Pursuing this again

[LeonStar]

Hello to whom it may apply, I am in nebraska/iowa area.

Some time ago I came here seeking information on how to make armour and who to learn from. I got no particularly good insight at the time, and by enlarge its just normal people who... well lets just say, wouldnt ever spare their time. Or there was someone who offered but wanted something in the amount I didnt have with questionable ends. Well here I am asking again, and saying, I am not truly a fighter, I am more an artist, and its not that I dont want to take up swordsmanship, armoured combat, etc, though most of what I have seen of the scene tends to be more dominated by individuals who tend to admonish the artistic type I tend to be, and hence most of my friends being female, on deviant art, etc.

For example, lets take video games for instance, I am a player of "toxic shooter games", but only do it with certain games and said friends, the likes of which I am looking for in this area, if that makes any sense I hope.

I would just like to clarify that I learn best in person, and that covid 19 was and event that unfortunately had much in the way of dividing people from each other and still does to this day. I would ask you keep this in mind before you ask about all that I have read up or pursued.

[Kindyr]

welcome,
I am not aware of any armourers in your general region, particularly that are looking to open their shops for long term with individuals they don't know. I have been working on building my own armour skills for many years, and only been able to make it to someone else's shop only a handful of time(each was incredibly enjoyable, they just don't happen often)

I see you location as SE Nebraska, is that still correct? What is your ability to travel look like? There are various things that come up along the east coast to handle real armour or talk about armour.

barring in person learning, have you looked at some of the online resources? There are several channels or videos on youtube that are incredible and I have learned a lot of things through them. If you are open to these, I can suggest several channels to start with.

Do you own a copy of the TOMAR? Its a very good primer for most plate armor. I saw that Talbot's guides were recommended in the previous thread, did you pick up any of those.

What does your current tool collection look like? armor making can be started with some pretty basic tools, but for some pieces, the tools used will cost more than just buying a suit. I guess that really should be the first question. are you more interested in owning a suit, or learning to make armor? either is acceptable, but if your idea is to make the suit because that will be cheaper, the reality is probably the inverse. You might be able to make a full suit on the cheap if you can borrow someone elses tools, but frankly there are very few individuals who are generous enough with their time and tools for that to be a practical answer for most people, especially if they don't naturally live near you.

most of the armorers are mostly self taught, with a large dose of virtual group think through the hive mind that is the AA, where posting up starter project and getting feedback allows the small but passionate armourers to help raise each other up and improve the output.

[Sean M]

Hello to whom it may apply

Some time ago I came here seeking information on how to make armour and who to learn from. I got no particularly good insight at the time, and by enlarge its just normal people who... well lets just say, wouldnt ever spare their time. Or there was someone who offered but wanted something in the amount I didnt have with questionable ends. Well here I am asking again

How many local metalworking classes (silversmithing, coppersmithing, art blacksmithing ...) have you taken since that thread in 2019?

How many of Talbot's pamphlets have you worked through and can you show completed?

How many deeds of arms such as the one in Kansas City have you attended, and how many experienced people did you talk to there? What about Konstantin's suggestion of attending SCA events to track down the tailors and metalworkers after emails did not get you anywhere?

I say this as someone who is messing up job hunting because going out and talking to strangers sucks and applying to jobs sucks. But the only way to learn to do things is to do them, and the only way to find a mentor is to go out and talk to people. And when you ask for advice and people give it its really important to DO WHAT THEY SUGGEST before you come back with more questions.

If you are starting from scratch, pick a project such as "I want to make a kettle hat like this one in this museum" and create a thread to log it.