The Armour Archive

mrks

I use a 7 1/2 hp baldor 3600 rpm buffer that can rip your arm off and twirl it around until its empty. a small 3/4 to 1 hp 3600 buffer with a few 8 inch cloth(cotton) wheels works pretty well. start with black or green polish and progress to white diamond polish. some use sisal wheels but I dont car...

mrks

hi there my fingerplates are attached to buffalo hide leathers. the leathers have 1/8 inch thin foam contact cemented to it. the foam is contact cemented to the glove and then sewn down at points. this system works great as long as you keep the parts contact cemented together. the sewn points are fo...

mrks

I will weld 2 stainless bars in mine at no cost. you then add a split piece of rattan shaved to your requirements on boths sides of the bars. wrap "handle" in fiber tape and cover with athletic tape or light leather. people like it when their hand is in the plane of the shield and not behi...

mrks

get thinner gloves. I will be cutting the fingers out and contact cementing them onto the padding since I like a bare palm. contact cement works great if you keep up on maintenance. make sure you stitch the fingertips. but lighter weight gloves that fit like a "glove" would cure your probl...

mrks

I have four of these in my shop:

http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/ ... light=mrks

$60 shipped.

mrks

mrks

I make a cold sunk 14ga stainless boss thats bombproof.
the only dents they have gotten was from one of the dukes shield punching someones grill.

weight is a pound.

mrks

duke gaston wins...

mrks

outstanding review.
high quality armour always is worth more than its sold for so hopefully he will find another buyer.

great job helping the image of armourers increase.

thanks...
mrks

mrks

lightweight sca legs that fit well are hardly noticeable with a simple weight belt and a good hanging scheme. they also allow you to run full speed while wearing them. lightweight is approximately 2(alum)-3lbs(Ti) versus 4-6lbs for 3/4 steel legs depending on the gauge. weight makes a huge differenc...

mrks

hi

I use athletic tape twisted and spiral wound as a base and then wrapped with a single layer of athletic tape.

I also do this with my sca sword handles and only get a blister when the triggers are made out of a rough material.

mrks

I have three left from the 2nd production run I did a while ago.

see this thread: http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/ ... light=mrks

just so you know I am a terrible salesman so I dont even try.
but I do make damn good stuff

mrks

how about a picture?
so we can see what exactly needs to be done.

mrks

I was a production armourer for 5 years selling high grade titanium armour. usually true artists are not good businessmen. I hate selling stuff so would take orders which I would then make the item(s). I never took money down which allowed me to work on what I wanted wihout feeling pressured. not ma...

mrks

hi hal I can dish out a 12 ga SS helm half in less than 15 minutes. probably less if I really tried to make the tooling changes at a faster pace. its the shaping that takes the time. all by hand each one a bit different no matter how careful the pattern. so I too hate making helms commercially. to b...

mrks

hi its not too late. throw those halves in a dishing stump and wail away two handed with the ball stake. if you get tired you can create a rudimentary drop hammer. drill a hole in the end of the stake and hang it from a pulley. make a loop at the end of the rope and use your foot to raise and lower ...

mrks

a very simplified explanation. I think there are much better essays on making helms in the essay section. get a stump or a 4by4 and pound or cut a circular hole/depression in it about 3by3 inches around and 3/4 inch deep. use the ball stake to dish the half into the newly cut hole. pound hard enough...

mrks

I started with a ballpeen hammer a stump and a piece of metal. cut metal out. pound hole in stump. pound metal into hole and try to make a usable shape. no help no advice just the will to do it. many of us old timers started this way. now you have the archive to hold your hand and more tools availab...

mrks

I still do some hobby armouring in titanium. will probably do a production run or two for Christmas. probably a run of hyperlite baskethilts (less than half a pound) and maybe some arm harness stuff to go with them. I am in no way associated with this guy and have been making stuff with Ti since bef...

mrks

wow thanks for the compliments.

these shield bosses well made are as tough as Sir Thorfinn says they are.

sale is off sorry folks black friday is black friday.

mrks

mrks

thanks WilliamThomas

mrks

mrks

bump for black friday.

mrks

the best paint for shields is any paint as long as you cover the bare alum with six coats of contact cement. the contact cement base will withstand everything except metal to metal scratching and even the its very scratch resistant. paint it with any spray paint you want and its durable. a year late...

mrks

many years ago I wore a 26 pound suit of scale that was over the thigh. to take the weight off of the shoulders I used webbing to suspend the lower part on an internal belt around my I wore around waist. made a huge difference in the weight on my shoulders. edit: the posters above are correct. wide ...

mrks

I only have a ten ton punch press and a bunch of fives. the biggest cost in plate making is the presS dies and the cage. this can be real expensive unless you know someone who is willing to make them for you. three phase is no problem with a cheap phase converter. so dont worry about using three pha...

mrks

hi there since there is no black friday ads on the archive I thought I would start one. I have 3 of these still sitting in my shop. http://lh3.ggpht.com/_xijnVOFwTh4/SrZ1cIeEAtI/AAAAAAAAAUk/ktsc2tfcMx8/s576/IMG_3529.JPG so in celebration of black friday I have reduced the price down to $60 shipping...

mrks

on your hands... you can tell the difference of 1/8th of a pound.

it wont bother you much but 1/4 lb is noticeable. anything more than that is irritating to add weight wise.

mrks

you could also place the bar grill across a wood 4 by 6 or suitable metal block and pound the front of the face grill over it. a sledge hammer used gently would probably easily provide enough force to hit once or twice without damaging the front of the grill. if you want to leave no work marks cover...

mrks

KSCA
160 lbs at 5'9.
45 years old.
primary: sword and board. secondary: spear in war.
fighting regularly since 94.

mrks

hi there the knee lames will take about 5 years of asphalt grinding with two day a week practices before they will need to be replaced.(personal experience) 2 sets have had cuises pounded out of shape. one set had to have its cuises resized due to weightloss.. and lastly some of the early sets have ...

mrks

hi there I should be at crown barring any catastrophes. will be happy to look them over. can also fix up the basket hilt is it needs it. hilts with brass are very early work so may need some help depending on how hard they were used. they are fixable no matter what happened to them. I have fixed fiv...

mrks

wow those are pretty old. maybe around 2002?

folks I fix what I sell so if you have a well used or a ten year set of Ti legs that need maintenance... write me for maintenance tips or send them back for a tune up.

mrks

mrks

wow those are brand new.

what is the serial number on them. it can be found behind my makers mark.

mrks

mrks

I am not posting from the shop so dont have exact weights. its sport armour. patterns are designed for ease of fighting, durability and extremely low maintenance. besides the helmet and shield its all thin guage titanium. grieves weigh 1 lb each including knee pad. demis can be 1/4 lb and still be p...

mrks

43lbs including my shorts

mrks

not sure you wanted period attachment but I cant say enough about contact cementing foam padding into place then contact cementing a comfortable glove to the padding.

there is a trick to it if you are interested.

mrks

Black Friday sale: 14ga 304 SS shield Bosses sale is over