Crecy period gauntlets, questions.

[Buster]

I want to make a pair of 1340's English style gauntlets for my kit.
This will be my first serious attempt at gauntlets, so I have a few questions, and would appreciate any advice.

-I don't have a big hunk of lead like in TOMAR, so how could I dish the finger gatlings?

-All the gloves I can find have fingers that are to short, and gauntlet reproductions usually have overly wide, flat finger lames that "float" over the palm part of the glove. Are there any better designed gloves out there?

-The knuckle rider has no dishing, right?

As far as I can tell, these are most of the necessary plates. (I'll finish the thumb later.)

[Smashedfrog]

I've never tried, but would old CO2 cartridges work for shaping the fingers?

[Armourkris]

I'd just get a chunk of lead. I used a big ass fishing sinker for years, lately I've been using melted down tire weights in a cut off coffee tin, works great, cost nothing. I do recommend a respirator if your going to be melting lead though.

as for gloves, have you tried looking at tig welding gloves? You'd probably want to replace the cuff portion but the hands are awesome.

I'm not sure how your pattern fits your hand, but you may want to dish a little along the top edge where it gets near your knuckles, and maybe a little bit on the pinky edge of your hand, but just a little bit. Take a look at your hand holding something sword sized and try and match the contours.

Kris

[Sean Powell]

I want to make a pair of 1340's English style gauntlets for my kit.
This will be my first serious attempt at gauntlets, so I have a few questions, and would appreciate any advice.

-I don't have a big hunk of lead like in TOMAR, so how could I dish the finger gatlings?

-All the gloves I can find have fingers that are to short, and gauntlet reproductions usually have overly wide, flat finger lames that "float" over the palm part of the glove. Are there any better designed gloves out there?

-The metacarpal plate has no dishing, right?

As far as I can tell, these are most of the necessary plates. (I'll finish the thumb later.)

Lead is good for long-term usage but carved hardwood works in a pinch. Or Hal has made some tools specifically for doing finger gadding and someone is selling an unused set in the classified section. Look for a post about apartment not having space for a shop or similar.

Workman gloves seem to be built for men with beefy hands. If you have long skinny hands look into XXL womens gloves. No idea what you mean about finger lames floating on the palm of a glove though.

As near as I can tell ALL plates either have some dishing or some anticlastic shaping to them. Pieces that are simply bent don't seem as 'alive' as actual medieval pieces. It was once shown to me that if you bend a flat piece of steel you do not get a cylinder. The metal on the inside doesn't want to compress and the metal on the outside doesn't want to stretch so the bottom pushes and the top pulls the edges up into a slight anticlastic shape. If you bouge the piece over an anvil to take out that flex you actually make the plate stiffer since the metal will have to un-stretch or uncompress differently/more to get back to flat. putting even a little dishing into every piece adds stiffness (and work hardening). You can't tell me in 2000 years of metal shaping that they didn't understand that simple principle and use it to their advantage.

Luck!
Sean

[Adrian of Rimsholt]

Check out your local plumbing supply store. One that supplies contractors. Not your hardware or big box store. They usually have lead bars. At least they did 5 years ago when I was plumbing.

[knitebee]

Dish them then cut them out. Its far far easier to start with a larger piece or strip and dish then cut out the knuckles.

[Signo]

I'm sorry, but that pattern won't bring you quite far, unless you're some kind of cyborg.
Most of the plates you cutted should have been arched so that you could shape them like a part of a cone, and not a cylinder. Take the time to look better at what the gauntlet should do for you, make a paper model that work,then cut metal.
If you just plan to trim a lot in all those pieces after you formed them, then don't listen to what I've said.

[Buster]

Thanks for all the responses. I'll look into the welding gloves, and probably try wood forms for the gatlings.
Signo, I think the cuff plates on this type of gauntlet are supposed to be a a flat curve, that overlap the vambrace where they're both the same width.
http://effigiesandbrasses.com/monuments/john_of_eltham/image/190/large/

[knitebee]

The curve on the metacarpal you've got goes the wrong way the plate should widen out to protect the base of the thumb not leave it open. If you are planning more plates there, I'd highly suggest going from a curved line to a straight one, it will make a huge difference in how the base of the thumb can move (look at the Wisby #3 gauntlets for reference). Also just as the finger tips don't have knuckles over the last knuckle most gauntlets don't have them on the thumb and I don't think this set would have either.

[Buster]

I was a bit puzzled by how to do the thumb.
(I was planning on adding additional plates to the base of the thumb.)
Since I already have this one with the curved thumb area, I'll see how it works, but I see what you mean about the flat edge.

[raito]

You don't need any lead. Just drill the right sized hole in a piece of wood. The put your ball-pein into it, cover the flat head of the hammer with a piece of leather, and hit it with another hammer. Lots easier than lead.

[Buster]

You don't need any lead. Just drill the right sized hole in a piece of wood. The put your ball-pein into it, cover the flat head of the hammer with a piece of leather, and hit it with another hammer. Lots easier than lead.

I just had some luck with doing something similar to that. The gatlings are on the shallow side, but I don't think the origionals terribly deep on this style of gauntlet.
At least they come out pretty smooth.

[Konstantin the Red]

Let's polish your spelling too... this is one we get a lot.

Gadlings: spike-ish, pyramidal things over knuckles. Make you look dangerous even without your sword.

Gatlings: multibarrel fast shooting guns. Kill airplanes and commies pretty good. Make a scary effin' loud noise firing.

Finger Gatlings: short range weaponry for Japanese giant fighting robots 'n' borgs.

[Signo]

Are finger gaTlings SCA legal?

[Brann mac Finnchad]

Only if the bullets are rattan and 1 1/4th inch in diameter.

[Konstantin the Red]

"But Marshal -- they're only rattan bullets!" -- the KWH

... for the convenience of SIgno, habitant of SI country: 33mm balls.

[Buster]

Most of the responses here have been helpful so far. But I've ran into one more issue with forming the metacarpal plate.
I've found that I can dish it to it's full profile, but afterwards, adding the "flutes" between the knuckles is problematic.
On the other hand, I can put the flutes in first and dish between them, but the dishing is hindered, and the end result looks sloppy and unrefined.
Am I going about this in the wrong way?

[Sean Powell]

Dish first. Dishing only works for relatively flat sheets or where the structure will resist gross deformation. Adding the flutes is problematic but that's where the skill of the armorer comes into play. If it were easy everyone would do it.

Sean