The Armour Archive

I was surfing around Ebay and saw this helm. Just wondering if any other SCA marshals have any ideas on this helm. it looks to me like the center pin could be dislodged in fighting. It does however look like they have taken some extra measures to toughen up the helm.

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1159310695

Magnus Jager

from the looks, I don't think you could dislodge the pin without causing serious damage to the wearer in the process. Spiffy hat.

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Owen
"Death is but a doorway-
Here, let me hold that for you"

That´s a ugly helmet what is it?

wow... if I was still doing SCA fighting, and still into Roman stuff I'd have to get me one of those.. or make one.

I made something simmilar several years ago.. but didn't have the spiffy hinged cheek plates and locking grill.. but mine had those cute little ear plates (that after getting hit a few times looked like pointy elf ears [img]http://www.armourarchive.org/ubb/mad.gif[/img] ), and a really UGLY bar grill and a few welds I never cleaned up. and it was rusty. I was trying to rust brown it to match my leather armor.

one thing I had to do on mine was add something along the bottom cause the space between the back edge of the cheek plates and bottom back plate had too much space between them.. not sure if this one has the same proble , but it looks like it could... even if it does, it might not be a problem with the right gorget under it

That would really look good with a Lorica segmentata. Better than a bacinet or greathelm anyway

http://www.armourstore.com/

They claim that with this design you don't need a chin strap.
I'm not saying it can't be done but has anyone else ever tried it?

I have a Mandrake Roman helm, not one of these, but mine is built in such a way that I only have a chin strap because the rules say I have to; the cheek plates are holding it to my head, not the chin strap. It isn't a "snug fit", the cheek plates curve under my chin. I suppose it would be possible for a shot to pry it off of me, but I'm pretty sure that any shot that could would probably kill me in the process.

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Owen
"Death is but a doorway-
Here, let me hold that for you"

Oh, and I'd want one without the "Attic" brow guard, and with ear guards, eyebrows, etc.

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Owen
"Death is but a doorway-
Here, let me hold that for you"

yeah, the brow gaurd on mine started to get beaten down after a while.. but it was 14 gauge

I think it would look better with some brass added here and there and a little more shaping/dishing done to the cheeks. The "forehead" just looks odd to me for some reason. I think it's just the big open smoothness...begs for some decorative riveting or brass edging.

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Krag von Berghen
KragAxe Armoury

Member's Pics

i think the reason it looks odd is because of how little it looks like what its trying to be.

he he

Hey guyz... Roman helmet eh? Check out the one my apprentice wears:

http://www.stormthewalls.dhs.org/Armour/Full/SCARoman1.JPG




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DARIVS ARCHITECTVS
proprietor, Knight's Armoury
LEGIO XX VALERIA VICTRIX BALLISTARIA

My knight, Sir Brand, made a helm of similar design (no chin strap needed, pin closure), and it's very secure and very comfortable (and very mean-looking). The owner of the helm says that the pin popped out once from a tipy shot, though -- there are several ways to avoid this in the future helms, I think (a key-hole type thing, for example -- a little tab on the pin, turn the pin once it's in).

Now thats pretty DARIVS....one of the nicest SCA roman helms I've seen.

J

Darivs- how is the grill mounted? EK regs specify that bars must be mounted to the outside of the helm, unless the mounting is of "superior" quality, whatever THAT means.

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Owen
"Death is but a doorway-
Here, let me hold that for you"

Yes, the bars are mounted on the inside of the helm. Considering that part of Darius' professional work is inspecting welds, I suspect he did them right. If he feels they are safe, then I don't have any problem wearing it (BTW, it has been inspected and we corrected the only spot that failed). I know he did a better job on them than I could ever have. The cheek(sp?) plates will move before those bars do.

John (owner of the helm in question)

The bars are welded to the inside of the helmet. As far as "superior quality" goes, that's a bit general. You can make good welds with practice. I inspect welds as part of being a nuclear inspector, so I figure the welds I made on the helmet are good enough for you EK guyz. The EK rules was intended to work against crappy welders, but it is not a well-written rule. It doesn't apply to us in North Shield anyhow. Marshals as inspectors can either use the rules in a common sense manner or be total assholes and nitpick your armour to death. The problem in the SCA is applying the rules consistently, not so much with the rules themselves. The helmet has been in use now for a few practices, and it's hold up just fine. The ear pieces are bronze and can take the blows very well. The brow reinforcement is tube channel steel, so it won't chew up swords (although it should to be period) and stops dents really well. The grill peaks out 1 cm away from John's nose and does a good job of taking blows. It's high carbon steel, so it doesn't dent. Every passage between the bars is painstakingly made to be just under 1" wide, maximizing visibility. We really went to town designing this helmet. I don't think I could charge enough if we were to actually sell one, so we'll just keep making armour for close friends for the cost of materials only - because it's fun.

Windforms hat is the best looking SCA helmet I have ever seen, hands down, any period.

It is a great looking helm, definately the best Roman combat helmet I have ever seen.

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Owen
"Death is but a doorway-
Here, let me hold that for you"