The Armour Archive

mattmaus

Not to be overly contrary, but... it's going to change a lot anyway. Depending on what you're doing you may want it to change. Personaly I find it MUCH easier to forge weld in a richer flame. If I'm working on something that's not real critical, a wall hanging item or whatever, I tend to run leaner....

mattmaus

I've fought in both solid cuises and splints, both from 55gal drums. Originaly I had a solid cuisse, with a layer of the stiff green army foam. I couldn't feel a thing. I took the foam out. They worked well (with an exception). They did not cover the back side of my leg at all. I could have added a ...

mattmaus

I've used Sinric's patterns a lot. You'll have good luck with them. The squares on his patterns are 1" I'm pretty sure. He does have instructions on his site for printing them that size... but they're sort of convoluted. I suspect that he traces his patterns on graph paper for posting them. The insi...

mattmaus

Cool pics... run over by a big truck is better than my dog ate my homework.... Thanks for the pics. Hal I took a legit note signed by my mom to my 7th grade history teacher asking for a new worksheet, and a 1 day extention to an assignment because the cat actualy did eat my homework... well... not ...

mattmaus

If you're asking which you should use for armor... Either really... previous statements about work hardening are all pretty much true. If you have hot rolled and want to work harden it a bit, then you can flatten the bars slightly. I believe White Mountain Armory does this, and the general consensus...

mattmaus

Take the incinerator down to the scrap yard, sell it to them, and use the money you make off it to buy nice clean flat sheets. If your scrap yard has a minimum, then collect more stuff and haul down a truckload of stuff to trade in. There is scrap steel to collect all over the place. One of my good ...

mattmaus

I personally am equally concerned with the forward left corner of spangen helms. That location gets hit more often and harder than the face. Can you imagine the rivets for that particular panel all failing simultaneously? Watched a top fly off a barrel helm once. That was cool. Cool in a kind of "H...

mattmaus

You should be ok. That's really not that much weight.

My SCA burg is right about 13 pounds.

mattmaus

Allen Johnson, please contact me at my e-mail.

mattmaus

I beleive it does... I did a search for "js3200 " there were a couple of european sites that had selections for voltage on it. The makita is listed for 10 gauge or 1/8 in mild. 12 stainless. The blades are 4 sided, and the bottom one can be flipped over. Cool. I love it. People watch me use it, and ...

mattmaus

Asian buffet.... all you can eat crab legs.

mattmaus

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... i&n=228013

$420 is 800 euros?

or even $289?

http://www.tools-plus.com/makjs3200.html

mattmaus

Ceramite wrote:Super Great Work!! The fluting is really amazing, if i ate your heart would i get your skills?

Pshaw.... NO! Everyone knows you need to eat the brain....

Nice gauntlet.

mattmaus

They're not monstrosities! They'ze spiffy!

mattmaus

Dumb question time.

1> Will the brim on the jingasa get any reinforcement on the edge?

2> I assume the turned up edges on the plates of Eff's bowl are to add rigidity. Is this correct?

mattmaus

Most steel crate banding is a questionable grade of spring steel. It's actualy pretty tough stuff. You will deffinitely want to punch rather than drill your holes.

mattmaus

What you've sketched there is exactly how I do mine. I usualy go with a square, or rectangular shank. that way the pin won't spin. Why shouldn't the pin spin? If the pin doesn't spin and you know it, then you can slingly bevel the front edge of the pin. The plate that slides over it will go on that ...

mattmaus

You can do the same thing with rivets... but you have to have a dull edged awl, and basicly poke it through between fibers, then ream out a hole for the rivet... it's a PAIN but can be done.
.

mattmaus

What I would really like to see... is a Lansknecht getting dressed.

Step by step, layer by layer.

Flonzy/James did this with his 14th century kit (I think). And it's just cool. It provides an excellent break down of what each peice of a soft kit does to make the 'whole look'.

mattmaus

Didn't Rob MacPhearson do a really nice set of carved bone period spectacles? Or if not him... someone? Anyone got a link? I don't do the glasses thing, but remember seeing this once upon a time.

mattmaus

That's a question tht has a lot of different variables, and a lot of different answers.

If you ask me. 14g stainless helm > aventail.

Further, I wouldn't even consider a partial trade for anything other than welded or riveted mail.

mattmaus

Good Lord- just please explain that the Braveheart kilt-look is not correct for the 14th century. Really, judging by your other post I am quite sure that you could write a fine essay. I'm sure he could as well. However.... based on my dislike of negativity, the fact that I'm tired of arguments, and...

mattmaus

What really cheeses me off is the floppy, dishrag-like wrappings of garment leather that people pass off as "vambraces"! It's better than nothing... but damn.... BdeB suggests a rule change, and I do beleive its the first one ever mentioned, conceived or whatever on the ol archive I can't bitch abo...

mattmaus

I drink probably in the same neighborhood as you Matt. I've found that cofee no longer really does anything for me like it does for others. If I gave my 5 year old a cup of cofee she'd be bonkers. When I finish up the second or third pot for the day by myself I feel... well... pretty much like I alw...

mattmaus

with the addition of a few tools to the shop, I find myself in need of a compressor with balls. The one I have I inherited from my father, and it worked great for him, and his light staple guns and nail guns. I, apparently use a bit more air. Between air hammers and die grinders, the poor thing runs...

mattmaus

Is "way too damned many" an acceptable answer? I have 7 helms in various stages going at present. 2 of these are 'must do' items. The others are things that I wanted to make... you know how that goes right? Get out of bed saturday "I think I'm gonna make a salet. in addition to those I have 2 pair o...

mattmaus

Matt Broadway wrote:Special Magic Powers...

Sounds fishy to me....

I say we get us a stake and burn him.

mattmaus

ARMOURER ERIC wrote:If you had $15K laying around, wanted a period harness and wanted it in a 15-18 month timeframe, who would you call?

Eric

I wouldn't. I'd spend it on tools and materials.... or even just use it to pay the bills while I worked on it. Would I get it? probably not.

mattmaus

I understand how a suspension liner protects from vertical impacts, but I don't see how it will protect from all angles of horizontal impact. I'd like to see a description and sketch or picture of such a suspension liner. Most construction hard hats have a decent susspension that will protect from ...

mattmaus

Another reason for the heavier weight of SCA combat helms is the extra mass makes them harder to move. Thus it is not necessarily the ability to resist deformation that makes it safer, it is it's resistance to quick accelleration (due to impact) that makes it safer. Wjich is what I assume Chef mean...

mattmaus

That could literally stop a pistol ball on the front slope of the brow, and maybe even a modern, low velocity slug of smaller calliber. I think Halberds showed some pics of a 16g mild steel knee or elbow that in a fit of giddy rage he shot with a 9mm or .45 pistol. Impressive, but as I recall he ha...

mattmaus

It sounds like the COP is pretty heavy. Certainly 18 mild or 20 stainless would be more than sufficient. On the other hand... it may not be the cop. My torso armor weighs probably 5 pounds mebee 7 if it's soaking wet. I still get a knot in my back... it's from my helmet I think... not quite 13 lbs. ...

mattmaus

I started one about 2 weekends ago... finished it then sort of. Working on rev 2.

They're NOT terribly hard to do. It's harder to keep it supplied with air than it is to build.

mattmaus

Lorccan wrote:I'm looking forward to my new anvil from Old World.

Yea an verily, for it was good. You'll love it.

mattmaus

I am planning to do some experimentation with etching rivits. Maybe some flower petals, or flour de lours, etc... To be honest I think that would be a silly way to go about it. I don't know didly about etching, but setting up a tiny design on tiny rivet heads over and over and monkeying with the re...

Allen Johnson to the white courtesey Phone......

Compressor recomendations

Re: What if? Placing a big expensive order