The Armour Archive

just a quick question

what should the thickness of the leather be leather for a coat of plates? i'm using 16 gauge steel for the plates.

ok one more question. what exactly would 13th or 14th century period buckles look lke?

They'd most likely be round and have a bar in the middle with a tongue.

The plates are the armour so you can get by with a thin leather. 2-3 oz. should be acceptable or you could go 4-5 oz. just to prevent damage from swords and the like (but it could be overkill).

Cameron

I'd go with the 4-5 oz. option, not for protection, but durability. Leather's not cheap, so best to make it long-lasting in the first place.

If you haven't cut any plates yet, I'd REALLY urge you to go with 18 ga. for the plates, since it's really all you'll need. 16 ga. will be more wieght than it's worth, since in the smaller plates of a CoP, the force is distributed on multiple plates so it's spread out.

thanks for all the info i havent cut the plates yet so i can get some 18 steel and i'll be using 4 or 5 oz leather

thanks again guys

Since we're on the topic of Coats of Plates...

What is the best rivet length for a CoP made with plastic plates, 1/4" or 5/16"?

Milus Frostrane wrote:Since we're on the topic of Coats of Plates...

What is the best rivet length for a CoP made with plastic plates, 1/4" or 5/16"?

I have made a few CoPs over the years. T me the key has always been just long enough to peen over. If I didnt use the quick rivets from say Tandy, I used flat headed steel rivets, washers and made sure to cut of the rivet so I had just enought to peen it down and tighten it all up.

my 2 cents

Tim

I'm mostly with Tim on this one. Have a set of cutters on hand and custom cut your rivets to just the length you need. As far as type I would think that copper rivets would work rather well for a project such as this. And as an added $.02 if you go with copper rivets do some looking around before you buy em from a place like Tandy. A lot of harness shops sell 'em for better prices. I don't recall where I got my last batch but I'll do a little digging and get back to you.

YIS,
Andrew

How do you guys like Brettun's Village leather supplies?

Milus Frostrane wrote:How do you guys like Brettun's Village leather supplies?

I got a really nice heavy piece of brown suede from them for 80 bucks. And its a hugh piece.

Tim

If I was going to use aluminum for a coat of plates. What thickness would be best, also are "rapid rivets" (the kind with to parts that you hammer together rather then peen) strong enough for this use?

morristh wrote:I got a really nice heavy piece of brown suede from them for 80 bucks. And its a hugh piece.

I'm gonna order a side of dark red Merlot 6oz. for my CoP

Budobudo wrote:If I was going to use aluminum for a coat of plates. What thickness would be best, also are "rapid rivets" (the kind with to parts that you hammer together rather then peen) strong enough for this use?

The weight in the end depends (IMHO) how much repairs you want to do. I went with a heavy suede. I cant tell you the oz, but I am thinking it is in the 5-6 range. I can try and measure it later if you want.

The major problem it the speed rivets, (and I am using some on a CoP I am making now) is the small heads. I found a bigger rivet head, and still its not big enough to suit me. The small heads tend to pull through the leather. So You will want to look at something to make it bigger--a washer or something. I have found at least so far its not that they are not strong enough, but that the heads pull through easier.

My 2 cents

Tim