The Armour Archive

Jason Grimes

15th century brig in general have much smaller plates, the trade make rivits in triangles, and seem to have a more "polished" look to their construction. This is one of the reasons I thought it might push this into the 16th century. The number of rivets and how they are positioned on the ...

Jason Grimes

Yes I think I remember that text being discussed on the previous thread. It just doesn't look like the date fits. I don't have any proof of course, but I would be much more comfortable if they added a 100 years to that date range. If you look at how many rivets are being used for the small plates, h...

Jason Grimes

Are we sure that is a 14th century piece? It looks more 15th or even 16th century to me.

Jason Grimes

Well we do know one area where forge welding was definitely used for the manufacture of armour. That is during the bloomery or fining process when the bloom is wrought to remove excess slag and to distribute the carbon a little. I don't know if it is possible, but maybe sometimes some evidence from ...

Jason Grimes

The helmet skull is a burgonet, and the visor and bevor don't belong to it. You can see where the the cheek pieces were hinged and connected to the helmet. Normally closed helmets don't have crests this large, even later ones.

Jason Grimes

Here is a gauntlet I did. I tried to follow the Black Prince's knuckles but more munition in form. All I did was dish them and then used a rounded punch and a wood block to put the points in. My goal here was for a gauntlet that would have been worn by a common soldier and not a higher ranking one. ...

Jason Grimes

I was thinking that not only would why you were making the trip affect what you need to bring with you, but also how far you are traveling. On a day trip I think you would only bring what you needed for the reason you are making the trip. For anything longer then that, you need to start worrying abo...

Jason Grimes

Good luck Dan, and stay safe.

Jason Grimes

Thanks Sean, I had completely forgot about that aspect. I don't think I would say they were for plandishing the lames though. It might work for unfluted gorgets but It would not work very well for the fluted ones. Not only that but I don't think it's a good way to line up the shape of your lames any...

Jason Grimes

Hi Ceawlin,

They are false rivets, they don't connect to anything. I think they were put there for symmetry, maybe to make the neck lames look more substantial or stronger. The rivets just below them on the main body plates are false as well.

Jason Grimes

I can make a stab at some of your questions, but remember this is not my time period and I'm shooting from the hip. Vambraces: In my experience with later "splinted" vambraces (splinted as in it only covers half of the arm), you want the lower cannon to kind of follow the back of the hand....

Jason Grimes

Hi Gordon, Sophia, I don't know if I would call these a waffenrock, which are more of a over coat/jacket with attached skirt. In English these skirts are called "bases", in modern German they are called "Panzerschurz" or "armour apron". I don't know the period name for ...

Jason Grimes

These guys are more then just Landsknechten, they are also trabanten (body guards) for the guy (officer?) in front on the horse. This is probably why they are wearing matching clothing. If I remember correctly having a black man in your retinue was a status symbol and a sign of how wealthy you were....

Jason Grimes

Thanks Egfroth,

It has been a learning exercise, and a lot of fun too.

I will keep everyone updated on the progress, but not for awhile. Now I'm getting ready for an event in June so I'm going to use what little time I have to making the armour for it.

Jason Grimes

Hi Everyone, Here is the final result and I'm pleased for the most part about how it turned out. Although I'm still getting small areas of peeling because I didn't prepare the surface as well as I should have. I didn't use egg tempra paint for this, instead I mixed the pigment with the hide glue and...

Jason Grimes

That is looking very nice Matt. I agree with everyone else, you keep getting better and better. I too would like to see a picture from the side.

Jason Grimes

I have to agree with Jeffery on this. I was talking with Patrick Thaden about metal workers he has talked to in his travels around the world. When he tried to ask them pointed questions about metal thickness and patterning they would just look at him with blank stares. They would simply say, "I...

Jason Grimes

Ambrose, There is a picture of a late 16th century doublet in Stone's glossary. If I remember correctly it was padded and faced with deer leather (soft doe leather?). This was usually limited in use to full suits of plate so the various pieces and parts could be hung from it. Brigantine was mostly w...

Jason Grimes

Zweihammer, take everything I say here with a grain of salt, as I have not tried this yet. Along with what Gregoire and other have said, I would try using a steel electrode instead of a brass one for the negative electrode. That might be stoping the ions from traveling from the positive to the negat...

Jason Grimes

I think you are right James! If that is the case, then this helm has been significantly modified at some point in time.

Jason Grimes

Well, if it is real, it would be very late (1590's or later). This would be classed as a closed helm.

Jason Grimes

Hi Aaron, I have alway liked these suits as well, one of these years I would like to make one. I have some pictures of a tonlet suit that was made for Maximillian that I can send to you, if you don't already have them. I think you already know how big of a bite you have taken for such a project. If ...

Jason Grimes

Hi Ernst, Will do on keeping you updated. After the helm had dried overnight a large section on the back of the helm de-laminated. I didn't prepare the surface as well as I should have. I have fixed it up today, so I wasn't able to paint it. I will see tomorrow if my efforts was worth it or not. The...

Jason Grimes

Raymond, that is very interesting. I had thought about doing that but with just egg yoke instead of the hide glue. I was also worried about the color being bright enough, but maybe that is the wrong way to go about it. If you don't mind I have a couple of questions. Was the paint sturdy? Did they ad...

Jason Grimes

Ok, I think I have this figured out, a bit anyway. Traditionally to make gesso, you use 1 part of hide glue and 11 or 12 parts of water. Then you mix in some kind of whitening agent, like ground chalk or marble. This is what I did for my first batch but it turned out too thin. I re-mixed a batch usi...

Jason Grimes

I had thought that I had some better pictures of the sketchbook, but all I have is the poor copies you probably already have. I then remembered that Matthias Pfaffenbichler had several pictures of it in his Medieval Craftsmen Armourers book. Unfortunately he doesn't show the pages you are interested...

Jason Grimes

Found it. I hope this helps.

[img]http://www.grimmarmoury.com/images/armour/footcombat1485.jpg[/img]

Jason Grimes

I think I have a picture of one of the helms shown in the Thun sketchbook that still has the sallet/gothic look but is more like a great bascinet. I'm pretty sure it was made for tournament foot combat becuase it bolts to the breast plate and has large breaths punched in the bevor. I'm not sure that...

Jason Grimes

This also depends on the skill of the celator, and the fact that he might not have even see her in person. Depending on one coin for a likeness, even Roman, is probably not a good idea. I don't know when this coin was minted, but it is well known in ancient coin circles, that the first coins of a ru...

Jason Grimes

There is a Celtic statue that depicts mail from the 3rd or 4th century B.C. Connoly details it in his book "Rome and Greece at War". I think the statue is from Spain??

Jason Grimes

Thanks Hal,

It was a lot of fun to put it together. Do you mean the gap between the top and bottom front plates? On the origional it is even larger then the gap I put in, but the bottom rear plate covers it nicely.

Thanks again for such a fun kit.

Jason Grimes

That is a good point, I'll try roughing it up a bit with some sandpaper. My first try at the gesso didn't work so well, so 'm going to try again tonight.

Jason Grimes

Hi Brennainn,

No, no plans on fighting in it.

Jason Grimes

Hi Doug, Take a closer look at the pictures. This one is so close to the Dargen helm that even the rust patterns match, and the missing rivets. The picture has been altered by a paint package, it is the Dargen helm. That one was made in the 20th century. It is very close to the Dargen Helm in Berlin.

Jason Grimes

Oops, after a bit more research, it looks like egg tempra was first used around 600AD and it supplanted the Roman use of some kind of hot wax paint. ??