The Armour Archive

Thomas Powers

I presume you know how you react to jetlag?

I tend to budget the first day for nothing that I need to deal with details.

Thomas Powers

So *that's* where you learned raiding and plundering!

Thomas Powers

Won't go for $460 I foresee a dratic price rise during the last few minutes of the auction what with 25 people already in the game---note too that "reserve not met". So don't break your heart on that one...

As a smith I'd gladly trade my b1 and buy a new set of blades for it for a B3!

Thomas Powers

There is also the methodology of buying high grade tools *used* and so save a boatload of money. You do need to be able to evaluate their condition though or take an experienced person along to vet them. There are a lot of older commercial grade tools out there with decades of life left in them! I d...

Thomas Powers

If it was 2/8 then removing 1/8 makes it too thin for real smithing. If it was 3/8 then you have thrown away 1/2 the use life of the anvil; If you took a new car to a mechanic and he returned it with 125000 miles on the engine; would you thank him? If the pits were small they didn't need, removing t...

Thomas Powers

OK so with 33 years smithing I have to make a comment on what you said: " milled the face down so it is perfectly flat and totally free of pits" Makes me shiver! Machinists and Weldors mess up more anvils than smiths do! Machining the face often ruins an anvil as the hardened face on a traditionally...

Thomas Powers

What aspect of history? Social, political, economic,....

Would a book on the metallurgy of their ferrous swords be of interest? "The Celtic Sword" Radomir Pleiner

Thomas Powers

I'm still picking up old wheel weights alongside roads

Thomas Powers

please look into RSI I used to lift and carry an anvil that weighed more than I did from one side of the house to another---for years. Now I regret it *greatly* and make my students and apprentice use help to move them. Think of it as wearing a seatbelt you can not wear one for decades with no issue...

Thomas Powers

I made some "Irish Nails" for the Irish LH group I was president of; they got a lot of use at our annual big demo at the Dublin, Ohio Irish festival---we were using them as stab sticks to clean the trash from our area that was pretty much rock hard ground/gravel. Whenever the head became loose we co...

Thomas Powers

I have been using the above for years. You are correct about vibration transferring to my hand. Unfortunately also use them for stakes so I can't change to a wood handle or even wrap the handle. So I just wear a heavy glove. let me rephrase this after being around armouring for about 35 years---our...

Thomas Powers

One of the nice things about using resin is that you can reheat it to reseat a piece or to remove it.

Thomas Powers

The colour will indicate the temperature; a nice blue will do it.

Thomas Powers

Not in the forge but above it if it's solid fuel, in front of it if it's a gasser 500 degF is chump change for a forge of either type.

Thomas Powers

Theophilus does describe using molten sulfur to affix a knife with a broken tang back into the grip. Often such specific details are not well covered as they were either "common knowledge" or "trade secrets". Might have to look through guild pronouncements as to "not skimping on component XYZ when h...

Thomas Powers

It's the last marking on my kitchen oven; but you could also use a propane torch or gas stove burner or charcoal grill and heat the mandrel to a nice blue colour if made from medium carbon steel and previously heated to non-magnetic and quenched in warm oil.

Thomas Powers

And you can repeat the case hardening every time you resharpen your gravers; should only make them cost many times buying proper ones and slow you down immensely---go for it! I was suggesting spring for repousse tooling; I go with triangular and square files for making your own gravers. (Use golf ba...

Thomas Powers

take a look at the "metal polisher" in the Hausbuchs for examples of pre modern finishing. Also "Cathedral Forge and Waterwheel" Gies & Gies; page 66 shows a picture of both using a whetstone and a rotary grindstone on swords. 9th century. Grit, oil and a leather covered board works if you have time...

Thomas Powers

Your Kitchen doesn't have an Oven?! Have you reported the landlord for not providing the appropriate facilities for habitation? (and why we suggest using vegetable oil warmed to around 140 degF for the quenchant; doesn't miff the SO as much when you give it a quick wipe and toss it in the kitchen ov...

Thomas Powers

For something as small as arrow sockets it's not that tedious to Grind the wee little thing. I like sucker rod as the joint end can be forged to fit the hardy hole and the alloy is tough---try to find the smallest sucker rod possible as the 1" stuff would end up being tedious. (I would forge to roug...

Thomas Powers

dull red is around 1000 degF most ovens don't go that high

Thomas Powers

See what Raito said ++ Were you thinking of using key stock to make chisels from? TOTALLY WRONG ALLOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Give some thought to repousse a garage door spring can provide a lifetime supply of tools and a one firebrick forge powered by a common propane torch is all the heat you would n...

Thomas Powers

Sounds like good craziness to me....

Thomas Powers

so far just a cite from a NY times article "Mayan kings and other royalty often went to their graves with jade suits" Don't have access to my old anthropology and archeology library down here

Thomas Powers

Are there not meso-american examples as well?

Thomas Powers

IR safety glasses! A gas or coal or charcoal forge puts out almost no UV and lots of IR; so gas welding lenses not arc welding!

Thomas Powers

I think tool rolls and convenient baskets and if you are worried about theft; have an apprentice watch it!

Thomas Powers

Reil Burner: The inducer cone is a big player in getting things just right; however the centering of the orifice is very important as well. Also check that no crud has managed to block the orifice from the inside---teflon pipe tape is notorious for this. Removing any drilling burrs on the inside can...

Thomas Powers

As above; the longer it takes to make something the more expensive it is, the more upkeep something takes the more expensive it is over time

Thomas Powers

The higher your status the whiter your whites!

Thomas Powers

Note too that if you have a stable shop why would you need a tool chest? Racks or shelves would be much more useful. It is when you are moving around that a good chest helps. Woodworkers are so lucky. Joseph was a carpenter and so scads of paintings of the baby Jesus hanging out around the home/shop...

Thomas Powers

"Tentsmiths says Sibley's patent called for an 18' footprint and 12' height. Any idea on how the stove worked? I'm assuming it was offset a safe distance from the pole. At 18' it would need to have been really small." Even better Ft Selden near Radium Springs NM has an original sibley stove in their...

Thomas Powers

Reminds me of when I moved from OH to NM and I had to clean out the smithy---had a friend show up with a small dump truck---I'd show him a piece of steel and if he said he wanted it I'd toss it in the truck. If he said he didn't want it, I'd wait till his back was turned and toss it in the truck... ...

Thomas Powers

Weed burners tend to be quite oxidizing; is scaling an issue or will you be working with extra thick pieces?

Thomas Powers

Cone tent with a center pole; probably based on the ACW sibley; but in one of the period renaissance army camp pictures they have the exact same thing! So documentable. Mine was sold off after the filming of the Blue and the Gray, we bought two at a yard sale for US$40 a piece; we've been using them...

Re: Munich Travel Plans, Feb 2014

Re: Hammers/other tools for beginner amourer

Re: Hammers/other tools for beginner amourer

Re: Hammers/other tools for beginner amourer

Re: Hammers/other tools for beginner amourer

Re: Hammers/other tools for beginner amourer

Re: Can anyone recommend a good book on Celtic history?

Re: Plasmaman modifies the tin/lead alloy dish.

Re: Dishing, how do you do it?

Re: Cutler's Resin. Source?

Re: Dishing, how do you do it?

Re: Cutler's Resin. Source?

Re: socket mandrel

Re: socket mandrel

Re: Cutler's Resin. Source?

Re: socket mandrel

Re: Engraving Questions

Re: finishing of blades.

Re: socket mandrel

Re: socket mandrel

Re: Assembling Rivted Mail

Re: Engraving Questions

Re: Information wanted: Medieval Frame/Bow saws

Re: stone armour found

Re: stone armour found

Re: Setting up a burner for doing hot work?

Re: Tools and toolchests

Re: Setting up a burner for doing hot work?

Re: What white is period white?

Re: What white is period white?

Re: Tools and toolchests

Re: Not exactly armor but .... Period tents

Re: Wash DC-sheet steel, tools & armour available for pickup

Re: Setting up a burner for doing hot work?

Re: Not exactly armor but .... Period tents