The Armour Archive

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Timothy - Thank you very much! I am hoping my second one comes out a little better. The redesigned pattern is looking promising..... The jigsaw sounds like the way to go. I could get a fine toothed blade, or I could try to make a sharp one without the teeth. I have never sharpened anything before, b...

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AriAnson,
You have given me a glimmer of hope! I think I will go try it now! It would be nice to be able to use a jig saw and then sand smooth. Hmmmm....maybe I can get rid of the wavy edges......

Thanks so much!
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Thank you all for the input so far! I am currently re working the pattern to have it buckle at both sides, overlap at both sides, and am increasing the size of the bevor a little bit. I am also trying to correct some asymmetries with the pattern (the back point is off center) because those kinds of ...

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Konstantin. I DO have some 16 gauge stainless out back.... I doubt I could shape it right though. Kat, I used dye for this. I have a question about that - if I put a stained or dyed piece in the oven for hardening, will it give off toxic fumes? As for sealing the leather, should I use neatsfoot on h...

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Konstantin, Yes, I think it would look much better if I put more coats of dye on this. I guess what I meant by "waste of dye" was that this piece is only going to get tossed in a box and probably never see the light of day again. I may even take the buckles off of it and use them on my next attempt....

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knitebee, Thank you very much for your kind comments and suggestions! I had actually thought about adding another coat of dye, but figured it would just be a waste of dye. I only built this to get a look at the pattern in 3D, and to see if I could do it. This one has so many issues that I think I wi...

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Well, this was a practice piece and I have finished it for the most part. (buckles are on wrong and I am in the process of re attaching those) It's rather primitive and full of mistakes, but at least it sort of resembles a gorget. I don't like the color, or at least it doesn't look like I expected i...

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Kat, Thank you SO much for taking the time to look all of that up for me! That was very kind of you! It could possibly work for a leather gorget if a metal plate was riveted at the at the point where the edges meet, maybe one plate on the inside and one on the outside on the end of each piece (or ra...

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Kat - Thanks for the info on the product. I am going to Tandy's today and I will check that out! (My shopping list keeps getting bigger ) And no, the stitching doesn't show on the outside and that is due to the type of stitch I used. The holes are punched into the edge of the leather and then out th...

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Ok, I've gotten it sewn together, and it actually went pretty well. I found a little scrollwork wheel that I forgot I had, so I used that to make a little border. If I had my choice of any design I wanted, it probably wouldn't have been this one, but at least it makes it a little less plain. Here's ...

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Gavin, That's a good point, I hadn't thought of that. The rivet you see in the pic is where they riveted the padding in, and is not hinged. Maybe they made it unhardened. I suppose it could be split on both sides and have buckles on each side. Thanks for bringing that up! I will give this some more ...

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Oh, and one more thing - in period, would the straps have been sewn on as well? Or did they rivet those?

Thanks again!
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The thing I used was the edge groover. I THOUGHT that metal piece could be used as a guide, but I was not real successful using it that way when I practiced. Rather than chance it, I marked a line 1/4" from the edge and then went over it with the groover. I have been thinking about how I could decor...

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Konstantin, Thank you for the tips! I don't currently have an edge beveller or an edge slicker, but if I can afford it, I will pick them up when I go to tandy's. I did discover that I had a tool for making grooves. I have had it for a while, but never knew what it was for until I read the how to art...

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Charles, That is true - I do learn something every time I attempt a project - sometimes I learn that a project is beyond me though. I do have fun too, but sometimes I get discouraged when things don't work out like I envision. Alot of the problems I have is that I don't have the right tools, or I do...

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I thought it might help if I post some pics of what I am doing. I've got the wet leather strapped to the cardboard form so that it will hopefully dry into a more proper shape (other than flat pieces of leather). I am trying to get a better look at how the whole thing will go together, but that was h...

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Freiman, Now that you have said that, if I DO use a drill I will SURELY drill into my finger. Hal cursed me. I did think about drilling, but I will need to drill at an angle. I supposed I could make a jig for that. (they sell them but I forget what they're called - maybe a kreg bit?) I guess it coul...

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Animal, Thank you for responding. The rivets sound so much easier than sewing, but I have never peened a rivet before. However, all of the stitching looks like it's going to need to be done like a butt seam (holes punched through the center of the edge), and besides that, the edges on the front half...

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Revereand, That's good to know. I imagine an unhardened one would be more comfortable, so maybe I could do some of each (assuming I can even make ONE ), and leave the choice up to the customer. Hal, Dangit! You CURSED me!! I'll be darned if I didn't run that stupid awl into my thumb!! I was experime...

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Gavin, Thank you for the warning about water hardening. More and more I am thinking that I will try the oven hardening method. I like the idea of little to no shrinkage. Thank you also for your honesty about preferring a steel gorget. I know leather armour isn't for everyone, but I hope that what I ...

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Charles, Thanks for that info. I figured the sinew wouldn't shrink, but I wasn't sure if it would help hold the shape of the piece or not. I'm still not entirely sure that I will harden it this way. I think I read something about less shrinkage when using the baking method, so I am going to investig...

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Thank you all for taking the time to answer (and read through!) all of the questions! I am getting some good info here! I really appreciate your input! So far it seems like the answer to some of the questions boils down to personal preference. Maybe once I get enough info, I will post a poll to see ...

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Ok, I had another post with some rather general questions about gorgets, but now that I think I have found answers to most of that, I have come up with some more specific ones. Here goes: (sorry, there's ALOT!) 1) Does the leather NEED to be hardened, or can you just use thicker leather and leave it...

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About the beeswax - I waxed a helmet once (after russeting) by heating the metal (SLIGHTLY) with a small propane blow torch, then I took the clump of wax and rubbed it on. I think you only need to get the metal just hot enough to melt the wax, but no hotter. Now, I have only done this once, and I di...

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Oswyn, I would love to see pics if you don't mind posting them! At this point, I would like to see as many examples as I can so I can figure out what will work best. I have made a cardboard mock up from the pattern that Freiman posted, and I have to say that I am getting excited about working on the...

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Doesn't pewter have lead in it? Would heating it be dangerous?

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Oh MY - THAT'S gorgeous! The blackening really sets the helm off, and you did a great job on the camail strap! Very nice!

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Kerry, Thank you for the tips! I am glad you mentioned about keeping the vertabrae covered even when the head is bent down, because i would have forgotten to take that into account until I had the whole thing made. (I have done that SO many times...and I feel so stupid each time I do it) For the ova...

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Freiman, Thank you very much for your kind comments! It means alot to me! Thank you also for that pattern!! I think that may just do the trick! It's even got the padding!! WooHooo! It doesn't appear to be overlapped at the side where the slit is, so that will work just fine. Thank you SOOOOOO much!!...

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Oh, and also - I would be willing to commission a pattern if there is someone who thinks they can make one for what I need. If you are interested in drafting a pattern, please email me and let me know about how much it would cost, and we can also discuss the details of the pattern itself. Thanks, Cat

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Hey guys, I need some help with making leather "gorgets" for the collared mantles I make. I have been looking at gorget pictures, and I don't think their design will work how I need it to. Now I realize that the way I need mine to be made is probably not historically accurate, but in order to get it...

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Here's another pic of the ball with a ruler thrown in for size comparison: [img]http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-6/747693/ballornament.JPG[/img] These are $5.50 plus shipping. I think I'm done being "creative" now. My wire is just too thick to make decent ornaments, but if your tree ever gets att...

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Rev. - Thanks for the tip! You reminded me of a project I did a long time ago that I stuffed with material, so that's what I did here. Ok, I still don't know if I like this one. It's a 6 in 1 oriental ball (if I remember correctly) that i found a tutorial for on line. Here's a pic: [img]http://img.v...

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Karl, I'm working on a sphere right now as a matter if fact. Right now it's kinda fugly as it won't hold it's shape when hanging, but I have an idea on how to fix it. My hubby is waiting to watch a movie with me, but I will get back to it after the movie if it's not too late. As for the teardrop sha...

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Ok, so the PC game I bought wouldn't load, I had a butt load of kids here and they took over the TV, I couldn't work on any maille armour projects because I am waiting on measurements, and I was bored to death! So, in an effort to remain productive, I made these full persian crosses. I don;t know if...

Finished my first gorget

More specific gorget questions and seeking opinions

Questions on making a leather gorget

Maille cross Christmas Tree ornaments