The Armour Archive

Mac

Standard Jeweler's pickle ought to do the trick. Sodium bisulfate is what I have experience with. It works better when warm, and works faster after it has been "primed" by having been used for a while. A freshly made-up pot can be a bit slow at first. I haven't used citric acid pickle but I know so...

Mac

Why not leave them dark? Its a nice contrast. If the recessed areas would end up uniformly dark, that would be OK. The problem is that the buffing wheel will get some of the recesses bright and leave the rest dull. That may look "old and authentic", but that's not a look I admire in new armor. It h...

Mac

Chris Gilman wrote:Are you quenching in a sulfuric or citric pickle?

Hell! I'm just quenching in the stagnant tub of water that sits in the middle of the shop.

I do take your point, though. Perhaps I should take this more seriously.

Any pickle would be better than just water.

Mac

Mac

I suppose that the springy, semicircular cheeks are there to keep the scraper centered in the barrel, as well as perhaps serving a scrapers for the barrel walls. Without them, the tool might chatter and walk around on face of the breach plug. That could lead to a very indifference sort of cleaning, ...

Mac

I've been experimenting a bit with the best way to produce the roped bands for the edges of the cuffs. One way or another, it looks like I will need to anneal the completed bands before I can bend them to the shape of the cuffs reliably. This leaves me with a small problem. Annealing will leave an o...

Mac

John Vernier wrote:This really set a rusty old bell going in the back of my brain.

John, you are a treasure!

Mac

Mac

... but my first idea would have been the same thing to see a tool in it. I wish that had been my first idea! Instead, I believed the experts and carefully made up a very inferior sort of helmet crest holder. It's a bit like the "Ceremonial Head Dress" in David Macaulay's Motel of the Mysteries . :...

Mac

The last photo appears to be the only finger "cop" I have seen... The ones from Alsnö hus have cops over the proximal knuckles. https://i.imgur.com/97OdEJz.jpg If we ignore the internal bracing and "bondo" that the conservators have used to stabilize these fragile objects here in the inside view, t...

Mac

That's progressing very rapidly, and the gorget looks nice! You might want to be sure about your waist angle before going any further. This pic makes it look like the waist is sloping up in front, and you don't want that. :shock: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/6f/f7/d8/6ff7d808c03ff40ec96db6c73ef1ad67.jp...

Mac

There is at least one Italian armet with the original crest still in place. The fastening had 2 spring leaves that could be compressed to fit through the hole which locked the assembly in place when released. Are you referring to this object in Churburg? https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/JuPYhK6TrY...

Mac

Dang! I feel stupid. That's probably not the first bad advice I've given. I doubt it will it be the last. As Mark Twain once said, "Its not what you dont know that gets you in trouble, Its what you know for sure, that just aint so!" (or something along those lines) We all mess up. :oops: It's good ...

Mac

Here is another one I found will looking for the unknown pieces https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/6c5h70BUtIhP1L_fldO0YT1Qkp8-ZSufHGafZ1Grw5hznEd9eYXDap3JRGQtikYqGeL_E9_3a1kMKzlVqgOldQRqiSuUGCcUVgxLhpl8zBP1v5ZvxM9SdFgZgqLVuLvLPxf3SdMMCCOIYkkn-CXgtV2C1FcfO6BkVIpCS_iXfBHk93eQHyZPnZ7yKMuBDV1M7s0wtr3nI...

Mac

To ask a question on the elephant in the room: Were any finger gauntlets done with a hard articulation (metal to metal on a rivet pivot)? If so, could you provide pointers to specific examples (bonus points for pictures) and dates? I'm concerned that all of the examples I have seen of the "cops and...

Mac

Whew! I finally got through "Dusting off the Cobwebs" and made my way to the end of this one. It's been a diligent week of reading. It's a long slog, ain't it? :shock: I've learned so much in the past week - not to mention the simple 'take a day off between fluting' advice. I'm super grateful for a...

Mac

I had not seen these before!

Where are they from?

Thanks,
Mac

Mac

Roman Tereschenko wrote:Dear Mac! You doing a great work here! I love it so much! I believe that Tom is happy about it)

Thanks!

Mac

Mac

While we're at it, Mac, what would you say of soft-hammer-hard-anvil (which is flat) forming? I was very impressed with the results I got using a "hammer on air" strike with a heavy rawhide mallet, and how swiftly it went in mild steel. Produced a pretty smooth curve first go. I am unfamiliar with ...

Mac

Mac: I did initial grind with lamellar disc, its harder than flapping wheels, so I thought it will level surfaces in similar way like hard wheel would do. Those guys cut like a "house afire" when they are brand new, but the working surfaces wear out quickly and then they cut badly. I sometimes "fre...

Mac

Gorden, The job of the hammer is to bring the work up to a state where it can be ground to smoothness. So far as I can tell, most of what's visible in those pics is at that state. There are a few places that need to be corrected with a hammer, but most of what I see there would come out OK with a mo...

Mac

While you are gathering some pics, let me say a couple of things about planishing. First of all, I really hate to have to use the word "planish" because it has come to be thought of as more of a magical formula than a goal directed process. We don't need to cover every bit of the armor with neatly o...

Mac

Gorden, I can't tell from the pics you posted whether the problem is about planishing or grinding, or both. In any case, it's clear that you have talent, and that your expectations are outpacing your experience. That's a good sign, really. The world of modern armor is full of people who would be del...

Mac

I don't usually post to the Combat and Weapons board, but I thought someone might be interested in the thing I just found. Here is a pic of a Spanish Resurrection from about 1430 or so. The guard on the viewer's left has a couple of those javelins that we see sometimes, but mostly don't pay enough a...

Mac

Well Mac this is really is amazing work. I feel like you are one upping your self here in a major way. Thanks! I think it is broccoli if we are voting on what it is representing.... One vote for "broccoli" duly noted. :wink: I think most of the brass work I've seen looks to be sheet worked into var...

Mac

Xtracted wrote:*poke*

Ouch!

I'm in home maintenance and improvement mode right now. The gauntlets will return to the top of the list soon.

Mac

Mac

Tempered in whale oil and molten lead! :shock: I suppose, strictly, that the whale oil is for the hardening, and the lead for the temper, but that may be a bit pedantic. Lead is a pretty good temper medium, really. If you keep your vat at just barely molten, your will temper to 620° f every time. T...

Mac

Here are a couple of videos about the sword industry in England in the 1950s and 60s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8kJiydhRHg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtpMAUf65UQ

Mac

Mac

Ian L. has done a fine job on his latest video about the PDB and my reconstruction of it.

I recommend it highly! Oh... but stop the video at 26:01 to avoid hearing the part where he praises my efforts.. that part's a bit embarrassing

Mac

Mac

Mac: re: closing the ends of chapes Google pipe fitters "orange peel" The things that came up when I did that search presume a round pipe. If your "pipe" is oval, like a chape, the "peel" segments are going to have to be asymmetrical. There are probably graphic ways to generate that pattern if you ...

Mac

Bowan12 wrote:
But as someone who makes his living making heavy warbows there were some things I wasn't keen on, but Will and Joe are both good friends of mine so I won't say anything on that.

It seems like at this point, you might as well tell us what's on your mind..... if you see what I mean.

Mac

Mac

Have you run into anyone that couldn't get their head in it? It'd be too small for me, for instance. Not quite couldn't get in, but certainly people who needed a little encouragement to get in. I haven't looked at my notes yet, but there were a subgroup of people that were experiencing pressure poi...

Mac

Ernst wrote:
I have another image to add to the collection.

Thanks!

I've just started a pinterest board of mail making and related crafts.

Mac

Mac

It's great to see all those people wearing the helmet! I look forward to seeing the other views.

Mac

Mac

ThomasD wrote:I always assumed that those brass pieces were cast, that's very interesting Mac! I'm looking forward to see how you do those!

That seems to be the thing that everyone assumes, but I heven't seen any evidence for it. As far as I can tell, these things were worked up out of sheet brass.

Mac

Mac

Mac: That is just WOW!!! Just WOW!! Well done Mac. Ilkka Golly! Thank you for your enthusiastic response! Now, the gothic guantlets I want to do will have to have the decoration on it and the file work also. The file work is tedious, but not difficult. A little bit goes a long way. These gauntlets ...

Mac

All the edge work is done on the steel.... https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/R3HuXcNBCVNSqC1psOAnS9poq5amV1l-HNy_mhxDGUqdyclNjc1gFH8k179aJjIpVqj6FgUmqWXdQEpea878AQ9RFGHVP4hC_UwmxEjafSy5siLhdL-9YtAwNG7TcI_ObQOdKvHVGasg_THMpjYtZWSf1wfRSy8MGAYq_jsGVxtf12S3sTxtrlmwypFq2329OpWgc0RTPSQhyaTk1Ca0k1sIMFDM1wo...

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Javelins with finger loops

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