The Armour Archive

Jason Grimes

Here is the picture of the early burgonets that date from about 1530. m Here is a picture of one, maybe earlier, that has a rudimentary tail but no bill. 1520's? m Here is one with it's protective strap plates, maybe an earlier version of the top ones? 1520's? m The skull on this one has been left r...

Jason Grimes

No.

I have been trying to match woodcuts and paintings to particular styles in order to get a better date on them. I don't have much trust for the dates museums put on the helmets, at least for the early versions. If you come across any though, I would be very interested.

Jason Grimes

Sure no problem, I will put it up tonight when I get home from work.

Jason Grimes

Email sent. I hope it was to the right place. Let me know if you didn't get it.

Jason Grimes

I have been doing some fair amount of research into this very subject. Take a look at this thread here.. m As far as I can tell, the burgonet went through a rapid evolutionary development between 1515 and about 1535. It appears to me that the burgonet evolved from the simple skull caps that were so ...

Jason Grimes

I would love to put them in my gallery, if you like.

Jason Grimes

Very nice job!!! Too shiney for my taste, but still very nice. Are you or your customer going to make the hat that gets pointed to it? Thank you! I do not understand your ask. Do you think the hat which attach to helmet? Do you have some pictures, what do you think? Thank you very much you will sen...

Jason Grimes

Jeff J wrote:Brian, could you ask Patrick what he'll charge me to get a matching bevor made for it?

If I'm not mistaken, Patrick is going to make a bevor for it as well. Too cool!! Very nice job Patrick!!

Jason Grimes

Looking good Gregory!! What gauge of bronze are you using? Are you going to do the spiral breasts on this one?

Jason Grimes

The wire we had on hand to experiment with was annealed already. While flattening isn't hard, I thought annealing beforehand might help prevent the overlap from skipping off itself and other problems, so we're going to experiment with that this week with different wire. Thanks for all the ideas guy...

Jason Grimes

That's cool!! I didn't know about the pollaxes, thanks Jon, Joram. Thanks Dave for the list of oriental weapons. I keep forgeting about the huge variation of those weapons. No matter how outlandish a fantasy artist makes a weapon, you can bet that there was two or three weapon types just like it at ...

Jason Grimes

Those are looking very nice Doug. Looks to me that your overlap is just a smidgen too long. If you shorten it up a bit I think you will get more links like the two far right ones in your picture. I am currently working on a mail mantle out of Steve's links and some links that I have made myself. The...

Jason Grimes

Very nice job!!! Too shiney for my taste, but still very nice. Are you or your customer going to make the hat that gets pointed to it?

Jason Grimes

The only dual ended weapons that I can think of are pikes (like the early Greek ones) where there is a blade on one end and a short spike on the other. It wouldn't be too practical to have blades on both ends, depending on how you use it, it could get dangerous for the user. Through out history thes...

Jason Grimes

If I remember correctly the Romans tinned their mail. I know that during the pre-Viking and into the Viking age they tinned helmets and other items, but I don't know if we have any examples of mail. They had the technology to tin mail in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, but I think there is only o...

Jason Grimes

I have seen them used in early 16th century Germany for both mitten gauntlets and for the rare three fingered gauntlets. Although they were a little more form-fitting then the examples posted. I don't recall seeing a military example of them any earlier though.

Jason Grimes

Hi Juhani,

Yep, that is from the 16th century and it is a jousting helmet for the tournament. It's also not painted but etched and decorated with enamel.

Jason Grimes

That looks great Dweezle!! I wish my outfit was 1/10th as good as yours.

My only question is why do you have the legs of your ubberhosen detach? Got any close-ups of your shoes?

Jason Grimes

Just a word of caution, "Triumph" was a propaganda piece that Maximillian had made, and if I remember correctly depicts his second marrage. Even though the work was done in 1516 the events portrayed are from 1494 when he married Bianca Maria Sforza the niece of duke Ludovico Moro of Milan. What is s...

Jason Grimes

There are so many, I don't know who to choose.

I guess my first would be Leonidus at Thermopoly (I think that is the place, check spellings please) and the first William Marchal.

Jason Grimes

That's not a mantle, that's a cape!!

Very nice pictures Thomas. Very cool, I like the gauntlets.

Jason Grimes

I have seen some roping on late 15th century sallets like the Sigsmund harness, but it's not exaclty what you might be thinking. The edges of the plates them selves do not have rolls, instead the brass borders have the rolls built into them and the roping consists of fine lines filed (?) into the ro...

Jason Grimes

Fantastic, thanks so much, that is very helpful to me!!!! Much appreciated. one question, whats the point of the false rivets? Purely aethetic? On munition armour they were sometimes left off, but yes they are there to make the piece symetrical. Alexander, very nice. Is it based on the Pistoia alte...

Jason Grimes

Hi Wyrm, I don't have a picture of an example from the time period you are interested in. But here are some 16th century examples that I have done. The first pic is of the fauld and tasset. m The second pic is of the inside of both. m In this case I constructed the fauld so that the lames articulate...

Jason Grimes

Hi Wyrm, Just to add to Thomas' points. The example you posted was not constructed very well. What might be confusing you is that the breastplate is too tall for the guy wearing it. The waist should be no lower then his elbow. With a waist this low it pushes the fauld down too far. Even for a very l...

Jason Grimes

Very cool!! I like it. You need to post picts of your block and tools, etc.

Jason Grimes

Hi amhlaidgh, Wow, that would be one expensive pair of gauntlets. The cheapest baleen I have seen (in Fairbanks anyway) is at the local tourist shops. Probably not the best place to buy it, you might be able to get it cheaper. A 3' section I saw was around $200.00 and you might be able to get a pair...

Jason Grimes

I understand what you are saying Gaston, and I agree with most of it. I don't think anyone here would say that Ugo's work is anything but awesome. His technical skill and eye for shape and form is top notch as far as I'm concered. I have no doubt that he could build armour to exacting historical sta...

Jason Grimes

Aren't modern armourers at a distinct disadvantage. The armourers of the past had to produce well fitted, attractive, and effective armour, but they did not have to exactly reproduce any other piece. They could create not recreate. Well they were still constrained by the wishes of their clients jus...

Jason Grimes

That's too bad.

It would be a royal pain to fix too I bet.

Jason Grimes

Our nastiest find was a box full of an early maximilian kit that had all of it's flutes pounded out of it in an attempt to make it appear to be earlier. All you can do is shake your head and think.. "who the hell....?" J Hey Joe, do you think that maybe this was done in the middle of the 16th centu...

Jason Grimes

That would be one that I scanned out of a book I found at the library on Eskimo armour. I don't have a reference handy, but I think this one is Chukchi and made out of walrus hide and either walrus or whale bone lamellae. I guess they used to use polar bear bone as well, but these lamellae look to b...

Jason Grimes

I have to agree with Erik's opinion about Patrick, and I think I understand his meaning of "historical accuracy". I have the upmost respect for anyone who goes through and tries to make a living building armour. I know I would not be able to do it, I'm not even going to try. But there are trade offs...

Jason Grimes

I seem to have foiund another late one. From Durer's [i[Great Passion[/i] c. 1510. One thing to keep in mind... it appears that Durer kept old armour around as props. What is depicted in his drawings dated to the early 16th century could easily be about 50-100+ years older than that date. Using his...

Jason Grimes

To make these kind of compound curves/flares I just simply hammer the edges where the flares sould be until the curve is the right shape. The metal will curve naturally, you don't need to do anything special. So in the end you are making both at the same time. Just make sure not to hammer the center...