The Armour Archive

wcallen

I guess two things for me.
The date.

Two votes for the 19th.

I don't care, I was trying to stay farther from Thanks giving.

But fine with me if it helps people.

James. We can certainly play Gothic. If all goes well I may have a non-gauntlet Gothic piece to add. I hope.

Wade

wcallen

There are many reasons that cracks form. Some are pretty obvious (folding the metal over) some less so. I think that the most annoying ones I have caused are due to working the metal between hot and cold. As the metal cools down it goes through various stages of malleability. You can work (annealed)...

wcallen

Waistcoat. Sure. We would probably end up dragging it out even if it weren't on the list officially. Mine appears to be Italian-ate, and so it will be different from the Germanic ones where you visited. Graz has some very nice ones. I found them when doing the research for the one I made. I didn't e...

wcallen

More votes? Nov. 12 look good for people? Terrible for anyone? Suggestions for added items? I now have a real pile of similar, but somewhat different burgonets. I now have a few similar c. 1610-ish breastplates. I now have 3 interestingly different close helmets. I now have a real assortment of 1495...

wcallen

Years and years ago Aaron and I did a couple of these. We aren't as careful as you are trying to be. Assuming you know the right shape for the lower (inner) piece, make it, form it round-ish and flair the top edge. Make it really round, and make sure the flair stays about straight. We did the upper ...

wcallen

Signo wrote:My fault, I misread the title.

If Mantova actually still has copies of the Mantova book that they are willing to sell, I expect that several of us would be happy to know a price. It really is a "must have" book if you like 15th c. Italian armour.

Wade

wcallen

That book is NOT the Mantova book. Both are good books to own. From what I have seen L'Arte is a lot easier to find than Mantova. I have run across several copies of each over the many, many years I have been buying armour books. Back in the day, I even found some of them really cheaply. I did manag...

wcallen

Here is a first crack at building a list with some of the new stuff. Happy to add more. http://www.allenantiques.com/2016StudySession.html Since I have pictures of the helmets on the two new "suit-like-things" as separate entries, they show up separately as well as just on the "suits." The half suit...

wcallen

to be interchangeable, I expect that all you need is a visor (hard part) with the right hinge. The hinge still seems to be available here: http://revival.us/bascinetklappvisorhingespringsteel.aspx Aaron made the master, Brian had them cast, and the shop sold of to these guys. I think that there is a...

wcallen

Nope. I made a customized mid 15th c. style mitten gauntlet from 1050 with a flat back across the back of hand/cuff (not what they did) so that it would fit on the back of the shield. The hand/cuff was one piece raised and the mitten parts were fitted and moved appropriately. Then I hand stitched th...

wcallen

The box arrived today. Quick shipping, packed appropriately, all of the arrows, quiver, nocks and points are fine. I pulled 6 off of one end and they seem (only a few shots) to be grouping reasonably. They are a little heavier spined (and heavier overall) than my old ones, so they work better on the...

wcallen

No, of course I wouldn't shoot at that breastplate or any other I have bought. I wouldn't shoot a field tip at any copy I might make either. I will take them. I can probably match a few sets out of a full 2 dozen. tournaments where I would shoot them take either 3 or 5 matched arrows. They should di...

wcallen

I have finally mostly dug myself out of random things going on. It looks like there could be a few plane tickets involved. At least possibly, so it would be good to have some time to arrange things. Quick plane tickets aren't cheap. I have something on the second weekend in Oct. I also have somethin...

wcallen

The munions have old, but not original leathers. That means that they move pretty well, but some number of movements from now they will crack to pieces. Many of the other straps on the armour have already cracked to pieces. This means that I will need to replace the leathers pretty soon, but it woul...

wcallen

Hmm. I do have a scale that seems to be good enough. Annoyingly, it is here. Not so annoyingly, there is some armour "here." Even some new stuff... just added this: http://www.allenantiques.com/A-281.html We can probably work something out. And if the bracer falls through (it won't) it would be fun ...

wcallen

Annoyingly, my goal is target archery and I need every bit of help I can get. Matched arrows help a lot. I have 4 left overs from a dozen of well matched arrows. 3 group, one shoots 4 inches higher at 8 yards. I had to take it out of the rotation back when I could actually shoot. So, matching is a g...

wcallen

Do you have any idea how closely they matched the spine and weight? I have run through a lot of my arrows. They were within about 12 grains across the dozen and I could use some replacements. What you have is right about what I need for one of my bows, and I was shooting 125 gr. tips on 30" BOH arro...

wcallen

A fine talk. I was stopping by London anyway to pick up some armour, and it happened to align with the talk, and Toby was nice enough to get me in. Lots of nice info about why the effigies are accurate, and some of the pictures that I assume will be in the next book showing some Italian armour detai...

wcallen

I have seem seemingly old rivets on pieces that sit pretty far off of the metal. Far enough that the slot and hole thing could work... but I haven't tried to do it on anything that was actually being used. I, like James, used it on restoration. I expect that there are some types of load where it wou...

wcallen

Some progress this weekend. The pictures are big, so have a decent connection if you want to get anything useful from these links. More pictures of the new burgonets: http://www.allenantiques.com/A-274.html http://www.allenantiques.com/A-273.html http://www.allenantiques.com/A-275.html http://www.al...

wcallen

I haven't gone over the pieces carefully to count the buckles and make an assessment of how many are likely old. Let's see... there should be 3 on each tasset, 2 shoulder buckles, one waist buckle and a buckle on each arm.... None on any of the helmets... There are fun hooks on the close helmet. Tho...

wcallen

I now have almost all of the armour I should, so I can probably start planning. During my short trip to London to get the new stuff I took a picture with the stuff laid out on my hotel bed: http://www.allenantiques.com/images/June2016DelmarOnBed.jpg Not a bad haul. Getting them all photographed and ...

wcallen

Since we have digressed into ranting about apps/servers... All of my stuff is hanging off of a base web server that serves up real pages. HTML, and JPG. Straightforward, honest, basic web the way it was originally intended. And I paid for 10 years all at once, so mine will work for 10 years. When yo...

wcallen

I own a rosebud. I never use it anymore. I do all of my hot work with a welding tip. A big welding tip, but a welding tip. Heat a large enough area. Get it hot enough (past red). Have the piece approximately where you will want to hit it, don't heat it on the table and then move it (put torch down, ...

wcallen

I have already paid for my copy.

I will have to wait to see it in person (say, after they are produced), but it should be a great addition to the library.

Gwynn did have a good eye, and some very good luck finding things.

Wade

wcallen

Nice droop.

Annoyingly, the originals you are copying and some other gauntlets of the early 16th c. that I have played with ... don't droop.

Much less ergonomically useful, but it is the way they work. Later 16th c. - droop is definitely something to aim for.

Wade

wcallen

It seems like I skipped the image you want the most in this series, but there are some useful images.

This is an Italian arm from about 1430. Pretty close to what you are doing:

http://www.allenantiques.com/A-186.html

Wade

wcallen

Full 16th c. arm harness? Aaron and I did that twice, but it was a long time ago. At this point I just have real 16th c. arms. John definitely has a gorget, and a breast and back under construction, a pair of spaulders under construction, and a pair of elbows... Since the spaulders are supposed to c...

wcallen

I had a run at building one of these -- 14ga mild and mig welded - ...... This construction method really seems to lead you by the hand toward the shape it wants to be -- ...... Tim And, that, dear readers, is why Mac did this in the first place. If you are really good, this method probably isn't f...

wcallen

I love droop.
Elegant, more movement and a real annoyance to get right.

But these and several other early 16th c. ones I have played with don't droop at all. At full extension the back of hand plates just lie flat.

Wade

wcallen

Yes, my "two gauntlets" are definitely not a pair. Similar. Similar time frame. But in no way a pair. And, one of them has the cuff attached by the wrong holes, so it sits to far up inside the gauntlet. They used the wrist strap holes when they put it back together the last time. I expect that you h...

wcallen

I recognize that half suit. Evidently the picture is courtesy of Wade Allen at www.allenantiques.com. More images of the same half suit here: http://www.allenantiques.com/A-102.html Since the gauntlets that are for sale have an integral thumb, they are kind of a cross between those and this one: htt...

wcallen

You will need to decide what the best stand is for you. I have found that I like one with some shape to it, which helps keep the armour in the right position. I keep changing how they are built as I go on. This was one style I used : http://www.allenantiques.com/images/Geoffrey1540Stand.jpg It is pr...

wcallen

How often do you plan to get whacked in the elbow? Since you are working in 4130, I am guessing that you will likely be trying to heat treat them. And given the style, they should have rolls all the way around. I expect all of that would mean that they are perfectly usable. It looks like the center ...

wcallen

I'd love to make it again this year, Wade, but depends on how some family drama works out. I haven't been able to access your site for 2 or 3 days. Something up, or is it just me? I have been out of town for the last few days, but I just checked and my site seems fine from the AT&T network. It is h...

Re: Study Session 2016

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Re: Study Session 2016

Re: Study Session 2016

Re: Needing help with channel articulation

Re: Legendary book is now mine!

Re: Legendary book is now mine!

Re: Study Session 2016

Re: Looking for Parts for a Brian Price Helmet

Re: Are you weird enough?

Re: A few archery items for sale

Re: A few archery items for sale

Re: Study Session 2016

Re: Study Session 2016

Re: A few archery items for sale

Re: A few archery items for sale

Re: A few archery items for sale

Re: Dr. Toby C. lecture

Re: Strapping a Breastplate/breastplate critique

Re: Study Session 2016

Re: Study Session 2016

Re: Study Session 2016

Re: Dusting off the cobwebs

Re: Working armour hot with oxy acetylene.

Re: Hans Prunner: "THE GWYNN COLLECTION" by Carlo Paggiarino

Re: Making a pattern for a 16th century gauntlet

Re: Need help with elbow shape

Re: Opinion time! 16th century couter. Update 8/5/2016

Re: Breastplate from a can?

Re: Making a pattern for a 16th century gauntlet

Re: Making a pattern for a 16th century gauntlet

Re: Tempered steel demi gauntlets by maxim suprovich

Re: Armor stand design

Re: Opinion time! 16th century couter

Re: Study Session 2016