The Armour Archive

Sean Powell

Hello, I tried to hit the red-shield forum but needed a loging. I tried to register for a login but got the message: English/New_Member_Notification.lng - Can't find required language file. Please inform the administrator about this problem. I'm not sure who the administrator would be or how to cont...

Sean Powell

IMHO, it's much easier to make the arming points on the gambeson match the arming points on the armor then it is to do it the other way around. I think that the best order would be to get the gambeson 90% complete, take any necessary measurements over it, make the armor, adjust the gambeson since it...

Sean Powell

Functionally it seems tight under the armpits and the downward pointed preastplate probably makes it difficult to bend over. Medieval armor was built in it's way because of function. You do not have to duplicate the piece to duplicate the function. Also, given the thickness of the material you were ...

Sean Powell

Biggest change I've noticed is that the minimum helm thickness now simply reads .0625 inch (1/16 or 1.6mm) thick. There is NO mention of 16ga as the minimum thickness. It then goes into a description of "structurally equivilent" and "mass is important" but disqualifies the majority of other material...

Sean Powell

We have small core groups in the PA /NY and Michigan areas training for it, as well as what we're doing here in So. Cal. The goal for all the groups is to keep practicing and spreading the word to establish historical jousting here in the US. Gwen I'm hooked. I'm west of Philly PA and interested in...

Sean Powell

Hey Hal, I've got one of those down in the shop too. I picked it up from a blace that sold ferrier (sp?) tools for horse shoes. I can't list the number of possible uses for it. My favorite use is to drive it between 2 bars in a damaged grill and then twist or pry to get them in shape. It will reach ...

Sean Powell

Now tempered medium carbon steel... thinner, lighter, shapes like mild and stronger then stainless after heat-treating... THAT is worth the whole putting up with rust issue. Sean Not quite true. The strongest heat treated medium carbon steels top our at about 220 ksi and the strongest high carbon s...

Sean Powell

I guess I look a the SCA use of higher carbon steels as almost boffer weapons and plastic kind of. The only difference is heat treated armour in some amounts existed and looks good... In historic armour they rarely drop the weight if the piece is heat treated, so you have a treated piece of armour ...

Sean Powell

Hence the reason to prefer stainless. If mild is easy to shape then mild is easy to dent. An extra day in the shop for construction is an extra year in the field for use. Plus there is the whole rust's when you look at it funny issue. Now tempered medium carbon steel... thinner, lighter, shapes like...

Sean Powell

I know at least one of the helm kits will sell in my shire (medium stainless) and I may want one for myself (not like I don't have too many projects as it is). Infinity Steel may have some suggestions on how you can press that crown and then press the flared edge. I can only see doing it as a progre...

Sean Powell

Thanks to everyone who replied so far. What I have gathered from the web pages for the armorers listed above: Illusion Armory, 14ga Bassinet: $110 mild/ $165 Stainless. Von Sussen, $125 mild. Iron Monger Munition (painted) $125, +$15 for a flip visor option. Iron Monger center point or back point ba...

Sean Powell

Hello, My shire has an aspiring fighter and she has a smaller then average head. Nothing like Robyn small but small enough that adding a 3rd and 4th layer of foam to the shire loaner equipment probably isn't the best idea. Normally I would direct her to Illusion armory for their basic bascinet in st...

Sean Powell

Holly F**K it is the Capwell Suit. I had to go check the pictures http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/ ... by+capwell to be 100% sure since only an INSANE person would sell a suit like that after only one year.

I wondered what happened? Did it not fit correctly or something?

Sean

Sean Powell

cool. What should I expect to pay for a halfway decent, used anvil? I picked up a 150lb fisher for $200 dollars (plus a lot of driving) earlier today. The deckwill need to be ground smooth if I plan on doing serious work with it as the rust has pitted it slightly. I am buying another 150lb anvil (u...

Sean Powell

Honestly, Sir Andrew Ward is making his clamshell gauntlets again, and he's selling them in 16g stainless for $115. At that price it's really not worth it to make them. Does SIr Ward happen to have a web page or email address that I could contact him at? I can't seem to find it on Google. Sean

Sean Powell

Ultimate? All of the above, plus they would be "Spock-proof" finger gauntlets - ie ones where the fingers could not be forced apart within the plane of the hand. Those are called mittens. If spreading your fingers is undesireable then you should be quite happy with mittens. Gavin I like the ability...

Sean Powell

dice deep dish for the cops. Many people skimp on that. Articulation looked ok. I would definetly add a center crease though. They seem lacking without it.

Sean

Sean Powell

How did you get that Pollish on alluminum and get it to last for more then 30 seconds?

Sean

Sean Powell

I've got a local newbie with half down on his helm. It is now at least 6 months late and I believe later. I have no intention of ordering from him.

Sean

Sean Powell

Are you sure that this helm is an Armet and not a Close Helm? Something about it's lines tells me to double check. Sorry I don't have a picture for you. Padding: 1/2" all around (12mm) is 3" to circumference (75mm). This is acceptable for most combat that I know of. More padding may be useful for ot...

Sean Powell

I'd rather planish then sand and buff. A piece shaped with a soft mallet only needs a light planishing pass to smooth out any imperfections. Sanding seems to do on and on and on and when you are done... you switch to a finer grit... and repeat, and repeat and maybe after hours and hours, eventually ...

Sean Powell

Do you perhaps have a lower shot? Those sabatons look very interesting... or are they armored stirups?

Sean

Sean Powell

I wouldn't either. If you set your articulation points correctly then there is plenty of articulation using compresion shell articulation. Leather articulation is great for rotational twist as well as sideways motion but neither are needed for sabatons.

Sean

Sean Powell

Hello,
I know people successfully heat blacken (without oil) in a kiln (or even some ovens). Does anyone know what temperatures and times produce what colors? I can only find data for what temperatures gets steel to glow at certain colors.
Thanks,
Sean

Sean Powell

Sounds similar to my knee injury. In stages I went through the ice/heat/ice/heat cycle with lots of Aleve then some rest then I did strength building physical therapy to regain range of motion You probably pulled/sprianed something or even a small tear. It should heal with time but if it isn't debil...

Sean Powell

Whats the going price on a 150lb (1891) Fisher anvil in good condition (rust and a few corner nicks)?

There is one for sale nearby. but it means tapping into my limited Pennsic funds.

Thanks in advance,
Sean

Sean Powell

I'm going to side with Duke Logan on this one but possibly for different reasons. I love the falicy that a broader impacting surface is somehow softer. If you build 2 thrusting tips of identical construction techniques with the first 1.25" in diameter and the second 2.5" in diameter it will take FOU...

Sean Powell

Hey Infinity, I like the bar and block in the clamp technique. Very simple and efficient. I have a 1.5" bar bolted to my work bench with u-bolts and 1/4" spacers/ Slide the metal in, pull, slid, pull, flip and repeat and I can get all sorts of curves. My vice usualy has a planishing stake locked in ...

Sean Powell

Actually the process worked rather well last night. I ground out the rivets on the inside with an angle grinder and with a swift smack poped out the old eye pieces. I flatened one and used it as the basis for a new cardboard template. After a few tweaks I had a cardboard pattern that I liked and cut...

Sean Powell

I got mine from:
http://www.thesiegeshop.com/

They may also be available here:
https://shop.argentlupus.com/categoryNa ... tegoryId=9

Sean

Sean Powell

You can simply close the eyeslot pushing the metal from around and make it narrower Yup, thought about that too, But I need to make up about 1/8" of distance in a piece about 1/2" tall and .080" thick. If I can do that perfectly and none of the metal flows where I don't want it to I'll drop the met...

Sean Powell

Hey all, Thanks for the advice on how to fix it. We considered adding brass "Eyebrows" or similar and I even have some nice ones from Raymonds Quiet Press but we decided to we wanted to keep the lines of the helm simple. Grinding out 10 rivets (5 per eye) shouldn't be that difficult. I'll keep the d...

Sean Powell

OK, I accept more than part of the blame for this. I have been helping a newbie without much armoring experience build a size medium Valsgrad 6 helm kit from Zweihammer (14ga). It never occured to me check the eye gap while the helm was merely bolted together. Also, between the shape of the nose and...

Sean Powell

Possible testing method for Durattan and other rattan substitutes: Hello all, Usually I lurk on the armor construction board, you know learning to build the stuff we like to dent, but I happened to wander by while the thread for Durattan was at the top. Personally I donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t blow out my rattan e...

Sean Powell

I have a question: Got any blue prints / diagrams?

Sean

Good cost-effictive starting helms.

Kiln temperatures for heat blackening

Cost for 150lb Anvil?

Valgrad 6 kit by Zweihammer Fails Inspection. :(