Early in this thread there was discussion on the effectiveness of leather armor and it was discussed that the metal available may not have been significantly more effective at the time, a good point. To add to that it is important to remember that the weapons of the day were also made of metals infe...

Beautiful rings! I would love to see more pictures of the process on these.

As you wear and maintain the mail suit I would think the majority of the tool marks would work themselves out as others have mentioned.

I always use these guys when I need a shield done however I want it: http://oakheartarmory.com/index.html They'll build it to your spec, however you want it and won't break the bank. A Deepeeka blank is on its way to them now, took one look at the shield painting one their website and new this was ...

I'm sure it would be far easier to use masking tape to block off the edging and then paint around it, than it would be to remove and replace the metal components! I highly recommend not removing the metal, as that will be a headache. A bit of patience masking it off is all it'll take... Any paint t...

Would there be any interest in that as a service here and in the armoring community at large? I have a full set of hot salts bluing tanks worth about $2000 I acquired years ago for my WIP gunshop and I know how to use them. I have had them in boxes for years and have not assembled them primarily bec...

Kult of Athena just restocked all of the Deepeeka scutums, and they are reasonably priced. Scroll down in the "new item" section. http://www.kultofathena.com/new_items.asp -Gerhard Deepeeka offers a scutum blank that might be just the solution for me if the quality is ok, can you remove and then pu...

Dude, those things grow on trees in your part of the country. If they did i would be plucking them off and mailing them out to everyone for a modest fee! Raly painted myself into a corner with this idea and my standards for it and the timeframe. This is the style i am looking for but it doesn't loo...

I need to get my hands on a SCA legal Square roman Scutum STAT. I have a blank built but it's not properly concave nore is it wide enough. I will not have the time to make a new shield rack, press a new shield, cover it, paint it, fit a boss and handle and paint it. Needs to look good enough to hang...

What a beauty.

Would look even better fullsize on my Percheron

First impression is you are running too fast and too cold, hard to tell for sure tho and in other areas I see spots you may have done to hot like the burnthrough on the end in picture two and some run in on what was otherwise the best spot of welding, you are definitely consistently jumping out of t...

This is a brilliant idea that might finally help me make something other than ugly helmets! I can weld VERY well, just can't seem to make metal move where i want to with hammers and forms and anvils

That is some beutiful workmanship, I look forward to seeing more! For fine stones Spyderco makes some, I use them for work on triggers. They tend to be much smaller than a typical sharpening stone and a bit pricey. This is the set i have, the stones are a good combination of rounded and square, but ...

Does anyone have an idea as to what that tower in the background (was obviously part of a previous drawing on the paper) was a part of? Also the hadcrank device in the upper right. As to the man defecating near the camp, i wouldn't worry to much about the smell or inconvenience of it as they seem to...

So if you're cuttin', cut rather tall. Most stumps are about the height of a soldiers' drum, about 2 1/2 feet. Three is generally the max. Almost to the waist if the log is wide enough. Correspondingly shorter if it is not. Here is my candidate, I cut it 4' long to leave me plenty of room and its 2...

8mm is about the minimum for 1.6mm diameter baling (rebar) tie wire, the black annealed stuff, unless you are quite seriously after making double mail -- neckband parts of a bishop's-mantle or standard of mail, or such. Someplace where you want the mail to give as much resistance to incoming as you...

I might get the chance to cut some logs for a dishing stump this afternoon, any advice on diameter and height?

Garland Mfg Split Head Hammers: The rawhide head works superbly even when thrashed and all raggedy. The Size 2: 2 lb head, $47.06 US " " 3: 2.75 lb head, $56.34. " " 4: 4 lb head, $63.36. The big picture -- 1-5, available faces to suit requirements. You'll wonder how you got along without. I bought...

Again, a barrel, just like it says up-thread. And note also the helm skull halves mentioned. What is it about your forming that disturbs you with the lack of faith? Basic dishing is pretty much entirely a matter of your tools: a heavy hammer and a dished hollow in a stump. I've never done it before...

That's a heck of a castle for your young princess! I like and respect your priorities.

Ive got the same question as the OP with a few differences. I can weld very well and have all necessary equipment for welding, I lack faith in my shaping abilities. What would be a good first helm for me?

Kerry Pratt wrote:He's obviously sinister. (OK. Left handed.) Those folks will do almost anything to keep the rest of us from noticing until its too late...

He is obviously right handed, hence his left on the reins (note the thumb), with his back towards us.

That is awesome, I think Ill try something similar for my first project (excluding the grieves I made when I was 10 or so)!

If you like that color you might consider nitrebluing. It will do all the colors up to deep blue, also does a beautiful approximation of gold. Its not terribly expensive and the salts last a LONG time. http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/metal-prep-coloring/metal-bluing/bluing-salts/nit...

I made this table top model with mostly parts from McMaster-Carr. http://home.armourarchive.org/members/halberds/VRAH%201.5.jpg It works real good for raising, dishing and planishing. Here a muscled breastplate is being rough dished. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne5wYeeSGgY The cylinder was a spe...