Which piece of armor is the best for beginners to start out with?

[vw1262]

Title says it all. I'm completely new to this, got some basic tools and a shop set up, as well as some steel. But wondering which I should start out with.

I was thinking the breastplate, since there's not much intricacy as compared to the other parts, but I'm a bit confused how "low" I should go, since there's also the plackart, faulds, etc.

[Indianer]

What steel grade is it? Do you have an oxy/propane or oxy/acetylene rig set up and working?

[Keegan Ingrassia]

First off, welcome to the Archive!

The two pieces most people start with, and recommend, are the spangenhelm and a set of spaulders. The individual pieces are of manageable size, do not require a great deal of materials or tooling, and can be done entirely without hot work.

After you've done both, they will have taught you the basics of dishing, curling, rolling edges, riveting (both structural and articulating, and even some on leathers), matching symmetry in multiple pieces, assembly, sanding, and polishing.

If you took the time to sketch out the pieces and develop your own patterns, it will have also helped you develop your eye, and worked on creating accurate templates that fit you.

[vw1262]

What steel grade is it? Do you have an oxy/propane or oxy/acetylene rig set up and working?

It is 16 gauge. No rig set up. Planning to cold work it for now. It's in my basement and don't want to set the house on fire.

[vw1262]

First off, welcome to the Archive!

The two pieces most people start with, and recommend, are the spangenhelm and a set of spaulders. The individual pieces are of manageable size, do not require a great deal of materials or tooling, and can be done entirely without hot work.

After you've done both, they will have taught you the basics of dishing, curling, rolling edges, riveting (both structural and articulating, and even some on leathers), matching symmetry in multiple pieces, assembly, sanding, and polishing.

If you took the time to sketch out the pieces and develop your own patterns, it will have also helped you develop your eye, and worked on creating accurate templates that fit you.

Thanks! Does it matter what helm to start with? Or specifically the spangenhelm? And what's the difference between spaulders and pauldrons?

[Keegan Ingrassia]

People recommend a spangenhelm because it is compiled from multiple smaller pieces that are then riveted together to form the whole. The smaller quarter-panels are easier to dish and shape than a full helm. A riveted sugarloaf or great-helm could be two other alternatives, by the same virtue.

Spaulders are smaller, less-intricate protection for the shoulder and upper arm. Pauldrons are a later invention, and are much larger, covering the shoulder as well as a majority of the upper back. There is a subtle complexity to get them to behave and work properly.

[Indianer]

What steel grade is it? Do you have an oxy/propane or oxy/acetylene rig set up and working?

It is 16 gauge. No rig set up. Planning to cold work it for now. It's in my basement and don't want to set the house on fire.

Alright, but have a look here - until you know whats a 1050 and what is normalizing, don't start doing anything. Steel can crack.

[vw1262]

People recommend a spangenhelm because it is compiled from multiple smaller pieces that are then riveted together to form the whole. The smaller quarter-panels are easier to dish and shape than a full helm. A riveted sugarloaf or great-helm could be two other alternatives, by the same virtue.

Spaulders are smaller, less-intricate protection for the shoulder and upper arm. Pauldrons are a later invention, and are much larger, covering the shoulder as well as a majority of the upper back. There is a subtle complexity to get them to behave and work properly.

Do you recommend a certain gauge to start with for mild steel for these pieces? I read using 16g for breastplate, but not sure about the other pieces?

[Keegan Ingrassia]

16ga is a reasonable thickness in mild for both a light helmet, and spaulders, certainly for your first tries. It's thick enough that it's difficult to wrinkle, but thin enough to shape cold. If you plan to use this for something like the SCA (where friends try to gently concuss you with sticks) then the helmet would need to be at least 14ga.

[wcallen]

A few thoughts on starting the armoring journey.
- have fun.
- the first pieces won't turn out the way you want.
- learn what armor actually looked like and how it worked. They knew what they were doing.
- watching videos of people who know what they are doing (Eric Dube is a fine example) is a better place to start than just banging.
- if at all possible, spending a few hours with a live armourer will likely save you months of failures.
- start with something small - that is why people suggest the spaulder.
- working cold is possible, you can make some great armor that way. It is usually slower than working hot, it limits the shapes you can achieve, and it is a LOT noisier, so wear hearing protection.
- if you are working alone, posting pictures at each stage allows for feedback before you go down a bad path.
- drawing what you want to make may seem like a waste of time, but it really isn't. It helps you understand what you are doing and make lots and lots of mistakes and answer lots of questions you didn't even know you have for the cost of some paper, pencil and a lot of eraser.

Wade

[wcallen]

If you want a different style of spaulder, I recently designed and built these. The picture shows the initial drawings that I did to work out details of the design.
If interested, I can add a picture of the patterns for this one.
<edit> I added the patterns anyway. That way the information is available to anyone. </edit>
I am tall and skinny, so keep that in mind when looking at the pieces.
https://www.european-armour.com/R-53.html

Wade

[vw1262]

If you want a different style of spaulder, I recently designed and built these. The picture shows the initial drawings that I did to work out details of the design.
If interested, I can add a picture of the patterns for this one.
<edit> I added the patterns anyway. That way the information is available to anyone. </edit>
I am tall and skinny, so keep that in mind when looking at the pieces.
https://www.european-armour.com/R-53.html

Wade

Thanks Wade a lot for your response and the previous one. I started out with some simple spaulders. I took a look at what you posted and that looks awesome!! I want to try that out, but probably too advanced for me at this point. I will post pictures of my progress as you suggested. Right now, I have the general shape of each spaulder, but they are all a *little* bit off. Just a bit. I can tell the geometry and curvature is a bit...awkward? It's not exactly symmetrical. Any tips on how to proceed?

[wcallen]

Thanks Wade a lot for your response and the previous one. I started out with some simple spaulders. I took a look at what you posted and that looks awesome!! I want to try that out, but probably too advanced for me at this point. I will post pictures of my progress as you suggested. Right now, I have the general shape of each spaulder, but they are all a *little* bit off. Just a bit. I can tell the geometry and curvature is a bit...awkward? It's not exactly symmetrical. Any tips on how to proceed?
[/quote]

Advice comes from seeing pictures. Post them up, we will see what we can say.

Wade

[wcallen]

The nice things about my spaulders are:
- the shaping isn't very aggressive. You don't have to bang out a whole cop into a quarter sphere or anything troublesome like that.
- they are kind of pretty
- they aren't just like everyone else's.
The not so nice things are:
- the points are really annoying (at least to me).
- the shaping is subtle. I said that was good above, but it is also something that can cause a lot of headache, just a different kind. There is almost nothing straight or flat on these.
- the crease down the middle adds annoyance, but it is a skill that you will need for a lot of other pieces.
- the current patterns really are for a skinny guy. I bet that it won't fit all that many modern Americans.

I should find someone to try to make some of these. Maybe one of my locals will wake up and come back out to the shop and give it a try.

Wade

[vw1262]

Thanks Wade a lot for your response and the previous one. I started out with some simple spaulders. I took a look at what you posted and that looks awesome!! I want to try that out, but probably too advanced for me at this point. I will post pictures of my progress as you suggested. Right now, I have the general shape of each spaulder, but they are all a *little* bit off. Just a bit. I can tell the geometry and curvature is a bit...awkward? It's not exactly symmetrical. Any tips on how to proceed?

Advice comes from seeing pictures. Post them up, we will see what we can say.

Wade
[/quote]

Made a post here: https://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2 ... 1&t=188892