The Armour Archive

Thomas Powers

You don't need a steel one as the positive for the mold. A wooden one would work fine--may be even better if you have to make match plates.

You might even want a styrofoam one, lost styrofoam casting is done with steel.

Thomas

Thomas Powers

For smithing a hard face and large mass are the important things, you can use a post vise to hold hardy tooling so you don't need a hardy hole (it's nice but not necessary). You can forge a bick so you don't need a horn. You need a flat hard face to hammer on and enough mass undeneath it that the en...

Thomas Powers

The problem is that the stones are in a shallow but steep banked area a considerable distance from any possible extraction point---you can't float them out and dragging them a long ways over industrial rubble and yuck was not a very appealing option. We discussed waiting for a hard freeze and iceboa...

Thomas Powers

Why would it be cheaper since paper was made from rags and required a lot less labour than making vellum.

Thomas

Thomas Powers

I believe that "black form the forge" comment is listed in the catalog of the Greenwich Armoury exhibit that came through the US some time ago. I'll check tonight.

Thomas

Thomas Powers

I think that slow match would be *less* efficient as it would probably be harder to snuff. This type of lighter was still common over in Spain when I first visited in the early '70's. I bought several of them when I returned home---and I'm a non-smoker! the cotton looks like cotton batting with a wo...

Thomas Powers

Bring back something to forge into a blade to have as a souvenir!

Thomas

Thomas Powers

On the other hand---how many times have you sat bolt upright while watching something and said---"I know that piece!"

(Like the fire grate used in Lion in Winter...wrong century but I know the one it was patterened from...)

Thomas

Thomas Powers

Wulfe, reminds me of the time I caught on fire doing a billet. I was at a demo wearing my forging tunic and it caught some of the molten borax spray and started smouldering. Some folks in the crowd started telling me about it and my reply was "I know I'm on fire; just let me get this damn weld done!...

Thomas Powers

Tasha, Yes. I still have my first piece of SCA garb; now going on 26 years old---I keep it to whisper in my ear---remember you too were an idiot; perhaps If I had washed it it might not be so aggressive... With greater research the "bar" becomes much higher and any deficiencies much more "visible" a...

Thomas Powers

I concurr with Brewer; though I'd say to try to get them in at least decent loaner kit and perhaps to discuss *why* it's decent. Also look for people to mentor that are not only good but are willing and able to help them as they express an interest in certain areas. We propably all know folks who ar...

Thomas Powers

How about when all the modern sources are in obscure languages---which make it much harder to try to discern if they are any good or are just sharpening their personal or "governmental" axe... I've worked with some sources from the late 1930's that have wonderfull pictures of items that may no longe...

Thomas Powers

Hmm if you are pounding on it you want *MASS*. I'd go with a solid row of the crosspieces on edge. Or a 1/2" sheet of steel on top to "beef it up". Really you will be a lot happier working on a more massive table---it's like the difference in using a 75# anvil and a 250# anvil---it seems like the la...

Thomas Powers

Horses also sweat into thier harnesses; saddle soap is a traditional method of dealing with it.

Thomas

Thomas Powers

Ahhh, just stuff a 4x4 behind it and glue and lag bolt it.

Watching out for knots and grain runout is a mandatory skill using modern lumber these days.

Thomas

Thomas Powers

Do use water, the old grindstones were specifically designed for water use. However a drip can suspended over it is a much better idea because if the stones *sit* with one section in water and the rest dry that section will "soften" over time. Since this type of stone will commonly have a preferrred...

Thomas Powers

I've seen flamberge bladed rapiers---the early type that still had a "blade".

Thomas

Thomas Powers

"Honey, I've run out of rivits for those helms that are due this weekend----can you bring me over that sack of bodkin points..."

Thomas

Thomas Powers

Patrick, the local car parts store ought to stock a number of different pully pullers. Have you looked into greasing the shaft before installing the pully, there are a number of "anti seize" compounds out there. Back when I worked in the oil patch they would get it in 5 gal buckets and run through t...

Thomas Powers

The name comes from "flame" so waviness is a requirement, not size or type of sword.

Thomas

Thomas Powers

We had trouble with the 50# little giant throwing the flat belt over at a smithing group I was a member of, I used some duct tape around the pully and it worked a champ. Rather than a Scratch a nice indicator line made with a small sharp chisel and then filled with a bit of black paint makes it look...

Thomas Powers

You need a sharp point to scrastch things, a bit of work hardening helps too. All american pennies since 1984 are made from Zinc and are only copper plated. Shinyness is totally dependent of surface finish---you can have mirror polished steel or Al or they can be dull and non-reflective. Perhaps you...

Thomas Powers

1: wire gauges and sheet metal guages are *different* 2: some stainless steels are magnetic the austinetic ones are not 3: the state of the material---cold rolled, annealed, etc makes a big difference in how easy it cuts 4: I generally look at the stuff stainless looks different from aluminium 5: ch...

Thomas Powers

Folks you talking belt *sander* or belt *grinders*---there is a difference though we generally feel free to abuse our tools. I use a belt grinder, Bader, over US$1K; it's what I trained on back in 1983, fastest belt switch I've ever seen, (and I've worked on burr king and wilton's), positive trackin...

Thomas Powers

Jeff the string should not "ride tightly across the top of the tiller" as that decreses the power of the bow and wears the string. It should be just slightly off the tiller---say the thickness of a 3x5 card.

Thomas

Thomas Powers

Per, there has been some interest for a much longer time. I attended an armourer's convention back in the late 70's IIRC and watched a fellow raising a helm---in wrought iron. (Sir Polidor Haraldson in the SCA)

Thomas

Thomas Powers

Vlad, I found a piece of square tubing, (scrap from an ornamental Iron shop) that the trailer hitch would pound down into. You could also find a chunk of pipe it fits into and drill and rivit it in place. As to lack of access to welding equipment---not a single muffler shop in your entire town? Shoo...

Thomas Powers

The chinese cast iron anvils are worthless ASO's (anvil shaped objects) for real smithing use. Harbour freight used to sell a cast *steel* russian anvil that was acceptable; but I believe was discontinued. (anvilfire reviewed it---look at their web page on how to test an anvil to see if it's a good ...

Thomas Powers

most of the sword scasbbards I have seen in museums were wood with thin leather or metal covering. Not perhaps what you wanted to hear; but the elkhide should make some dandy shoes.

Thomas

Thomas Powers

Carmel, I was freaked at first because we asked for a quote from the moving company that was doing our house move---$13,000. Then I thought about talking with a used industrial machinery company here in town about how they move their stuff all over the country. They put me in touch with a rigger who...

Thomas Powers

My primary intrests are in Pre-1000 ferrous metals technologies; as such I am a member of several groups. ILHS (time of Brian Boru), Regia, VestRus Vikings; but I'm interested more in the mining, refining and smithing aspects.

Seconday is Pre-Bessemer ferrous metals technologies.

Thomas

Thomas Powers

What Height will the join be at? If it's say 8' then the connector could be multipurpose. I would suggest something like the top and bottom edges be formed into acanthus leaves and curl out to provide a place to hold lantern bails or clothes. Some cut sheet brass soldered on it would make it really ...

Thomas Powers

Last Friday I had 18 skids of shop stuff delivered to my new home; yup, I had an entire flatbed semi dedicated to my shop move---the last 3 skids are expected Monday as there wasn't enough room for them... Of course the beverly and the power tools I hauled down in the station wagon. And my wife has ...

Thomas Powers

Since the horizontal loom dates centuries later and sprang can't be mistaken for a woven object how do they suggest that the fabrics were made?

Thomas

Thomas Powers

I once found a bolt end of heavy high quality linen at an interior decorator's yard sale---just enough to make one tunic for myself and for $5. They had used it as a wall covering in a very upscale house...

Thomas