The Armour Archive

I am just about to start Armour making (plate) as a hobbie (new home with a shop) and I need to know what is needed. What do most people use to cut metal. I have been reading for the last 3 months but still need more info. Also what tools should I get first. My first project will be a Great Helm.
Thanks for your help.

Read the essay on sheetmeatal cutting tools by Sasha. It will tell you almost every thing you need to know. The only thing I can add to it is from the time when it was written is that the H.F. shear has gotten much better and the blades have no prob with 14ga.

Thanks I will read it!
Anyone else with any ideas?
The more info I can get the more I will enjoy my new hobbie, less head aches.

Thanks

Thanks that was a great read!
I am thinking a B2 and Tin shears or aircraft shears.
Do you agree that it will do most things for the best buck?

Thanks

Yes the B-2 is the shear of choice.I could not do this with out mine.
Take care of her and she will last a lifetime.

Armours call her; their Mistress Beverly.

Best of luck on your tool quest pilgrim.

Hal

Use only the aircraft shears as a last resort. I prefer to use a cold chisel, i seem to get less waste this way, it's good for my arms too.

What size of cold chisel is the most common used?
Are there any other ideas on what I should get firts to cut metal?

Thanks

I've Cold Chiseled (with a 1" and an 1/8" chisel, it's speed vs. curve radius) and used Beverlies, HF Throatless shears (cheap knockoff of the Beverly), tin snips and nibblers.

Beverlies are the best all the way, no questions.

HF Shears are servicible to 16ga, but really kinda crummy.

Tin snips are slow and painful and nibblers are the same and harder to turn (depending on your model).

If I had to do it all over again, I'd buy a Beverly. Hands down. I have the HF shear, and it works, but Beverlies are the best. As is, I'm a bit too broke to buy anything right now, so . . .

As an alternative, see if Halberds is offering any more greathelm kits. Everything is pre-cut and you can just start forming.

Also, metal is sharp (obvious, I know) so when you think cutting, you also need to think filing the edges. You need files, probably a vice, maybe a grinder or surfacing wheel . . . It's a lot to handle at first, but if you start right, you'll need to fix less later on.

Also, never underestimate a chisel line, a drill, and just bending along the line.

So the B2 will do it all?
I was thinking of the shears to do smaller cuts but if I don't need them then I can use the money for other stuff.

I think I will get the helm kit as well.

Thanks

You might want to check around here and other sites for armourers local to you who may have tools they would be willing to sell or trade as well as show you techniques to help you learn the art.

I have only heard good things about the Harbor Freight Shear. Although it may not be as durable as the Beverly, it's worth the seventy-some-odd dollars. I heard of people, if they take their time, can cut 12 gauge with it. I myself have decided to buy one of the Harbor Freight shears. Hopefully it will be as good to me as it seems to be with all the other customers, plus I haven't seemed to have any problems with anything HF in the past - maybe I'm just lucky.

And using a cold chisel may sound neat and may be a bit more historic than any other cutting tool, but it's not fun. It's extremely time consuming and is hard to keep the metal in place if you don't have some sort of a hold down tool.

I currently use a Jigsaw cutter with metal cutting blades, and it works like a charm. Very loud and a bit on the slow side, it still works for me!

Best of luck,

-Justin

P.S. Helms aren't really at all hard to make, I took a pattern from the Archive and I used it as a first project. It took me in the neighborhood of some 35 hours to make it all, but it's done, and it works (I think it would anyway.) And don't be afraid of high guages of steel like 12 and 14, they really aren't that hard to work with.

By all means, if yuo can get a beverly, use it. i use a cold chisel beacsue i ahve little option, but i put up with it. i use a 1" chisel

I've also have had a fare amount of success with a uni-shear (simular to the ebay auction)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... eName=WDVW

But I wouldn't give up my Sweety Miss B2 for the world.

My suggestion for a beginning armourer... start small and upgrade. That way you will see if you really like working with metal... If you like it, you will start to buy more stuff and make more stuff and buy more stuff and make MORE STUFF AND AND AND AND >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Welcome to the DARKSIDE!!!!

Sigeric

Or this: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=92115

I don't know why I like Harbor Freight so much - personally, I think there's something wrong with me!

-Justin

I'll back you on that one Justin. So far, through picking and choosing, I have had no trouble from HF stuff. I don't buy everything there though.
I picked up two raising hammers there last week for $4 apiece.

Thanks all for the info.
I can not say how nice it is to get all this information!
I do beleve that the community of Armours make this hobbie fun and the cool stuff you/I can make is great too!

Thanks all!

P:S: keep sending me ideas and help!

I mostly use an old Black & Decker jig saw (that I already had when I started) with fairly fine-toothed hack saw blades. Slow and noisy, but I can cut fairly tight turns with it.

Aviation snips are okay for trimming short bits and corners, especially 16 gauge mild and thinner.

I've used a borrowed electric shear similar to the Unishear mentioned above, but I found it harder to "steer". Plus it tended to bend up edges.

All of those methods are hand-held and do not need a sturdy bench mount, something to consider if your facilities are limited.

Never tried a Beverly shear though.

Whatever I use, I always file edges immediately after cutting the pieces out.