The Armour Archive

CLANG

The ever-vigilant Doug Confere brought this post to my attention. I haven't been on the archive much in the past few weeks. The ring visor in question is not based on anything historical that I've ever seen. The idea was provided by the buyer because he didn't want (and I quote from above) "another ...

CLANG

Seabrig-looks like individually wrapped Hershey's Chunkies!

Nice, though.

CLANG

Not knowing what type of helmet it is, I don't want to over-state the obvious, but have you considered riveting the extensions on? That would preclude the need to grind/polish the juncture, and doesn't require a stainless welding setup. Of course that might look like crap, depending on the helmet de...

CLANG

Grizzly also makes models comparable to the Enco ones-they're currently on sale about $50 off, I think. Both these companies have stuff made in China, but it's good for Chinese. What I would personally like to have is a heavy-duty model (16 ga mild minimum) that's still small enough to fit in my sho...

CLANG

This from my site: These plates are the later Imperial type, made from sheet and in use from the mid-1st C AD. They are 2" x 2-1/2" and have 1/8" ID rolls on either side. They have an embossed design of concentric rings-a popular motif at the time. Apparently, I forgot to include the size of the stu...

CLANG

I was making a batch of my standard concentric-ring Roman belt plates, and accidentally sort of... over-tweaked a few of them. Result was a hairline crack on one side of one ring on each of them. I've soldered the cracks so that only a tiny silver line shows from the front. See pic here: m I have 10...

CLANG

I seem to recall maybe making "armor" from cardboard boxes and paper bags as a kid...

Sorry-I know that's not helpful.

CLANG

Hey, Effi, very cool-where'd you find that pic? Do you have any information about it? That really intrigues me-I've never seen anything close to it.

CLANG

It's CLANG with a C! A C!!

But I'll get over it.

I responded to that email a few days ago-check your junkmail-sometimes I land there. Inexplicably. Hmm...

CLANG

I've got a few. If you'd care to take a look, click on the In Stock link on my homepage.

CLANG

Sux, man-sorry to hear it. You'd better heal fast-wouldn't want that armor to go to waste! Rugby really is a rough game, though.

CLANG

Curse your plastic heart, Paul!

(Just kidding)

CLANG

I think you meant Big Trouble in Little China, chump!

You know what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like this? Ol' Jack always says, "I'm glad you like the helmet."

CLANG

I've got that Makita shear, and I wouldn't part with it for 10 Beverly's. I own a B-2 also, and it's very useful in it's way, but I use the Makita about 90% of the time. I've used it a lot and can get finished shapes with it without much ado. It does take some practice to get the nuances of using it...

CLANG

I can't see the pics-whassup?

CLANG

Yes, you are.

Both of you.

But that's why we love you.

Hey-I get to see the thing finished at last!

CLANG

I've got some rivet sets for 1/8" and 3/16" shank round-head rivets. They are essentially a short steel stake with a hemispherical depression in the top to hold the rivet head without deforming it. Those that I have ATM have a short crossbar welded to the shank so they can be held in a vise. I've pe...

CLANG

Re: William H's comments: Ahhhh!!! The guy (gal) who uses the word "except"! I honestly think that at least 25% of everthing I've ever made was because of that #%@! word! And the timelog-absolutely imperative. Particularly if you're actually using armoring as a sole means of income. I just keep a ch...

CLANG

I'm not trying to buck up sales, but take a look at the Book Page on my site:

http://clang.adkinssoftware.com/book%2001.html

I have given short reviews of the books and how useful I find them. Several of the common and easy-to-find armor books are represented, as well as a few more obscure titles.

CLANG

I think all my thoughts have been voiced here, but there are a couple I'd emphasize. I do mostly custom work-and lemme tell you, folks, that AIN'T where the $$ is. That said, I can survive on a relatively meager income, which is a darn good thing. Otherwise, I'd have to stick to sizes Small, Medium,...

CLANG

I had the Elector Fred harness, and (I believe) the Max II blued and gilded. As I recall, the details and shaping were very good, but it has been a while since I had them.

CLANG

I agree with HotWolf's advice with a couple of modifications. I had good results melting the wax (as he said, beeswax/paraffin mix) 'til it was very hot-a watery consistency. Brush it on heavy with a trash brush-cheap "chip brushes" work fine. The heat of the wax will cause some of it to absorb into...

CLANG

Many of us have seen and/or built some of these (including me, back in "the day"), but they're still cool. They're very accurate and good study models, not to mention great fun!

(No, I'm not the seller-and notice the difference in prices for the same kits.)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 33035&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 50054&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 43189&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 60604&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 43201&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 43212&rd=1

CLANG

I like to use dome-headed rivets and put the rivet head outside, just for looks. This of course makes setting the rivets a lot more difficult... I have a couple of hammers specifically for setting rivets in tight spots. Basically, I took 2 suitable sizes of ball-peens, domed the flat faces, and cut ...

CLANG

Thanks. You'd think I'd a'remembered that one...

CLANG

Cool. If you're really lucky, I might have that couter prototype...

CLANG

Gorm-that's a pretty good rundown of the process. Think I'll save it... You can cheat by sizing the paper with Aqua-net hairspray. (Sizing is making the paper bleed-resistant-kind of sealing the surface.) You can make paper, burnish it, then spray it with cheap Aqua-net. It works pretty well-better ...

CLANG

Thanks for the kind words, fellers. Truth is, I'm making an attempt to get some "stock" items made that I've had multiple inquiries after, but my custom backlog is considerable. =( Might keep an eye on my In Stock page from time to time. Stuff should be showing up there pretty regularly. And, Wolf, ...

CLANG

Been collecting bits of this for a while. Finally sorted out the pile, took what I needed, and the rest is on ebay.

Most of it's for the #7, #7A, #8, and #2 punches. There's also a small lot for the bench punches.

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQgotopageZ1Q ... propertyZ1

Thanks for looking.

CLANG

I'm not sure if the Romans used paper or not-I don't think so. However, paper made from tree pulp (cellulose) is a pretty late invention-like from the 1800's. Prior to that, most European and American paper was made from linen rags. You can get the raw material from several online suppliers, or when...

CLANG

If you're still in the market, I've got a couple of pairs of 14th/early 15th C arms. You can see them on my In Stock page-link off the main page.

CLANG

No problem, larcheveque-I don't speak French at all, so you have the upper hand on me.

I mean a sincere compliment.

CLANG

Yer spoilin' that kid, Wade. He'll probably grow up to have no interest in armor whatsoever...

Email me privately, if you please. I have some shop stuff you might want.

CLANG

Very nice sallets. The shapes are exquisite-rarely seen in the world of spun-bowl armor.

CLANG

Never used it for finger gaunts, but I've found nice heavy wool felt on ebay for very little money.

Anyone need a set of Roman Baltues Plates on the cheap?

Armor model kits

I put some Roper Whitney tooling on ebay