The Armour Archive

schreiber

According to my brother the chemist, you should get some increase in temperature if you run a torch with compressed air. He cited turbochargers as an example. They work by forcing more air into the engine cylinder, which means more oxygen, which means more burn. However, engines with turbochargers a...

schreiber

Do the couters have darts taken out of them? If so, what technique did you use to stitch them?

schreiber

Well, I did look into them, but the ones I saw actually completely cut off the gas. If they just reduced it (say, cut off the O2 completely and just left a little fuel flame) then I'd be game, but there's too much time invested in relighting the torch. Plus, I have the torch in a vise - one hand on ...

schreiber

First, don't be a smart alec, I'm talking about oxygen to run a torch. Second, I'm not trying to argue the virtues of using a torch, I'm just sharing something I've discovered. I do use a torch, and I'm not going into why (see above). Everyone who has used a torch with oxygen to raise can tell you t...

schreiber

I have some very specific questions about air-powered planishing hammers, and figured someone here would know about them. Bear in mind that I'm looking to form 16g as a rule, and probably 14 and the occasional 12g piece. Oh, and planish, too. 1) First, does anyone have particular web links that I sh...

schreiber

Yep. At a month into it, most people don't even have a reason to wear gauntlets, as they are probably stuck on sword & shield still and haven't authorized in weapons requiring gauntlets. Not like you can't wear gauntlets and fight sword&board, it just isn't done that often. Also, at a month into it,...

schreiber

Gotta agree with mattmaus on one point. None of your options bears any resemblance to something that was done in period. Take that out of the equation, and you're left with a really well made pair of gauntlets that will last the rest of your life if cared for properly, and isn't period - and may as ...

schreiber

I spoke to the guy selling these at pennsic and I wanted to know, specifically, how to get holes in them. He suggested the whitney knock-off punches from Harbor Freight. Reason being the fact that they will wear out punches, so you may as well get the cheap ones. FYI, there are a lot of previous pos...

schreiber

Bottom line: if you live in the United States, have a good head for business, and are willing to take risks, then yes, you can be an armorer and make $100k or more a year. You're just not going to make your money selling armor. We are all taught from an early age that your income is directly tied to...

schreiber

Well, there's more to the story. The thing about leather is that you have to realize that YOU are its worst enemy. You're going to sweat on it. Gambesons trap sweat, which is a good thing, but that sweat also is going to get all over the inside of your CoP. And you only have to go to one Pennsic for...

schreiber

Some suggestions: -wear gloves? At least on your off hand. Even if you're finishing the edges really nicely, you're still transferring the shock of the metal getting hit into your hand, and a little leather goes a long way in reducing this. You don't want to wear a glove on your hammering hand unles...

schreiber

Wow... I mean wow... twenty-some posts and nobody brought up the bloody obvious reasons?

How about how no museum in the world contains authentic armor made of stainless steel?

How about how you can't put a high polish on stainless without making the wearer look like a giant restaurant utensil?

schreiber

Interesting. It never really occurred to me before reading this thread, but this is probably why a guy like Bertrand du Guesclin shows up as a historical figure of note. Now there's a guy that I don't think would have paid more than lip service to what weapons or armor were in fashion at the time. I...

schreiber

Also regarding the copper rivets - Check antique stores and ebay for hoof nippers. It's a tool that is really designed to (I suppose) clip off sections of horse's hooves. A good set will nip off the end of any rivet you're going to use for armoring really, really easily. And if you get one used from...

schreiber

I take issue with that tutorial for reasons other than the "garbage he spews". For instance, all his wonderful illustrations show the use of large hammers, and I've never been able to do something subtle like rolling an edge with a blacksmith's cross pien hammer. Not like I'm an expert, just an obse...

schreiber

So, I was in Cardiff over a weekend, and decided, heck, the UK can't be that big, I'll head up to Leeds for a Saturday. Well, actually, it was more like "I've got a free Saturday and wild horses aren't going to stop me getting up there". Here's what I learned. This actually has nothing to do with th...

schreiber

I was working strictly on stuff I made myself from fender dollies & miscellaneous garbage, until at Pennsic I bought a creasing stake, large & sm mushroom stake, and a 4" dogleg ball stake from ironmonger. I got my pick since I was early, and they were largely very clean. I've never shopped from him...

schreiber

I'm 31 years old and just starting to get serious about armoring. If you're young, the hardest parts are: 1) Probably not having a large enough disposable income to invest in tools and materials. 2) Probably not having a space of your own, or living with someone who won't appreciate the noise, dust,...

schreiber

I'm not familiar with incinerators at all. I doubt this would be the case, but if there's any kind of controllable heat in it it's definitely worth something as-is. BTW, I just bought a 4x8 of 16g last weekend, and it cost me over $70. Three years ago it was $40. At $10 a year, I don't think it'll b...

schreiber

Authentic or not, they still look like something out of a D&D manual.

I wouldn't wear them for sword since it looks like they'd seriously hamper your wrist movement.

schreiber

Coat of plates.
If "cheap" should read "free", then not coat of plates.
If you can handle $10 of fabric, then go for it.

schreiber

What have you got on it for finger leathers? I've been wondering about how to do that and make it safe, and the only conclusion I could come to is that the finger leathers would have to be some gonzo sole leather or something - basically fall into the "or 1/4 inch padding" contingency for hand prote...

schreiber

Sorry to bump a dead post, but I have to respond to the coca-cola stripping method.

Try this experiment:
Pour a glass of coke.
Put a 10 penny nail in the glass.
Wait 24 hours.
Check your glass.
The nail will be gone.

Please don't put mail in coke.

schreiber

I have a friend that recently got a breastplate from them. Ditto on the wait, but you should see the breastplate... They have some nice products, and if you can wait, I'd say go for it. Another thing to consider is that they've been in business for over 11 years now, which you can't really do if you...

schreiber

This is what got me pretty good results. Word of warning, I don't like wood dishes. Also, I live in an area where there's virtually no industry, and it's illegal to hand out dead oxy tanks, so I've never tried that route. I originally started by going to www.kingmetals.com and checking out the steel...

schreiber

Yuck. Yeah, I'm still learning, but if that's what it takes, I quit. I'd rather drink antifreeze.

Besides, doesn't anyone else drink homebrew when they're in the shop?

schreiber

mkay... question. How come nobody goes the legal route? I've been shafted before, but it was for $54. By the way, don't buy anything from Bonnie's Baliwick. I'm not suing her because I figure that statement is what $54 can buy. But once you get into triple digits, isn't it an expensive lesson? Why d...

schreiber

No kind of expert here, but maybe it will. I'm pretty sure it has to get hotter than you're willing to handle ( at least bare-handed ) in order to ruin a temper. You could also try heat-sinking it - put something heat absorbing on the non-polished side in order to draw some heat out of the piece. Or...

schreiber

Ditto on the acetone - denatured alcohol will do the trick too. What to put on afterward is a matter of great debate. I'm currently a fan of Johnson's paste wax. It dulls the finish a little bit, though. But it doesn't come off at all, and unless you're going into combat it should last years before ...

schreiber

Ok, I've been defied.

If your helm rings, and you can't do an aventail, wrap a strap of leather around the bottom bar of the bargrill. Works like a champ.

schreiber

"Takes forever" is relative. I defy anyone to name an armorer that will get you a piece of armor not in stock in less than 6 months. The only way to get something quickly these days is to buy it off the peg (or make it). There's a pretty wild difference between the two helms you referenced: I think ...

schreiber

I don't know about "a pretty beat up" swage block, but there are a couple places you can get a new one. Check ebay - I noticed that there are a couple small swage blocks up for auction at reasonable prices right now. There's one that's going for $99 right now. Most of them are meant to be vice-mount...

schreiber

I'm in Woodbridge, and also didn't have any idea that there were so many armorers in the area...

I think I'm going to have to see with the wife about hosting a get-together sometime.

schreiber

Hold up. Forget oil. If you're going to polish it, go with regular clear coat shoe polish first. That, or use regular johnson's paste wax. That would be fairly safe against the fabric, too. The function of the oil I think you're looking for is to make it not rot. If you're polishing it, you're alrea...

schreiber

I don't own one but have been researching them for the last couple years. I do know a guy in my kingdom who owns one (he builds motorcycle gas tanks with it) who "can do a tank in three days". I assume this includes welding different pieces together, grinding, painting, etc. He also claimed at Penns...

How to get free Oxygen

Questions about air planishing hammers

Lessons learned from the Royal Armouries - Leeds