The Armour Archive

I am thinking of putting together a 15th c. Italian curass out of mild, cold rolled steel. Would people recommend 14 guage in front, including folds, and 16 guage in back including folds and tassets? Or would 16 guage front with folds and 18 guage back with folds and tassets be fine?

sehubes wrote:I am thinking of putting together a 15th c. Italian curass out of mild, cold rolled steel. Would people recommend 14 guage in front, including folds, and 16 guage in back including folds and tassets? Or would 16 guage front with folds and 18 guage back with folds and tassets be fine?

What are you using it for?

I always go 16 and 16, but like caius asked its important to know what you plan on doing with it.

Take care


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Welcome back, Sehubes. What ever happened after that first post seven years ago with the suit you ordered?

Have you checked with Halberds about his starter stake sets? He's reliable, and includes ball stakes of your choice.

We're used to putting 14ga in helmets -- for the rattan game anyway. 12ga isn't out of line there, and is what most of us would prefer if doing rebated-steel swordplay.

We always have to find out what your environment is; what threat you are designing for. For most players in most games 14ga breastplates would be excessive -- to say nothing of undesirably heavy. If you want a breastplate of proof against a harquebus ball, get hardenable steel in medium carbon, not low carbon mild steel. It'll resist harder and maybe you can build a little lighter too. With that weight of metal it sounds like you are going to go out and use it once built.

For the rattan players like the SCA, breast and back in 18 gauge front and back can do it, if either hardened or fluted or both. 16ga breasts are more common, though 18 in back may still be the option you like best. The bare minimum carbon content for any kind of hardening is 0.25-0.30% C (also called 25-30 points of carbon in the trade). You seem to be thinking Italian globose -- one piece, or breast w/plackart?

A globose breast can be thumped out in a stump or sandbags, using an old, damaged, trashable bowling ball as your thumper, bungee-cording this to an overhead beam. It's only rather noisy, and well suited to making large smooth curves. The bungee cord helps you raise the ball, you glue a handle into one of the finger holes, hammer like a cave man with one hand while moving the piece around with the other: Ugh, me pushum metal around big time. It's so easy even... and you don't need to take out GEICO insurance either.