The Armour Archive

WHen I started making armour I used whatever I could find since I was BROKE. Over time I began taking pride in turning somthing that was never ment to be armour into a very authentic looking piece. Now, I have so many projects I find the extra time I spent on prepping junk to become armour really bites into the work.
But, I still find some items that many overlook as potential goldmines for good quick armour or metal sources. I've cut up washing machines ( on of our female fighters breatplate still has the Maytag service sticker on the inside of the piece). The backs of the old rotating fans can be cut off and make great hidden elbow cups. I've used the wavy plastic garden edging and cut it into convincing looking leather scales. etc. etc. etc.
My question to you... whazt are some of the most unusual things your have made armour from? where are there some potentially good sources of metal/materials that some may have not thought to look? how about armouring tools from junk?

Computer cases for metal, about the heaviest I had was an IBM ps/2 server that had 10 guage, the newer ones have 18 or 20 gauge. Washing machine & dryers are a good source of metal and sometimes motors. body panels have usable metal. If it tends to be too thin for armour, then just use it for prototype patterning.

My first coat of plates was made using the sheet metal from an old 1968 Ford Mustang.

Generally speaking, it's a lot less work to start with virgin material.

Steve

stainless steel kitchen counter tops, aircraft aluminum, ESD (electrostatic discharg mats), distinguished vistor signs, 5 gallon propane tank, the t shape floor mat you put under your desk to roll a chair on................

My first Coat of Plates was made of 3" x 4" copper clad citcuit boards inside a leather shell. It was very light and protected well.

A friend made a coat of plates using a real estate sign.

It still had L.J. Hooker on the inside.

I'm not in the SCA, so authenticity is at the top of the list of considerations. The only recycled material I have used so far for making armour is the sheet metal from the hood of a mid 1970's Ford Laser (Australian model). It's the perfect gauge to cut the triangular rivets from for making riveted mail. The paint flakes off as it gets cut.

Erik

Back when I first started armouring I made a breastplate out of the hood of a (AUS) Hr Holden, as it has a large flute down the centre to start with.

I still use junk steel to keep my newbe armour prices down, recycle out lets are a godsend.

Armour list:
Computer cases
School selves
Signs
Car panels
Sinks (for SS)
Any thing made of 16 gauge or better

The coolest little junk tool i have is my two plenishing stakes made from botchy balls welded to RHS

Erik "I'm not in the SCA, so authenticity is at the top of the list of considerations."

Doesn't hold true---you could be in a LARP that makes the SCA look like a Museum display!

I'm in the SCA so authenticity is at the top of the list of considerations---why I bought all that wrought iron to make stuff from! (Course I don't do SCA fighting---but then *most* people in the SCA don't do SCA fighting...)

Thomas, member of the SCA and Regia Anglorum, and Irish Living History Society and Vestruss Vikings...

When I was a few years younger and just starting to get into armouring I used to use corrigated roofing aluminum. You know, that thin stuff on roofs and stuff. Of course it was kind of old so it was a bit thicker than the stuff you can ptracticaly push a nail through. I never did any heavy fighting in it, and I never trusted it for any more than a mock up helm, but it did absorb some of the blow of the small waisters my friends and I used. That's about the strangest thing I've used to make armour.

Most unusual metal so far? Side out of a household oil tank. *Note to self for next time I do that,... empty the guys tank, and make sure hes not home! j/k*

If you ever get access to a military scrapyard... !!

I got a tank from them once... It's some kind of unholy stainless, and it's so hard to cut and shape. I gave up on it long ago, but when I get a beverly and a raising hammer, I'm going to try some helms!
Also, I've used 18ga filing cabinets. They came with this military green paint on it, that's nearly impossible to remove. It's like, nuclear blast-proof or something!

Let's see, knew a fellow who had a helm made from a propspinner off an airplane. Another fellow who had his made from a dump truck hydraulic cylinder---turned a 45 bullet without denting---(had problems with detached retinas and didn't want to stop fighting---no shock to the head wearing that helm!)

The prettiest helm I saw 20 years ago was made from a refrigeration compressor, nice oval shape that he had welded a crest on---looked like a museum piece.

Had a roommate that bought up scrap leather from a company that made police belts and stuff and cut out scales and laced a set of japanese body armour from it

I've got a stainless steel bedpan I've always wanted to make a help for Master Pavel of Calontir from...

Thomas

ArtemisGreen wrote:If you ever get access to a military scrapyard... !!

I got a tank from them once... It's some kind of unholy stainless, and it's so hard to cut and shape. I gave up on it long ago, but when I get a beverly and a raising hammer, I'm going to try some helms!

Oxy-gasoline cutters are used for alot of govt cutting, low-cost and fast clean deep cuts.
You'll also probably have to aneal it.

Also, I've used 18ga filing cabinets. They came with this military green paint on it, that's nearly impossible to remove. It's like, nuclear blast-proof or something!

Baked lead paint. Great stuff, resists everything. Used in the states on everything until the 70's. Unless they found something to replace it with, it was still used in the navy do to salt-corrosion issues (really they should coat the hulls with electrobonded ceramic). Sandblasting will take that paint off.

I did one out of a greese trap once.
I'll never tell who got the helm.


But it was several years ago



AB Hammer

When LARPing a few years ago a friend made a suit of lorica/scale type armour out of can tops. This looked good, sounded horrendous and, since he didn't blunt the edges!, caused multiple lacerations to both parties when he got into a grappling situation!!
His mark 2 model was made from the bodies of cans, opened up . This looked even more like roman lorica and proved only marginally safer in grappling!
Mind you, we are (were - it's faded into the background now awaiting another resurrection!) the only larp group I know of to have used wooden weapons at times - actually proved better and safer than latex! Also more realistic in combat as people actually engaged in swordplay rather than wild flailing!
Amongst other exploits ( said he, rapidly becoming in danger of hijacking the post!) were a badly mauled hand following an incident with a pyrotechnic, several people disappearing down near vertical drops and, most memorable of all, on a Warhammer 40K style adventure , the genestealer who came charging down the slope, all 4 arms flailing, was neatly side-stepped by his 2 intended targets, tried to stop , slid on gravel to sail gracefully over the edge of a drop over 40 feet ( the top 20 feet vertical! the rest a steep slope . There was a stunned silence of about 2 seconds, then all rushed to the edge, only to see Mr Genestealer climbing back up the slope, muttering profanities with nothing injured bar his pride!!
Happy Days!