The Armour Archive

Mad Matt

I'm at work and I'm not too busy at the moment.

So I logged into chat anyone wanna join me?

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The budding mid 14th century German Transitional guy.
Mad Matt's Armory

Mad Matt

They're spring steel. And if you can find them in a width and thickness you like they're perfect for making scales and things like that.

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The budding mid 14th century German Transitional guy.
Mad Matt's Armory

Mad Matt

Not bad for a first try. What're ya cuttin with. I may be able to help ya keep the rings from spreading when you cut em. Also if the rings have spread squeeze em into shape with your pliers as you put them in but before you close them. It's a lot easier that way. If you're using aviation snips to cu...

Mad Matt

I'm not necessarily suggesting huge price increases. %5 may be all it takes. Could be %10 could be %200. Basically it'll be different for every armourer. But every armourer should try to price their work so that they end up with around a max of a 3 month backlog. If you've got a year long backlog an...

Mad Matt

I have absolutly no idea what just happened.

Abhammer had a seperate thread about his sutton hoo. I hit reply, the subject was right but the post ended up here.

Wierd.

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The budding mid 14th century German Transitional guy.
Mad Matt's Armory

Mad Matt

Damn man. I lost the ability to think when I saw that.

It had better not be cheap.

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The budding mid 14th century German Transitional guy.
Mad Matt's Armory

Mad Matt

Ummm WOW! If I built that helm you'd have to pry it from my cold dead hands. And even then it would be hard. Holy cow batman. You could reasonably charge 15-20K + although finding someone other then a museum to pay that would be hard. Finding an SCAdian to pay that wouldn't happen unless someone won...

Mad Matt

Those are basically called employees.

Outsourcing means you give specs for something like say helmet halves from Ron Simmons. And they make em and send em to you.

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The budding mid 14th century German Transitional guy.
Mad Matt's Armory

Mad Matt

That's funny Lodhur. I useta look and sound like wierd al when I was younger. Minus the hawaian shirt. I'm much better now. I've sold and worn my fair share of S&M stuff. And I still offer it. Somewhere around I've got a pic of me wearin a maille loin-cloth, a 3" wide 6-1 choker with a 4' chain hang...

Mad Matt

Shows how smart I am. I forgot one of the most important tools.

What Steve said.

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The budding mid 14th century German Transitional guy.
Mad Matt's Armory

Mad Matt

You could coat the area of the rivits that will contact the leather with fingernail polish.

That would probably provide an excellent barrier. It wouldn't get worn off since the rivits don't move.

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The budding mid 14th century German Transitional guy.
Mad Matt's Armory

Mad Matt

A ball pien hammer. 16 oz is good. For peening rivits. A deadblow mallet. For shaping plates. A piece of 2.5" dia pipe or bar. Doesn't need to be long 6" will do. For curving plates over. A pair of aviation snips. These'll cut 18ga mild just fine. It's tough to do but entirely possible. Some form of...

Mad Matt

Copper rivits and burrs aren't important in a brig. A brig is made from Canvas. Spike even said he had canvas for it. This is one of the distinctions I see between brigandine and a COP. Weenie boy. Sure I'll send em over. Just make sure you send me a pic of your brig when you get it made. ----------...

Mad Matt

I've said this many many times too. Basically the problem is that iron oxide eats leahter. POD you actually made the problem worse by using brass rivits and steel burrs. The metals will react together and the iron will rust faster. Basically if you want to use ferrous metal rivits through leather us...

Mad Matt

Yeah I used the Schwarzburg effigy to base my harness off of. I assumed that the sabatons were studded because the studs held interior plates to the exterior shell. The rivits are positioned appropriately for this and it worked fairly well. Basicaly I made the assumption I mentioned above. I would l...

Mad Matt

Yup there's a harbour freight knock off of the whitney. First step is to get some thinner steel. 16ga is too thick and will be waaaaay too heavy. Second step is to realize that EVERY plate in a brig is a different size and shape. BUT they are generally the same height. So here's what you do. Find a ...

Mad Matt

Templar Bob: You posted while I was typing. I must have been sick during this entire thread. Someone actually understood what I was saying. Thnak-you that's a good simplification. Like I said sometimes my brain works but it won't tell me how to tell others what it's telling me. Alright brain. You'd ...

Mad Matt

Samuel: You have missed what I'm trying to say here. I'm not saying all armourers should raise their prices. I'm not saying there is a set amount that armourers should raise their prices by. What I'm saying is that if you make and sell armour and you've got a year long backlog you're not charging en...

Mad Matt

Hmm that bit about the MacPherson helm doesn't say what I meant. Don't even know what I meant. He is indeed one of the masters you spoke of. Sometimes my brain works and then doesn't tell me how to tell people what it just told me. ------------------ The budding mid 14th century German Transitional ...

Mad Matt

Chef: Mostly true. But a talented artist can see and understand the suttleties (sp) in anything. Learning how to work in the medium is a skill which can be learned. Knowing something isn't quite right and realizing what needs to be done to make it so is mostly talent but can also be learned to a deg...

Mad Matt

Yeah it bugs me a bit. Not that people shouldn't post about it though. I just want to keep it clear that it's not me. I know that people do make that mistake. Someone posted earlier saying Mad Max posts here often still. But they were thinking of me. Also I had recieved e-mails when this guy was aro...

Mad Matt

Well if you've got a whole pile of em to do and they won't get in the way of each other if you work on each rivit twice then I suggest using two hammers. A 24 oz hammer to upset the rivit. This is the initial square on wack or two with the flat end of a ball pien. This just compresses and widens the...

Mad Matt

Just wanted to point out that I am Mad Matt and not Mad Max. Two totally different people.

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The budding mid 14th century German Transitional guy.
Mad Matt's Armory

Mad Matt

Norman that's exactly why I mentioned artistic shorthand.

Cool tip on the invisible rivits.

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The budding mid 14th century German Transitional guy.
Mad Matt's Armory

Mad Matt

I've always assumed that was black steel. It's fairly likely that firescale wouldn't be removed from splints. But any images I have of effigies with splinted defences are poor quality. It would be wonderfull to see an actual photograph of one of these effigies. But my assumption is that the splints ...

Mad Matt

Noe I'm not saying every armourer should raise their prices. What I'm saying is every armourer who can't meet the demand they're recieving should raise their prices so that the demand for their armour lessens to an amount they can handle. There's zero difference between a 1 month backlog and a 1 yea...

Mad Matt

I second Sasha on the hips thing. BUT there is a way to help prevent large breed dogs from having hip problems. Draft work. Pulling a cart is good for hip and heart. My last dog was half St. Bernard and half Golden lab. She had hip problems and had to be put down at the tender age of 6. In people ye...

Mad Matt

Toweyb: Yes that's exactly what would happen. More people making armour would be a good thing. Most armourers want to see more metal and less plastic on the field. Thus punch pressed mass produced armour is a good thing. But: Mass produced armour is uncomfortable. It's necessary for armour to be pro...

Mad Matt

You can't put a flute into hardened steel. You'll just end up cracking it. So don't get pre-hardened. For hcs and stainless 18-20 gauge is a good range for metal thickness. To put the flute in go to crappy tire or princess auto and pick up a cheap cold chisel. Get a hunk of wood (it's the endgrain y...

Mad Matt

Lorenzo: Also ask them when the person who can do it for half the price can have it done by. You did miss what I said a little. If you don't have any or enough work then you do need to charge less. If you've got a backlog you raise your prices. Armour isn't like cars or any other commercial product....

Mad Matt

Norman: It'll be a whole weekend thing. Saturday is your sabbath right? I'd forgotten you were planning a trip to TO this summer. Even if it's a different date it'd be great to have you down. My wife and daughter won't be armouring so there'll be someone to keep yours occupied while you ignore them....

Mad Matt

POD: Yes there is no problem with having low prices to start. It is necessary to get a few people to have dealt with you before you start charging higher prices and still getting enough orders. I did this by trading. It's easier for people to part with things they've made then it is to part with cas...

Mad Matt

Well I said this on the AG review thread and thought it deserved a new one. There's Much more demand for armour then what the armouring industry can support at the moment. Take a look at online armouries and the want ads board. Look how many people are desperate to get something quick but can't find...

Mad Matt

Actually the big problem with the armouring industry is that the rules of supply and demand aren't being met. There's more people who want armour then the people making armour can produce. And for some reason (largly due to the SCA) people who make armour are highly competitive when it comes to pric...

Mad Matt

Yeah mine's a rottie and he likes the hammers too. That's why my hammer rack has the handles encased in the rack. If he had a hammer for a week all that would be left is the head. When he stops growing I'm gonna be makin him a transitional harness. Rotties mature at 3 years. He's gonna gain a lot of...

Chat anyone?

Supply and demand: Armourers raise your prices.