I have a brand new bascinet and I want to mount an aventail...I have never done this before...been fighting in a sallet for the last ten yrs. Help?
Baron Hamish
------------------
The strength of the wolf is the pack and the strength of the pack is the wolf.
Homo homini lupus!
Flaran Cha'Menthi!
Wanted: How-to instructions for mounting maille aventail
-
DWolfhunter
- Archive Member
- Posts: 1435
- Joined: Fri Jul 25, 2003 1:01 am
- Location: Silver Spring MD
-
Steve S.
- Archive Member
- Posts: 13327
- Joined: Thu Aug 10, 2000 1:01 am
- Location: Huntsville, AL
- Contact:
Here are some pictures:
http://www.forth-armoury.com/store/html/images/more_aventail_photos.htm
The first thing you need to do is make the leather band that attaches to the bottom of the helm.
The way I have done this in the past is this:
"Mask" the bottom of the helm with duct tape. Apply it in small strips, and do not stretch it as you apply it, otherwise when you remove it from the helm it will shrink and distort itself.
Apply this mask all around the bottom of the helm. It does not need to be precise - just cover the whole bottom. Apply the strips of tape, working them around the vervelles, so that the vervelles poke through the mask.
When the helm is masked, use a Sharpie pen and draw the outline of the leather band as you would like it. Use a tape measure or some tool to keep the width of the band consistent.
Carefully peel the mask away from the helm, and transfer it to a piece of posterboard. Be careful not to distort the mask, and when you stick it to the posterboard try not to force it into a new position. Let it lie as it wants to.
Now cut it out, mask and posterboard still stuck together. Also poke/cut out the vervelle holes. When you are finished, try and apply it to the helm. If some of the vervelle holes don't fit, cut/tear the pattern until they do, and note where the errors are.
Trace this onto another piece of posterboard, and cut it out and try again. Within a couple of tries you should have a working posterboard pattern that fits to the helm. When it works, make one out of leather.
Next you need to punch a series of small holes all along the bottom of the band. This is what the maille is sewn to.
I typically start stitching the maille starting in the middle of the back of the neck, and work each side foward from there separately. Remember, when you stitch the maille down, it is not supposed to be stretched tight! You must allow for the weave of the maille to be evenly compressed all the way around as you go. If you are good with math, you can work out the exact ratio of rings to holes, but I never do this - I just work it by hand, as I have a "feel" for how it goes now.
Steve
------------------
Forth Armoury
Highly authentic, affordable riveted maille.
http://www.forth-armoury.com/store/html/images/more_aventail_photos.htm
The first thing you need to do is make the leather band that attaches to the bottom of the helm.
The way I have done this in the past is this:
"Mask" the bottom of the helm with duct tape. Apply it in small strips, and do not stretch it as you apply it, otherwise when you remove it from the helm it will shrink and distort itself.
Apply this mask all around the bottom of the helm. It does not need to be precise - just cover the whole bottom. Apply the strips of tape, working them around the vervelles, so that the vervelles poke through the mask.
When the helm is masked, use a Sharpie pen and draw the outline of the leather band as you would like it. Use a tape measure or some tool to keep the width of the band consistent.
Carefully peel the mask away from the helm, and transfer it to a piece of posterboard. Be careful not to distort the mask, and when you stick it to the posterboard try not to force it into a new position. Let it lie as it wants to.
Now cut it out, mask and posterboard still stuck together. Also poke/cut out the vervelle holes. When you are finished, try and apply it to the helm. If some of the vervelle holes don't fit, cut/tear the pattern until they do, and note where the errors are.
Trace this onto another piece of posterboard, and cut it out and try again. Within a couple of tries you should have a working posterboard pattern that fits to the helm. When it works, make one out of leather.
Next you need to punch a series of small holes all along the bottom of the band. This is what the maille is sewn to.
I typically start stitching the maille starting in the middle of the back of the neck, and work each side foward from there separately. Remember, when you stitch the maille down, it is not supposed to be stretched tight! You must allow for the weave of the maille to be evenly compressed all the way around as you go. If you are good with math, you can work out the exact ratio of rings to holes, but I never do this - I just work it by hand, as I have a "feel" for how it goes now.
Steve
------------------
Forth Armoury
Highly authentic, affordable riveted maille.