The Armour Archive

Konstantin the Red

Wow -- that's one hard bargain in a roomie. He was there first, with his name on the paperwork. And I suppose on the cleaning deposit? Guess he wouldn't attach bookshelves to the wall either; sounds like freestanding bookcases are the only way. So, narrow things can fall behind the bookcases, into t...

Konstantin the Red

I do intend at some point to try the bungie bowling ball trick for dishing- But there is no good place for me to set up such a system. For me to try that, I need to build a sturdy, but completely collapsible frame that can be taken down and stored when not in use. A demountable tripod of 4x4 might ...

Konstantin the Red

Homemade semi-kluge solution if you're prepared to work a bit:
Prototype Plastic Basket Hilt

Doesn't much need heat, but might be the better with it.

Konstantin the Red

Aw, darn. Too bad. Well, invite him to some events just for fun.

Konstantin the Red

. . . a relatively simple helm to make (not by me of course). :x Rrrrrgh. Now what the hell is this? Folcric, if you can score the conical top off somebody who sells helmet halves and welded helm tops from these, fitting the lower half is not very challenging: drill holes for rivets into whichever ...

Konstantin the Red

The closer you look at any original, period piece, the more you see the small imperfections. Compare, for instance, a modern repro Pembridge with the original article, especially in the layout of the myriad breath holes. The modern piece like as not will show a geometrically precise grid layout. But...

Konstantin the Red

We're historical here -- surely we can do something (quite vicious) to Il Trovatore. I know, I know: Marx Bros., uh huh. Troubadors being historical, and all.

The thread won't be complete without this.

As thick as this fog is getting here, it's awfully von Suppé now.

Konstantin the Red

Heck yeah; this is what armourers use for high performance light weight steel when they don't want to work 1050. I think sword makers favor it as well, as acting pretty much like 1050-1070 steels; it's like their second favorite. 41xx-series steels feature a mix like 0.5% to 0.95% Cr, 0.12% to 0.3% ...

Konstantin the Red

These smartasses are sure having some fun hinting you'd probably best draw your own. Given that it's a banner or two, probably time to look hard at heraldic treatment of the dragon. As for drawing dragons on your own, always start with his spine. Braincase on one end and jaws scissoring out of that,...

Konstantin the Red

And some rather Frenchified armour authorities resort to "coudière," thereby showing us they can. That'd come out "coo-dee-err." "Voilà, monsieur, if we dip you into this sizzling caudron of fine tallow from the best boeufs, you shall be Frenchified -- " "That's French Fried, and I'll thank you not ...

Konstantin the Red

Beethoven, bay rhum, Bay City...

Konstantin the Red

Hardly. Couters = OF coute = modern Fr. coude (elbow) now pronounced cood, so cooters? vs. ME spelling cowters pronounced as it's spelled? Problem being we really aren't sure how OF or ME was pronounced. I'm settling for " cow -ters," primarily because the word's timehonored enough to be thoroughly...

Konstantin the Red

He's even got a bigger picture somewhere in the lot showing brass-clad tunnel vervelles with iron insides. I suspect the shanks are iron as well. Somebody back then was determined to to be let down by squishy brass.

Konstantin the Red

Mhm. Likeliest approach would be to do this on a hobby basis for a while -- the very condition of most of us here, like me. If you are mightily moved by armor and its beauties, we can start throwing book references at you, about as many as you like. And there are groups you can get with to see all t...

Konstantin the Red

So, Ken Hosford, a look at the kind of forms you'd be trying to execute. You are mostly following the human frame. Damned little of that is in precise geometrical solids. Spheres or hemispheres -- imprecise. Generally ovaled in one view, or two different views (say, plan and profile) if not more. No...

Konstantin the Red

Hey, Otto, how'd this old period liner stuffed with tow last you? You'd completed it in Jan '02. Horizontal quilting, since you didn't want the tow migrating downhill, and weren't, apparently, going over the entire piece with running stitches in and out and in again to hold the linen tow.

Konstantin the Red

After finding a thread back then on splithead hammers, took a sniff 'round eBay. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Raw-Hide-Soft-Face-Hammer-Mallet-Great-Collectible-/331549113653?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d31ddfd35 $19.50 Garland No.2 $12.45 and no bids. Garland No.1 $26.00 This one's a fixer-u...

Konstantin the Red

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4035

"Bassin-Eyy." A prize headshaker this one. I'm glad we're done with it.

Konstantin the Red

Thought he was still around.

Konstantin the Red

Some of the Old Guard in a heated discussion of the virtues of period helmet-stuffynge vs. Smurf blubber. December 2001.

Konstantin the Red

So, Vermillion, these?

German halberd (head)

Poleaxe

Suitably safetied, of course. We're keeping that in mind.

Konstantin the Red

Poster MRKS (he uses lowercase, mrks) makes titanium armor and components. Poster knuut, another lowercase guy, is Gordon Osterstrom of Welded Chain Mail in Tucson and offers titanium-wire mail. Yes, being able to make a bowl shape, large or small, is an essential part of turning sheet metal into ar...

Konstantin the Red

I didn't know it was from Calchis. And also, what's the deal with these great bascinets? Are they infantry helmets? Do we have any artistic representation at all? Tons of representation, on knightly memorial effigies, both brasses and stone, dating to the first third of the fifteenth. They hung on ...

Konstantin the Red

If that happens all the way, do we get 101 Strings out of the deal?

Konstantin the Red

Like this from Instructables: http://www.instructables.com/id/Leg-Vise-Threadless/ Screw, Schmoo.

Roller holder like for the above parallel guides to run them smoothly in and out; their pix show them, but not this well.

Hardware: Bench Screws for this very thing.

Konstantin the Red

Leg vises all look antediluvian -- neither paint nor smoothness of finish nor nuthin'. Don't let appearances fool you. They are insanely strong, intended to be hammered on -- a mechanics'/machinists' vise isn't and will get cratered if you try -- and easy to make springs for. Their vulnerable point ...

Konstantin the Red

We started thinking about quilted camail lining in Spring 2001. Though the word to Search on may be "aventail" if looking to see if I missed an earlier discussion back in our pp.800's where I found this. Featuring Tim Finkas (RIP), Ernst, Ideval (probably still had his two little dots then) and Chef.

Konstantin the Red

If we can come up with a pun on Buxtehude, we'd deserve to take over the world! -- the Known World! -- all of the Internetz!

Anyway, not Haydn my light under a bushel.

Konstantin the Red

Yeah, for cutting nails down to rivets a hacksaw isn't quite the tool. Small boltcutters are more it: safer for knuckles and a lot faster. And you don't need a vise to hold 'em.

Konstantin the Red

Oh? Well, shit, haha. What do armourers generally use? I've done some roofing nail rivet...and I'm willing to pay for normal ones after that. Some anneal roofing nails for this work so they'll pein. They may care to strip the zinc galvanizing off FIRST by one or another acid, zinc vapor being noxio...

Konstantin the Red

AwP wrote:You can also peen it on the outside instead.

Employing the tinners' rivet (has a flat head) or the shortest roofing nail you can get at the store -- saw 7/8" there not two hours ago. The heads on the leather, for they are pretty broad. With what AwP said, the leather strip inside the helm(et).

Konstantin the Red

Those quick rivets are hollow. We've tried 'em. We no like. Not for out where the real peril is.

Konstantin the Red

Welcome and well come, Aubernknight. Another method to pein is to use a drift pin or a small crowbar -- anything steely and solid -- put that on the rivet end and smack the other end of this drift pin with your hammer. You just need a good solid support for your helm as you do it. Okay, now: what ty...

Konstantin the Red

South of the Yukon, we've been happy to circulate every cubic centimeter of air we might through torso armor. We are talking summer temps that not too infrequently hit 30 C pretty generally, with 40 in the real hot spots and say 45 in the likes of Death Valley. Been like that since before global war...

Konstantin the Red

Jeremy.G wrote:(I'm not gonna lie- I had to look up the word "arris")

Konstantin- thanks for providing the definition above.

I ain't gonna lie either. Pulled it out of Online Dictionary, somewhat surprised to discover it was a word. (I boast, but it doesn't happen all that often.)

Re: Mini english wheel came in...

Re: Mini english wheel came in...

Re: cheap basket hilts

Re: Trying to come up with a good looking budget kit for my

Re: Trying to come up with a good looking budget kit for my

Re: Precision in craftsmanship

Re: About you PEOPLE here. . .

Re: Steel question,

Re: OT but, I'm looking for a pattern for a "Dragon"

Re: 30,000 topics in D&C

Re: About you PEOPLE here. . .

Re: 30,000 topics in D&C

Re: Tube vervelles

Re: Any body making exotic metal Armor ?

Re: Any body making exotic metal Armor ?

Old Period-type Basc Liner, Otto von Teich

Re: 30,000 topics in D&C

Re: 30,000 topics in D&C

Re: 30,000 topics in D&C

Re: 30,000 topics in D&C

Re: HMB-Legal Polearm Heads-Anyone got a pattern?

Re: Any body making exotic metal Armor ?

Re: Information on Italian Great Bascinet

Re: About you PEOPLE here. . .

Re: Getting started armouring.

Re: Getting started armouring.

Re: 30,000 topics in D&C

Re: About you PEOPLE here. . .

Re: Peen Rivets inside helm

Re: Coat of Plates-Cloth vs Leather?

Re: Peen Rivets inside helm

Re: Coat of Plates-Cloth vs Leather?

Re: Peen Rivets inside helm

Re: Coat of Plates-Cloth vs Leather?

Re: Deburr / Finish edges?