The Armour Archive

ok, just finished up some spaulders.







they are 14g. I am going to be using them for practice fighting, thats why they aren't the prettyest things in the world.

however, I have run into a problem. I have now succesfully made 7 spaulders. each one gets much better. but my problem is, thats all I can seem to get right.

I have started a norman spagenhelm 4 times, and yet I have not been able to get it to work.

what do you think I should try to do next? I am tired of spaulders, and I don't have the skills for a helm yet (spagenhelm to be precise).

~Casey

Listen, brother, I'm attempting my 4th try on a helm and its been the same run-ins time and time again. But with every try, I do learn at least one lesson before I get too pissed off and melt it with the torch or trash it.
Have you thought about trying some elbow or knee cops? Good luck!

Make a Spangenhelm.

If you don't challenge yourself, you will never get better. Don't start with a 14 ga. spangenhelm though, maybe try a 16 ga. the metal moves easily and you can establish a pattern that works. Plus it only runs about 10 or 15 bucks a try.

Good work on the Spaulders, they look nice.

Yes, Yes

Make the helm!!

you dishing looks great, start with the strapping, get that straight , then fill in with the panels, adjusting as you go.

I started with 18 and 20 guage and learned to adjust the patterns for my kids. lots of lessons learned there!!

keep on try'in

I'm going to run counter to the recomendations to keep trying Spangens. Not that spangen helms arn't a good second stage project but there are other options that may keep your enthusiasm up. A 5 panel great helm is also a good step up project. Only the top needs to be dished and depending on how well you flare edges it may not require that much dishing. You can also do knee-cops with lames. Not very different than a tight spaulder with solid articulation lames. You can learn good articulation with practice. Gorgets are also simple in the 2 piece variety and more interesting as a spanish collar variant. You can experiment with dished panel basket hilts if you do SCA.

Things to avoid are large pieces where if you mess up you throw away a lot of material and anything with highly evolved shapes (greaves, helms with ridges or flared backs, anything with heavy fluting) These you should save for later.

Good luck. Keep posting pictures.

Sean

thanks,

I am thinking on modifiying my spangen helm, instead of 2 bands on the top I think I might do 4 bands connected in the center by a circular peice that is dished sortof like a cone.

thanks for the ideas!

unfortunatly, I don't have a solid sorce for my metal, so getting higher gauges (16 18 20) is a bit more difficult.

~Casey

Sean Powell wrote:Gorgets are also simple in the 2 piece variety and more interesting as a spanish collar variant.

Like the Alan Bauldree pattern - http://www.armourarchive.org/patterns/gorget_ab/
Not too complicated, but you get to play with an interesting fastening system, and flaring the edges might be a new thing for you.
Best of all, you can mock it up in posterboard to find a good fit for you because it's mostly simple curves. That pattern was my second or third project, after a round buckler (for rapier), and believe me, the gorget was easier than rolling the edges on a circle.

you can get the 16, 18, and 20 ga sheets at any "do it best" or those silly Pseudo-hardware places. usually they come in 12 x 24 sheets, which is enough to get a helm out, if you lay it out properly. Another good place to check is a welding shop. Some of the smaller shops actually sell metal from their stock, but don't go to the large welding shops, they tend to have pieces that are WAY too big and charge a bit much for them. If you only have a large shop around you, always check the remnants bin. Anyway, god luck on your new layout.

well, I have an actual steel shop by me, the have a giant store room, however I could only get 3 4'x6' sheets while I was there, and the only size in sheet that was not 4'x8' was 14g.

but I am working on it. I have looked at hardware stores and they carry aluminum for drainage, and some plumbing but thats it.

thanks for your help!
~Casey