The Armour Archive

raito

From what you described... IF you are bottoming the piece out in your 'cup' It's just too deep. You can either get a shallower dishing form, or just not push your metal down as far in the deeper one. Um... From my experience, it's too shallow. I don't think I've ever made a successful piece where I...

raito

Either works. Quenching gets you back to working sooner.

raito

I use a railroad tie. It's bigger, cheaper, and already treated. 9 foot long sunk 3 foot into the ground.

raito

I have a 40 ton press, and it would be hard-pressed to do 12g stainless in any large size. Mostly, I use it much like one would use a hammer. I have a fixture which is a cylindrical piece of urethane, turned into a bit of a dish on the lathe, put into a piece of pipe. I basically press a steel ball ...

raito

Nice reference.

I'd love to pop over and meet you, but my schedule isn't going to let it happen. And a lot of the Milwaukee crew headed out to Pennsic.

raito

I guess I see the reasoning a little differently, but I take the SCA rules a bit literally. From my point of view, you can't really take a leg shot as a kill, but it's not a problem. Anyone can yield the fight at any time for pretty much any reason, and no one gets to say boo about it.

raito

If they use gas-powered lawn mowers, they shouldn't be complaining. I have a pretty quiet electric, and figure I'm trading that reduced noise for the occasional hammering bout with the garage door open.

raito

For armour, anything from 1050 to 1070, and AEBL for stainless.
For other stuff, a much wider range. The benefits to these alloys are fairly simple heat treats that can give a wide range of characteristics.

I do the heat treats myself, or I go over to a buddy who had better/larger facilities.

raito

Well, I WOULD use the brand-new TIG setup I just bought, except that it got put straight into storage without even being taken out of the box, because we're trying to sell the house, and I just do't have the time right now (but will soon).

raito

Usually the reliable Whitney Jr.. Less often an electric drill of some sort (either hand-held or drill press). Less often I'll set up the 2-ton punch press and use that. For big holes, or irregularly shaped holes, I break out the plasma cutter. In more substantial material, it's the drill press or t...

raito

No clue. I don't use baskets.

For a more accurate assessment, I'd suggest that one would not be allowed to throw to the same target twice in a row, nor to throw to the same target as the immediately prior blow.

Then again, I hope I'm not average.

raito

I have yet to see combat archery in a lost boys battle. I suspect due to the simple fact that CA folks just never bothered to use it there. It seems more likely that the battle setup would make it very difficult to do properly. With the hay bales, and opening and closing gates, it would be rough kn...

raito

I've still got some of that same stuff left from Ric Furrer. He and Beth are doing well enough up in Sturgeon Bay.

raito

The sengoku-jidai will give you the most variation for armours that were actually expected to take a weapon hit. It was a bit like the early 14th century in Europe -- there was an explosion of styles because there was a lot of war, and everyone was looking for an edge. As for leather treatment, do a...

raito

You've said LARP, but not which one, so I'm going to make the assumption that you're using cored foam weapons in a system without head shots, and that the force level is not comparable with that usually used in the SCA with rattan weapons. Manchira. You won't need it, even with leather. For about 20...

raito

Make the default single sword, not sword and shield.

raito

http://www.mscdirect.com

Willing to deal with the little guy, never screw up an order.

raito

A nice bronze color can be had on mild steel by applying paste car wax and baking. You may have to try a couple different waxes before finding one that gives you a color you like. (I wish I could remember what we used 25 years ago...)

raito

Regarding the idea of "gifted" fighters, Duke Sean told a story of pell work. Doing lots and lots of it, throwing numbers of blows that were dizzying. Relentlessly pursuing perfection. "And for that", he said, "I am called a 'natural'". {Feel free to correct me, Your G...

raito

Strictly speaking, the quench isn't necessary. It'll soften up even if it cools slowly. But quenching gets the temperature down quickly. If you have a gas stove, that's enough for small things. For a pickling solution, I use half white vinegar and half hydrogen peroxide. Works quite well, and isn't ...

raito

Without any of the other information given: Jewelers solder. Trying to forge or press weld copper results in a glob of molten metal. A picture of said piece would also help greatly. Not always. One maker I know of does moukme billets under the press. But he does use containment. And I wouldn't try ...

raito

I exclusively use closed-cell polyethylene foam for various padding (notably my helmet and gauntlets). It doesn't quite look like what you have at the link (mine seems to have a finer grain). I use 3/4" in the top of the helm, 1/2" in the face, and 1/4" in the gauntlets. The stuff is ...

raito

thats a problem with the makers of gauntlets. there (quote shortened) regards logan Like baskets don't already have enough of an advantage over gauntlets... Not quite what I meant, though I agree. I mean that, per the rules, baskets have great advantages over gauntlets. A guy using basket hilts dro...

raito

If Chris passes on the Solidworks, I'd be in.

raito

some folks have that opinion. however, its not target substitution since the basket is part of the weapon and you can certainly block with the weapon. there is sporadic talk ever now and then about trying to make it target substitution but thats unrealistic. you can not prove that someone was tryin...

raito

Actually, it was this one I was referring to: "â€¢ They shall have demonstrated support for the aims and ideals of the Society by being as authentic in dress, equipment and behavior as is within their power." If you are wearing 1500$ worth of armour, over jeans and tanker boots, and there...

raito

The exact requirement is: They shall have practiced hospitality according to their means and as appropriate to the circumstances. So while I agree in spirit with Maeryk's comment, I disagree some with his reasoning. My interpretation is not that Peerage requires the highest level possible, but the h...

raito

Heh, didn't even think if it using the top of the cross slot because the one's I'e seen don't do that the same way. Nice catch!

raito

I'm not having that problem. There's obviously a turning pin on the bascinet, above the pin where the bretache connects. If you look, the connecting pin has a bevel on one side. This probably facilitates connecting the bretache (hook one end of the slot under the bevelled side, and slide it over to ...

raito

And spinning lathes will make damn near any size that a person could hold. (My old man worked in the office of a place that did a LOT of aluminum spinning.)

raito

From the Japanese perspective, sometimes the mail hangs off the fabric, which makes it look saggy. The first thing that fixes that is to stretch the mail a bit before cutting it to fit the fabric. Then sew the mail to the edge of the fabric through every available ring. Then run a couple threads acr...

raito

It was originally wire brushed and not quite so lumpy. People on the field added the dents. It was a 16g Polidor kit. That seemd to be the helm for teenagers in Wisconsin, didn't it (I had one, too)? (Wade, I remember meeting you at a demo on the Library Mall in Madison during the summer. If you re...

raito

Up our way, if you're doing youth rattan, and moving to adult rattan, there's no difference in blow force (in theory, but I have no doubt that our Dukes can throw harder than our Youth). So you wouldn't really need to change your harness. As for materials for lamellar... Leather. I wore waxed leathe...

raito

One of the problems with grappling in an SCA armoured context is that it defeats one of the (unstated) purposes of the rules, which is to allow the small and the large to be on relatively equal footing. there's a reason wrestling, et al. have weight classes. But... I'd allow throwing to the ground, ...

raito

45 lbs. of steel and mail (which would weigh what I'm used to wearing, and cover a whole lot more). See, if I were really doing this, I'd have an armourer on my staff to work out the dings at the end of the day. If I went Japanese, I'd probably go with a sendai-do (less lacing to get cut), and bisha...