The Armour Archive

Dierick

Per the von match gauntlets: From what I have seen of artwork, and trying to reconstruct gauntlets, that gauntlets with two finger lames are not meant to articulate around enough to cover the tips of the fingers. On the same hand, those exposed finger tips are up against the palm of your hand and ar...

Dierick

I really like those arms and legs, you will have a really nice harness when you are done! Those are wicked looking fans on the legs, any specific period piece you are basing them off of?

Dierick

You can heat stainless to any level that you want short of melting it an it will stay stainless. I routinely hot work it. You just have to polish it back up some.

Dierick

Heat. But be warned, you can get anything from black to pinkish orange.

Dierick

Here is the thread where I uploaded those pics, and some later era pics.

http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=77037&highlight=kastenbrust

Dierick

actually I'll just upload them, so everyone has access to them. All of these should be from between 1400 to 1430, most of them german, and a couple I believe are french and spanish. [img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/Christoffel/th_7000631-1.jpg[/img] [img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/...

Dierick

PM me with your email address if you want, I've got a collection of artwork from the time period. I'm working on a harness a little later that yours, but from the same area, and collected images from 1400-1440.

Dierick

For my personal safety, I'm not worried at all. The only way I might get any discomfort is from a strong hit right down on the spaulders, but since it will be over the coif from the helm, which is over the padded coif liner, which is over the houppeland, which is over the purpoint. As for other peop...

Dierick

Mine typically are around 4 to 8 pounds, but I skirt the edge of legality. I wouldnt suggest that in a helmet you are only spending about 150 for and being new to fighting.

Dierick

Really sweet seeing a more uncommon design like this taking shape! I like all the progress pics. Particularly your solutions for the helmet. It would be nice if you would make that fauld soon enough though! The long faulds really add to that early 15th century look. Judging by your last post, I gue...

Dierick

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/Christoffel/Reinactment%20Armour%20Pics/Full%20Harnesses/Kastenbrust/th_Picture001.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/Christoffel/Reinactment%20Armour%20Pics/Full%20Harnesses/Kastenbrust/th_Picture002.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/Christof...

Dierick

Wow, truly amazing shape on breastplate. I have very limited knowledge of German armour from that era - were these kind of cuirasses really THAT flat ? I LOVE seeing something that's not very often seen - keep up the good work. Directed to both you and Andrew, the breatplate actually isn't as flat ...

Dierick

Got a bunch done tonight, but its 2 AM here and I dont feel like taking pics. They will come in the morning. I was going to go with gutter rere and vams, but decided to put a bit of shape into them. I got the lames done for each spaulder and just for testings sake, riveted the lames to one with some...

Dierick

For me... If the cuff of the gauntlet starts at the bend of my wrist, I dont need it. If the cuff starts at the end of the forearm, I really really like the raised area. On my arm, the end of the bone is very prominant and will chafe badly/develop a sore, if I don't have that bump. My g/f on the oth...

Dierick

Well, all I really have left as far as shaping goes is one lame on the left gauntlet and the thumbs, one lame each for the spaulders, and the vambraces. Everything else is aesthetics, planishing, polishing and strapping. As for fabrics, I have the purpoint done outside of buttons for the sleeves and...

Dierick

Got another drawing of what I'm leaning towards now that I've made changes to it. Eventually I will get the full breastplate with the long faulds like I wanted to begin with, but this will have to work for now.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/Christoffel/Picture052.jpg[/img]

Dierick

This is amazing. Inspirational, actually, in all respects from conception to execution. Thanks Destichado, thats exactly what I am hoping for by making this. Throwing up some pics of last nights work. The gauntlets are still very rough and need a lot of planishing and trimming(thats why they look s...

Dierick

I love Cornwell. Yeah, there are many things he could work on, but there are not many fiction writters that put that much effort into research before they start writting. I love the way he describes battle and the way it feels.

Dierick

I was going to go out on saturday but maybe a planishing hammer is more important!

of course it is!

Dierick

Dierick wrote "I understand exactly Hal. Sucks doesn't it? People would laugh at me if I tried to charge $800 for a helm." Dierick, Hal, This is my opinion, and I certainly cannot speak for anyone else but my first reaction is NOT THE CUSTOMERS WHO COUNT. I have paid that much for a helm....

Dierick

Any suggestions on how these would be strapped? Looking at the closeup on the first pic, there are a series of rivets between the articulation rivets. At first I thought maybe these were for a leather liner that a glove would be sewn to, but now I am thinking that they may be for palm/knuckle/finger...

Dierick

Is that slovakian? The one european language I don't have a translator for? Damnit.

Dierick

Indeed, but there is no way in hell I could make that for $100.

Dierick

I was wondering if there was much of an interest in a basic kastenbrust breastplate? Something along the lines of this: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/Christoffel/Reinactment%20Armour%20Pics/Full%20Harnesses/Kastenbrust/documents/aaz.jpg By itself, it is not sca legal because it does not cov...

Dierick

I've been laughed at too. I've started directing people straight to those like stonekeep or james river when they tell me something like 'well, I don't want to spend too much.' Then they come back saying something like 'I really wanted something custom and different than everyone elses helmet.' Grea...

Dierick

Maeryk, If I charged my shop rate the helm would be priced out of the ballpark. For that price one could buy a helm from the Masters and my helms are nowhere near that nice. Funny thing is: I can work a couple of hours making wall art for E-bay and double my shop rate. But a helm that takes me 60 h...

Dierick

That picture just screams of going into town on Diablo.

Great bellows, its really beautiful and I imagine a lot more effective than my blow dryer...

Dierick

Hey one thing to remember is they were fighting with sharp blades not rebated swords or rattan. So if you've got a metal cod piece all it does is make the blade skip off your balls and slam right into the area next to the codpiece. Severing an artery and tendons. Sqare in the junk you're probably l...

Dierick

Put another two passes on the breastplate and sharpened out the lines. Its... different. My dad came by while I was working and asked me if I was making the breastplate for a woman with big boobs. I really really really considered cutting and welding this, but durasteel convinced me otherwise and in...

Dierick

Much thanks to both of you. I think for now, with both lack of time and metal, I'm going to go with the coif that laces up the back to cover the bottom of the kettlehelm. I've made the kettlehelm so that the armet cheeks and grill can be unbolted and taken off, so that it can be worn like an actual ...

Dierick

So all of you that are using anvils (both hot and cold working), how much of a difference does it make to have a real anvil vs. an ASO? If the latter is all you can afford now, will it still lend itself towards basic techniques? I'm using a cast iron anvil and although I dont get the really nice bo...

Dierick

well, someone care to enlighten me how to design/wear a coif for a man in the 15th century wearing outdated armour from the 14th century?

Dierick

Among the knightly class, I guess that it was out of use very nearly by the end of the 14th century. A little lower down the cultural food chain though, and I've seen depictions as late as the 30's. They are still in principle, 14th century armours on the verge of transition to kastenbrust and milla...

Dierick

I've been looking for information on the difference of coifs between early and late periods and can't seem to turn up much on the late side. The early coifs seem to have a wrap around the front of the neck that closes near the temple, giving it a form fitting shape. While this would be ideal for wha...

Dierick

anyone got a tissue? I've just made a mess in my pants.

Accurate gauntlet strapping help?

Interest in kastenbrust breastplates?

coif design in the 15th century