Lesson of the Day: READ DIRECTIONS!!!

Aaron Miaullis · Post by **Aaron Miaullis** » Fri Feb 23, 2001 10:27 am

Ouch!

I saw Sinric's pattern,
http://www.armourarchive.org/patterns/greathelm_sinric/index.html

and thought, "Hey, there is a simple pattern, with photos! Easy! It's idiot-proof!"

Yep, I cut out the pieces (18 ga mild for a local boffer group) and fit the bottom half together.

Neat!

I fit the top halves to the bottom halves, and then the top halves came together.

Not perfect, but that's skill on my part. Still looks good (and will hold up to boffer combat).

I try to fit the top on.

Hummmmm..... Not enough room on my anvil. Lets look at the directions....Hey! It says to connect the top two pieces to the top first! Work from TOP to bottom....

I'll have to do the rest with pop-rivets. Lesson learned for next time.

I figure if I make 10 or so 18 ga greathelms for Pierce College, I'll make a 14 ga greathelm as a local loaner.

Lesson: Read directions.....even the easiest pattern is not idiot proof if the idiot doesn't read the directions.

Have a nice weekend everyone,

Aaron (who has to get pop-rivets now, or a HUGE anvil).

Galileo · Post by **Galileo** » Fri Feb 23, 2001 10:38 am

Nothing is ever idiot proof, idiots are too ingenious...

G--

Ceawlin · Post by **Ceawlin** » Fri Feb 23, 2001 10:41 am

I learned the same lesson recently with a barrel helm... but, I had a 4" planishing ball on a stake... I peened all my rivets (on the outside) against the ball stake (on the inside).

Next time, I too will start from the top and work my way down... why does the bottom seem like the right place to start?

Aaron Miaullis · Post by **Aaron Miaullis** » Fri Feb 23, 2001 10:47 am

Yes, I'm an idiot, but I'm a proud idiot.

My Great Helm has little relation to sinric's...it's missing a top and ugly.....but WOW it's sturdy! I was surprised that 18 ga mild, once into a Great Helm holds up that well. I can bend 18 ga mild with my fingers, but after putting the Great Helm together, it wasn't going anywhere. It was even hard to hammer out sections.

-Aaron

Edric · Post by **Edric** » Fri Feb 23, 2001 10:55 am

I am building a similar helm right now out of 14 ga stainless. I started from the bottom also, my reason, make sure it fits. A better solution to your problems would have been to wait until the end to cut out the top. This way you make sure the helmet fits and make sure the top fits the rest of the helm.

Edric

Lochlainn · Post by **Lochlainn** » Fri Feb 23, 2001 11:04 am

If you build something that's idiot proof, they'll just build a bigger idiot.

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Lochlainn
I'm a Liberal and I'm OK!
*Insert gratuitous inflammatory remark here*

Mad Matt · Post by **Mad Matt** » Fri Feb 23, 2001 11:07 am

Get a piece of metal dowel longer then the helm is tall.

Drill in a dent for the rivit head.

Put the dowel in a vice.

Peen rivits from the outside.

Or for peening on the inside. Take a cheap ballpien hammer.

Cut off the ball.

Weld a piece of metal dowel where the ball was. Weld the ball to the end of the dowel.

Clamp the helmet down (someone holding it would be perfect)

Hold funny lookin hammer in left hand and another hammer in your right. Place funny lookin hammer over rivit and wack with the hammer in your right.

Or take a cheap ball pien hammer. Chop off the flat end. You've now got a shorter hammer that you can use to peen inside of things if you use many quick blows (not enough range for heavy blows but chopping off the flat end of the hammer just gained you 1.2-2" of swing range.

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The budding mid 14th century German Transitional guy.
Mad Matt's Armory

Garridan · Post by **Garridan** » Fri Feb 23, 2001 11:22 am

Matt, I don't suggest hitting hammers together. If you do, anneal the face of one of them, or you might end up with a cracked/chipped hammer.

Prince Of Darkmoor · Post by **Prince Of Darkmoor** » Fri Feb 23, 2001 12:03 pm

LOL Aaron. I did the same thing on the same pattern

Thinking about it now...I've done it twice...duh....

When I was riveting helm tops together and having a bear of time reaching them with my hammer, I would just put the rivet through the holes, set the head in the rivet set (barstock) and then use my planishing ball (which is a 3" ball on a 2' rod) to peen the rivet. It was awkward at first, but it worked.

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Keep the Faith

white mountain armoury · Fri Feb 23, 2001 12:17 pm

Ok here is my little tip, assemble everything with screws, do all your banging tweeking rolling flairing etc, take it all apart, polish, assemble with rivits in the convienent order, quick pass over the buffer to remove and marks made during the assembly process.

AB/WMA

Duc Kjosua · Post by **Duc Kjosua** » Fri Feb 23, 2001 5:57 pm

I put all of my projects together with pop rivets before I put them together for good.