The Armour Archive

The Iron Dwarf

as well as steel stock holders ( who often only sell whole sheets either in 8 by 4 or 6 by 3 ) try looking for sheet metal workers, they cut, punch, fold etc and would often have off cuts. also places that laser or plasma cut sheet, I gain a lot from the scrap bins at the local laser cutters you cou...

The Iron Dwarf

this may help Home of T.J. Garahy Ltd. T.J. Garahy Ltd. is a steel fabricator, erector and stockholder based 2km from Kiltegan in Co Wicklow. As steel fabricators we perform a huge variety of ... www.tjgarahy.ie/ - Cached - Similar Retail Businesses For Sale Steel Stockholder & Trading Company F...

The Iron Dwarf

galvanising can be removed with acid.
dont try to burn it off as that makes toxic fumes
paint does not stick well to galvanising
if you leave it galvanising will soon go dull and look a lot better than it does when new.

The Iron Dwarf

here is a place where more locals will see it http://livinghistory.co.uk/forums/index.php

The Iron Dwarf

I hope I can inspire a few to do more and I am very happy that I have inspired you to also do something.

The Iron Dwarf

hope it goes well and please post some pix. I am only a begginer but will have the help of one blacksmith who went to hereford and someone from here on the archive who has made sabatons that I think are great, but has not got the pix on here yet ( I will not say who it is incase he does not want it ...

The Iron Dwarf

at an event at stratford on avon next weekend 6th to 8th aug, I will have a forge set up and will be doing a little taster for begginers and letting them have a go. others more experienced than me will also be helping. during the event one person from here will be making a breastplate ( and I hope h...

The Iron Dwarf

dont know which part of the country you are in but august 6th to 8th I will be at stratford armouries and one of my forges will be going, come along if you can and try it out.
I am in the east mids by J 7 of the A14
Dave

The Iron Dwarf

my hypertherm max 100 is quite good for signing your name on 20mm ( 3/4" ) plate and it also does 22 gauge and thinner. my scotchman 207 ironworker will punch 1/2" holes in 1/2" plate easily and will cut 10mm ( 3/8" ) plate but only 7" wide. also have hand held nibblers and ...

The Iron Dwarf

here a few years ago jewelery that was nickle plated was banned if it was normally in contact with the skin Oh good god, your country is just frackin nuts. Sorry. yes I know, and no need to appologise , I had some interesting pendants made from steel and nickle plated that had to be sold as key rings

The Iron Dwarf

here a few years ago jewelery that was nickle plated was banned if it was normally in contact with the skin

The Iron Dwarf

in germany there is a very small lady fighter called Robyn, she sometimes post on here.
it may be worth contacting here ( dont think she is a lefty but maybe could give other advise ).
im not into fighting but in other things I find being left handed can be an advantage

The Iron Dwarf

just had some plates cut for a logo on my forges, the same design is going on a flag and maybe a stamp later

what do you think?

The Iron Dwarf

I am no expert on historical accuracy but I just thought it looked great

The Iron Dwarf

there is a small town in cornwall ( the south west corner of england ) called mousehole, dont know if it has anything to do with your anvil

The Iron Dwarf

getting a little bit back on topic ( I know that is almost unheard of here ) I would guess that the one shown by knitebee http://members.armourarchive.org/knitebee/caldron2.JPG would be made from 4 panels each of which has a large rad on each corner and 3 sides with a slight curve and one with a mor...

The Iron Dwarf

I don't think I'll ever order anything off of this forum again because of all this. Not unless I can wait to pay until I actually get my order in the mail and it fits right. I have just bought a helm from an armourer here on the forum and I am not on the same continent as them, it was as described ...

The Iron Dwarf

Halv, you have skills I dont and maybe I have skills you dont so here we are all learning and I for one appreciate it.

The Iron Dwarf

there will be quite a few at tewksbury in England in just over a week for a big event and the folowing weekend kelmarsh. I am trading at both but dont make armour. shortie n on here is from wicklow and he is going, maybe if you ask he can get some contact details of those he sees there. there are ar...

The Iron Dwarf

Maeryk wrote: A trick there, if you don't know it already, is to make your spit out of square stock. You make the "hooks" on the verticals that it sits in tight enough that the square stock won't rotate in it.. and then round the stock where it meets the other hook. That way you can lift t...

The Iron Dwarf

most of what I make is not intended to be LH quality and many do that kind of stuff. I aim more for practicality and not looking too out of place ( often with a bit of work like blackening a firebox ) a lot of the kit here at events is crap and my stuff is a lot better, a lot of people would accept ...

The Iron Dwarf

as I see it constructing an authentic looking cauldron like knitebee's one is not too hard constructing one that is sealed and can be used and looks like knitebee's one is a lot harder. welding all the overlaps inside means a good seal though both the welding and the cleaning up afterwards will not ...

The Iron Dwarf

I would have the overlaps and would try to get it looking like Knitebee's one, would weld it inside and grind the welds so you could see the edge of the plates without the weld being to obvious. the gaps where the side overlaps meet the bottom would not be hard to seal this way and on the outside I ...

The Iron Dwarf

I think I could do the bottom easy, have raised cold the edge on a pan out of 3mm ( about 1/8" ) thick steel and got it to 90 degrees using an old lump hammer, I annealed it once when I got half way and I think I would weld and rivet all the seams. I can also dish things like this on my press f...

The Iron Dwarf

next you may want to know how to make a snap? here is how I did it get a suitable sized bit of a hardenable steel, I used 20mm round about 125mm long get a ball bearing of the size of dome you want, place it on a bit os steel strip with a hole in just the right size to let the ball in just under hal...

The Iron Dwarf

looks good halv, personally I prefer the heavier looking one from Knitebee here http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=93255&highlight=cauldron but I dont think I could do a reasonable job of making either type ( I may try the type knitebee did if I get time one day )

The Iron Dwarf

will bring a wheelbarrow full of rivets ( must dig them out soon ). a range of dishing forms, 2 of each size of ballstake and all the other stakes I have made up. several forges and several of each type of firebox. if you were to find me on friday and help me set up you could have a look at everythi...

The Iron Dwarf

here I believe sword blades are made from EN45 or EN42 spring steel

The Iron Dwarf

to get a round head on the end you peen you need a rivet snap, a chunk of metal with a domed indentation in it that you hit with a hammer, needs to be hard.
I have made a few of these recently

The Iron Dwarf

here we buy them by the kilo and 1 kilo is just under 2 uk pounds, dont know how many nails that is but I also make use of the pointy end on spits I make to go with the fireboxes

The Iron Dwarf

I use 6 inch nails, cut them to length and peen the cut end over, you have a nice flat headed steel rivet, try the smaller ones too, copper nails are good as well for leather to metal

The Iron Dwarf

well I cant help much on what tools for what job as I only make em and would advise asking those who use them to help you with that side of it.
I will be getting there late friday afternoon and am on pitch E9.
come along and we will see who is the shortest

The Iron Dwarf

if you have funds in your PP account it uses those first unless you tell it to do something else. if you have a credit card on PP it would use that second and a bank account 3rd. I think it is only if they have to get the money from your bank account or if you select sending as an e check that it is...

The Iron Dwarf

You... Iron Dwarf are always so business like. I try I try to send out items the same day as I get paid I try to improve the items I make I try to have a range of items at each event I go to if I can sell half a ton at most events I am happy. in the next few weekends I have two major events and eve...

The Iron Dwarf

im selling nearly as much on ebid as on ebay at the moment, 6 recent sales all in the $100 to $300 range. sometimes I can direct people who see some of my stuff on ebay to other items on ebid. here fees on ebay inc PP average out at about 15% on ebid I pay 2% and could do it for free ( and I only pa...

a little forgework for begginers in England