The Armour Archive

Konstantin the Red

In any hardware store, Jacofiero. Ask for aviation snips or sheet metal snips. The usual brand is Wiss, though I prefer the more expensive Klenks. Aviation snips come in three varieties and have a standard color coding: left turn cutting, straight cutting, and right turn cutting, each with its prope...

Konstantin the Red

http://archivepics.members.easyspace.com/HF_Shear_Tutorial.html

There's your Harbor Freight fix-it page.

Yours in Service, Kostya.

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"The Minstrel Boy to the war is gone..."

Konstantin the Red

I think you got a good deal, and it shouldn't cost you terribly much to get more punches and dies and the little sheet metal key to screw the die into its socket. Another thing to consider, if you are busy enough punching holes of a couple of different sizes: just getting another R-W #5 with all the...

Konstantin the Red

Flatware is silverware that ain't silver, and generally stamped. Stainless-steel diner utensils, in short.

Konstantin the Red

Arland, don't heat them to red; just get them hot enough to turn grayer. The graying darkens with repeated heatings; I don't know if it's a function of heating-cooling cycles or of the amount of time spent hot, oxidizing. I'd try for a minimal amount of such graying; it alters the corrosion resistan...

Konstantin the Red

Any info on the inlay material? Is it iron, or silver? The contrast suggests it's silver.

Konstantin the Red

Les aciers Ã charbon, sÃ©rie 10xx, courent de 1018 et 1020 (mild steels) par 1040, 1050, 1060, 1070, 1075, 1080, 1090, 1095. Combien de charbon voudriez-vous, M. l'Armurier?

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"The Minstrel Boy to the war is gone..."

Konstantin the Red

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Dark Metamorphoses: By the way, a friend of mine has come up with the most wonderful idea for cutting the links. Please let me know if this is insanity or genius: He plans t...

Konstantin the Red

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Dark Metamorphoses: Hold the clamp, put the spool on a rod so that it can spin, and let 'er rip! You'll get max speed, no gaps, and no injuries. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>...

Konstantin the Red

That sort of thing is why I'm trying feeding wire through a screw eye at present. The mandrel lies next to the screw eye and pulls the wire through it as it turns. I found it desirable to have a second screw eye some inches "upstream" from the first to minimize kinks and tangles in the feed. This so...

Konstantin the Red

The 0141.jpg, fig. 113 Hodemarkep find is of an "Ulfbehrt" complete with its cross and with the F much worn: +Ulfbehrt. The 0151.jpg, fig. 120 Ã˜. Alm Stange is another Ulfbert, different spelling -- also typical of the Ulfbehrts, says Oakeshott. 0113.jpg fig. 95 might show a K rune, or it might be ...

Konstantin the Red

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Alcyoneus: Help! I fauld down and can't get up! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Oh, that greaves me deeply, Alcyoneus! I implement the Pepper Pox gesture in your direction. Or is gett...

Konstantin the Red

Hey, I don't even bother with double coil winding. I just grab and stretch the regular coils out to about twice their original length and a little over. Same result. Stretching the coil out farther than that isn't recommended, though; some people think it distorts the links out of round. Couldn't pr...

Konstantin the Red

Do proceed. Reading Oakeshott gives one the impression that swords with runic inscriptions practically didn't exist. Getting a more rounded and complete picture will lend us wisdom.

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"The Minstrel Boy to the war is gone..."

Konstantin the Red

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Alcyoneus: I used to use the 4 sided box method of winding, but I made a different jig later. I bought a 1x4 piece of oak, and cut off two square pieces off of the end. I then ...

Konstantin the Red

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Gregor von: I've tried to make a pile of four in one links, and then just link them together as needed. But you then have to spend time making sure they lay correctly, other...

Konstantin the Red

Armourcake from Armour Bob!

Konstantin the Red

Ow, ow, ow, you are doing it the hard way, Dobraine. At the least, get some 5/16 round stock from a steel and welding place (they have about the cheapest prices, and build yourself a winding jig out of some scrap 2x4. You have several options. The roughest, most improvised field rig is to take the r...

Konstantin the Red

The general area of the center of percussion is where rattan swords break, if you've broomed or broken any rattan yet.

Konstantin the Red

Something I missed was that you were going to do 6:1 rather than 4:1. That change will obviate any weight savings attained by the larger link and slightly lighter wire, as 6:1 weighs half again what 4:1 does. Except for its greater mass soaking up more of a blow if the mail hangs away from the body,...

Konstantin the Red

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Dobraine: I am wondering if any of you have suggestions on local places to buy the tools/materials to start on riveted mail...places like home depot, sear, etc. I know Fort...

Konstantin the Red

If you absolutely have to, you might insert a long triangular gusset from sights to point and gas-weld. Dish-and-weld helmets tend to involve getting a very approximate match, tackwelding where the halves touch, and then trying to get the parts between the tacks to meet. It doesn't matter if some of...

Konstantin the Red

Pink, it will be rather lighter and its links will lie flatter. Can you actually get 4 links of 16 gauge into a 3/16" diameter opening? That seems extremely tight; I would expect 5/16" to be a likelier diameter.

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"The Minstrel Boy to the war is gone..."

Konstantin the Red

Ah, now that matters have been explained, I am very interested... hmm. A series of short booklets, each on one subject and made up of several essays designed for scholarly rigor and accuracy -- wow!

Konstantin the Red

I need to get reminded about who sells punched solid rings besides WashersUSA.

Konstantin the Red

"Plated in something stronger?" What are you trying to do??

Konstantin the Red

What I'm doing to rivet steel links takes advantage of my having an anvil. I coil the wire on an initial diameter of 7/16, stretch the coil somewhat, and cut it on a slant to get another millimeter or so of overlap available on the next step. Then I pre-flatten the links with a hammer, flattening th...

Konstantin the Red

You might try inserting a rather short (half the width of shoulder from point to neck) right-triangle gusset with the wide end to the collar and the point in mid-shoulder. Frankly, I've never had the least problem with the fit just using rectangular shoulder straps. Something else you might try amou...

Konstantin the Red

I say flatten, overlap, and rivet the stuff. If it will workharden, flattening it with a hammer will show that. Wire as a rule is going to be soft and tough, so don't expect much.

Konstantin the Red

Make the buckle straps and punch the back ends of the straps with four holes each. Six, if you're ambitious and crazed for strength. Thread moistened leather lace or thong through the holes and into the mail. If you can go through every hole twice with the wet thong, go right ahead; it will be nice ...

Konstantin the Red

Don't figure feet of wire, figure pounds of it. Butted mailshirts typically run between 25 and 35 pounds, riveted shirts on the order of 15 -- you can see why I've started to rivet. I won't have too many clues about what a riveted camail from 16-ga. black tie wire will weigh until I get mine nearly ...

Konstantin the Red

I covered the face of my shield with leather, purchased at bargain prices from The Leather Factory leatherwork suppliers by dumpster-diving, as it were, in their bargain bin until I found enough lightweight stuff in green and yellow to cover my shield in my colors, pieced together to form the fess t...

Konstantin the Red

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Lord_Slaiyd: What say you now, m'lord? http://www.armourarchive.org/ubb/wink.gif -Sean <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I say, good show, lad. We (of the CoH) have experienced su...

Konstantin the Red

Extremely.

At those prices, it's probably the partially flattened Indian mail with the round rivets. Very strong, very functional, perhaps not screamingly authentic (which would be each link entirely flattened)but still leagues ahead of ordinary butted links.

Konstantin the Red

Oh, please! I smilingly protest that I am not a Sir! Perhaps one day Konstantin the Red will append KSCA to his name, but that day is not yet. Oh, and Slaiyd -- for when you come to take your SCA name and persona (and take your time at it!) you are going to want to know much more about medieval name...