Rene's blog

[Rene K.]

Hi Folks,

after long i think it is time to reactivate myself again posting some new stuff in this forum.
While the Covid-thing started and time for a free mind was becoming more rare in our logdown with closed schools.
The amount of work was getting heavier, but at the end of the week nothing real was able to be done.

To make things worse the forum changed his face, and i had my problems getting friend with its new surface.

But weather is getting really nice and things turn to get better now. So i thought i should start posting again

Here some new pictures of the Zindel-suit, that getting more progress now.
Hope you enjoy

[Mac]

That's looking very nice!

Hi Folks,



To make things worse the forum changed his face, and i had my problems getting friend with its new surface.

The version called "prosilver" is the easiest to read and the most like the old look. It's the best of a bad lot.

Mac

[Rene K.]

Hi Mac,
Thanks.
I noted this, you wrote it last year i think

[Rene K.]

On Sunday i'm booked on the Coburg fortress as armourer for the museums family-day. Because i love the work of Albert Collins, i thought it would be nice to make a similar armouring-bench, like he did, to upgrade the historical entertainment for the visitors. It is made from 10cm oak and when i got this plank, it was simply a rough tree cutout.
Hope you enjoy ;-D

[Armadillo]

Rene, that looks great. I really admire smart looking, forged tools. Well done.
-Adair

[Mac]

The iron cleat to keep the board from splitting is a nice touch!

Mac

[Ian BB]

I cannot wait to see this one progress.

That particular suit is one I am keen to copy, seeing you do it makes me want to try even more.

[Rene K.]

Some pictures from Sunday at Veste Coburg.
Best sunshine the day and thunderstorm after it ends for packing in the stuff and driving home...

[Christian Wiedner]

Nice! Did you do some show-working there or was it just for display?

[Rene K.]

I tryed to do some work, but there where so much questions i had to answer...

[Mac]

I tryed to do some work, but there where so much questions i had to answer...

That's always the way these things go!

Mac

[Scott Martin]

Glad to have you back and posting again Rene! I know I always have trouble deciding whether I should use my time to make stuff, or talk about making stuff. You have a fair number of beautiful pieces under construction at the moment, your gothic backplates are very well executed, and the polished one is particularly graceful: I'd love to see more pictures of them if you get a chance!

It is nice that Albert Collins is encouraging people to make sturdy armourers workbenches - I hadn't thought of using thick slabs (although it should have been obvious...) I note that the tool holes are put in at 45 degrees to the grain, presumably to minimize the chances for splitting. Again, sonething that would be obvious once one thinks about it.

Scott

[Rene K.]

Glad to have you back and posting again Rene! I know I always have trouble deciding whether I should use my time to make stuff, or talk about making stuff. You have a fair number of beautiful pieces under construction at the moment, your gothic backplates are very well executed, and the polished one is particularly graceful: I'd love to see more pictures of them if you get a chance!

It is nice that Albert Collins is encouraging people to make sturdy armourers workbenches - I hadn't thought of using thick slabs (although it should have been obvious...) I note that the tool holes are put in at 45 degrees to the grain, presumably to minimize the chances for splitting. Again, sonething that would be obvious once one thinks about it.

Scott

Thank you Scott, i try to do my best

The holes in the bench are positioned in the way i thought it would be usefull and the best. But it would be better to make them while working once at a time. I made the positions how i thought it is fine, but it is way of half-good. But for showing it was very nice to level up with more cool stuff.
You have to know, i normaly have 1 event like this in the year, or less.

[Rene K.]

some time ago i experimented with a forging jig for gauntlet knuckles, like Mac did. Back then Mac's construction gave me a new impulse to finish my construction, that came to the same solution. Now i made some missing overworks to it and gave it another tryout.
I started with a blank with pre-punched domes and forged it down. The litthe overdoming i made, gave me the chance to raise the knuckle-points in the same process.







I used a thickness of 1,5 mm. A bit to heavy, but i wanted to have more time when heating and forging, without that much folding on the edges.

[Rene K.]

I just added a piece of round bar on the bottom so i can take it in my bigger toolholder. I found it is more usefull to be able to turn the whole setup than running around it holding the torch and hammer.
so it is also more easy to do the cold hammering to planish the piece.

[Mac]

I look forward to seeing how it works for you!

Mac

[Rene K.]

Today i had the rare chance to get my fingers on some old stuff. For a coming project i had to take some measurements on the famous nuremberg Stechzeuge, exhibitet in the GNM.

[Rene K.]

[Rene K.]

[Christian Wiedner]

Oh, great!
Please enlight me: are the faulds really as thick as they look or is the upper edge folded a bit inwards?

[Rene K.]

Oh, great!
Please enlight me: are the faulds really as thick as they look or is the upper edge folded a bit inwards?

You mean the rennzeug on the right christian ? It looks that the faulds are really that thick but they get thinner to the sides.


You are meaning this one ?

[Christian Wiedner]

Ok, and also to the bottom I guess?

[Rene K.]

I hat no chance to take thicknes measurements, but the faulds are ca. 6-7mm, also the tassets.

[Mac]

I'm always astonished at how thick these are. It was a serious game, and they were making sure that no one got skewered.

Mac

[Rene K.]

After the GNM on monday, today i had a visit in the collection of the Veste Coburg for a first overview after 20 years, when i was there last time.

[wcallen]

Rene,

I see questions about armor stands off and on, so I started to put together some information about different options.
You built a spectacular stand for the Max harness.
I see an image of the internal frame on page 4 of this blog, then some images that show more of the structure added, but with the legs covered up by armor later, and then images of the installed harness on the armature later.
Do you have any pictures of the stand in its final form?
Would you be willing to let me add it and some images of the armor on it to my page showing different stands? Obviously, all credit will go to you with any references you want.
You can see some of what I have collected so far here:
https://www.european-armour.com/ArmorStands.html

Wade

[Rene K.]

@wade: you got message;

[Rene K.]

Hi folks,

I'm allways sad about i don't find enough time for the forum. While working around the clock i'm finishing some older projects and had to start a new museums-project now.
While documenting this project, it gives me the ability to share the progress with you. On pinterest you can find all actual photos of the process.

For the new project i will build a 16.th german Stechzeug on a horsefigure, including all needed equipment and lance for the museum of castle Gifhorn (Gifhorn / Germany) to represent Duke Franz von Braunschweig-Lüneburg, regent of the duchy Gifhorn in 1539 to 1549, who shall be a big jousting enthusiast;

For this project i'm allowed to use also modern techniques, and material measurements that give the real looking.
From the Duke i got three drawings from a Turnierbuch, that are made in the style of the 15.th. Because we have no better pattern, i went to the GNM Nuremberg and took reverence measurements at the famous jousting-armours from the Nuremberg-"Gesellenstechen", that was etablished in the early 16.th.

For the equestrian equipment i mostly will use the reverences from Vienna.

[Rene K.]

start shaping the vamplate from 2mm sheet


after several rounds of heating and hammering


The backplate is also done in 2mm, that it no problem to manage cold. Only bending the sides is hard work, the hammering goes very well, and you don't get a frog-bend in the lower edge while forming the shoulderwings, because of the material thicknes.


forming the asymetrical breastplate from 3mm sheet was a bit tricky, and heavy work for my hands and elbows. It is made from two pieces in the "can"-method.
Here i fit the small plackard that holds the faulds. This is also made from 3mm;


most forming on the breast and plackard is done, next step will be the faulds, which i think will be made from 2mm;



The pauldrons are half-made at the moment, but i think they actually have not that ideal finish and shape to show. They will be ready quiet fast i think, when the shoulder frames and hinged latchets on the sides are made and breast- and backplate can be assembled.

Hope you enjoy

[Scott Martin]

I always enjoy your work Rene - and usually get an idea or two on how to improve my own as a bonus.

Perhaps you will inspire me to finish my gauntlet tutorial so that you can comment on what I am doing wrong. Since it is intended to be the guide I wish I had 25 years ago, so it is much more detailed (and pedantic) than what is generally posted here.

Scott

[Mac]

I'm excited to see how this turns out!

Mac

[Rene K.]

Anyone interested in some Fantasy-Stuff ?

[Johann ColdIron]

Looks like fun!

Someone will stand out in a crowd with that. Those pauldrons would be right at home in Excalibur.

[Rene K.]

Those pauldrons would be right at home in Excalibur.

Is this a compliment or a affront now ?

[Johann ColdIron]

My friend, that is the HIGHEST compliment. Excalibur got me into this mess long ago.