The Armour Archive

(NOTE: This is the first time I post pictures here so if they are too big or whatever, please let me know)

After a Spangenhelm and a gorget, these are my second (gauntlets) and third (covered armour) completed plate projects. I've taken pictures of these pieces before they get trashed in combat (rebated steel, the velvet won't like it ) and I thought some of you might be interested to see them.

The body armour is made of 16ga cold rolled steel. The velvet was glued in place and decorative nails were added near the edges. The shoulder straps are made of thick leather covered with velvet and padded with felt. I will eventually add an uncovered and removable fauld of four lames to provide better protection to the lower abdomen and hip.

It's not meant to be very "period" but I based my general design on the breasplate of the Churburg #14 and the backplate of the Churburg #18 so I guess I could present it as something that might have existed in Italy between 1390-1415.

The pictures don't show it well, but the backplate has a nice dished areas for the shoulderblades. Not terribly difficult to shape, but I like it.

Questions/comments/suggestions are welcome.

Cheers!

Ancelin

[img]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f205/Ancelin01/f5c5a2b0.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f205/Ancelin01/1050ca67.jpg[/img]

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Two other pictures of the gauntlets. 16ga construction as well. The finger plates are riveted on leather and padded with felt. The turned out fairly well for a first try at gauntlets but are a bit small for me. I decided not to fully rivet the gloves to the cuffs so that the leather protects my skin better. If I ever make a second pair of these I will make the cuffs a bit larger and less flared to give better protection to the tender skin of my wrists. I already practiced a few times with these, hence the few scratches.

Ancelin

[img]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f205/Ancelin01/d34d5dac.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f205/Ancelin01/07eceef4.jpg[/img]

Hows this for a comment... FREAKIN BEAUTIFUL! what kind of glue did you use and is the velvet crushed? Where did you buy your velvet and was it expensive?

Thanks,David

Thanks David: I used 3M Hi-Tack Spray Adhesive (#76). I bought the velvet (100% cotton velveteen really) at a generic local fabric store, in the surplus section and it was dirt cheap. Because is it well glued to the metal I think that it would be fairly resistant to rattan combat but that it will eventually get dammaged by steel swords. I might used this armour just in special occasions and make a coat of plates for regular training. Ancelin [/quote]

VERY beautiful work! How long did it take you to complete the project?

It's difficult to say how long it took me. I started the breasplate long ago and it was collecting rust in my shop when I decided to cover it and make a backplate to go with it. For the body armour, it perhaps took me around 20-30 hours in total. Don't know if this is a lot of time for such a project but keep in mind that it was only my fourth project and that it was the first time I was experimenting with velvet and making buckles. If I look at how long it took me to make the backplate, I think it would take me much less time now.

It's the same story for the gauntlets. It took me a few hours to make the cuffs and the project sat on the backburner for months. The fingers took forever to make a few hours at a time now and then. I would say it took me about 50 hours to make the entire project. It would also go much faster now but I'll turn my attention to other projects for the time being. Ancelin

wow. absolutely gobstopping. very David Lynch. (hardy har)

How it's possible to adapt a cloth to a round shape? It is supposed to stretch in the middle, "compress" toward the outer edge, or you need to tailor it in multyple pieces?

It's a nice piece. Too bad you didn't finish it with fabric covered faulds. Not all brigs are front opening like the corizzina.

I'm curious about the finger gauntlets. There seems to be a strip on the nuckles that isn't a rider plate and there is a second one around the wrist. I'm curious what function they serve.

As to riviting the gloves to the cuffs, I find that to be MUCH more comfortable then gloves floating in the gauntlet. YMMV. Depending on the piece you are drawing inspiration from you might want to extend the cuff in back and shorten it inside the wrist.

Thanks,
Sean

Signo: I guess it depends on the fabric you are using. My velvet was fairly stretchy so it was easy. I remember a post about this not long ago.

Sean: I'll eventually put a fauld on it but it will likely not be covered. The general idea for this armour is a drawing of an early 15C French? armour that has an uncovered fauld. I think we should classify this armour in the covered breasplate category rather than in the brig or Corazzina categories as the fabric doesn't play any support function in this case. In any case, I plan to make a removable fauld so if I'm reallly into it I just might make a second fauld, this one covered with velvet.

About the gauntlets: The strip at the wrist is there to cover the ugly row of rivets that holds the cuff and the metacarpal together (I don't have a welder). The strip on the knuckle is there to reinforce the section of the gauntlet that tends to get crushed when receiving sword strikes and I aslo think it looks better that way. On period pieces these section are usually made of brass but I decided to make them in steel to conserve and overall "business only" look... and I didn't have any brass . The glove is in fact rivited to the inside on the glove by one rivet and I works well. I agree that it could be more confortable if more rivets were added but, for the time being, I will keet it like this as it might offer me "some" protection if a blade tip slips under the cuff. Thank you for your comments and suggestions.

I was going to say that the fabric could hide a number of flaws, but from looking at the gauntlets, I don't think you made many.

Very pretty.

Alex Cunningham wrote:wow. absolutely gobstopping. very David Lynch. (hardy har)

Alex and I are thinking alike: "He wore bluuuuuuue velllllvet...."

And it's very nice work.

Alcyoneus: The velvet does cover some minor imperfections very well. The breastplate, which I've made when I had less experience in working with metal, could have been planished a bit better. I found it hard to make a perfectly regular curve on such a big surface. The next one will be better.

I'm also thinking about putting stop ribs on the breastplate. Does anybody have tips on how to make these?

Ancelin[/quote]

Take some quare stock, bent to the V angle you want, hammer the ends and the point flat enough to put a hole, then a rivet through it.