The Armour Archive

RalphS

#5 its amazing how much heat you can get from a propane weed burner (still wish I had a regular torch though). Things work a lot nicer if you can get the metal up to yellow heat, in a spot just where you want it, with the rest of the metal cooler and keeping more of its shape. This is not always po...

RalphS

Work in progress...

RalphS

I think that this is also somehow historical, as you can see from the elbows of this suit (though I don't know if those are modern reproductions or not, any further information about this suit would so be nice hear): Those pictures were taken by me at the Germanishes Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg, Ge...

RalphS

Get yourself a muse.

RalphS

Anthracite is nice and clean, I've used it once. Bituminous can get quite a bit hotter though. To get the highest temperature, with what seems to be an underdimensioned forge, break the coal to peanut - hazelnut size, don't have too much powder in it. Clean the tuyere and rest of the firepot, start ...

RalphS

For swedish standards, those prices are quite OK, even cheap if we're talking new stuff. You can easily pay more for a used set-up over here. How large is your forge, and what do you burn in it? If it's (char)coal fired, you may be able to get a very good heat by picking the right size coal (smaller...

RalphS

OK guys, if we want to continue getting our armour fix, there's only one solution: A collection for a new camera for Patrick!!! Or perhaps a kind soul who has an unused camera lying around who could send it to Patrick. How good is your ASCII-art Patrick? _____ / \ | | == \ | -_ L__________> (nah, th...

RalphS

That reminds me: treat yourself to an aloe vera plant. When (not if) you burn yourself, cut off a piece of the plant, and use this to soothe the burn. It will often prevent blisters if applied quickly enough, and is perfect for your skin. It does leave stains though, but who cares if you're dusty an...

RalphS

But those must have been made with a bottom-blown forge. I tend to make nice big donut clinkers, coal is the best ingredient there, coke works with some effort, but to make big clinkers with charcoal really takes some serious work! But with that fan and the right amount of charcoal, just about anyth...

RalphS

Avoid all rigid pathways between the hammer and the floor. Bad: Hammer on concrete floor Hammer on stake on firm bench on concrete floor. Better: Thick rubber pads underneath the legs of your bench. Best: Invite the neighbours over, have their 12 year old kid become fascinated and help you with the ...

RalphS

With that HUGE blower on it, I bet you could get an anvil up to forging heat! That looks like a pretty powerful forge, if you don't burn holes through it somewhere, you'll have a lot of fun with it. Make sure everything is properly covered with the sand you use as a lining. Speaking from experience,...

RalphS

Cool... You may want to couple it directly to the motor out put shaft. That would complicate things when you'd want to change belt speed. Another advantage of having the motor somewhere else is that you can place it e.g. under the workbench. On my (commercial) grinder the motor is directly mounted ...

RalphS

Mike F wrote:What'd be the difference with the AP tip?

Something like this, it goes from triangular to diamond-shaped:
[img]http://www.astro.lu.se/~ralph/pics/tmp_pics/Dolk%20Lena/Dolk%20Lena.jpg[/img]

RalphS

Thanks for the kind words! This one is based on two of my previous daggers, I had a customer come by and say: " That blade and that handle." It's forged in C45 steel, blade length about 28 cm, simple triangular cross section without armour piercing tip. Dyed oak and brass handle, half-tanned leather...

RalphS

Not really armour, but definitely related:

RalphS

Gentlemen, I hate to break it to you, but my expert eye tells me that's a two-piece helm...

RalphS

It fitted Patrick, it fitted me and a bunch of other people, just what kind of head do you have? You know those braces they use for fixing ones teeth, can't something like that be made to shape a head to a helmet? Just apply the right amount of pressure for the right amount of time, and in a couple ...

RalphS

All i can say is, he looks scarily familiar. Yeah, he does, doesn't he? Oh wait, that's because I staid over at his place after the ARS conference! Otto, the gauntlets are looking good! How are you going to attach the cuffs? Just a few tips to prevent stress cracks next time: anneal when you feel t...

RalphS

Kase Villand wrote:That's one of my favorite suits as well. Does anyone know of a picture of the suit from the back?

Check out this link. The pictures are large, and allow zooming in on details.

RalphS

I like the idea, but I have no problems with the post being mixed as they are now.

Gotta get started on a FAQ. I'm in, anyone else wants to join?

RalphS

Hmmm... Revival of the armour of proof! Any suggestion for a standardized punch shape and energy range and acceptable deformation/damage? Has anyone measured or estimated the energy of a blow in SCA-style fighting? The mediaeval counterpart, a sword or axe blow, delivers something like 60-130 J. Tha...

RalphS

Thomas, I like your approach, and have already given it a lot of thought. The problem lies in the fact that you have two parameters to optimise, e.g the Rockwell C hardness, and the Charpy C-notch impact resistance. The parameter you can play with is primarily the tempering temperature, but also the...

RalphS

Thomas, that would probably put it in the dead soft range, not what everybody wants. What about fatigue cracking? Not normally considered when selecting steel for armour, but may very well be the failure mode after having been hit in the head too many times. I'd personally go for high charpy test re...

RalphS

Erik D. Schmid wrote:And where would that be Ralph? ARS issues and such have been discussed here since its inception. To me this seems as good a place as any.

Just as long as it's been given proper consideration

Some things are e.g. better done by e-mail.

RalphS

I am sure that these are merely the teething problems of a new orginization in it's first year of existance, and that in future such difficulties will not occur. I'm sure that is the case. For those still waiting, I've picked up a copy at the conference, and let me tell you: it's well worth the wai...

RalphS

My shop is unheated and kind of drafty. I get problems with rust when the temperature shifts quickly from cold to warmer and humid. I've actually had puddles of water on my anvils... The actual temperature is not that much of a problem, only the combination of cold steel and warmer humid air. Puttin...

RalphS

www.bildindex.de

Do a search to get some instructions on how to use it.

RalphS

Here's a picture of one of the couters James refered to, it's on the A60 KMW armour (Maximilian) by Lorenz Helmschmied. Both couters have such a line, extending all the way through the piece. I'm pretty sure that this is a construction detail and not a repair. [img]http://www.rustning.se/uploads/pho...

RalphS

Oh man! That looks so not Italian!

But the customer is always right...
Beautiful lines, as always!

Makes me want to drop by again and come play some more.

RalphS

Thomas Powers wrote:Forge welding with a mending plate is a possibility.

Thomas

Just curious, have you ever tried this? Seems like a good way of messing things up even more, unless you're really good at it. I've never tried forgewelding something that thin...

RalphS

The clamps really give it that extra touch!

RalphS

From an e-mail I received October 17: Mailing will be processed using the information associated with your user account. Please ensure that your mailing address is current and accurate. You can validate your mailing information via your Account management page: m Select "Change Password/Edit Profile...

RalphS

I really like the second one too! Is there any historical evidence suggesting they could be made like this, raised from a single piece of iron/steel? If there is, I'll just have to make one too. Otherwise, I think I'd have to stick to the first idea: reforge a helmet to a cauldron like you did, thou...

RalphS

Archie, just a few tips and ideas: I understand the whole idea of your research project is statistics. How much time are you supposed to spend on the project? You've got to count on at least half the time to analyse the results and write the report, much more likely something like 70 to 90 percent o...

RalphS

There's a whole chapter on this sort of stuff in Allan Williams' "the knight and the blast furnace" ISBN 1385-7827, more info . Beware that "force" is not the right thing to ask for. What defeats armour is energy, not force. Energy is related to the mass of the projectile, and the speed of the proje...

Re: attempt at a raised hourglass

Roundel dagger