Losely based vendel pics

Dierick · Post by **Dierick** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 4:59 pm

Just finished up a helm based losely on the vendel collection of helms. Was kind of a rush job, and him being retired, he didn't have alot of money to spend to I took some liberty in the design. The top is two pieces, fluted to give it the multi piece spangen look and with false rivets. The inside is welded because there aren't enough rivets for SCA rules. The cheeks and slats are also welded(and double riveted). Construction is of 16g stainless. Took about a week off and on. It looked really nice until the welder got ahold of it and despite being an expert welder with the tig, tried to weld it stick and blew a huge hole in the top spangen which he badly filled, and left alot of sugar on the outside of the bars that screwed up the occular and cheek finish. He's a good welder though. I bought a tig setup for my welder, so next time he comes by to weld something he can do a much nicer job. I should also note that this is my first time with a spangen of multiple pieces. Everything else I've done has been a solid top with the spangens put on later.

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/Christoffel/Reinactment%20Armour%20Pics/IMG_0052.jpg[/img]

Here are all the other pics, as well as the start of a byzantine styled helmet(first too pics) based off the statue in Riems as found in AAotMK. Going to put a spacer on the inside to put a close fitting maille coif over an armet style lower half to make it sca legal while avoiding the ugly shape most similar style sca helmets have with the flat back and huge bar grill.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v297/Christoffel/Reinactment%20Armour%20Pics/

Opinions are very welcome. I've gotta go back and bring the nasal out half an inch where it sunk in when the welder got it too hot. You can see the slight curve between the eye holes.

Sigurd Fjalarson · Post by **Sigurd Fjalarson** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 5:06 pm

I like it. Is it gonna be high polished?

And the byzantine helm is shaping up nicely too :shock:

Dierick · Post by **Dierick** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 5:12 pm

No, actually he is going to paint it. I was going to sand blast it like I usually do, but he wasnt worried about the finish. He wanted it to have a fairly rough finish, so I only did a bit of boughing and some light planishing where it was really needed. The bracing plate behind the back slats and the bars will be painted flat black, and he is going to put some laten coloured paint over most of the rest of it. Customers choice, not mine.

Sigurd Fjalarson · Post by **Sigurd Fjalarson** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 5:16 pm

Sounds pretty sweet. I got a sweet spot in my heart for vendel and spangen style helms.

Sieghart

Dierick · Post by **Dierick** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 5:16 pm

ah, and as far as the byzantine helm, thats only about 45 minutes work just to see if I could do it before I got my hopes up. I'd like to have a pitch ball to do that shape into, but I'm using the block of lead I use for gauntlets, stuck in the vice vertically. It still needs alot of finishing work on the two I started, I just want to make sure that when I do the rest of them it doesnt pull the metal around too much and leave me with a huge gap between the two halves. I thought about raising it, but I didnt want to spend that much time on a helmet top only to screw it up when I started the tear drops.