Modifying greaves

[Saburou]

This is a feasibility question. Can I turn Truehearth greaves into passable tsubo suneate?

What I want to do is buy a pair of the mild steel greaves-plus-knee-cop, then add the missing middle piece by hammering out one from 20ga steel, fitting it to the greave, and attaching it with lace. The whole thing would, of course, be "laquered" and laced and lined to be historically appropriate.

Here's a diagram of what it'd look like (barring the color filled in), taken from a picture of D. Sebastian:

[img]http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/Ajakutty/SuneataMod.jpg[/img]

The outline, of course, is where the attached plate would go.

Here's what I'm trying to emulate:



So, am I totally crazy, or is this doable? Does anyone have any better ideas?

[Alcyoneus]

It won't be real easy...

I'd recommend not using something like a Beverly to cut it due to the warping that will happen. I would use something like a cut-of wheel, but you are pretty much limited to straight cuts with those.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/D ... mber=47077

You can also use the thinner cut-off wheels that work in Dremels, but you will use more wheels. They will give a finer cut, however, but it will take more time.

Practice on scrap first, if you use these methods, it will take a bit of control. I think the results might be satisfactory, but not impressive.

[Kilkenny]

I guess my question becomes, why not make suneate ?

The forming is less complicated/difficult than the European greaves - doing the shape in three pieces that lace together means you don't have to get the same level of compound curvature out of your one piece of metal.

If you're going to make the center portion of the suneate as an "applique", so to speak, over a European greave, would it really be that much more difficult to make the other pieces of the suneate ?

I think we run into lots of problems when we try to persuade things to be something they're not, and sometimes it's easier to just make the thing right in the first place rather than trying to "fake" it.

Gavin

[raito]

I'm with the Duke on this one.

Every single time I try to outsmart the ancients by trying to do something in a novel way, I lose. I learn, but I lose.

[audax]

Dan Houchins of House of the Wolf has made a pair of suneate out of hardened leather. They are on his gallery page. Mayhap you could inquire with him to buy a pair or get some ideas how to make a pair yourself.

audax