The Armour Archive

mattmaus

Kleerfyre wrote:Im a terrible cutter!!

This may be less you, and more the tools. Saw cut rings are always prettier than those cut with nippers.

mattmaus

So looking at Brian's photos again... I'm seeing that all of the holes are sort of oval shaped, and the tapering of the hole is more pronounced on some of these longer ends....

Is that possibly from 'wagging' the punch back and forth to get it loose after it drives through?

mattmaus

I'm unable to understand how to shape the metacarpal, could you make some light on it? Thank you. You did a very good job. I think you need to find a master armorer, kill him, and eat his brain to absorb his mystic power. With no conclusive proof that this works d'Antioche is safe from looneys like...

mattmaus

Awesome shots Brian. Thanks much.

mattmaus

The spade drill bit and a brace and bit seems a pretty safe bet too. And documented. Got any references for that? Not because I don't beleive you, I'd always rather wondered myself. I've got diferent varieties of drilling systems documented for blacksmithing in some of my books, but they're all lat...

mattmaus

Infinity, While your device is certainly palusible for the time period in question, and has obviously been implemented per your WW2 reference, and improved upon, (because it does look like a whitney without a lever). Clearly though, WW2 and war of the roses are diferent things. There are a good numb...

mattmaus

This morning 10/05/05 I received an e-mail from my website, regarding a burgonet inquiry. Burgonet with roughly half Buffe/half bar combo. The inquiry was prompted by my response to a burgonet pattern thread in the armor design/construction area. I attempted to respond to this inquiry but the reply ...

mattmaus

Ugo, any chance of seing an inside shot of the gorget?

mattmaus

A very long time ago I used Sinric's Sparrowsbeak pattern and actualy made a sparrows beak with it. There were things about it that I didn't like. It didn't fit my fat head, it was a sparrows beak, etc. I've done probably a half dozen sturmburgonets and variations of it. Sometimes it gets 'adjusted'...

mattmaus

2. There is a 14th century leg in a private english collection. It was once on display at the Royal Armouries. It has the wing riveted in place. This was probably a repair though it may be original to the manufacture. In either case, at least one kinght went to battlein the 14th century with a rive...

mattmaus

also... avoid sharp cuts in the handle where it meets up with the head. Smooth easy curves is better than sharp angles.

mattmaus

Ingvarr, thanks for the props. Brucer, thanks for the kind and honest appraisal. Some other thoughts on this. I personaly do not care for Ashcraft/Baker stuff. There is nothing WRONG with it structuraly, or safety wise, last I heard they have a great rep. for delivering promplty. The only reason I d...

mattmaus

No, nothing mechanically wrong, true, but historically I fear there might be (correct me if I'm wrong), and I try to stay as close to within bounds of being "period" On some more late period peices, where the fan is less of a fan and more... I dunno, anyway, they come all the way across the inside ...

mattmaus

The center grip sheild and bucklers I use have a flat 1" x 1/8" strap for a handle. I wrap it in 2 layers of para-cord. The sheilds are alum, so I ran the strap all the way top to bottom. This gives it a bit of extra support. It makes a very flat handle. I love them, no one else that picks them up s...

mattmaus

How you look is a choice that no one can make for you. It depends on what you're willing to do and what you arent. Obviously not everyone has the means to put together a real nice kit, hard or soft, and that's not a crime or a sin. There is NOTHING WRONG with fighting in what you have while working...

mattmaus

Why draw a line though? I mean, from an armoring perspective.... The customer should do that for you. If they want basic SCA passing stuff, then give them that. I can make it faster, and sell more of it. Sure it goes for less than the fancier stuff, but... Most SCA people worry less about looks than...

mattmaus

Reminds me of a black powder shoot I went to once...

They had a hatched head burried in a stump, sharp end out. Had a clay pigeon on either side.

Idea was to shoot the axe head, and split the bullet, hitting both targets.

Neat video Hal, thanks.

mattmaus

Yard I go to charges $10 a cut. Getting it cut to 4x4 costs me $10. Getting it cut to 4x2's would cost me $30. IMHO, that's a little out of hand. Especialy since last time I went there I almost had to teach them how to work their own shear. I spent 30 minutes watching them wander the yard looking fo...

mattmaus

Is it really noisy tho? Depends on what you call noisy. Sitting and running, not cutting, I would say it makes about 2/3rds of the noise my 4" angle grinder makes under no load. Even at it's noisiest it's hell and gone less noisy than the 80 gallon upright compressor (aside from the air planisher, ...

mattmaus

And unlike electric tools-it won't go tits up in a year, leaving you to buy another. And you won't be paying for power to run it. While the beverlies are way nice, and I would very much like to have one. A Makita JS3200 will do 1/8" mild, and 12 stainless. It's about $350-400 vs. the $600 you quote...

mattmaus

It's been a long time since I've looked at that particular pattern, but I beleive that it is probably more geared for SCA combat, as to my eye, the finger plates curl around the fingers much further than I remember seeing on historical examples. Depending on your needs, you may want to adjust that, ...

mattmaus

Realisticly, I think you're better off trying to sell this one and use the money as part of buying a new one with the features you want. If the bar grill is welded to the helmet it will be ALMOST impossible, to remove, and while it is plausable to do, it's more work than any sane person would want t...

mattmaus

Yessir...

It's well out of date.

Some of that has been cleaned out. Some not.

Disregard the "in-stock" page as well, as most of that stuff has been moved as well.

Need to get that taken care of.

mattmaus

and it can vary a lot within that, if the guy at the mill is having a bad day. Used to work in a shop making duct. They had a huge coil line that ran out standard lengths of the stuff, but anything that was not in that standard length got fabbed up by the rest of the shop. The coils were 4 foot wide...

mattmaus

Muriel wrote:Just so you know - this is not a one-time thing. Once the initial order is done - this is something that I will have in my regular stock.

Very cool. I just cant afford one right now, but I greatly covet one.

mattmaus

Glad everything made it out to you, and that you're happy with it.

Thanks for the review.

mattmaus

Vitus von Atzinger wrote:Well, prepare to be overtaken with orders.

No joke.

Those are superior ultra spiff.

And without trying to sound like I know anything about woodworking... that seems like a steal of a price, just in light of materials and workmanship. I wish I had enough green paper to get a bunch.

mattmaus

I'm a bit annoyed that I have not ben able to find mild steel in real 16 gage of late. They now seem to roll it out about .005 thinner than they used to. Because your sheet metal supplier doesn't use gage's they use gauge's. There's at least one gauge system in which 16 is 1/16" as evidenced by the...

mattmaus

sweet dude....

silly question....

what did you use for the gold coloring on the leafies?

mattmaus

You gave me a D for comunication???? Hell I'd have gived me an F-... F-- Sixtus is, as he said, a member of the same house.... and he can vouch for the fact that I crawl under my rock and hide there... a lot. You really shouldn't have to rely on other people to lean on myself or anyone else you're d...

mattmaus

perhaps I should actually get a real anvil, stakes and hammers someday. Yeah.... but.... why? Go with what works, redefine the words if you need to. Hammer: hard thing on a stick that I beat crap with. Stake: hard thing that I beat stuff on. I've got a real anvil, but... I don't realy use it much f...

mattmaus

I go all the way up to a 3/8" shank for visor pivots.

mattmaus

More details on your auction process please? as in... when will this end?
I can't imagine shipping being much, but what's your plan there?
I assume you'll provide certificates regarding the authenticity as you have before?

Meh...

I'll do $15.00

mattmaus

I hate aluminum myself, and don't do a lot with it... but... last time I was cutting a roadsign into a buckler blank, I had similar issues. Something in the back of my mind that smacked vaugely of wild memories or halucinations popped up, and I switched to a blade with several less TPI than I usualy...

mattmaus

Please understand that I never meant to imply that case hardening does not work. Obviously, it does. Understand though that what the US navy is able to do in her shipyards, and what I or any other 'joe-bob' armorer are able to do in our garage based workshops are very different things. For proof of ...

Heads-up/seeking re-contact burgonet inquiry, mail failure.

Re: Full Face Corinthian....