The Armour Archive

Good Afternoon,

I am very new to SCA and armor. My persona I picked is a 10th Century Navarran, and seeing that they were neighbors to Carolignians, I thought lamallar armor would not be out of the question.

My question regards the matter of size for the individual lamellae. I have obtained some nice 1/8" thick aluminum scrap sheet from a fabrication shop in town. It's very thick, and for me hard to work with. I realize that most lamellar used small scales, but in my instance, this being my first project, I would like to "get away" with using much larger pieces. How big can I go?

I realize this will not be historically accurate, esp since I am using aluminum alloy, but please bear in mind I am just learning how to do this and I would like to get started as best I can without looking looking mundane, and hopefully learn something in the process. I would rather not go with a coat of plates, if possible as I don't see any information that such were used in that area at that time.

Also, will annealing the metal aforehand with a blowtorch cause any forseeable problems? I am new to working with metal.

Gurutz

Greetings, Gurutz, and welcome to the forum,

Lamellar is one of my favorite forms of armour and I have spent a fair amount of time researching this subject. And, to be honest, I sometimes feel the more I learn about it, the less I know! One of the reasons is the lack of research, compared to other forms of armour, for the individual who is attempting to study more about this particular type of personal defense. So, if you are just starting to learn about lamellar, be prepared for lots of research and browsing!

Regarding the lamellar plate or lame size, it really tends to vary with the culture that you are representing with the lamellar. For example, some of the Birka plates that I have seen seemed to have ranged from smaller sized plates to larger, "lengthier" plates, such as the lamellar order that this board had a few years ago. If I can dig up my previous research I will try to provide you with some details, as far as sizes are concerned, for lamellar.

Also, one issue you may want to think about is the shape of the lamellar you'd like to make: Do you want rectangular pieces, tombstone or "D" shaped pieces, scalloped ends, etc...? Just the shape of the piece may lend itself to a particular size and what, realistically and historically, can be worn as a form of armour: If the plates become too large, then it isn't really lamellar, but more so a form of segmented armour or laced armour. Also, if the plates are too large, not only do you lose the advantages of lamellar, but you may also lose some of the aesthetics of the armour. (At least, to me, lamellar is one of the visually pleasing types of armour.)

BTW, I am not sure what a good response may be for the annealing question since I have either used steel, or if I have purchased/made aluminum armour, I kept the original finish on the lamellar lames.

I have just recently became interested once again, and found the time, for armouring and such, so I am hoping I can find some of my material that you may find useful. Good luck in your own endeavors.

Thank you for your responce, Baculus.

I am thinking of the "Scales" being 4" long to 1 1/2 inches wide in rectangular shape. I am still looking for a good picture of what Carolignian lammellar may have looked like. So far the images I've seen are either scale or else the artists misunderstood and drew tombstone shaped lamellar upside down.

Welcome to the archive and welcome to IMO one of the most interesting types pf armor. I made my set of Lamellar by using the pattern that is here:
http://www.armourarchive.org/patterns/l ... emplarbob/

It turned out very well. I used 20 gauge 401 stainless. What is great about Lamellar is that is moves very well, protects the body, and is cool since you get a nice breeze. As for size the design I made hinders my movement a bit verticaly since my Lamellar is 3.5 inches long. It makes it very difficult to touch my toes and so I decided to make another kit based on the Tombstone design with smaller scales. I found a supplier of scales and I am now in the process of making my new kit. Here is the link for Felxis's scales:
http://lamellar.blogspot.com/

They are very well made and I like the glavanized look that the aluminum makes. One thing I did not like about stainless is how shiny they were. As for types of lamellar shapes there are many various forms and you would be surprised on how many of them were used in different times and cultures. Lamellar spans from Egyptian times all the way to 18th century. I have seen lamellar all around the world with very simialr designs as well as disimilar. The stuff is versatile and is great protection. So honestly it is a matter of preference and design. Only a few Lamellar that are solely exclusive to one area like the Chinese Mountain Scales as an example. If you need some examples or designs of different scales I have many that I have saved over the last two years of researching them and I would be happy to send some to you.

Welcome to the archive and welcome to IMO one of the most interesting types pf armor. I made my set of Lamellar by using the pattern that is here:
http://www.armourarchive.org/patterns/l ... emplarbob/

It turned out very well. I used 20 gauge 401 stainless. What is great about Lamellar is that is moves very well, protects the body, and is cool since you get a nice breeze. As for size the design I made hinders my movement a bit verticaly since my Lamellar is 3.5 inches long. It makes it very difficult to touch my toes and so I decided to make another kit based on the Tombstone design with smaller scales. I found a supplier of scales and I am now in the process of making my new kit. Here is the link for Felxis's scales:
http://lamellar.blogspot.com/

They are very well made and I like the glavanized look that the aluminum makes. One thing I did not like about stainless is how shiny they were. As for types of lamellar shapes there are many various forms and you would be surprised on how many of them were used in different times and cultures. Lamellar spans from Egyptian times all the way to 18th century. I have seen lamellar all around the world with very simialr designs as well as disimilar. The stuff is versatile and is great protection. So honestly it is a matter of preference and design. Only a few Lamellar that are solely exclusive to one area like the Chinese Mountain Scales as an example. If you need some examples or designs of different scales I have many that I have saved over the last two years of researching them and I would be happy to send some to you.

Hello Ronin. I would be happy to see some examples. I am also working off of Templar Bob's directions. I have them printed up and put in a binder beside my work table.

Honestly I think this metal may be too thick, but I've gone this far.. only about 270 more pieces to go.