The Armour Archive

Todd Feinman

IMO, this depiction most likely represents square lamellae with external lacing.

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Todd Feinman

I've seen some posts at the great Ming Military blog about the Mountain Pattern armour reconstructiuon here. I think that the hexagonal plates with the "mountain lacing pattern" explains many depictions and is accurate. It also makes excellent armour. There are many other depictions labeled "Mountai...

Todd Feinman

Yes, really wonderful work, Gerhard!

Todd Feinman

If you look closely at the leg protection on this statue, you will notice that it is inverted Mountain Pattern, and that there are set hitching points to gather the armour and the top angle of the portion being hitched up matches the edge of a hexagonal assembly. The overlap see from the side on the...

Todd Feinman

I want to base the armour on the more Himalayan variety, so I can wear it with a Tibetan helmet and accoutrements. There is some variety in the spaulder portion of the pauldrons; some look more like wrathful deities or Chinese tomb guardians, while official Chinese versions appear to be lions or Fu ...

Todd Feinman

Here is the process I am using to make the lamellae. I purchase the bronze blanks now. 22 gauge bronze. They arrive dead soft, but after punching them and bending them back and forth for a couple of seconds beford bending into final form work hardens them. I use a template made from a hexagon with s...

Todd Feinman

Yes to all!!

Thanks Mac! Though if I could go back in time and give it to the Egyptians...

Todd Feinman

Will do! I am going to make two pauldrons and the two-part breastplate. For others who are making this armour: 1. I've used a Whitney punch to make the holes 2. If you punch the hexagons, they will be slightly dished 3. Any dishing very much affects the curvature of the armour as pieces are added 4....

Todd Feinman

Freaking Amazing.

Todd Feinman

Looks like the boxfish beat us to it...
https://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/ ... electronic

Todd Feinman

Really beautiful work, Gerhard! Love it.

Todd Feinman

Thanks, Dan!

Yes, that Mongolian piece is on the right track. There are also the Japanese kikko plates too.
as you know:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/7881368070841152/

Todd Feinman

Thanks, Man! I think it's right. Someone needs to make a sample and shoot arrows at it. It might be a fun thing for Mike Loades.

Todd Feinman

You're welcome!

Todd Feinman

I believe this is Mountain Pattern armour.

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Latigo lace.
Back:

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Todd Feinman

Progress. Not all of the links are completely closed at back yet, so some of the scales are looser. complex curves can be accomplished by curving each scale along an axis. IMG_0223.JPG Here is a depiction where the laces look more like rings: https://historum.com/attachments/237327_1501204257-jpg.1...

Todd Feinman

Progress. Not all of the links are completely closed at back yet, so some of the scales are looser. complex curves can be accomplished by curving each scale along an axis.

: IMG_0223.JPG (95.68 KiB) Viewed 3395 times

Todd Feinman

Suggest that it's using flatter straps rather than rings, what about a slot rather than a hole and a flat ribbon of metal, leather, or cloth? I think that's certainly possible! I suspect that some of it used flattened rings; the holes in the scales were round, but the exposed portions of the D-ring...

Todd Feinman

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Russ Mitchell wrote:Great. What's *right?*

I think the hexagonal lamellae with the particular hole pattern is correct.

Todd Feinman

Thanks! The construction of Mountain Pattern armour is (was!) one of he biggest remaining mysteries in armour history. People have spent countless hours and many ducats trying to recreate it. I think I have now solved the mystery. All of this: https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=yrOGXNbjMNPk-...

Todd Feinman

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Todd Feinman

scales done, goat leather backing material below plate of scales.

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Todd Feinman

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Some finished scales

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Todd Feinman

Metal has arrived!

Todd Feinman

I think Japanese kikko armour might be a cognate later form developed from mountain scale:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kikko_(Japanese_armour)

Todd Feinman

Actually it is possible to link each scale together with a wire in such a way as to have one wire per scale that creates the pattern on the front, essentially lamellar construction!

Todd Feinman

Yeah I dug this thread up

I just wanted to get this out and make a reconstruction ASAP so that folks producing the interlocking armour can see it and make up their own minds. If correct it instantly creates many Romulan Halloween costumes, so to save time and treasure for others, too.

Todd Feinman

Okay I have enough commercial bronze on the way to make a shoulder guard. Should be interesting....

Todd Feinman

That's a great site. This pic from there: https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cA1kvlCAAjo/VdR1tcZUY_I/AAAAAAAAA-0/_wbYxZuxZjc/s1600/20080410_9b767b2e5563762d903bStPjykfrbeq1.jpg really shows external lacing again; look at the shoulder guards -- this variant appears to be made of square scales with external l...

Todd Feinman

I think this might be the solution to "Mountain Scale". It has a backing, is made of hexagonal scales, has external lacing or perhaps even metal links that create the pattern. Each scale is raised / embossed, too. https://historum.com/attachments/img_0073_kindlephoto-552097593-jpg.15217 https://hist...

Todd Feinman

"Plaited" helmets are mentioned in ancient Hurrian texts from Nuzi --these are very possibly made from rope or material woven like rope; it is even possible that the Egyptian warriors shown fighting the Sea Peoples at Medinet Habu are wearing rope helmets: http://i0.wp.com/lakodaemon.co.uk/wp-conten...

Todd Feinman

I see, thanks Gregory. And I vote you do ancient Egyptian!

Todd Feinman

I think that rawhide can be embossed or pressed with a pattern; it just needs to be very wet and soft and the rawhide placed on the form so that the cuticle is face up. Using a rolling pin the rawhide can be rolled over the flat pattern so that the inner layers are forced into the empty pattern. Aft...

Todd Feinman

I like it! Well stated, Sean. Thank you. I agree about the vulnerabilities of scale to multidirectional attacks --likely the reason chariot archers used scale, and Scythian warriors; if you are mobile, and primarily fear arrows, javelins, darts, or sling bullets, you have a reasonably predictable tr...

Todd Feinman

I'm not a physicist, but I suspect the properties of scale armour are analogous to the surface tension of a liquid based on the cohesiveness of its molecules. As a composite surface, each scale could be considered as a molecule with not only the properties of the material it is made of, but also the...

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Re: Theory & development of Mountain Pattern armour

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Re: Theory & development of Mountain Pattern armour

Re: Theory & development of Mountain Pattern armour

Re: Theory & development of Mountain Pattern armour

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Re: Theory & development of Mountain Pattern armour

Re: Theory & development of Mountain Pattern armour

Re: Theory & development of Mountain Pattern armour

Re: Theory & development of Mountain Pattern armour

Re: Theory & development of Mountain Pattern armour

Re: Theory & development of Mountain Pattern armour

Re: Theory & development of Mountain Pattern armour

Re: Theory & development of Mountain Pattern armour

Re: Theory & development of Mountain Pattern armour

Re: Theory & development of Mountain Pattern armour

Re: Theory & development of Mountain Pattern armour

Re: Theory & development of Mountain Pattern armour

Re: Theory & development of Mountain Pattern armour

Re: Theory & development of Mountain Pattern armour

Re: Theory & development of Mountain Pattern armour

Re: Theory & development of Mountain Pattern armour

Re: Theory & development of Mountain Pattern armour

Re: Theory & development of Mountain Pattern armour

Re: Theory & development of Mountain Pattern armour

Re: Rope Helmets

Re: tooling rawhide

Re: tooling rawhide

Re: Scale armor better than plate?

Re: Scale armor better than plate?