Gauntlet Wrist Lame Problems

Julius Caesar · Post by **Julius Caesar** » Thu Feb 21, 2002 9:23 pm

I've been hacking away at cardboard models of gauntlet wrist lames (the regular ol' 4 lame overlapping kind) and I've hit a problem that I'm sure some folks in here have also run into, and tackled. I can get the wrist to bend back perfectly......however...getting the lames to pivot foward is my problem. I've tried numerous shapes for the lames, sliding rivets, etc... and nothing seems to work. I'm trying to mimic the wrist articulation common on the original pieces(straight..i think...with small protrusions pointing toward the wrist, at the ends of each lame) I've come to the conclusion that sliding rivets might be the answer, but im not too sure, for I observed what looked like small sliding rivet slots on some originals at the Higgins Armory. Any help, thoughts, ideas, would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks a whole lot

-Julius-

Stoffel · Post by **Stoffel** » Thu Feb 21, 2002 10:01 pm

heh, strange. I can always get mine to go all the way forward, but never can get them to bend back far enough.

Julius Caesar · Post by **Julius Caesar** » Thu Feb 21, 2002 10:03 pm

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Stoffel:
heh, strange. I can always get mine to go all the way forward, but never can get them to bend back far enough.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

what shape lame do you use, and where do you place the holes for rivets?

[This message has been edited by Julius Caesar (edited 02-21-2002).]

theodrik · Post by **theodrik** » Thu Feb 21, 2002 10:08 pm

try a light leather 'leash' or strap, underneath to pull them back out. But I'm guessing the the rivits and their slots are not in the line of the 'flow'

------------------
Sir Theodrik of Skane,
West, Mists, Blackwood Company
'Lude Fortier, Lude Juste, Nemini Damnum!'

wcallen · Post by **wcallen** » Fri Feb 22, 2002 7:37 am

Real gauntlets of a multi-lamed back of hand design do bend 'down' as well as up.

You do not need sliding rivets to do it (though they do sometimes have sliding rivets for other reasons).

Your problem is that you are assuming that the steel will work like the cardboard. The steel plates should be slightly dished to allow them to droop down. Cardboard is not very good at replicating dished shapes.

Basically, you can't make one of these gauntlets out of flat pieces and get it work work right.

After playing with a 16th century original I found that just the right plate shape will not only bend down nicely (not a lot, but enough) - it will also move backwards without gaps forming between the plates.

When I stole patterns off of the original and replicated the shapes I found out why you have to put the little cusp cut out in the center of the plates. After putting the crease down the middle of the plates they would catch on each other when they bent (they fit so well). Filing the little notch solved this problem and made them look better too.

Dish your plates - you will like the results.

Wade

Julius Caesar · Post by **Julius Caesar** » Fri Feb 22, 2002 8:54 am

When you used the dished lames, do you place the next lame in line slightly raised on the lame before it? and are the lames curved when you look at them from the top of bottom(somewhat crescent shaped) ?

wcallen · Post by **wcallen** » Fri Feb 22, 2002 9:48 am

The lames are slightly curved. The curve ends up being very ticklish, too little and you get no bend back, too much and you get really aggressive gapping when you bend back.

I don't know exactly what the 'slightly raised on the lame' means. When the wrist is flexed forward all of the lames are in contact and form a curve. When they bend back there may be some gapping (one lame raised above the other), but this should be minimized and it can be eliminated at least on the 16th c. gauntlets. I think you always get a little stepping on the 15th c. german ones due to the larger plates, fluting and sliding rivets.

It may still not be clear, but I hope it helps a little bit.

This is not what you are building, but it shows some of the 'droop' in a gauntlet. This is not a very good example, but I had it here:

http://allenantiques.com/tmp/b&wGaunt-detail.jpg

Wade

Julius Caesar · Post by **Julius Caesar** » Fri Feb 22, 2002 11:18 pm

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by wcallen:
I don't know exactly what the 'slightly raised on the lame' means. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

heh heh, sorry, i definately worded it wrong. picture looking straight down the gauntlet from the back, you'd see a space between the first and second lame, a space between the second and third, etc...

Would you make the lames progressively longer? or keep them all the same length?

Thanx,
-Julius-