Wow what a horrible day of armouring.
Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2002 10:12 am
Yesterday had to be about the worst day of armouring I've had so far. It took me an entire 14 hour day to assemble a set of legs and a set of greaves.
First I screwed up and had to re-do a bunch of the brass trim by putting the holes for the hinges either in the wrong place or in the wrong direction.
Then I put the legs together and they don't work right. Then bend just fine the trouble is they don't go straight. So take em apart and re-design one of the lames and put em back together again and they work.
Found out something interesting about enclosed fitted greaves. You can only put one hinge on them. I'd planned to put one at the top and one at the bottom on one side and spring pins on the other. So I go and put the hinges on both of the front pieces of the greaves. Attach the top hinge on one. Punch the hole for the first rivit on the bottom hinge go to put it together and realize it doesn't work.
So added the same hole to the other greave and there is now a decorative rivit in each. Left the half of the hinge that was one the front pieces there and took off the other half. The hinges are on the inside of the front. So there's 3 decorative rivits on the brass on the greaves. The extra rivits actually look pretty good. And they're the same on both so nobody know's it was a screw-up. Then added another spring pin where the bottom hinge was going to be. The closure works great.
All that took me about 14 hours. Thing just didn't behave all day.
Oh I also put the bottom parts of the siege buffe together. Still have to add the upper face plate but the neck and "bib" front and back are together and the chin is on. And it all worked on the first try. Strange.
Anyway hopefully I'll get the face plate on and put the kettle hat together tonight. Gonna take a camera home so I can take pics and hopefully post em tomorrow.
I laid everything that's done so-far out on my wreckroom floor before I went to bed in a roughly human formation. It's nice to see it finally looking like a suit of armour and not just a bunch of pieces. So far there's the cuirass, spauldurs, besegews, bottom parts of the siege buffe, arms, legs and greaves. Also walked around the house a little with one of the legs and greaves on. The greave basically holds itself up. (my customer is the same size as me.) and the leg almost holds itself up thanks to the fitted full wrap cuisses. Actually they do stay up on their own if I flexed the muscles in my thigh.
After looking at everything together it's kinda hard to believe I actually made it. It's come out really good. Can't wait to hopefully post pics tomorrow.
Once the kettle hat and buffe is done it'll be nice to work on the hourglas gaunts, sabatons, gorget and hounskull bascinet at a leisurly pace.
Anyway if anyone's making enclosed fitted greaves remember only one hinge. Stupid thing is I went and looked at some pics in books and noticed any enclosed greaves that had pins and hinge only had one hinge.
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The budding mid 14th century German Transitional guy.
Mad Matt's Armory
First I screwed up and had to re-do a bunch of the brass trim by putting the holes for the hinges either in the wrong place or in the wrong direction.
Then I put the legs together and they don't work right. Then bend just fine the trouble is they don't go straight. So take em apart and re-design one of the lames and put em back together again and they work.
Found out something interesting about enclosed fitted greaves. You can only put one hinge on them. I'd planned to put one at the top and one at the bottom on one side and spring pins on the other. So I go and put the hinges on both of the front pieces of the greaves. Attach the top hinge on one. Punch the hole for the first rivit on the bottom hinge go to put it together and realize it doesn't work.
So added the same hole to the other greave and there is now a decorative rivit in each. Left the half of the hinge that was one the front pieces there and took off the other half. The hinges are on the inside of the front. So there's 3 decorative rivits on the brass on the greaves. The extra rivits actually look pretty good. And they're the same on both so nobody know's it was a screw-up. Then added another spring pin where the bottom hinge was going to be. The closure works great.
All that took me about 14 hours. Thing just didn't behave all day.
Oh I also put the bottom parts of the siege buffe together. Still have to add the upper face plate but the neck and "bib" front and back are together and the chin is on. And it all worked on the first try. Strange.
Anyway hopefully I'll get the face plate on and put the kettle hat together tonight. Gonna take a camera home so I can take pics and hopefully post em tomorrow.
I laid everything that's done so-far out on my wreckroom floor before I went to bed in a roughly human formation. It's nice to see it finally looking like a suit of armour and not just a bunch of pieces. So far there's the cuirass, spauldurs, besegews, bottom parts of the siege buffe, arms, legs and greaves. Also walked around the house a little with one of the legs and greaves on. The greave basically holds itself up. (my customer is the same size as me.) and the leg almost holds itself up thanks to the fitted full wrap cuisses. Actually they do stay up on their own if I flexed the muscles in my thigh.
After looking at everything together it's kinda hard to believe I actually made it. It's come out really good. Can't wait to hopefully post pics tomorrow.
Once the kettle hat and buffe is done it'll be nice to work on the hourglas gaunts, sabatons, gorget and hounskull bascinet at a leisurly pace.
Anyway if anyone's making enclosed fitted greaves remember only one hinge. Stupid thing is I went and looked at some pics in books and noticed any enclosed greaves that had pins and hinge only had one hinge.
------------------
The budding mid 14th century German Transitional guy.
Mad Matt's Armory