The Armour Archive

I just got back from the fabrication shop with my helmet halves for my Armet.I am using Sinrics patterns and i have chosen to use some scrap 3mm steel, is this overkill or just right. it translates to about UK12g. I am planning on selling the helmet to SCAdians when finished.

Armet do not allow for alot of padding and are pretty form fitting. The SCA community hits fairly hard as a rule. I would say 12G is just right. Plus there might be a jouster out there who likes what he sees and they really need the 12 G!

Until i had the pieces cut out i never really realised how thick it was. this is definately a piece for the hotworking pile.

For the bowl? Not overkill. That's what I used. For the visor? You could go with 14 with little fear. The skirt? I've got 14 front and 16 rear. I think it's a world of overkill for the rear, but so long as people don't mind the neck pain, I don't see -too- much wrong with it. Exept a LOT of neck pain.

I'm also going to warn you, dishing 12ga is very time consuming. Might I show you how mine went?

Hour 1, work.
Hour 2; Me: "How's this?" Cad: "Keep going."
Hour 3; Me: "Now?" Cad: "Getting closer. Keep going."
Day 2, hour 1: Me: "Keep going?" Cad: "Getting there. Just a bit more."
Hour 2, wailing on the thing until I couldn't pick up the mallet. "Now?" Cad: "Wow. Yea, good. Now do the other side."

Then came the point, the planishing, and I'm still working on the skirt.

Not bitter, just warning you. On the other hand, it should never dent in normal use.

I think i'm going to have to upgrade m yplanishing hammer from a ball pein to some kind of large mallet type object. The steel came as a free half perf/half normal sheet from my dads work. i whacked the perf bit and it barely moved(7lb sledgehammer)

Craig/Sinric uses 12 ga for his armet tops, he works them cold as well.
It does take some effort to move 12 ga stainless

if you are doing production work I would get a machine.

12ga mild is butter if the correct methods are used.

want to do helmets get a unishear/pulmax.

takes me 15 mins to half and hour to do a 12 ga SS helm half.

I hate making the fuggin things so I dont do many helms.

my website photos are in a dissarray so I cant post some pics of my setup. maybe aftercoronation I will get things going.

Armet. Sorry, got it in my head you meant sugarloaf. Sorry.

Well, with much reluctancy i started on the halves today. i did them at the same time rather than do one and then match the other. it took me just under half an hour to dish within about an inch of a perfect fit. I used my modified lump hammer, it has a 1lb ball cut in half and welded to either side of it. alltogether it weighs about 4/5lbs not really sure.