The Armour Archive

Chris Gilman

I'm looking for help at Pennsic for Casa Bardicci and Casa Gaston. Dates: Set up - July 30th, 31st, Aug: 1st, 2nd, 3rd - Approximate hours 10 am - 4pm Strike- Aug. 13th, 14th – Approximate hours 9 am to 5 pm Positions: Manual labor, Carpenter (basic) Pay $10/hr. Casa Bardicci - party tokens as addit...

Chris Gilman

I'm looking for help at Pennsic for Casa Bardicci and Casa Gaston. Dates : Set up - July 30th, 31st, Aug: 1st, 2nd, 3rd - Approximate hours 10 am - 4pm Strike - Aug. 13th, 14th – Approximate hours 9 am to 5 pm Positions : Manual labor, Carpenter (basic) Pay $10/hr. Casa Bardicci - party tokens as ad...

Chris Gilman

I really do love this picture. Well done! Thanks, credit for the photo (had to remove the photo from the quote because of new image dimension limits) goes to my wife for taking the picture, and to her family who's land we were wandering around on. On a related note, when we briefly stopped by and s...

Chris Gilman

Now keep in mind this is a professional shop, with 25 years of history, so we have alot of stuff. It is important to keep it organized. I try to keep material racks near the tools used to cut said material and centrally locate supplies and hardware. I have limited the number of pictures (Not shown a...

Chris Gilman

Signoria Xeno, Thank you for your kind words. The roof tiles were pricey and the staff shop had problems with ABS and we had to resort to styrene. Normally they pull .030” material, but for me they used .060” I had to join 3 panel together to make up the height of my roof and so I made vacuum-form t...

Chris Gilman

Any kit I see at an SCA event that is actually period correct looking.

Chris Gilman

RandallMoffett wrote:Are the fingers on the gauntlets not to be restored?
Looks like the Right ones are missing.

RPM

No. The fingers are missing. I was asked to leave any of the original leather intact. I tried to handle the gauntlets a little as possible because the leather was very dry and brittle.

Chris Gilman

You did a good job on the tassets matching the patina of the harness. Did you put a maker's mark on them? That's a discussion I've had with a number of folks who do restorations: how do you mark what is replacement work? Also, purely for the gossip value: what is the waist measurment? Thanks for sh...

Chris Gilman

We I’m finished with the repairs. Now that it’s assembled, it doesn’t look like I did that much. Basically here is what I did. Fixed rotator on left arm. Replaced leathers on inside of arms and breastplate fauld. Made new locking pin for right side of backplate. Plugged extra holes in various pieces...

Chris Gilman

Thickness and softness are the two key factors for me. I'm looking for a "Brain tan" softness and 1/4" thickness. If yes to these, then yes.

Chris Gilman

I started the repair. It isn't really a restoration, as Ms. Reynolds wants to leave the patina and minor damage on the suit. I would like to restore it completely, but perhaps the new owner will want that. Restoration is a tricky thing when it comes to value of a piece. In the gun and furniture mark...

Chris Gilman

I understand the helmet you referanced is the only known surviving Nordic helmet. They almost certianly had animals embossed on the surface of some of their helmets, but animal shaped helmets are less likely. (again I'm just speculating.) JoJo, I have found no evidence to support this conclusion. E...

Chris Gilman

I just got the "go ahead" from Ms. Reynolds. The plan is to repair any damage that seems to have resulted from mishandling or storage. Also repair rotted straps that hold plates together and replace missing rivets or modern "speed" rivets. Make new tasset plates and sabatons to r...

Chris Gilman

Yes, that is what it is. The one arm has come apart; the other is as it should be. Like James Gillaspie and I have said, the person who made this was very familiar with real armour.

James Gillaspie,
Thank you for the information.

Chris Gilman

I finally got up enough energy to finish the chests. Here is one of them. The hinges were made in 3 sections: the main vertical piece, the "sprays" and the squares at the end. I cut the center section from 11 ga. and I then cut straight tapered strips from 11 ga., these were welded to the ...

Chris Gilman

It's just my job..

Chris Gilman

Chris, how the hell do I become someone as cool as you? How the hell do I become a person who gets to see all the awesome things you see? I believe I can sum this up in one word of L33T. 3P!C!!!!!! It's not about being cool; I just chose a career that involves popular, cool things. Come out to CA a...

Chris Gilman

Gethin wrote:Very nice!

Chris Gilman wrote:I bought this on eBay a couple of years ago from a Roman reinactor back in MA. but it took this long to get it out here.

What, he sent by BurroEx?!!

No I think it was Legio Nona ex.

Chris Gilman

I bought this on eBay a couple of years ago from a Roman reinactor back in MA. but it took this long to get it out here. Well we finally got it set up and it's pretty cool. We haven't fired it yet, but it seems pretty powerfull. (It is hard to tell from these pictures but this thing is massive. abou...

Chris Gilman

In my line of work you are never surprised at what comes up on any given day. But today I was a bit surprised. Debbie Reynolds called me. Seems she has a suit of armour in need of repair. It is the suit worn by Ingrid Bergman in Joan of arc (1948) I post it here because it is one of the few well mad...

Chris Gilman

I have to come clean about something.... Many people have asked how I made the house and how it goes up so easy... Well truth be told, I had some help. In 2009 I found on eBay a building system originating in the 16th century; it was discovered in a warehouse in Venice. I bought it, and used for my ...

Chris Gilman

Nice, well done.

Chris Gilman

Nice, I look forward to your progress.

Chris Gilman

No.
This is the one I'm useing:
http://www.harborfreight.com/14-inch-fo ... 67595.html
Set at 600 fpm

Chris Gilman

Very interesting. In the close up of the scale and tape, it looked very 19th C. in the way the scales where uniform (Looking machine punched) and the construction method of the tape/ rivets and spanner nut. It is interesting the tape is similar to tape used on 19th C. uniforms. Interesting construct...

Chris Gilman

Ben,
I was referring to lubrication wax for the blade.
Johnathan,
I use Castrol stick wax (http://www.freemansupply.com/CastrolStickWaxLub.htm) mainly because in an auction I acquired about 50 sticks of it. I even use on sanding belts on occasion.

Chris Gilman

No need for oil or liquid coolant, use cutting wax. I have a Harbor Freight wood cutting band saw and I have it set on the slowest speed and I use cutting wax and it works like a chap. Just today I blasted trough 11 ga. mild and a few days ago I was cutting 16 ga. 1050. If at any time you trash the ...

Chris Gilman

Bandsaw......

Chris Gilman

.015"

Chris Gilman

Here is a drawing of what I think we are talking about. The top edge would have a slight radius to “take the curse off” the top, this will also make the tooling last longer. The scale could also have a slight dome to the tip in profile. http://www.globaleffects.com/Temp/scalesize.jpg Often it is eas...

Chris Gilman

I would recommend deburring with a tumbler in any case, but this was my thought that the ring method would be more secure over the long run in that the rings will be kind to the fabric and the scale holes would not be kind to the stitching, even deburred. I have had an interest in this armour for aw...

Chris Gilman

I'm little late to this party, but if I may add some thoughts. Oleg Zacharov, one of the Viking-U-Like clan, was selling scales that I think were around 1 1/4 "x 3/4 " (possibly smaller) and they where attached to the fabric with steel rings (modern "hog rings") they showed great...

Chris Gilman

Very nice. Clean, well executed.

Chris Gilman

The only thing you are missing is a very small indian. http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/Indian/cupboard.JPG Great work!! Funny you should mention that, I do have one of those and the Knight with the ax. As well as the full size version of the knight...Since I happened to play the knight in the fil...

Chris Gilman

I think it was a 2 flute cutter and I thinned the ends with a sander.

Pennsic - Help Wanted - Cross post

Help Wanted- Pennsic

Re: Re:

Re: pics of workshops

Re: Pennsic House

Re: Describe your "perfect" SCA kit

Re: Bergman's Joan of arc armour

Re: Bergman's Joan of arc armour

Re: Bergman's Joan of arc armour

Re: Buff Leather Inquiry

Re: Bergman's Joan of arc armour

Re: norse grotesk helmets

Re: Bergman's Joan of arc armour

Re: Bergman's Joan of arc armour

Re: Cupboard for the Pennsic house

Re: New Toy

Re: Bergman's Joan of arc armour

Re: New Toy

New Toy

Bergman's Joan of arc armour

Re: Pennsic House

Re: my quiver project

Re: Viking/early period cooking grate construction progress

Re: Bandsaw...

Re: St George - Hradcany Square - Body armour - Thoughts?

Re: Bandsaw...

Re: Bandsaw...

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Re: St George - Hradcany Square - Body armour - Thoughts?

Re: St George - Hradcany Square - Body armour - Thoughts?

Re: St George - Hradcany Square - Body armour - Thoughts?

Re: St George - Hradcany Square - Body armour - Thoughts?

Re: Medieval eating knife repro

Re: Cupboard for the Pennsic house

Re: Cupboard for the Pennsic house