The Armour Archive

I've actually been making some armour periodically. More like...as I unpack a box that has an unfinished project in it, I try and finish it out!

Most of my time lately has been with knives and damascus. So naturally...the two get combined. Here's some fittings for a ridge helm I'm finishing up this week. I have two more planned for this month. I need to buy a lawn tractor since stuff is starting to grow again!
(Click on the pics for really big pics)

<a href="http://home.armourarchive.org/members/krag/ridge1.JPG"><img src="http://home.armourarchive.org/members/krag/ridge1t.JPG"></a>
<a href="http://home.armourarchive.org/members/krag/ridge2.JPG"><img src="http://home.armourarchive.org/members/krag/ridge2t.JPG"></a>
<a href="http://home.armourarchive.org/members/krag/nasal1.JPG"><img src="http://home.armourarchive.org/members/krag/nasal1t.JPG"></a>

Please note:

What you have there is Damascene not Damascus. It is pattern welded. Good looking stuff but not the real thing.

Unfortunately, some time ago, people started doing the pattern welded damascene and called it damascus and the name kind of stuck. For information on real Damascus steel,

http://pub53.ezboard.com/fprimalfiresfrm12.showMessage?topicID=20.topic

Have fun.

Thanks for the link S-O.

And Krag, one way or the other this is beautiful stuff.

Thanks for sharing

Pad

That's beautiful!

Very cool Krag.

S-O, if people are in the habit of calling something one thing, then it is that thing... language is ambiguous.

While I disagree with you Definition Narrowing.... THANK YOU SO much for the link to Primal Fire.

Nice work Krag,

Summits-Ogier,
http://www.aimjewelry.com/damascene.htm
this is damascene. Various types of inlay and overlay are termed damascene. This word doesn't relate to patern welded, or crucible steels.
Patern welded steel is commonly known today as damascus, This may not have been the original meaning, but it's common enough today and very accepted. The eastern crucible steels that have a watered or paterened look are commonly termed wootz today. Words and there meaning are always evolving and changing. Patrick

I always have extra ends and drops of this around from knives and such so I've been putting them to good use!

S-O,
I'm quite familiar with the terminology. Today's market place has made damascus synonomous with pattern welding. True, pattern welding, damascus, and damascene are not technically the same. However, today's language has chosen to evolve and lump the first two into the same pot. When someone is referring to true damascus these days you will usually hear it referred to as wootz or Syrian damascus and sometimes even hyper eutectiod steel. For everyday use...damascus will work:).

For shits and grins, I have a crucible steel melting furnace about half way completed for doing some actual wootz projects. If you're interested in this you should check out Tai Goo's page as well as Achim Wirtz and Al Pendray. There's a forum where crucible wootz is discussed: http://pub14.ezboard.com/bthecrucible26870

I also have some silver wire for messing with damascene inlay type work on armour projects in the future, as well. These can be quite striking...but a real pain! I also do mokume work and have built the framwork around an early Anglo-saxon iron smelting furnace I'm making for this Summer. Now that last one should be some fun!:D