The Armour Archive

schreiber

The feedback I can give is the reasons I've never bought from you. I have a 1-car carport for a shop and I am very jealous of my space. 30" of wall space (an entire workstation) has been devoted to a Pexto stake plate. That is where I want my stakes. I have some other stakes (exactly two, and only o...

schreiber

For some reason there are a few elbows (very different) and a couple of gauntlets on the page. I don't know why they got there. If we touch gauntlets, I know the 'bit' back out. I was interested in seeing your new gaunts, since that seems to be what I'm doing in the shop most of the time the last c...

schreiber

Also, I would also mention that there's a reason why most people do a great helm or spangen for their first project. There's a lot more breathing room for getting it right.

schreiber

I believe your main problem is that you're assuming the pattern is right. The pattern isn't right - at least not for you using the tools you're using. The bottom of your helm halves is too curved. If you flattened out that curve, by adding to the pattern in the front & back, it would do what you exp...

schreiber

Well fudge, all of my riders appear to be busy that weekend. At $4/gal not certain if I can justify the cost of gas for only one person in the car. I may have to bail. :( Sean Sean, if you can get there before 5:30am Saturday, we can get you there from Woodbridge, VA definitely, and probably from K...

schreiber

Funny how my neck never runs out of batteries and I have more money to spend the the piece of equipment that really matters....the welder. :wink: Yeah, it works great for me the two times a year I use electric, and the other fifty times I weld, my $10 torch goggles do the trick every time. :mrgreen:

schreiber

do they dent easily? Yes. You can work with that. Ironmonger's dishing forms are ductile iron, and work great. However, the thing you want to watch for is pounding any kind of sharp (or even pointed) edge on it. For instance, if you use it to set rivets, it's going to leave marks, and they may be d...

schreiber

I would probably go with concrete. I think the advantages of armoring on concrete totally outweigh the advantages of smithing on earth. Primarily, I just can't fathom doing a lot of B2 cutting and having to try to get a hundred 1/4" caltrops out of an earth floor. I also can't fathom spilling a poun...

schreiber

If you're not afraid to wander into blacksmithing, making hammers is actually not all that difficult in concept. Plenty difficult to actually do it, but with a punch (which you can make), a drift (which you can make), tongs (which you can make) and a sledge and anvil, and enough heat, you should be ...

schreiber

When you send someone money for a product. You should never have to pressure them to get what you paid for. Too true. I can't think of another industry where customers are so regularly screwed. I also can't think of another industry where the product is so severely undervalued. If the market price ...

schreiber

and if you ever want to weld anything... galvanized metal will try to kill you I was wondering how long it would take the "OMFG ZOMBIES!!!!" urban legend to show up here.... Thomas I would like more specifics about that case including medical history and how much zinc oxide he inhaled. I have welde...

schreiber

And if you're priming/painting it, there's really no reason to have it galvanized.
The reason I don't use it is the same reason I don't use Aluminum. I don't want casual handling of my work to leave crud all over my hands.

schreiber

Hungarian versions have something I don't normally see on the western ones: cutouts in the brim so that you can be head-down and cranking, and still look up with your eyes to see how far away the other guys are without exposing your face. Have never seen anybody do one like that, but it would be ne...

schreiber

2) Amos was charged a restocking fee accordingly. Except now Ice has a set of Ti Mail that he can resell for retail price and make 25% MORE on because of that "25% restocking fee". An extra $600+ in your pocket is nice yes? If you don't have to ride people on the other side of Earth "like rented mu...

schreiber

Looks nice!
Need higher res, though! I'm also interested in knowing whether it's browning or painting.

schreiber

Ultimately, like with everything else, it's going to be up to the marshal you're dealing with at the moment. That usually opens up questions like "has it been done before". If a marshal hasn't seen it done, it's likely not to pass. Since C&T people are using fencing masks with a hard leather cowl fo...

schreiber

As for buying a bargrill- well, I have the materials to make one, and I could tack the bars at the center with the tiny torch if they require it. I'm leery of non-acetylene welding ever since I read that the properties of the flame have everything to do with whether you get a sound weld. I know one...

schreiber

That's the *best* way. Though some people will quibble and say that melting the rail in your vacuum induction furnace and pouring it into molds is a *best* way too. Touche'. I think I would have said "whatever way ends up with you selling your railroad track anvils and using the money to buy a real...

schreiber

Thanks for all the input guys, A B2 is on my wish list, but with so many other tools that I should invets in I have to pass. Took Kels advise and ordered the PricessAuto power shear and a whack load of extra blades. If that fails I will fall back on my faithful jigsaw. John I just wanted to throw o...

schreiber

Seems like you'd be putting more effort into this than necessary. Why the welding aversion? Just don't have the resources? If you're thinking about buying a helm top, why not a bargril? Ironmonger sells them. I pattern brims with posterboard, using the "tape it in place and hack at it, tape at it, a...

schreiber

Here's the first kettle I made. I'm posting it because if you're not welding, you can do a lot with rivets, but it's probably going to be more kettle-ish. http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=100800&hilit=oil+blackening I made another after that similarly, though it was a cut &...

schreiber

Hardened, eh? Good show. What's the material? I've started playing with making knuckles for Wisbys and I'm becoming a big fan of the pewter block. (I don't want gigantic hunks of lead floating around.) I'm able to produce pyramidal knuckles - which admittedly aren't as deep as those, but are pointy ...

schreiber

Actually I will have moved to GA by april 21ST and wanted to make sure it was definite before I asked to attend. But yes I would very much like to take part in that study. Ill have to make sure to bring my gloves and camera, and my sketch book ! :) I've been to two of his studies now and I can't st...

schreiber

Those look pretty sweet.

However.... 120+ hours? That seems like a lot. At the price point they should be going for, you're lookin' at what, $4-5/hr?

schreiber

Jacob wrote:12-13 sounds like a winner. I should be there, again, assuming my ride agrees.

Jacob

I do!

schreiber

Well it has already been sanded and polished. And it looks OK. Just trying go figure out if a satin finish would help or hurt. I kinda prefer the satin but I think it will show it unevenness a little better. Interesting: how was it sanded? Most of the time what we do to a planished surface is descr...

schreiber

I never found there to be a difference between water and oil for 410.

schreiber

I use oxypropane for heating. I don't use gas savers because I only get a couple hours shop time a week, and I'm not going to spend it lighting a torch over and over. So I economized leaving the torch running. Propane is less expensive than acetylene and I can get propane at the home improvement sto...

schreiber

Best? A plate roll. Most of us have neither the money for the five-digit price tag, nor the 20+ sq ft of floor space, necessary to have one. When I need to do something like this I resort to a combination of hand bending and rawhide mallet over a pipe. I try to do it as little as possible, though. F...

schreiber

Depending on the size and shape of the pits you might consider pounding some pewter into them. That might do for a cosmetic fix. It's interesting that you say that. My dad, who knows nothing of armor, had a similar suggestion when I described the pits to him. He said that in classic car restoration...

schreiber

Short answer: Yes. Long answer: Yes, but by the time you get them to look like the photo, you will be squarely in the "intermediate" camp (ie, no longer a beginner), and you will likely have spent 5-6 times as much money as it would have taken to simply buy them, this not counting the potentially 10...

schreiber

The smallest I've ever done anything is about 1/3 scale.

schreiber

Hmm, bad me. I don't keep up on my Oakshott typology. Tell me the number and I will toss it on the list. http://www.allenantiques.com/W-26.html I was looking at this, but if you have others that'd be cool too! I have ended up with a few ballocks. First I had almost none, then it grew. There is a re...

schreiber

So I've got some cut & thrust people leaning on me to make sword hardware, and I'd really like to take some pics/ measurements of your Oakeshott XVIII, and maybe some daggers.
Man, you sure do have a lot of bollocks, don't you....

schreiber

Any weekend in May but the 19th works for me really ( I'd rather not have to blow off my parent's 50th wedding anniversary dinner... ;) ) But don't let that stop you if that's the date to use. The one thing I'd like to do is get a better organized set of pics of maille under the microscope. One of t...

Re: Feed back requested on my tools.

Re: May 12-13 2012 armour study session - North Carolina, US

Re: Helm dishing (Could use some direction)

Re: Helm dishing (Could use some direction)

Re: May 12-13 2012 armour study session - North Carolina, US

Re: Safety Warning - MetalMan Welding Helmet

Re: Quality question on cast metal tools.

Re: Floor for armour shop

Re: Hammer used by Eric Dube

Re: schmitthenner arms question

Re: Galvanized steel in armor construction/gorget question

Re: Galvanized steel in armor construction/gorget question

Re: Chapel de fer ideas for combat archery?

Re: Important review of Icefalcon!

Re: Pics of finished helm

Re: C/T helmet question.

Re: Chapel de fer ideas for combat archery?

Re: Best way to shape railroad track

Re: Cutting tools - options

Re: Chapel de fer ideas for combat archery?

Re: Chapel de fer ideas for combat archery?

Re: 16 days from start to finish. gauntlets

Re: Training the eye for accuracy.

Re: 16 days from start to finish. gauntlets

Re: May? 2012 armour study session - North Carolina, USA

Re: Best finish to not show hammer marks?

Re: Quenching 410 Stainless steel?

Re: Hot raising a helm with Oxy/Acetylene torch

Re: What tool would be best?

Re: Mild Steel Helm rehab tips, please

Re: Can a beginner make greek style greaves?

Re: Miniature Armor

Re: May? 2012 armour study session - North Carolina, USA

Re: May? 2012 armour study session - North Carolina, USA

Re: May? 2012 armour study session - North Carolina, USA