The Armour Archive

Jason Grimes

This is a very cool sallet like the one posted in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Wien. Attributed to Lorenz Helmschied and from about 1495 if I remember correctly. The visor is not a full one though and the helmet has a brow re-enforce. The visor and the bevor are pierced with breaths and the helmet ...

Jason Grimes

Thomas James Hayman wrote:So you want 16th century pics of sallets ? i thought sallets died out late 15th?

Well sallets were still in use by around 1515 or so. So yes, just very early 16th century.

Jason Grimes

Though in the artwork of the period that depicts bishop's-mantles -- woodcuts of Landsknects -- that is well detailed, it shows mantles of round construction, which has to be with expansions; the linkrows curve smoothly. Hi Konstantin, I feel very sure that this is artistic convenience and not indi...

Jason Grimes

They were used to protect the neck and shoulders. Some of them were long enough to wrap around the upper arms or had extra rectangular patches of mail attached for the same. They were mostly made of riveted links, although some may have been made with alternating solid and riveted links. I made mine...

Jason Grimes

Nothing spectacular, just olive oil I'm curious about how well the finish is holding up on your armour. I used olive oil as well and it appears to be holding up well. Some of the rivet heads are showing bare metal, but no rust. I would expect this with mail though, that and I haven't worn it much. ...

Jason Grimes

Hi Mystic_Kavu, The old armourers did this and you can see the evidence of their hammer marks on the origional pieces of armour. This is also why many modern reproductions just don't look quite right. They don't have the subtle curves that a fully hammered piece does. And as a cool side effect the w...

Jason Grimes

I didn't do any cleaning on my mail before I blackened it. I thought about it but decided that it would have been a little more work then what I wanted to do. So far it hasn't appeared to make any difference.

Jason Grimes

Hi Stephen,

That looks great!! What kind of oil did you use?

Jason Grimes

It just struck me now that this may be a reason why italian armour was typically unfluted, as opposed to german. A lancetip would just skid over any flutes if they're properly hardened, but may well penetrate if they're soft. This is an interesting hypothisis Ralph. This might be why the Italian ar...

Jason Grimes

That's too cool Hal, I like it. I don't know much about these, but it looks good. I seem to remember the leaves having more relef to them on the origionals (vein, etc), but it might be just the pictures too.

Jason Grimes

Hi Ray,

It sounds like you got it too hot, like you said. It's the oil itself that makes the surface black. I had the best results when I cooked the armour slowly until the oil stopped smoking then it was done. I did mine on a mail mantle, here are the results:

http://www.grimmarmoury.com/gallery2/ma ... =xf03b67d8

Jason Grimes

Not too sure myself, all I have to go on is what Connolly wrote. He says on page 99, "At some time during the 5th century the so-called Italo-Corinthian helmet was adopted by the Etruscans (see page 100). This helmet was clearly derived from the Greek corinthian type but was worn as a cap on the top...

Jason Grimes

I think you have a match there. Cool!!

Jason Grimes

Connolly depicted the helmet held on with a strap. If you look at the 6th picture across the top on the site you posted you can see how the helmet was worn. Also you can see a hole where the strap might have been riveted. I think the helmet just looks big because of the occulars. The occulars are ve...

Jason Grimes

Hi Archie, They are what Peter Connolly calls an "Italo-Corinthian" style helmet. It is most likely Etruscan so not Greek at all. They didn't actually use the occulars to see through, they are there for decoration only. The helmet was worn back on the head, so I would could classify it as open-faced...

Jason Grimes

That is a very good point Alcyoneus.

For all we know the key end of the leather rotted off or was lost long ago. Someone could have "fixed" the key hole and plugged it with a patch or rivets.

Jason Grimes

PozdÃ„â€º ale pÃ…â„¢ece.... Here is picture I found probably here some time ago and I can't remeber details from discusion about it. http://www.volny.cz/hrabed/pom/munionInside.jpg I don't have picture from outside so it's hard to tell if one of (originaly leaher) belts is detachable. Hi HrabeD, As...

Jason Grimes

Hi Per, Yes Ralph that is one of many pic that i could show you. Please post them if you can. I would love to see them. Many medieval helmets show a very rough surface on the indside, i belive its not created by the hammer striking the steel, but by the stake over witch the helmet is forged. I have ...

Jason Grimes

Thanks Jason, just the kind of answer I was hoping for! Great!! Don't get me ramblin, you may never get me to stop. This has the advantage that it is possible to get much deeper, even with a shallow hammer, but that work from the outside is needed to draw out the edges. That is interesting, makes s...

Jason Grimes

Interesting, though! I never think of European settlers in America as having more Medieval/Reniassance style arms and armor, because our US history books generally begin during the 18th century! Very cool. -Gregory- A good book, if you can get your hands on it, is "Arms and Armor in Colonial Americ...

Jason Grimes

175 pounds would be like wearing an anvil on your back.

Not something I would enjoy.

Jason Grimes

Thanks Halberds, you are a true gentleman and I really admire your work as well. Thanks Fell, I feel that inside techniques or anvil dishing (I like that) is faster then traditional raising techniques, but there are some limits to it. Like I posted and see my responce to Per below. Per, thanks and p...

Jason Grimes

Great looking piece of work, btw! Thanks Ralph. Years ago I was lucky to come across a 1930 catalog for the Met. In it was a picture of the inside of a German sallet. The inside was completely cratered with hammer marks. Here is a picture of one that Alexander Graff posted in the "I want to be a Sw...

Jason Grimes

Hi Ingrid, Just to add to what Alexander posted. There are several drawings of Paul Dolstein reproduced in "Landsknecht Soldier 1486-1560" by John Richards. Although it is a book about the Landsknecht so there isn't much about the Swedes in it. Richards does translate some of Paul's text that relate...

Jason Grimes

The first one is a early 16th century gorget (1520-1540), and the second is a late 16th century munion (1550-1560). It's hard to tell by the photos, but if you look at the first you can see a single rivet in the middle on the right hand side that looks like it might be in a key-hole slot. On the lef...

Jason Grimes

Jason, I used to think the same thing with bevors, But I've seen period art where the bevor was worn under the breast. It kind of makes sense. A point or blade couldnt be forced between the plates that way. Most worn over it( ones with locking device or that bolt on), some under it (floater)...Otto...

Jason Grimes

Excellent work!

I like the splinted vambraces, were those on the effigy? The only thing I can see that is glaringly wrong is the bevor. The bevor usually sits on top of the breastplate, not under it.

Jason Grimes

Hi Alcyoneus,

Here is the picture of the armour from the Kunsthistorisches Museum...

http://www.grimmarmoury.com/gallery/vie ... d=maxbandw

Jason Grimes

Alcyoneus wrote: You wouldn't have any of these pictures scanned would you?

I will scan it in tonight.

Alcyoneus wrote:
Sounds possible. Don't you just love this place?

Yes!

Jason Grimes

Karl Helweg wrote:Jason, nice kit. Do you have an SCA kit?

Thanks Karl,

No, I've never been too interested in the SCA, I'm more of a LH guy.

Although I did briefly join in 1985 but didn't persue it. My kit is still in limbo, one of these years I will get up enough energy and start building a decent one.

Jason Grimes

Hey Alcyoneus, I just checked my copy of the Kunsthistorisches Museum catalog to take another look at the blackened Maximillian suit. Interesting enough it was made by H. Ringler of Nurnberg. Also this is the only suit of Maximillian armour that I have seen that has finger gaunlets associated with i...

Jason Grimes

Hi Alcyoneus, You wouldn't have any of these pictures scanned would you? I think Otto heinrich's armour is in A&AMK? If it is the one I'm thinking about, I wouldn't call it B&W. I would classify it as blackened Maximillian and the normally white parts are gilded on this suit. I should have said that...

Jason Grimes

I have done a gorget post similar to what both Hew and Mad Matt posted. For the key-hole post I cut a large rivet to length and then filed down the end to create a shoulder. Drill a hole in the gorget that is smaller then the rivet shank and your good to go. Another method like Matt's that I have us...

Jason Grimes

Here is my very bad costume and kind of a mishmash of armour. I don't fight in it, just did some Ren fairs.

http://www.grimmarmoury.com/gallery/vie ... 99_veltin1

Jason Grimes

Hi Karl, That is very interesting. I'm in the process of reading up on Germany at the end of the 16th century to see if I can find anything on the end of the Landsknecht that might show some light on the matter. The tassets and pauldrons had no such rasing though. Yes this is why I'm more inclined t...

Re: Jasons sallet?

Re: Cool

Re: Are we talking about the same thing?