The Armour Archive

CLANG

Arland, that's a pretty good rule of thumb. Basically, you want the largest gap you can get without the shear leaving a sharp burr all along the metal it cuts. (It will always leave a tiny burr, but if you need to tap it flat with a hammer, it's much too large.) Close tolerances make for a clean cut...

CLANG

My friends Bexter12 and Larien both have HF shears, and the first thing we did at our mini-armor-in was to make sure everything was tight and to regrind the blades. Bexter had been using hers for a while and it was chipped pretty badly. I took the blades to the belt sander and re-ground them to the ...

CLANG

Wow! In a roundabout way, thanks a million for posting this. I have made a couple of helms with tops of a pattern nearly identical to that one, except that the skull plates were gently spiralled. I just thought it was neat, but I had never seen any real helmet like it. Now with a couple of minor mod...

CLANG

Nice work, first off. Second off, avoid the soapy quench idea. Soap acts as a wetting agent and would most likely give you too fast a quench. And we all know what that can lead to... http://www.armourarchive.org/ubb/wink.gif Third off, where is a good place to get Satanite? I did a search a while ba...

CLANG

You can get the exact same thing from ENCO for much less money-especially the s/h. I asked the ebay guy you're talking about (pretty sure it's the same guy) some questions about his shear when I was in the market, and he was basically rude with me. Kind of turned me off right there, but I got the sa...

CLANG

I'm pretty sure you're allowed to use it as an excerpt, if credit is given (as it was). However, I'm not sure "they" would like it being used as an advertisement...

CLANG

Brodir, those must be some old knees indeed, in terms of my armoring career. http://www.armourarchive.org/ubb/smile.gif I haven't been painting stuff since I found a supplier for CR sheet like 8 or 10 years ago. Were they some closet-cleaning stock, by any chance? Actually, since they're hot-rolled,...

CLANG

Yep, you guessed it. I've been looking for a Beverly... I found a B-2 used in good shape for $400 + s/h, but I can't get it right now for 212 reasons that have cropped up... If you're interested, contact Century Machinery Co., Inc. Leon Dietch Tel: 213-627-2847 centurymac@aol.com It's on a stand, bu...

CLANG

In case you're interested. This great book is getting harder to find.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1580917686

CLANG

Hi, again, Gocin. The gauntlets look pretty good. You have actually used a very different method of articulating the finger lames than I used, but it looks like they work all right with no gapping. Does everything move freely? It looks like you've done a good job, but I have a couple of suggestions ...

CLANG

I have had good dealings with Spotted Pony Traders, and they have tails in white, brown, and black-or at least they used to. Good prices too. www.spottedponytraders.com

CLANG

Hi, Tom. Actually, I thought that the others I did turned out quite well. http://www.armourarchive.org/ubb/wink.gif I started in blacksmithing, so it was kind of second nature. It's mostly a time vs/$$ thing. Basically, it takes enough time to make one-especially in stainless-that it drives up the c...

CLANG

Thanks very much for the info. At about $25 each after s/h, it's sort of a debate whether it's worth my time to make them. Of course, it's nice to know that they'll all be interchangeable, in the case of exchange visors. However, the 4130 steel from which they're made, while a little corrosion resis...

CLANG

Nice gorget, Lion. I seem to remember you being less... hairy than that...

Your wife hasn't gone hairy too, has she? (Ducks and runs.)

CLANG

They are 1/4" x 1/2" shank, but have smaller heads. I don't have a use for them at the moment, but it's a good deal if you can use them.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1785309559

CLANG

I've made two of these from mild steel, and they were a lot of work. Now I need one in stainless, and so I figure-why not ask? Maybe I can find a source and won't have to make them anymore. http://www.armourarchive.org/ubb/smile.gif Even if no one makes them in stainless, I'm still interested in mil...

CLANG

Hi, The short and dirty answer is that reenactors do a lot more kneeling in their armor than soldiers of old tended to do. It is impossible to kneel completely in some original armor, and even when you can, the knee is uncomfortably tight on the leg while so doing. Modern armor often kind of gives m...

CLANG

Definitely go for the 2B finish. (Smooth) Otherwise, it's a b*tch to polish. 304's the most common type and lends itself to forming very well (for stainless...) It's still plenty tough for armor, though. Most of the 300 series would be fine, but 304's easy to work (for stainless...), easy to find, a...

CLANG

Well, let's see... The grill comes fairly well below the chin, but leaving the maille unattached could possibly leave an opening for a freak shot if the wearer's head was leaning far back, so I'm really just thinking maximum safety here. And as one of you mentioned, this arrangement is about as safe...

CLANG

Well, the subject says it all. http://www.armourarchive.org/ubb/wink.gif What are some of your favorite ways to attach the front part of an aventail to the bottom of a non-moveable helmet grill for SCA combat? The rest of the aventail in question is laced to a leather band which is in turn attached ...

CLANG

Thank you for the offer, Tashfin, but I ordered the books. Been wanting them anyway and this is a good excuse...

CLANG

Thanks very much to all who posted. Just the information I was needing.

CLANG

If you can figure out the scale of the original patterns, Paintshop gives you the option of changing the picture size to the actual printout dimensions. You can take a given pic and say, I want to print this out 4.25" x 7.5". I don't know about other programs-I use paintshop pro almost exclusively.

CLANG

I've been wanting to look into this for a while-since I started making a larger effort toward building more accurate armor. BUT-I'm making a deal with a client to build a 1460-ish Milanese cuirass, and (we) want accurate hardware. I've looked at Historic Enterprises-nice stuff. Is there anyone else ...

CLANG

I nearly bought the A&A of the Crusading era books recently, but opted for a couple of books on German armor instead.

Thanks for the pointers.

CLANG

For SCA use, I quit using leather quite a while ago-I attach them on a loosely pivoting arm made of steel. I usually just use a little scrap of 14 or 16 ga about 3/4" wide and as long as necessary-usually 2" or less. They stay in place well, but can still move about. More importantly, they are nearl...

CLANG

I'm discussing a possible commission with a guy. He wants an Islamic helmet dating to about 1250. I have loads of information on helmets from the 15th C onwards, but can only find vague references to "steel conical helmets" from the earlier days. Can anyone please point me to more appropriate inform...

CLANG

Brodir, don't be too hasty in your criticism of the criticism. Halloween's dilemma is not a light one. He actually got hurt due to a deficiency of the armor. (Actually due to several minor deficiencies coming together just the wrong way, I think.) I don't know all the details, but as you say, I beli...

CLANG

Looks good! if I may suggest, the shoulders would be more form-fitting if you gave some depth to the main piece (or main 2 pieces) of each. The roping and recessed borders must have been a bit of work. http://www.armourarchive.org/ubb/smile.gif BTW, one name for the upright guards is "haute pieces"....

CLANG

Von Teufel, I have a spare set of shoe anvils. I actually use one set... Looking to buy? Email me at clang@citynet.net if Sasuke wants to keep his.

CLANG

I second Brettun's Village.

I also recommend hidehouse.com for some stuff.

CLANG

RW's very helpful with information. The #6 is an "obsolete model", but should work fine anyway.

I'm pretty sure I remember seeing information on punch/die sets for it in one of my RW catalogs.

CLANG

I could be mistook, but I think what you're asking about is a treadle hammer , as opposed to a trip hammer. It's a foot-operated job. They're pretty simple to construct if you can weld (or know someone who can.) Try www.keenjunk.com for pointers. All you really need is a pile of scrap and some big s...

CLANG

Hi, Gocin, I have improved that pattern since I posted it. Haven't changed the wrist much, though. When I make that type of gauntlet, I leave the wrist and hand plates mostly flat in cross-section. This is to keep construction as simple as possible. You can dish the wrist lame slightly to get a litt...

CLANG

LOL!

Yes, Larien, that's what kept Bexter waiting that extra 5 minutes.

Glad you like the knees, Drake.

Beverly B-2 sale info-again, not mine

A&A of the Samurai on Ebay-$10 + 4 (not mine)

Good deal on rivets on ebay-no, not mine ;)

Who makes center-mount bascinet hinges?

Best way to attach aventail to bottom of bascinet grill?

Who makes 15th C buckles for armor?

Need information on "early" Islamic helmets, please