The Armour Archive

James Arlen Gillaspie

I've run into a brick wall. Anybody seen anything else like this? Philly has one with only the holes left. I'd like to find one with six pointed stars, or anything else with six pointed copper alloy stars. I've run into a brick wall. Anybody seen anything else like this? Philly has one with only the...

James Arlen Gillaspie

I've run into a brick wall. Anybody seen anything else like this? Philly has one with only the holes left. I'd like to find one with six pointed stars, or anything else with six pointed copper alloy stars.

: Bayerisches Armeemuseum19471.jpg (87.58 KiB) Viewed 381 times

James Arlen Gillaspie

I used to use keystock for square face bars that, if memory serves, was 1040. Now I see lower carbon than that for keystock, typically 1018. That's a bit of a bummer, if I remember correctly. :sad: I think it was right, though, because I used to heat treat it when I made tools out of it. You can sti...

James Arlen Gillaspie

You can go with smaller than 1/4" square stock, though you may catch flack from dumb-ass marshals who don't get the whole pi r squared thing. /4" square stock is massively heavier than 1/4" round. I forget what I used; 3/16", maybe? Easy enough to calculate.

James Arlen Gillaspie

Yeah, and the "60's" didn't really start till 1964.

James Arlen Gillaspie

Wade asked me how much time I had in the dome. I don't really know. I have had the thing around for 15 years, working on it only when I could find someone to be a striker, which was every couple of years till I came here, then not hardly. An hour was about as much as I could get out of them. I only ...

James Arlen Gillaspie

Yes, most armour makers just don't know how efficient ganging up on the steel can be. You can get so much more out of a heat! The problem is that every time you get someone trained up they want to go into business for themselves, and then it's back to a crawl. Once upon a time another plater and mys...

James Arlen Gillaspie

Sliders in knees are normal in 15th c. German work, though perhaps not universal (A 21, Wallace?). The Italians did not use them c. 1445 and later to my knowledge, using small shank rivets in big holes. I cannot speak to knees earlier than the 'Avant' harness.

James Arlen Gillaspie

Here are a couple of photos of the inside and the outside of the bowl. The inside looks very much like what I am used to, perhaps with smaller marks than is common, which would indicate a wider radius for the faces of the hammers used on real pieces, at the very least for the finishing stage. The de...

James Arlen Gillaspie

You really should work the sides more before you separate them. You do not have a good shape yet, and you will be a lot happier with them if you work them some more. Take it from me; don't let impatience get the better of you, especially if it only takes another hour or so. I am impressed at what yo...

James Arlen Gillaspie

Wade said: And from what I think I have heard - but something to be confirmed by real blacksmiths - that metal with more slag in it (like much of the material they were using) doesn't deal as well with open air work - our normal "dishing" - it deals better with being beaten back together hot. This w...

James Arlen Gillaspie

Strikers are a lot sloppier than a power hammer, until you break them in. As long as you start at a secure point with the p.h. and then move around slowly, watching the upper edge, I think it might be safer than poorly trained strikers, who tend to clip the upper edge when you have any depth. Your h...

James Arlen Gillaspie

As one who works on REAL armour day in, day out, the fact that someone would complain about a lopsided helm is absolutely ROFLMAO.

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James Arlen Gillaspie

I may be displaying my ignorance, but it strikes me funny that he's still wearing his spurs.

I suppose he has to for appearance's sake, lest people take it the wrong way.

James Arlen Gillaspie

That first video shows that you could get three strikers on a helmet skull, at least for the initial forming.

James Arlen Gillaspie

The Polish Army Museum breastplate is a standard unfluted 'Maximilian' breastplate without its gussets or fauld.

James Arlen Gillaspie

Having looked at a great number of real g.b.'s, I have been struck at the great size of most of them, and the great width of the face openings, where they could be determined. One of them in the Musee de l'Armee was more than 18" from back to front! :shock: I call it the 'elephant seal bacinet'. For...

James Arlen Gillaspie

I've been thinking about making a pair of these things for years (another of those projects that realistically required a client to make me take the time), and the sliders seemed to me to be essential. This is from Henry VIII's famous foot-combat harness. I can't think of any others, though. I also ...

James Arlen Gillaspie

It is true, however, that, as Mac says, unlikely things can be true.

James Arlen Gillaspie

I have a different system that I think is almost as fast; I forge a good button on the exterior surface of the leather securing rivets, but I don't blast them down, so I can get at them with my rivet nippers. Clip - out.

James Arlen Gillaspie

Of course! Thing is, I was trained for years in fighting techniques of the 15th c., near as we understood them at the time, and a lot of it is grappling and wrestling. This leads to all manner of unpredictable stresses on the parts that you don't have if you do typical SCAD'ian combat. Consider what...

James Arlen Gillaspie

The problem I have with them for actual use is that the rivets pull out MUCH easier that way. The leather doesn't have to tear; it's already split.

James Arlen Gillaspie

Yup... They're crazy high and tight. I've done an awful lot of thinking about that arm harness. Funny that so many people think they've copied them.

Say what?!!

James Arlen Gillaspie

I wish I had thought to look for those plate armpit gussets. In DC, I don't think I could get close enough to see if the old boy had his drawers on; I'm sure I tried to see them again.

James Arlen Gillaspie

When I was in Madrid, I 'upskirted' the above tonlet armour, the only time I have ever done such a thing. I expect I shall be forgiven, however. Alas, I could not get around the back.

: KHelmchmidGroinRealArmeria.jpg (29.09 KiB) Viewed 397 times

James Arlen Gillaspie

I'm not buying that they were actually used back in the day. It's the smartest thing that a modern restorer can do, as leathers attached in such a fashion mean minimal impact on a piece. It's the best thing you can do when you are just plain lazy, too. I use them quite frequently (being both lazy an...

James Arlen Gillaspie

I have to echo what Hrolfr said about moisture. A drop of water at casting temperatures will explode and blow that stuff all over the place. I suppose 'willie pete' is worse, but molten cast iron will do.

James Arlen Gillaspie

It's at the Metropolitan in NYC, European, 17th c. IIRC, don't remember the country of origin. Try on their website.

James Arlen Gillaspie

Wouldn't you know that Wade would have a copy of Armes et la Vie. I was in Paris for two weeks back in '97 and I couldn't find a copy for nuthin'!! I visited Reverseau while I was there and even he couldn't help me!

James Arlen Gillaspie

Here are the Paris three.

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James Arlen Gillaspie

Paris has a couple, too, including this one by one of the Seusenhofers.

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James Arlen Gillaspie

Y'know, there's an old story I made up myself about myself, in which a house painter walks into the Sistine Chapel, looks up at the ceiling, and says, "I can do that!" Just sayin'.

James Arlen Gillaspie

Well, I wouldn't want you to think your efforts had been totally ignored. I'm interested. Thanks!!

James Arlen Gillaspie

P.S. If anyone wants to Youtube the video clips, feel free. I sure wish someone had done that the time I was swing dancing with an accomplished young lady while I was wearing full armour. I don't know swing, so I stayed loose and let her move me how she needed to. It looked surprisingly convincing, ...

James Arlen Gillaspie

Hello, Wade, the thing was a test piece that I first lugged around to blacksmith's meetings along with my (single) hammer prior to giving my talk at the Armour Study Day at the Wallace Collection in 2001. In my haste to come up with something that looked more like a bowl, I worked the center too soo...

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