The Armour Archive

Sean Powell

Any tool? Any at all? I'll start with the one we all wish we had but no-one does: Time machine A) Go back and watch a 5th generation armorer raise a sallet from nothing more than a lump and a rough pattern sketched by hand and memory. Watch them shape and twist and form and LEARN from those people w...

Sean Powell

I started at 18 when I went off to college and joined the SCA. There was no practical purpose for it before that. I started with some loose weave maile, simple gorget and spaulders. The addiction continued from there and 15 years later I'm still at it... Wow, another 3 and I'll have been armoring fo...

Sean Powell

The weather yesterday was SO nice I had to call in sick to get some yard work done around the house. Lets review the lessons we learned yesterday shall we? When cutting limbs off a tree with a chainsaw it is best to not stand under said limb. When said limb does fall it is best not to try to catch i...

Sean Powell

There are shop-vac systems for wood-workers that elentially do the same thing. (auto-on and manual) You might want to look into that technology.

Good luck and post pics. I'm interested in how you do it as I want to (eventually do something similar myself)

Sean

Sean Powell

Arent the keyways overkill. I made mines with 2 set screw and they hold on to the shaft just fine for buffing purposes. Pad Yeah keyways probably are overkill. I'm just used to designing around them and thats what the motor end already looks like. 1.5hp = Torque * 1750rpm / (33,000/2pi) => 4.5ft-lb...

Sean Powell

Hey all, I'm looking to have a shaft extender built so I can convert a 1.5hp motor into a buffer (Thank you Cet!). I can have the pieces made for free by the prototype shop at work but "government" projects take a back-seat to projects that actually make money so I'm guestimating a 2+ month delay. I...

Sean Powell

My question is this, can anyone point me towards documentation for heaters with a scalloped top edge, or a top edge that curves upwards? Can anyone point me in the right direction for shields that narrow slightly towards the top? Avery, My suggestion is to grab your local blazon herald and ask to b...

Sean Powell

I have an easy stand but it isn't very portable. 3 2x4's 32" long screwed together to create an "I" beam. 2 more in a "T" shape on the ground. The I beam comes up from the center of the T and some screp 2x4 at 45 degrees connects the I beam to the T. I can stand at the base of the T and push in with...

Sean Powell

Welcome to metal polishing, the first thing you have to get used to, is letting what ever tool you are using do the work. You are not grinding with a hard wheel, you are putting smaller and smaller scratches in the metal. Quoting this for emphasis- If you are pressing hard enough to dog out the mot...

Sean Powell

I think equipment choice needs to be matched to the sort of shapes you're sanding to achieve maximim efficiency, which is why I've got 5 different machines for finishing- three belt sanders and two long shaft buffers (one 1800rpm and one 3400 rpm). I'm all in favor of buying more and better power t...

Sean Powell

OK, A few months ago I asked for a better way to sand armor. Someone directed me toward the expanding wheel from Eastwood. I bought this and a starter selection of belts down to 400 grit. IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll give it mixed reviewsÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ First big bonus: Two hands on the work piece gives great control. Secon...

Sean Powell

Q: Physical Therapy for Knees Hello all, IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m going to ask this here because I know that knee trouble is a frequent problem for Scadians and I assume that it is a frequent problem for anyone who performs athletics wearing a heavy kit. I'm posting it here rather than off-topics as most of the s...

Sean Powell

Well drop me a line privatly some time with what you are looking for. I have a decent stock of mild steel (14, 16 and 18ga) some 1/16 alluminum and am contimplating buying some stainless. I keep the stock for newbies to work with and retail it by the sq-foot at my cost. I have a few suppliers that I...

Sean Powell

I like to use my 5/8hp Dewalt saber-saw. The damn thing is HUNGRY and likes to eat 1/4" steel plate, 1/2" bolts and my workbench if I'm not carefull. Ask anyone who's been in my shop. My saber saw is my tool-o-distruction when something aggressive needs to be done. I also use my Harbor-Freight B1 no...

Sean Powell

I find that my punches have a pilot tip. I punch 2 holes and then I can spread the punch until the plate slips but catches on the tip. I can now punch 40% of a hole. Wash, rinse, repeat and you can walk your punch from one hole to the next while creating a slot. a narrow file makes quick work of the...

Sean Powell

Well there is the diameter of the mouth of the dish and the diameter of the cutter that makes the hole. The diameter above is the mouth of the dish. "R" is the radius of the cutter so it can be used to find the diameter. How about this, what exactly DO you know about the dish size and what do you NE...

Sean Powell

Hmmm, Off the top of my head I canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t think of a SIMPLE formula but lets see what I canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t work throughÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m bored. With of Width (w) and depth (d) can be cut with a circular saw blade of radius (R). If we draw a cross section of the dish we see a pie wedge with a radius of ...

Sean Powell

For SCA purposes, 3 leather straps is probably fine. A 1 1/4" wood stick will not easily slip between the gap between lames. For early spaulders over maile, 3 leather straps is probably also fine. In the unlikely event that a sword tip does slip between the lames it will encounter the maile. For lat...

Sean Powell

Cardboard. Lots and lots of cardboard. Shape the cop. punch its holes and insert two long bolts into the holes so the threaded tips are pointing towards each other. Check to see that the bolts are symentric and you havn't dished or shaped one side more then the other. Bolts should be close to 180 de...

Sean Powell

Don't wait for your armor to be perfect before playing. Your armor will never be done and you'll just change it anyway once you start.

...or something very similar. I don't remember the exact wording but this will do. Said by a friend who thought I was spending too much time in the shop.

Sean

Sean Powell

Hmmm. Go have a talk with the gym teacher. See if you can't get some old or used lacrosse sticks. Alluminum or titanium sticks should work. Strip the paint or spray-paint silver. Add gorilla glue or similar to inside of tip and shove tip into block of styrofoam to fill the end. Mount a cross and pom...

Sean Powell

I have some stainless pieces at my desk made from 17-4PH. They were heat treated to different hardnesses and the heat treat process added a color. Some have a nice purple color and some have a brownish color. None of the color is even or consistant but instead looks like a wash with water-color pain...

Sean Powell

Kelson was finishing his reign as King of the East Kingdom...so I knew he was busy. O.k. THAT any Scadian will accept as a plauseable excuse. Lateness forgiven. What concerns me is the number of armorers who are late as a standard operating procedure... those that arn't winning crown tourney rarely...

Sean Powell

Ok, It's not my work but I had to point out an amazing piece of metal sculpture I just found on the internet. I hope you appreciate it...

http://www.docsmachine.com/fabshop/steel8.jpg

Sean

Sean Powell

I recently recieved a new breast and back plate from GK Armory. Turnaround time.... 8 I was told that I would have it in Nov. but didnt recieve it until Feb. While the qaulity of the armor made it worth the wait it still took longer than originally said. Matt Thats a a minimum of 8 weeks late and m...

Sean Powell

Back when I lived in a 1 bedroom apartment I could either armor in the kitchen, the bedroom or the living room. Since the "Living Room" consisted of a futon and a TV on a small table it was the obvious choice. I not only built my first churburg 13 there but I also built a trestle table that colapsed...

Sean Powell

He's my knight and I have his contact information at home. I can send it to you in a post later this evening or you can contact me at powell.sean (at) comcast.net by email and I will send it to you as a reply.

Sean

Sean Powell

Excuse me, Stupid question here. Do you actually feel that there is a need to armor the inside rear 1/4 of the leg? I can see the outside rear for rap shots but past 90 degrees that seems redundant. Inside front corner does take occasional shots, especially when stepping away from a blow. But how of...

Sean Powell

I am not sure if by WMA you are refriing to me, or to Western Martial Arts But just for the record my lamella is 20 ga not 22. My appologies. I was typing fast and didn't double check my numbers. Its a bad plan when I rely on memory for data. "I feel it's a small price to pay for not having to put ...

Sean Powell

A private email caused me to go back and re-check my numbers. I may have quoted ultimate strength when I meant to be quoting yield strength. The difference between cold-rolled mild and 304 Stainless may not be as high as I originally anticipated. That's why I hate posting without having time to doub...

Sean Powell

I too feel that this topic deserves more reasearch and empirical study. I am presently compiling a list of commercialy available mild and stainless steels that could be potentialy used to make armor as well as their respective yield strengths (also throwing in Alluminum, Titanium and some plastics)....

Sean Powell

Yes, you are correct for some alloys of stainless and tempered spring. In the case of 304 series stainless I do not feel you can go a gauge lighter, but with say 321 series maybe you could. What we need is standards and not people just thinking that any stainless can be lighter. In the case of temp...

Sean Powell

I think the idea that you can across the board go one less gauge in 304 series stainless is a bunch of crap and there are many who agree with me. Ronald Wow, Its too bad that this thread degenerated into a flame war. If you don't mind me commenting from an engineering perspective... A) Gage is an a...

Sean Powell

If I've extened beyond their head, I can yank back on my back arm and drive a thrust into the back of their head...hard to block, but so far I lack power doing it. -Aaron Pardon me for asking but what (or which) kingdoms in the SCA allow this tactic? In the East a head thrust is only legal to the f...

Sean Powell

I like a 90 degree chamfering bit in the drill press. I hold the plate and lift up onto the bit. Straight up is usually fine but a quick wobble is good for large burrs.

Good luck,
Sean

Looking for a machine shop.

Re: Unusual "Heater" Shield Shapes

Still looking for a better way to sand.

Q: Physical Therapy for Knees

Iron Wolf

Re: Armory Review: GK Armory