The Armour Archive

Sean Powell

I have seen, on several occasions, different marshals who happened to own digital calipers (I own one for work and one for the shop) set the gap to 1.000" and use the ID prongs to check bar gaps. It's not measuring the gap it's sticking a piece of metal of a know width into a slot. Nothing differen...

Sean Powell

wish it was so in the middle, home of list lawyers and anal retentive mashal with micrometers on their beltls. No S%^T, ther I was, a marshal at a certain event pulled out a digital mic to check a helm! In defense of the Anal Marshal, who I probably don't know as I haven't lived in the Midrealm in ...

Sean Powell

Not sure which are the "unusual" COP's but there are people wearing brigandine garments facing both towards and away from the viewer. In the lower left corner there is a man in a white brig with beige collar and sleeves and tall boots facing away from us. His back is presumably the same as the brig ...

Sean Powell

Sorry Mike, all my texts are at work and I don't remember this stuff as clearly as I'd like to think I do. I have no idea if Autenite is BCC or FCC. It might be available online someplace. If you find out before Monday I'd like to know. Also, can you cite WHERE you found that error formula? Book and...

Sean Powell

OK, let me see if I understand this. Itâ€™s been (mumble mumble) years since material science freshman year in college. I take a piece of 1050 steel and heat it somewhat above the A3 transition line (about 770Â°C) so maybe Iâ€™m at 825Â°C out of the kiln to give myself a few seconds before the piece...

Sean Powell

As memory serves me: The image in Ffolkes suggests that the plates should be overlapped in bands (probably horizontally) with about 30% of the plate overlapping the next and then the bands overlapping (or overlaped by) the bands above and below EXCEPT that the bands are each ofset by half a plate. I...

Sean Powell

I'm not a raising expert but try holding the piece with your fingers clamping it to the palm of your hand. Let your palm absorb the shock. This will save your thumb. It might be better to practice with a larger piece to start. Something maybe knee-cop sized or half helm sized so the distance from th...

Sean Powell

If you polish a section that won't be seen and heat it slowly your steel will be at 500 degrees when it starts to turn a brownish yellow. Here is a good reference: m It dosn't have to be glowing. That is 1000F and much too hot. I asked a blacksmith friend the same question once. A good fire scale wi...

Sean Powell

Thanks very much for your comments and criticisms. I find this part of the feedback to be the most fun Hey Eric, Sorry about the Prozac comment. It was probably too harsh and could only be directed given the one piece. The following is a ramble about artistic intent from a non-artist (engineer) You...

Sean Powell

I suppose that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but honestly, there are some things that "artists" do in the pursuit of art that I don't understand. You made a well constructed piece of armor, smooth flowing shape, swept lines, clean presentation, something that would encourage a viewer to peer ...

Sean Powell

OK, I am completly out of my element on this one. I was under the impression that conventional hammer heads were hardened similar to axe heads being hardened. I understand the theory of differential tempering by heating one end and watching the color bands travel although I have never tried to do it...

Sean Powell

but do keep in mind that while spellchecking can fix a word you can't quite remember, it isn't editing. Spellchecking too much relied on can make a tome on military history convert, all unknowing, "martial theorists like Clausewitz" into " marital theorists like Clausewitz." Half -witz. Since we're...

Sean Powell

IMHO armor tends to settle to its own comfortable position. Since the front is heavier then the back the front tends to go down and the back up. My suit has a flare on both front and back where the faulds start. The breastplate only overlaps the rear properly when the crease for the faulds key toget...

Sean Powell

We have too few surviving pieces from too long a time period and too broad of a geographical region to know more then 1% of what there is to know about armor. If you look at an illumination or a manuscript you will often see dozens if not hundereds of identical helmets. Visit a museum and you will b...

Sean Powell

I'd start with: Width across knuckles. Width or circumference of wrist. Distance from wrist to knuckles. knuckles to base of thumb joint (when holding a weapon). wrist to base of thumb joint. Or do it the easy way: Put on a leather glove. grab a weapon. Have a friend layer tape on the glove. Mark th...

Sean Powell

When I'm on a step of a project I can get over focused and lost in time. When I'm between steps in a project I suffer from 'Shop ADD". It goes something like this: Need to drill a hole. Need to find the right drill bit. Drill bits are in the car with the batery drill. Go to car to get box of tools. ...

Sean Powell

I'm running ProEngineer as a solid modeling package and usually export my files as DXF or IGS for the cutters I've delt with in the past. It all depends on the translators. I've got a specific project that has been half finished for over 2 years. It requires CNC or very skilled hand cutting of 3/16"...

Sean Powell

Well I'd be very much interested in the 2nd generation elbows. I can point a few other people your way as well.

I'm curious what software you will be running to drive the CNC cutter. I have a few patterns kicking around that you might be interested in.

Sean

Sean Powell

I get nothing even after the edit.

Sean

Sean Powell

An intelligent business man (or woman) scouts out his market before entering. I remember arch toped heater shields while I was in Indiana but that was southern Indiana anda long time ago. Things may have changed. I also know of a few experienced armorers out there who already sell shield blanks. Fir...

Sean Powell

I've seen center creases on knees and that makes sense as a knee needs to deflect attacks from the front off to either side like a boat prow. I've never seen elbows with a center crease though. If this is supposed to be closer to "original" to what original is it? Have you considered dishing and rol...

Sean Powell

Well for the right price I would love to have a zero electricity easy access source for data. I prefer books to digital media. My good armor books have post-it book marks on favorite pages and a few have notes and sketches randomly shoved in next to relavent sections. I prefer holding something in m...

Sean Powell

And this is what ninja get to do in the modern era...

http://www.hahahumor.com/funny-movies/f ... .php?id=30

If you look closely you will see a half dozen of them almost blending in with the background. The illusion is broken when they step in front of the grey wall but hey, no ninja is perfect...

Sean Powell

Any particular reason you left the plates flat? I was under the impresion that they should have a curve or a medial ridge for added strength. I'm far from being a lamellar expert though.

Sean

Sean Powell

Hello all, Over lunch today I was down at Mac's shop taking a few photos of a manequin that he built as an armor stand since I'm having trouble building mine. Eventually the conversation drifted on to tools and he was showing me a couple of the more unique things he has kicking around the shop. Some...

Sean Powell

This shouldn't be on a book shelf collecting dust. If I had an extra 650 sitting around I'd buy it. I wish they would just re-print the damn thing.

Sean

http://www.browsersbookstore.com/showcase.html

Sean Powell

I googled topfhelm and found this: m but most of the pages I found were A) in German and B) greathelms in the style of the von Prankh example. This was the only one with the profile Zweihammer is making. Somthing about the shape and quality of the steel implies reproduction to me but I'm no expert....

Sean Powell

Colin D wrote:If those are the nails that Craig Nadler and Bob Read had made some years ago I'd be interested if Ken doesn't want them.

Put me down on the list 3rd if the previos two people arn't interested.

Sean

Sean Powell

I'm starting to do some research into Schiavona style basket hilts but having a hard time locating good photos. I need a good knuckle side, thumb side and front view all of the same sword if that is possible. I don't even know if they have one but if you see one I would love photos.

Thanks,
Sean

Sean Powell

Names for pieces vary for lots of reasons. See previous topic. It depends on the exact grade of stainless but it is probably closer to 1 gage level in difference. The way stainless work hardens you might get it up to 2 with a lot of stretching and planishing. Work it cold if you can. Soft hammer and...

Sean Powell

Here is my basic concept for the first one. The idea is to cut the thing with 1/4 inch corner radiuses in the openings. make them a tad unersized. What plate thickness and how wide for the bars? I wouldn't space your rivets any farther apart then you space the bars in the grill portion. Honestly fo...

Sean Powell

Hello. The below essay could probably use some editing. If people want to do so and then store this someplace, feel free. The 2006 SCA Marshals Handbook states the following: â€œB. Helms 1. Helms shall be constructed from steel which has a thickness of no less than .0625 inch (1/16 inch or 1.6mm), o...

Sean Powell

My HF paper catalog that I just ordered from list the shear aws reduced to only 79.99. Replacement blades are still like 39.99 though. Price should be good through December.

Sean

Sean Powell

Can you give me the reference or link or book name where written about that? I can't think of a book in particular but I heard it from MacPherson so I pretty much take it as gospel. As heat-treating was a very in-exact science I'm inclined to believe that the temporary rivets are there mostly as a ...

Sean Powell

OK. The standard 3/16 or 1/8 rule for Meridies too. That is very good to know. Hopefully my daughter will fall back asleep and I can revisit the topic of "equivilent" in greater detail. Ultimatly bar strength comes down to 4 main factors. Bar cross section (height & thickness or diameter), length be...

(re)Heat treating hammer heads

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