The Armour Archive

Hi folks

Thought I would share some progress pics and info on my Great Bascinet which Czech armourer - Jiri Klepac is currently raising for me, from a sheet of 3mm Steel.

I wanted a Great Bascinet similar to the one housed in the Musee de L'armee des Invalides, Paris and the one previously housed in the Pamplona Cathedral, Spain - circa 1425-30 and Jiri was up for a challenge so ...

Jiri started with a large, steel blank of approx 70x80cm weighing in at some 14lbs and did not dish the blank, but began the initial raising course finishing at a depth of some 9cm. Having started at the top he worked in progressive stages down the helm basin, leaving each finished section as he began the next course of raising beneath it.

He then worked on the sides of the bowl to shape and pull them in and down. Following another course of raising Jiri brought the sides in a further 10cm narrower.

Work on creating the tail of the helm basin then commenced and following a further 3 hours of hammering with a cross peen hammer in that area, Jiri brought the tail down a further third and thinned out the metal from a bunched 3.3mm to approx 2mm.

Then the final stage of raising the basin then took place, with Jiri working one full course from the top downwards, bringing in the helm sides by another 2cm and forming a proto-crest, so making the helm appear that bit taller.

Work on raising the large globose visor begins tomorrow hopefully, as Jiri described it, "literally a mini helmet all of it's own!".

Knowing Jiri's work, that is going to be one sweet hat. Thanks for the progress pics. I love seeing them, even this early in forming. he's using a planishing hammer to start the forming?

Thanks,

Aaron

Have trouble resizing pics. Hopefully the second pic worked.

Thanks Aaron, yes it certainly is looking sweet! Just got to work out how to resize the pics.

Some more pics.

Some more pics.

Another two.

Sorry, final fews pics coming up.

Final pic, right up to date.

sweet

man it's just so cool to see the process that goes into making this. what an elegant sweeping shape to the skull. these are not oftone reproduced, so it's nice to see one this nice being made.

Aaron

Hee hee, thanks Aaron, it's true Jiri has really captured all the subtle shapes and curves of the basin beautifully, worthy of the original medieval armourers IMHO. Indeed a rare helm type.

Jiri corrects me, the blank was in fact 55-60cm and weighed in at 12lbs, still a hugh blank of 3mm steel to wrestle with!

Can't wait to see it with the globose visor and bevor plate.

BTW Aaron, the planishing hammer was just for scale not for the forming

Always love that grand bascinet. Looks great!

WOW. thats some serious shaping there, Jiri will have one arm larger from wresling this chunk of steel. Nice shape. Keep posting more pictures.

Jiri

Hey do I see the other half of my steel weight?



We cut it in half a one has Jiri and the other half is with me.

Jiri you maniac

Its looks great, and i thought you only did gauntlets.

When raising a great basinet like this, it can be a help to forge it from the neck, and towards the faceopening, with the helmet horisontal. Instead of from the top of the skull and down. Less material to move.

cheers
Per L

Damit i confused Jiri Lucius with Jiri Klepac, sorry both Jiri.

Per

per lillelund jensen wrote:Jiri you maniac

Its looks great, and i thought you only did gauntlets.

When raising a great basinet like this, it can be a help to forge it from the neck, and towards the faceopening, with the helmet horisontal. Instead of from the top of the skull and down. Less material to move.

cheers
Per L

Its the other Jiri that is working on this nice piece, Jiri Klepac.
There are two Jiris here on AA that make armour.
Well making Klepac if a profesional and im strugling to have it as a nice relaxing hoby.

That makes my mouth water....

I have several pieces by Jiri, and they're all fantastic! You'll love it! I getting some legs done by him later this year.

Thanks Michael, you have excellent taste Sir!

Here is a pic of a bascinet Jiri made for me, inspired by the Walter von Hohenklingen effigy.

Yep looking very good Jiri the right Jiri that is

Eric

Hello Folks.

thank you for the feedback and also for the advices. I continued on the helmet a little today with bouging it a bit and also started the visor. I believe Stuart will add the picture soon. The visor is 2,5mm thick starting blank. Seems to be fine thickness for work like this

to Jiri (Lucius) yes this is my fovourite ballstake, the gift from you. Thank you once more.

I really enjoy this work, although the weight of the piece is reall challenge for me to move around:-)

Jiri

Hi there,
I picked up a dumbell like that a couple years ago from a scrapyard.
How did you mount yours? Is it just held in a leg vise?

I haven't used mine because I am looking for someone to make a stake for it.

Yes, in a leg vise, I bought recetly one nice and strong that holds it prety fine. The advantage is that you can have it horizontaly (my favourite position as I much prefer t-stake to vertical ball stake. I am allways looking for the balls around to make stakes from, but they are not easy to get here....

Jiri

Very nice. I look forward to seeing more progress pics!

Hi folks

Here are the pics of the globose visor following the third and fourth courses of raising done by Jiri today

Jiri hopes to shape the visor more tomorrow, more pics to follow then.

Glorious!
What kind of steel are you using, and what's your heat source?

Clermont,
thank you. It is mild steel and I was going with the propane forge, similar to what Eric Thing has. He really helped me while I was building it.

Jiri

Perhaps you could post a pic of the forge? It would be interesting to see you take on Eric's forge.

Lorenzo, I have really similar setup + lower part is operated by means of lever and couterweight. It grabs the piece so you can do anything else while the piece is heated. I have several pieces as exchangable lower parts for helmets greaves ect. It works fine for me although AO rig is probably quicker.

Jiri

I've seen these things done time and again, spent years in watching armorers do what they do, even tried my hand at it once a long long time ago, and I am still in awe of the process. To take something so rigid and cold and bend it into form and function and even art, you guys and gals are truly amazing!!!

Today Jiri continued work on the globose visor, heating and further defining the shape of the piece - you will see in today's image quite a difference from yesterday's photo notably:

the snout further pushed out and more rounded;
the brow more defined and angled;
the beginnings of the occularium (sights);
the lower edge of the visor beginning to tuck nicely under the bulbous snout

Jiri tells me he is not quite satisfied with the visor shape just yet and will continue 'cold work' on the visor tomorrow.

Very nice. I can't wait to see this one done! Well done later great bascinets are as scare as hens teeth. Per Lilund Jensen made the best one I have seen to date, but I can't think of a half dozen well done examples, and this looks like it will make my short list.

I'm using a propane forge for my hot work, but it heats the whole piece, rather than the focused heat Eric's design provides. Is the inverted bucket insulated with anything? What's the white board by around the burner made from?

Thanks Jiri