The Armour Archive

umm i was wondering if there is any site that like sells used plate making tools. they dont have to be the best just as long they get the job done. and i was also wondering how much they sell for and how much like nice steel would cost.

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money talks, mine always says goodbye

Got christ??? its hell witout him

Good steel and tools/forms can be found in scrap yards. It is not hard to make your own hammers from a scrap truck axle and a grinder.

Tools... most of us make them ourselves or get them from folks like Ironmonger or both.

We are really not in a popular hobby. Unfortunately we cannot go to Hobby Lobby or another crafts store and buy what we need. Often improvisation is the key.

Read a couple of the articles here on the archive and www.arador.com. There are many tool and starting artciles that will provide a wealth of info.

Ebay is a good place for hammers, stakes, shears, books, etc.

I suggest trying there. If there is someone local to you, hook up with them and see what they use. You would be amazed at what can be accomplished with just a few tools and a couple of pieces of metal for anvils and forms/stakes.

Gotta go to bed or I would be more throrough. Good luck!

isn't the reason most of these tools are in the scrap because they are a load of junk!!!!

a few basic needs that come fairly inexpensively: (garage sales are wonderful)

four pound sledge hammer (one handed). use a grinder to get one side into a round shape with about the curve of a baseball or slightly less. grinder may be a problem but someone you know knows someone who has one and may let you use it. used for dishing.

the bottoms of two oxygen/compressed gas bottles. they should have a concave surface and be two different sizes. maybe 6in across dish (give or take) on the wider bottom and about 3.5in across dish (give or take) on the smaller bottom. should find at a junkyard and get the bottoms cut off fairly cheap. used for dishing.

ball peen hammer. local hardware store. a one pounder is big enough for peening rivets.

a 10in long piece of railroad track most likely found at a junkyard near a railroad. used as a small anvil.

jigsaw for cutting sheet steel. likely the most expensive but you might find a deal at a garage sale or even in a pawn shop.

drill. same as jigsaw.

razor knife. cheap and cuts nearly anything soft.


these few things will get you started fairly cheap on projects like elbow/knee cops, splinted leather armor, and possibly even a helm. anything else you might need to shape things you will figure out and can probably find in a junkyard.

note: fairly cheap don't mean real cheap. you should get good tools whenever possible. good tools make the job easier and more fun.

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Angus of the White Mountain (formerly MageDogTag)

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Angus Bjornssen:
<B>razor knife. cheap and cuts nearly anything soft.
</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Including you, if you aren't careful