The Armour Archive

Derian le Breton

Halberds wrote:It also is running in a water trough to keep the wheel wet.

This keeps the sword cool as well, so you can grind after hardening without fear of damaging the temper.

One can grind engraving tools (which are brittle hard) in much the same way.

-Derian.

Derian le Breton

PM sent.

-Derian.

Derian le Breton

Cool stuff.

-Derian.

Derian le Breton

Reproductions:

http://www.hoashantverk.se/hantverk/hoas_rustningar/

-Derian.

Derian le Breton

Using a punch is much faster and more precise than drilling.

-Derian.

Derian le Breton

Cool, you're most welcome.

There's no substitute for in-person experience where striking coins and cutting dies are concerned. There's an active Moneyers' Guild in Northshield that you can probably hook up with. Some of them are on the sca_moneyer list.

-Derian.

Derian le Breton

Edit: One important note: making exact replica coins is ILLEGAL and carries stiff penalties (1973 Hobby Protection Act). You must either: a) add the word COPY across the face of your coins, or b) change the design sufficiently to "not fool a reasonably informed collector". Regarding striki...

Derian le Breton

I'd say the majority of personas in my area are Norse, and I see a ton of "Viking" dresses that are basically a four-panel ankle length dress with 3/4 to full sleeves, very tight from the waist up, and a very low-cut neckline (we're talking 8 inches of exposed cleavage, in some cases). Ok...

Derian le Breton

knitebee wrote:After two weeks of being out of the shop with a sliver of metal stuck in my eye, I'm back to work.

Yeeeeouch! So I guess it wasn't a flash-burned cornea then?

-Derian.

Derian le Breton

Brian's got <i>skills</i>

-Derian.

Derian le Breton

2. The "Busty Wench": I don't believe I've encountered a female Norse persona who wasn't two frothy ale mugs away from being a full-blown, walking Oktoberfest. I like boobies, but let's be honest- if a Norse woman had worn a dress like that in the old country, she would have literally fro...

Derian le Breton

Ribbon torcs are so cool.

<A HREF="http://www.billdawsonmetalsmith.com/index.html">Bill Dawson</A> (Master William Bjornson in the SCA) makes some nifty reproductions of them: http://www.billdawsonmetalsmith.com/classic2.html

-Derian.

Derian le Breton

20 minutes is a lot shorter than you think. Pick a handful of key myths and show evidence to debunk them.

-Derian.

Derian le Breton

Oaken Rose wrote:Per what I've seen in Wikipedia, fine silver is much softer than sterling.

Very much so. It's easier to anneal (no flux needed, usually), and I think it's slower to work harden.

Fine silver does have a higher melting point than Sterling, though.

-Derian.

Derian le Breton

It all depends on what you're used to.

Silver's definitely softer than steel, but it's quite a bit harder than pewter. I've had issues with overworking a piece and having it crack several times.

The alloy matters a lot too; fine silver is considerably softer than sterling.

-Derian.

Derian le Breton

I've done some silver smithing, though no raising. I'll second the recommendation of Tim McCreight's books (The Complete Metalsmith is a great little handbook) Silver work hardens quickly. You will need to anneal it, which is done in the opposite fashion from steel. Get some silver soldering flux, c...

Derian le Breton

I don't know about those particular tents, but there's at least one in the first image on the page we were discussing earlier that pretty clearly has a crossed external frame: m Just right of the large pavilion with the "flame" decoration, in the lower right part of the image. Next to it a...

Derian le Breton

FWIW, late 15th century fabric covered maille armour:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/derianlebreton/594212885/

-Derian.

Derian le Breton

Sweet! Nice camera work too, James.

-Derian.

Derian le Breton

A-frames are the same tent style as a wedge. I disagree. An A-frame has a visible exterior frame created by two triangles at the ends. A wedge has a simple frame created by two uprights. Both have ridge poles, the a-frame may have runners along the ground. Furthermore, the frame style of a wedge de...

Derian le Breton

Knees are symmetric. They wrap around the same amount on both sides. They are really pretty deep (probably too deep to reasonably be done by dishing). I aimed for extra deep knees to reflect the look I see in the images of pieces of this time. Started out as 18g. 1050. Y straps of leather on both s...

Derian le Breton

Don't bite off more than you can chew, but know that we'll always support you where we can.

-Derian.

Derian le Breton

Another great video. Thank you!

-Derian.

Derian le Breton

Alex Baird wrote:
Derian le Breton wrote:I portray a Breton living in Paris during the early years of the Breton War of Succession (1341-1364).

You should probably use that in your name, then.

There are a bunch of "le Breton" names in the 1292 census of Paris.

-Derian.

Derian le Breton

I portray a Breton living in Paris during the early years of the Breton War of Succession (1341-1364).

-Derian.

Derian le Breton

Those look like wedges to me, not A-frames, with the possibly exception of one on the foreground.

-Derian.

Derian le Breton

Dude, I was in a band for 8 years (not my day job, we were'nt like the 'Stones or anything), and been a machinst (mills shriek quite often) for 12 years now, and the entire time, never wore/wear ear plugs. Now, I have not been tested, but I can't detect any hearing loss, have no issues or perceptib...

Derian le Breton

Hearing damage is permanent and cumulative. Ear protection = good.

-Derian.

Derian le Breton

These things happen. You cannot prepare for every eventuality. Your reputation is built not on an order getting lost in the mail, but what you do afterward to make things right. And you're pretty clearly doing the right things, Audax.

-Derian.

Derian le Breton

Great video, thank you!

-Derian.

Derian le Breton

Cuttlefish bone is another possibility; I've cast silver and gold in it and it works pretty well. Cheap, readily available from pet stores (check the bird toys area), and very easy to work. It will leave a distinct pattern on the finished piece, which you'll have to grind past. <A HREF="http://www.f...

Derian le Breton

My little cast iron cauldron is great in a wood or charcoal fire. You may want a blow-pipe if you go that route.

-Derian.

Derian le Breton

Sod cloth? Not familiar enough with tentage to know what you mean. A sod cloth is an extra ~8-12" of fabric at the bottom of each wall. The sod cloth goes <i>under</i> the floor of the tent, providing a rudimentary seal against wind and rain. Without it, there will be a gap between the bottom ...

Derian le Breton

If you're doing small amounts you can melt directly in the ladle with a torch. Inefficient for production, but for one offs it works fine, and is quite a bit quicker than heating up a crucible.

-Derian.

Derian le Breton

For melting pewter I use a mini cast iron cauldron that I bought at <A HREF="http://www.ehardwicks.com/">hardwicks</A>.

That'll be a lot cheaper than a crucible from a jewelry supply store.

-Derian.

Re: Black and Brass Rapier Gaurd

Re: Raising fine metals - silversmithing