Well I finally got it put together. Now it's just gotta get screwed to a stump and have the inside edge of the bottom piece filed down so it's not quite so sharp.
And my 45 pound foot operated hammer should be done either tonight or tomorrow too.
Anyway lemme know what you think. Ask me questions and offer suggestions. All the specs on materials and construction are on the linked page.
Thanks for the idea Sasha now lets see how it works.
Anyway here's the link. There's 4 images that total 149K so it may take a little while to load. You can read the text at the bottom while they load though.
http://www.crosswinds.net/~mad666matt/bossform.html
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The budding mid 14th century German Transitional guy.
Mad Matt's Armory
My fancy new shield boss makin tool. Sasha thanks take a loo
HOLY SHIT !!!!!!
Now all you have to do is expand it to an 8 or 9 inch set up, reinforce the system to accomadate for the added pressure and you now have a basic drop forge for producing helmet tops.
You Have GOT to post pictures of the complete set up when it's finished.
You're a freakin genius, so is Sasha.
I need to send this off to my father.
Now all you have to do is expand it to an 8 or 9 inch set up, reinforce the system to accomadate for the added pressure and you now have a basic drop forge for producing helmet tops.
You Have GOT to post pictures of the complete set up when it's finished.
You're a freakin genius, so is Sasha.
I need to send this off to my father.
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Sasha
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Very nice!
You have taken the concept one step further then I did by building the securing collar on top.
I thought about it and decided I could always build one if it proved neccassary. As it happened I have never had to do more then give a couple of gentle taps to resettle the top edge, and there have been no noticable distortions to the bolt holes.
Good luck with it!
(By the way, if it was the smith I apprenticed under looking at these shots the comment would have been "very nice, pity you decided you didn't need decent welding")
(John was always a bastard like that.)
Sasha
Riverforge
You have taken the concept one step further then I did by building the securing collar on top.
I thought about it and decided I could always build one if it proved neccassary. As it happened I have never had to do more then give a couple of gentle taps to resettle the top edge, and there have been no noticable distortions to the bolt holes.
Good luck with it!
(By the way, if it was the smith I apprenticed under looking at these shots the comment would have been "very nice, pity you decided you didn't need decent welding")
(John was always a bastard like that.)
Sasha
Riverforge
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Armourkris
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dear gods, i like that!
i made a shield boss the old fashioned way about an hour ago, a hell of a lot of hammering, and a hole in a sump. damn thing cracked.
makes a damn good frisbee. goes about 300 feet without throwing it hard.
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What, drawn, and talk of peace! I hate the word, As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee:
i made a shield boss the old fashioned way about an hour ago, a hell of a lot of hammering, and a hole in a sump. damn thing cracked.
makes a damn good frisbee. goes about 300 feet without throwing it hard.
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What, drawn, and talk of peace! I hate the word, As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee:
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Sasha
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This jigs still allow you to destroy a shield boss by stressing or over-stretching the centre metal....it just allows you to do it with speed, ease and comfort.
Basically you need to get some practice and ruin a few more before you get a feel for it. I find that the one thing you really want to avoid is a concentration of hits on one area or a little dent or divet forming. This will then travel intact as the metal stretches and eventually will cause a tear to form around it.
I use a leather faced two-handed sledge hammer to make these in a jig. And I circle the jig as I strike (widdershins, since you asked) to even the area that the blows are spreading to. It apparently looks like quite an interesting dance.
Sasha
Basically you need to get some practice and ruin a few more before you get a feel for it. I find that the one thing you really want to avoid is a concentration of hits on one area or a little dent or divet forming. This will then travel intact as the metal stretches and eventually will cause a tear to form around it.
I use a leather faced two-handed sledge hammer to make these in a jig. And I circle the jig as I strike (widdershins, since you asked) to even the area that the blows are spreading to. It apparently looks like quite an interesting dance.
Sasha
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Sasha
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The answer to both is "Yes".
It is also so that the tenth boss in an evening you are bashing out does not stand a significantly better chance of jumping out of your hands and whacking you on the forehead then the first one.
Also, if you count the number of hands required to use a two-handed sledge, and count the number of hands found on the average human being and subract the one from the other....you will quickly see that the number of hands available to hold the sheildboss is rather low....
Thus you can either go back to using a single handed hammer or build something that removes the need for a third hand. And thus we have the jig....
Sasha
[This message has been edited by Sasha (edited 03-04-2001).]
It is also so that the tenth boss in an evening you are bashing out does not stand a significantly better chance of jumping out of your hands and whacking you on the forehead then the first one.
Also, if you count the number of hands required to use a two-handed sledge, and count the number of hands found on the average human being and subract the one from the other....you will quickly see that the number of hands available to hold the sheildboss is rather low....
Thus you can either go back to using a single handed hammer or build something that removes the need for a third hand. And thus we have the jig....
Sasha
[This message has been edited by Sasha (edited 03-04-2001).]
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Rev. George
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Mad Matt
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Well Sasha my dad did the welds. Cause I can't use a stick to any results that even resemble a weld.
They're not pretty but definitly strong.
CBA that's the complete setup. Also helmet tops aren't round they're oval.
As to the sharper transition thing. I don't see it getting any sharper then what I already do. After making many many shield bosses the old fashioned way. (4# sledge and a stump) I became quite good at making a really clean and sharp line around the flange.
But this way the flange is where I want it when I finish dishing. No need to spend that extra 20 mins flattening the flange anymore. And there's the big hammer thing.
Now for the safety tip. I earn 1000 stupidity points. I usually let my dog keep me company in the shop. The stump I put this thing on is a little lower then most (knee height). Long story short. I'm bashin a disk with a 12# sledge (tentatively thank god) and my dog jumps up mid-swing and I nailed his paw. $180 later at the vet and he's got a few stitches, came home stoned to the point where he couldn't walk (man he's heavy) and some antibiotics. Nothing broken luckily and he can walk on it. So the moral of the story is. As much as your dog and you enjoy it. The dog doesn't come into the shop when you're usin the big hammers. Man did I ever feel like crap after that.
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The budding mid 14th century German Transitional guy.
Mad Matt's Armory
They're not pretty but definitly strong.
CBA that's the complete setup. Also helmet tops aren't round they're oval.
As to the sharper transition thing. I don't see it getting any sharper then what I already do. After making many many shield bosses the old fashioned way. (4# sledge and a stump) I became quite good at making a really clean and sharp line around the flange.
But this way the flange is where I want it when I finish dishing. No need to spend that extra 20 mins flattening the flange anymore. And there's the big hammer thing.
Now for the safety tip. I earn 1000 stupidity points. I usually let my dog keep me company in the shop. The stump I put this thing on is a little lower then most (knee height). Long story short. I'm bashin a disk with a 12# sledge (tentatively thank god) and my dog jumps up mid-swing and I nailed his paw. $180 later at the vet and he's got a few stitches, came home stoned to the point where he couldn't walk (man he's heavy) and some antibiotics. Nothing broken luckily and he can walk on it. So the moral of the story is. As much as your dog and you enjoy it. The dog doesn't come into the shop when you're usin the big hammers. Man did I ever feel like crap after that.
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The budding mid 14th century German Transitional guy.
Mad Matt's Armory
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Prince Of Darkmoor
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Morlahn Hobbs
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Matt, sorry to post this here but my emails to you are bouncing. (host not found) I had questions on a sheild boss. . . drop me a note at cfhatfield@sherwin.com if you read this today during work hours.
Thanks,
Hobbs
Thanks,
Hobbs