The Armour Archive

Thomas Powers

Actually in "Steel Making Before Bessemer, vil 1 Blister Steel" 6 days at a low red heat is mentioned for 1" sq bars 10' in length...making blister steel from wrought iron of course.

Thomas Powers

I remember getting permission at a small museum in Oklahoma to lay on the floor and slide under an exhibit and take a picture up at the inside of the piece...wish I could go with all y'all.

Thomas Powers

Ok where do you draw the line between case hardening and blister steel which was what files were made from, (well Theophilus was basically using case hardening to make his files) I've "case hardened" wrought iron till it had a carbon content of cast iron all the way through doing a blister steel exp...

Thomas Powers

2 inches in diameter---if it's thick enough!

Thomas Powers

I was more interested in case hardened vs blister steel vs steeled working surface vs high carbon bloom vs plain wrought iron---another metallographic/metallurgy investigation...

Thomas Powers

I'd consider plating to be more durable than clear coat. *but out of the expense range for most of us*

Thomas Powers

I don't know any BLADESMITH using 1030 or 1040 for swords or even 4130. 5160 is about as low as they go for "real" swords; save for folks doing japanese hardening where 1050 is often used. L6, 1070/1080 make good swords. 1095+ tend to be brittle for swordmaking.

Thomas Powers

Forcible removal of said people into their domain? Nothing says they like your work quite as much as co-opting it and you!

Thomas Powers

Wayne Coe, US$8 per running foot IIRC.

Thomas Powers

Note that that color chart changes mid way between oxide colours which are "stable", based on the thickness of the oxide layer and heat emission colours based on the temperature of the metal and so not stable.

Thomas Powers

cast pewter pilgrims tokens

and of course as owner of a honking big screwpress: struck coins/medals; my last bag of 1000 brass planchets ran me US 15 cents a piece.

Thomas Powers

US$ not euros

Most of the home built air hammers I have seen used surplus parts at substantial saving except for the control mechanism as it needs to be in tip top shape. They were also made by people with a lot of experience in pneumatics and so they *know* what works and doesn't!

Thomas Powers

If it was "special" it would be documented so they could sell it for more!

Thomas Powers

Perhaps it would be best to not talk about left hand and right hand; but hammer hand and tong hand as some folks are sinister forgers! Anything that make you have to grip your hammer handle harder is to be avoided---so handles that are too thick, handles with no terminal bulbs, gloves, being upset, ...

Thomas Powers

Not so much burning as WI ready for a good solid weld....WI can be a very "juicy" weld....

Thomas Powers

Loosely; holding it tightly transmits all the shock into your hand/arm. So sand/rasp down the handle so it's easy to put your fingers around and leave a good terminal bulb so you don't have the feeling the hammer can get away from you. If you don't like a sliding grip a little beeswax rubbed on the ...

Thomas Powers

I think my most authentic piece of garb ran me 25 cents out of pocket---I bought a moth eaten wool blanket out from under a dog at a garage sale and make it into my beggar's garb. Fake wear NEVER looks right. The real stuff shows! Your comment on how at each step it would become more accurate and le...

Thomas Powers

moneybags! mine was US$25 using a heavy piece of canvas 10'x20' I bought at an auction and natural fiber rope from the fleamarket. all poles and stakes were scrounged---local Electrical company used to coppice miles of forest for us... Last time I was at Pennsic they were happy to add classes on-sit...

Thomas Powers

Memo to self: *NEVER* go to fondue party at Mark's...

Thomas Powers

Acid Etched Kanji says *BEWARE*!

Thomas Powers

Yes salts are available for both heating (high temp salts) *and* quenching (low temp salts) and are particularly good for heat treating swords where evenness of temperature and lack of oxidation can make a major difference. They are dangerous to use and corrosive on their containers; but many Pro's ...

Thomas Powers

Silk is a great conspicuous consumption material: It's shiny, has a lovely hand, takes bright dyes brilliantly, costs a lot, and wearing it outside destroys it! You really want to brag? Make a tent out of it! (Historical examples known!!!!!)

Thomas Powers

just don't go for the cajun blackened gauntlets!

Thomas Powers

Heat a small sample to red/orange, quench in water and check brittleness

Thomas Powers

worth about 1/10 the buy it now price IMNSHO

Thomas Powers

Unfortunately what you really want is not the hardness but the charpy test values for differing tempering temps---how much energy is absorbed during an impact derived failure.

Thomas Powers

where's the brazier for the cauteries? Burn in the healing pus!

(never asked about field testing and had assumed an either celibate or "interesting" lifestyle what with over sizing it...)

Thomas Powers

Regarding ropes: are you familiar with what types of rope stretch and how much? Which get looser in rain and which tighter? Tow vs line ropes? This information would be rather common knowledge to folks using them daily; but nowadays it's rather like folks saying "wool" without realizing the hundreds...

Thomas Powers

I had a friend who quenched a knife blade but it was late at night and so he left it on the bench to temper in the morning---came back and it was in 3 pieces next morning. 1075 will make a knife... Mac, 300 is better than nothing; but a bit higher would be better still---depending on the alloy, quen...

Thomas Powers

yes you can use your oven if it gets hot enough Note however that oven settings are often far far off from reality and at least get an oven thermometer in addition temper IMMEDIATELY AFTER QUENCHING! if you are not ready to do it right at least temper to 400 deg F NOW to keep your piece from crackin...

Thomas Powers

At one Pennsic a fellow at the knifemakers confab had made a roman 3 jaw speculum, very nicely done though he had erred a bit on the scale of the one in the picture he based it on. (to the OUCH end of the spectrum)

Thomas Powers

Randal I was once approached by a television show about reproducing some of the early British blackpowder rockets for actual use on a show as NM Tech has a powder press for loading them...The also do a lot of first responder and homeland security training. And supported exploration into high explosi...

Thomas Powers

The University is New Mexico Tech, www.nmt.edu, and while they're a great school for math, science and biology they are not really interested in the liberal arts treating them rather as a bastard redheaded stepchild with a bad lisp and loathsome skin disease... On the other hand they do do neat thin...

Thomas Powers

Pitch is flammable; remember the Romans used it for lighting the byways during the persecution of Christians... Even pitch adulterated with stuff to use for chasing or cutler's pitch. And pitch sticks too you as it burns---for extra fun!

Thomas Powers

I warn new students 3 times that their piece is about to burn and then I let them burn it as "they are not learning by telling"... I also start them out bladesmithing with a piece about twice as long as needed; so they can recover from burning their blade, a couple of times. I have even had a few te...

Re: Steel Flint Strikers, Strike-a-Lights & Fire Steels

Re: Trip to the Met, Sunday June 22nd

Re: Steel Flint Strikers, Strike-a-Lights & Fire Steels

Re: Shield boss question

Re: Steel Flint Strikers, Strike-a-Lights & Fire Steels

Re: Heat coloring steel

Re: Hardening question

Re: Small Crafts for Tokens

Re: WTB koawool

Re: Heat coloring steel

Re: Small Crafts for Tokens

Re: Pneumatic power hammer

Re: scrapyard steel

Re: what is the right way to hold your hammer?

Re: Note to self....coal forges get hot...

Re: what is the right way to hold your hammer?

Re: Crusading at Pennsic

Re: Crusading at Pennsic

Re: Historical blacksmith's ear protection

Re: Any Authentic Chinese / Japanese Sword Experts Here?

Re: Tempering temp for 1075?

Re: The Knights Templar

Re: Tempering temp for 1075?

Re: scrapyard steel

Re: Any Authentic Chinese / Japanese Sword Experts Here?

Re: Tempering temp for 1075?

Re: Medieval Surgeon

Re: Beds

Re: Tempering temp for 1075?

Re: Tempering temp for 1075?

Re: Medieval Surgeon

Re: Gas forges/torches

Re: Gas forges/torches

Re: Historical blacksmith's ear protection

Re: Note to self....coal forges get hot...