The Armour Archive

Sean Powell

I don't know about her but if I did any serious dishing sitting in that position my back wouldn't move the next day and if I tried to swing a hammer repeatedly with power from that position I'd blow out my elbow... But if she can generate power with poor body position and awkward hammer position, an...

Sean Powell

I own a full suit in stainless from Illusion. I hardly ever wear it in the SCA. It is a Demo only suit now. I am happy with it as being better than munition but not quite custom fitted. 6 years ago I had to hold a deadline over their head (my wedding date where I was wearing the suit) to insure that...

Sean Powell

Hello, A friend droped a catalog including estate actions off on my desk because he noticed the word armor. Normally I wouldn't post this as there are probably few of us near or who can easily reach Franklin Ohio and Mountain City Georga but it might be of SOME interest so... Franklin, Ohio: 4 suits...

Sean Powell

My first thought is that the horizontal bars probably arn't supported every 3 inches and are very likely to bend... plus I think that 3" spacing is a society minimum (don't have the regs in front of me) A bar grill is nice for visibility and breating but I don't generally think this is necessary for...

Sean Powell

I'll confirm the 600 range for tempering spring steel and most people will temper higher than that as 600 will still be brittle (hard but not tough). Specific types of spring steel will vary, do not take this as metalurgical gospel. Plastic shouldn't excede the 250 range for most home thermoforming ...

Sean Powell

Where are you based out of? We may be able to direct you to alternate sources or locations that sell 18 or 20 ga.

Sean

Sean Powell

I overpaid for my 16ga and paid $2.11/sq-ft for a full sheet (cut in 2 4x4 sections for transport) including cutting cost and tax. I have paid more per sq-ft for smaller pieces, especially if picking up a small piece at home-depot or sears hardware. Grade 1008 is fairly typical for cold-rolled. If y...

Sean Powell

Its a nice piece and if it is what the customer wanted then I suspect he is very happy with it. If I had wanted it I think I would have prefered the waist to be 2-3cm higher so it was between the belly-button and the floating ribs (almost in line with the elbow, see the 2nd extant curias as an examp...

Sean Powell

I hurt a fighter yesterday wearing a suit of Dark Victory Armor. It was a baronial tournament style practice (SCA), playing full out, A games only. I'm coming to this discussion late but I don't know anyone wearing "Dark Victory" Armor that deserves an "A Game" fight. Most people in Newbie armor ma...

Sean Powell

BdeB If you are paying for someone as good as Tom why buy mittens? Russ's point is that we need an inexpensive guant that isn't a sport armor/cheap/low quality design. Cheep / Good / Fast... It seems we are past choosing 2 and down to choosing 1.5. Maybe we need to define the question as Cheep / At...

Sean Powell

I was talking with Mac over lunch today. One of the topics was the process of blackening this suit. Mac corrected me in that it IS an oxide and NOT a powder coat. (well, I was wrong again, nothing new there) He had it done by a profesional company. The only details he could give was that it was a mu...

Sean Powell

Geez, as do I! What's the point - let's all just get Mac to make our stuff.... I really love blueing, this is beyond blueing... it's super awesome contrasting perfectly set black-blueing.... *drool* For a peice like that I wouldn't be surprised if the contrasting ornaments are gold/gold plated! BAH...

Sean Powell

OK, I'm just guessing here: Hand crank power puts you in a certain power range and the gearing is mabe 6 or 8 to one so there is a fair amount of resistance to these rollers moving while working, but it does leave one hand free to control the piece while one foot adjusts the pressure. The gear arang...

Sean Powell

No home made belt sander here but I used to design belt driven industrial equipment. I assume you are using a singe V-belt with pulleys shaped to match the V and not flat pulleys. Getting close to 180 degrees of wrap is good. An aggressive reverse bend to get 225 or more will degrade the life of the...

Sean Powell

Thanks for the info about Yarde Metals. A few questions: What is the difference between the "Hot Rolled Steel Sheet" and the "Hot Rolled Steel Plate"? -Christian Typicly thickness is the only major difference. Sheet is usually measured in gage which is not used much above 1/8". Plate usually starts...

Sean Powell

Depending on the shipping costs look for a company named "Yarde Metal" and check their online section named "The Drop Zone". They sell leftover pieces of stainless, mild and alluminum. Selection depends on what they have been working with recently but the prices are good especially if you need a few...

Sean Powell

I'll start with a question. You state: The lower section, called a demi-placcate, arose from the waist with it's upper edge scalloped into one or more cusps. The backplate was likewise constructed from several pieces giving freedom of movement. Now I've never seen the inside of a suit constructed in...

Sean Powell

Roll after. Defenetly. Shape as needed, posibly slightly tighter than needed. Then roll tight rolls. Part way through the roll the piece will be stiffened and not need to be re-shaped. For certain pieces like gorgets I find it useful to run a length of heavy wire across the opening to keep the piece...

Sean Powell

Bowling balls are actually a very hard rubber so they arn't particularly good for shaping over but as said earlier they are fine for planishing on. Helmet halves and breast-plates are good candidates and maybe the upper portion of sculpted cuises. Actually I have an almost complete mold for kydex co...

Sean Powell

I've never done it myself but Robert MacPherson heat-treats and quenches his helms as a singe piece BUT the helms are only held together by bolts. Then the helms are diassembled, cleaned, pollished and reassembled. The bolts are then disposed of. Depending on the helm pre-attach 2 loops of heavy ste...

Sean Powell

As I have been taught to make them (with limited success unless my Knight/Laurel is looking over my shoulder directing): Dishing is done over a small diameter deep hole with successivly smaller diamter ball tiped hammers. Hammers with long necks are very convenient. Final shape is done by raising ov...

Sean Powell

Some compound miter-saws might have the HP. It depends on the model. A more important question is a full metal housing. an abrasive cut off disk is going to throw a LOT of sparks and it could start to melt a plastic housing. Of secondary imporatnce is venting for the motor. wood-saws are open for be...

Sean Powell

Get you one of those cheep shears that look like a Beverly as a back up. Speaking of which... I was flipping through the harbor freight catalog 2 days ago and noticed that the knockoff of a bev shear is down to $75. Either we're buying enough that Central forge can make up the margin in volume or C...

Sean Powell

The knee pivots by the condyles at the end of the femur rolling and sliding across the top of the tibia plateau. Picture a pair of balls sitting in a shallow depression that is greased with cartilage. When the balls roll they don't actually move but the contact point slides. What I am trying to say ...

Sean Powell

Thanks for the advice. I will work on a *much* beefier version of faceplate for the next version. Hiding some substantial barstock behind slats like that sounds like a good plan. -Kris I am also considering building a visor using flat stock. Despite the lack of visibility for SCA combat it does app...

Sean Powell

1/2" on the inside of the helm front and back = 1" or (25 + 1/2 +1/2) =26 this means (tight head) did the same thing a couple of years ago except I added an inch then a week later started the helm and added another inch. results= (fish bowl helm from hell) This math works if the 25" is the width of...

Sean Powell

JIgsaw for complex shaped parts and table saw / chop saw for lamellar or similar. Any fine tooth blade will work as the plastic dosn't dull the teeth like cutting stainless will. Heat and fusing is generally generated when the side of the blade rubs the plastic causing friction. For very complicated...

Sean Powell

I think I understand the question but you may not like the answer. The answer it: It depends on your technique... Generally if you dish consistantly then the outer edge shouldn't stretch (much) and the arc-length along the top and bottom of the knee cop should roughtly equal the half circumfrence of...

Sean Powell

Hew, Yes, pretty much what you drew. This isn't a good job for a hand drill but you MIGHT clamp the drill in a vice without damaging it. You really want both hands on the file when you do this (not nearly as efficient as single point turning on a lathe). You can try to chuck the head of a rivet in t...

Sean Powell

Some people partially install a rivet so the head is not flush by about 1.5x to 2x the material thickness of the gorget and then weld the shank in place on the inside. For a quick and dirty solution you can use a double-headed 10 penny framing nail. push the nail through the back from the outside, c...

Sean Powell

I Like it!... ... but I also kind of don't. It's hard to explain. I mean the design, construction and polish are all supurb but you have a beautiful clasicly inspired helmet top with a unmistakenly modern welded round-bar face... Have you ever thought of taking the techniques demonstrated in that he...

Sean Powell

The best way I can think of to do it... and it is going to look bulky... is to remove the flare cuff from a pair of EGG kydex gauntlets and then drill holes every 1/4" around the palm opening. You can then sew a maile muffler over the plastic. Bulky, slightly heavy and lacking the fine control that ...

Sean Powell

My legs hyper-extend like that. I make it a point of tweaking leg articulation so I can lock my legs if I need to stand for a long period of time. Yeah its probably not good on my joints but so is a lot of stuff I do. (fight from my knees?) This appears to be a portrait and likely had the patron sta...

Sean Powell

Come on, Dosn't EVERYONE have a copy of Ffolkes: The armorer and his Craft? Blue paperback for like $13 when I bought it and was just starting armoring? Picture page 51, Figure 27 S Victor, by Van der Goes, Glasgow. Description page 50, 2nd paragraph (jumping to 2/3rds of the way through) ... The mo...

Sean Powell

(coming into this discussion late...) There will always be a market for cheep armor just like there is a market for cheep fishing reels. The market is often quite large. There is a fluctuating market for high quality armor just like there is a market for $5000 fishing reels. The market is quite smal...

2 auctions that may be of some interest.

Re: Dark Victory Armor Review

Re: padding