on Etching Paste So, murphy's law, I'm etching the last pieces, (Burgonet & Locking gauntlet) and it turns out, you do not need acetic acid (Vinegar) in the salt / copper sulfate etching paste mixture. Distilled water is is all you need. There was a thread on a Facebook group, (I have looked...

Chris Gilman

"Movie Clichés"

Chris Gilman

Here are a couple of links to helmet videos:
Tilting visor:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJexDJ9nScw ... hare_sheet

Field Visor and reinforce:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJOsQr_HrYd ... _copy_link

Chris Gilman

It has been a while since I have updated this project. Partly due to my Global Effects web site being upgraded, and loosing the links to my file sharing folders. I have fixed the broken links on this thread, and thought I would show folks where the project is currently. The etching process has chang...

Chris Gilman

Mac, Have you considered other gypsum's for your molds? Hydro-stone or ultracal? There is also a fiberglass reinforced stone. (The glass fibers are coated for better adhesion I believe) Is there a reason the molds can not be made a consistent thickness? Thinning the thick areas. I would imaging you ...

Chris Gilman

It isn't possible to make an exact replica in miniature because some attachments and materials are simply too fragile at those scales. The best miniatures make compromises to improve durability without affecting the appearance or performance. Tell Peter Wroe that..... https://i.pinimg.com/originals...

Chris Gilman

Pay close attention to the instructions of the chemical black. Along with correct surface prep, the proper rinsing, drying, and oiling are important.

Chris Gilman

Yes, thanks, I should edit the entry;
2 hour etches seem to be working well. I have tried multiple things to extend the length of etch to replace the number of etches, but I have not found anything that improves the length of the etch.

Chris Gilman

Thanks

Chris Gilman

Chris Gilman

Handsome

Chris Gilman

I posted this on the Greenwich armour thread, but it seems appropriate to your question, and this is Mac's work. Here is a video showing the range of movement of a pair of late 16th century greaves / sabatons in hardened steel that Mac made and I assembled, (So Mac chime in if you feel something was...

Chris Gilman

Can you guys move this greave conversation to a different thread please?

Chris Gilman

Also, unless I missed it, I don't think I posted this video of the greaves:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H69whKzV3wQ

Chris Gilman

For the 2 or 3 of you that are still following the "Sistine" (taking forever) armour project, here is some of the recent work: I made up the straps for the legs using some buckles I recovered from old movie armour which seems to have been made by one of the armourers from the Met. These buckle copie...

Chris Gilman

I think, most times, the hardest part of doing things without a "machine" is convincing yourself to try it and then do it a few times to see how it is not as difficult as you had convinced yourself it was.

Chris Gilman

Bollocker?

Chris Gilman

It seems in most disciplines of art, form is the most important element, and yet the most over looked element by the novice or amateur.

Chris Gilman

Real flutes and beads taper in both width an height, something you cannot do with a bead roller. When you use one, the results are mechanical and unattractive, if you know what you are looking at.

Chris Gilman

I found this from Australia https://www.etsy.com/listing/721712955/buff-leather-strap-3inch-70mm-x-minium?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_a-craft_supplies_and_tools-raw_materials-leather&utm_custom1=2b97818a-ba6f-4b47-bfa8-dd2a39752fe2&utm_content=bing_35201266...

Chris Gilman

You could reach out to Carl Robinson. He has an order in for me currently. I ordered some a few months ago, but the tannery said the last batch failed, so I am currently waiting for the next.

Chris Gilman

Thanks,
But I can assure you there was a decent percentage of laziness involved.

Chris Gilman

I have been motoring along on the Greenwich armour. Now I'm onto decorating the arms, cuirass & pauldrons. I have been posting more info on my Blog (link below) But I thought I'd post something about heat treat bracing. I send my heat treating to a company here in Los Angeles who can do salt or oil ...

Chris Gilman

Are you quenching in a sulfuric or citric pickle?

Chris Gilman

I built one of these with a sugarloaf helm. The main effigy I used was one believed to be Leverrick, from Stothard's "Monumental Effigies". In a detail drawing of the temple area, mail is illustrated below the cervelliere. http://www.globaleffects.com/Temp/Leverrick-plate62-helmet.jpg I found the un...

Chris Gilman

The arrows had such little penetration, I think you could make the shafts out of fiberglass and it would make little difference in the outcome of the arrows effectiveness against the armour. In fact. the arrows breaking make sense to me in 2 ways; 1. they aren't going to be shot back at you. 2. The ...

Chris Gilman

Here's an overlay of the two.

Chris Gilman

So it looks to me, like the hosen could be laced to the doublet, and the entire thing was put on like a flight suit or overalls. This is like late 16th, early 17th C. garments, where the doublet was laced to the breaches and it was put on as a single garment.

Chris Gilman

Chris, that's really useful info - I had simply assumed that you hammered these out (and were a Greek god of hammer consistency) - turning these on a drill press and filing the material down seems much easier! I think that I'll need to try both methods and see which one works best for me - the 20d ...

Chris Gilman

You had mentioned the nails and I considered it, but I'm cheating a bit here by sanding the taper on my pins, not hammering them out. Using the nail, I can't hold them in my drill chuck without some type of collett. Which just occurred to me may work fine with a dremel 1/8" collet. The cutting out o...

Chris Gilman

Thanks for this Chris (and Mac, and Jeff) - while I prefer the 15th century esthetic, this harness is gorgeous! Thanks for your "tutorial" on the sneck hooks - I have a few of these to make for sallet closures, and yours turned out very nicely. My original plan was to pierce these (with a jewellers...

Re: Could swords split Greathelms?

Re: Looking to Commission First Armor, Advice Sought

Re: Mac's blog

Re: Greenwich Buckhurst armour

Re: Greenwich Buckhurst armour

Re: what are these things

Re: Greenwich Buckhurst armour

Re: Greenwich Buckhurst armour

Re: Pewter stuff...

Re: Miniature Victorian Gothic Armour Makers?

Re: Armor Blackening Question

Re: Greenwich Buckhurst armour

Re: Greenwich Buckhurst armour

Re: Greenwich Buckhurst armour

Re: Rene's blog

Re: Avoiding some common mistakes

Re: Avoiding some common mistakes

Re: Greenwich Buckhurst armour

Re: Greenwich Buckhurst armour

Re: bead rollers?

Re: Codpieces

Re: Avoiding some common mistakes

Re: bead rollers?

Re: Buff Leather redux

Re: Buff Leather redux

Re: Heat treat bracing

Heat treat bracing

Re: Mac's blog

Re: Cervelliere Advice Needed

Re: Tod and Co's Arrows vs. Armour Test

Re: "Chalcis" style bascinet

Re: An interesting manuscript

Re: Greenwich Buckhurst armour

Re: Greenwich Buckhurst armour

Re: Greenwich Buckhurst armour