The Armour Archive

I will update more later.

Ok. It seems to be a little shy of 10Lbs. but that is according to my bathroom scale. So I think it is around there somewhere.

Also, there are small holes on the red side. After doing about 5 little holes I read somewhere that one side of a helm is used for breath holes and the otherside is keep clean of holes for structural integrity. I liked the sound of that so I stop drilling on the red side.

I like it!

Its nice to see a painted great helm. Its a nice touch and looks great with matching tabbards etc..

Nice job

O'Quinn

Way cool... It came out right sharp now didn't it.

If it was easy everyone would be doing it.
Thanks for the finished pics.

Hal

great job mate really well done, see i told you a good paint job would make the helmet very unique and i think youve done an excelent job really well done mate

take care

*shakes hand* job well done. Welcome to the club.

Thank you all for the encouraging and kind words. I look foreward to continue to bang out some more helmets. Thanks agian guys, I am glad to be of yall's ilk.

ETC

I expect on your next helm, your top cap will be both more ambitious technically and better done! Welcome!

I expect the same. I tried 3 diffrent times to put 3 diffrent tops on. I did not anticipate the top to be such a problem. But in the end it was. I hope my next helm or the one after that will have a smooth round top. Sugarloaf-ish.

This is one of my first McBible attempts with lightweight rusty old practice steel, 20ga. I think.

http://home.armourarchive.org/members/h ... csader.jpg

It came out way too small.
I did not want to sand it, so I painted it with spray cans.

Hal

Ps: Your next sugarloaf will be fun, matching up 2-dished halves.
Are you going to get them welded?

That looks awesome, the lines are clear and the nasal looks cool.

Hal, the next attempt I am not sure of yet. All I am sure of is that I will not be welding. I don't know how, I hope to learn in the future. I don't know what I will do get the bend. I guess trial and error. I still have a mind to do this helm. It is so descriptive I don't want to pass it up. Plus it look awesome.

http://www.arador.com/construction/span ... ruc1a.html

Thanks for the compliments Findlæch.

ETC

ETC Trentonian wrote: I did not anticipate the top to be such a problem. But in the end it was. I hope my next helm or the one after that will have a smooth round top. Sugarloaf-ish.

You may have better success with a later pattern of helm with the top cap fitted interiorly.

yes I agree, But I didn't have anything to really get a good bend. I tried the baseball but that only work partially. I wanted to do an intirior mount but I just couldn't get that sharp of a bend.

ETC

It's going to be interesting to see how the spangen works out. Do post.

Try making yourself a creasing stake of a 1-inch brick chisel, then, or else the smallest one you can get. Blunt its edge and reshape the edge to a slight curve, using a grinder or a Carborundum stone rounding the corners off too so you don't mar the metal easily. You'll need a vise to hold it. The older kind of Vaughn brand Superbar can work too.

Thanks, Findlæch I will always post progress pics.

Konstantin, I am going to need an armouring dictionary to disect all you have said. But thanks for taking the time to say it. I do have one of Hal's Kits on order so in another month or so maybe I will have tools to do some real damage.

ETC

I think this setup and process is what Konstantin's talking about

http://www.arador.com/construction/index.html

but correct me if I'm wrong, Konstantin

Sorry I maybe missing somthing.

Building Spaulders- An exercise in basic hammerwork, finishing, and assembly

Is that what's next?

ETC

Oops, sorry. Go to "late 15 Century German knees", on the tools page it shows a "fluting" stake and in the process it shows it being used. I don't know if fluting and creasing are the same thing but that's the idea I got from Konstantin's post.

If you look around you can find those chisel sets. I just got a set of 12 on sale for $9.99!!! I thought, "ok, these are going to be garbage" they hold edges better than my others. With a set like that (and at that price) you can start making modified tips and custom tools with a grinder. Just make sure to either quench during grinding or go slow enough not to anneal the tools.

Rail road spikes make REALLY nice tools too! Hal can confirm that HE has done some trick stuff with them.

O'Quinn

I have seen Hal's RR tie. It is awesome. hopefully I can learn to use my grinder this weekend and maybe before long I can make somthing cool myself.

Hi ETC,

I know what you mean about needing an armour dictionary.
The rail road Tie is the big wooden things on the ground the tracks sit on.
The rail road Spike is the big headed nail they pound in to hold the rails down with.
Keep your eyes on the look out for some spikes, they make great little tools.
Also look out for a short piece of rail it makes a great anvil shaped object.

Watch you don’t grind your thumb…

If you need any more pics of that spangen over on Arador’s How To,
Just ask as I still have that helm on the shelf.

I think the spangen is more fun than the spaulders.
Matter of fact spangens are my favorite helm of all.
Check out the nice pattern on Ravens War Band for an older spangen.

Hal

Thanks Hal, I should have know about the Tie, and spike. I guess I was thinking the Tie Tied the stuff together? LOL I don't know what I was thinking. I may hold you to the offer of more pics. Although it is pretty descriptive on the site. I like that helm you made real well also. I hope to get somthing even in the same ballpark as yours. I will see what I can do.

ETC

I've got a creasing stake for you, and a vice to hold it. You just need a place to mount the vice(four bolts hold it in place through a table or something). I might have a bench grinder but I dont know if it works(been sitting in the bottom of my tools cabinet for years). Got the railroad track anvil mounted on a stump. Probably could part with a couple of hammers, but I dont know how much good they will do you. Probably have an old trailer hitch ball stake or something, a rivet set, the wiss snips...

I may not be able to get out to my shop until you get here on saturday, so you might have to deal with my shop being a horrible mess.


Is there anything you guys can think of that he might absolutely need to do basic stuff? I'd like to find him a stump, but he would probably have better luck than I would and thats kinda big and heavy to drive back to houston with.

Got an extra copy of the TOMAR? I read my first one to pieces... couple of files wouldn't hurt though, you can always use files....

Johann Lederer wrote:Got an extra copy of the TOMAR? I read my first one to pieces... couple of files wouldn't hurt though, you can always use files....

heh, thanks for reminding me. as a matter of fact I do, I just need to get it back from the guy I lent it to.

Thanks, Dierick for everyone that doesn't know Dierick has been kind enough to invite me down to his shop and show me a few techniques. He is also VERY generously offering some of his tools for me. He has been a good friend from the archive to me. I look forward to learning from him.

ETC

I checked with the guy I loaned TOMAR to and he said he would look for it and try to get it to me before saturday.

Thats sounds awesome. I have recently seen the book. And had limited use with it. But after all that you have given me I could only borrow it or pay you for it. It's pretty exspensive afterall.

ETC

Dierick,
If you get him that book, he will be hooked...like he isn't already

ETC,

Welcome to the obsession...looks like you are progressing well, with Dierick's help you should do well....

Thanks, Johann your correct to assume me hooked. I love spending time out in the garage with the metal and to see it's evolution. Dierick should just add that much more!!

ETC

Yeah, creasing, fluting -- I don't differentiate. Looks like ETC is getting access to the tools he needs to go to the next level of metal forming goodiness. He seems in good hands.

When prowling RR tracks, another good bit to snarf up is one or two of those huge dome-headed bolts they connect rails together with, and the hex nuts that go with them. Usually both are lying around together, and with the nuts screwed on and the letters filed off the bolt head they make quite good small mushroom stakes, the nuts allowing a bench vise to get a good grip or to make an excellent collar to weld the bolt into a steel post. At any rate, they're too useful to pass up. There are also medium-sized metal plates around that go between rail and tie called fishplates, which are useful for bending metal over. Don't pass up one of these either.

And I'm always available through PM if you need me to untangle something particularly opaque.