The Armour Archive

I picked up one of Hjalmr's helmets for the Hastings battle and I need to put a chin strap in it tonight so it will be ready for Pennsic. Anyone have suggestions on a quick and easy method?

I have thought about drilling a couple of holes for rivets and doing a leather chin strap but I am worried the riveting might be difficult with the time crunch.

I am looking for something easy, I can drill, I have cording, and I have buckles handy.

Thanks

Thug rig:

Paracord. Leather chin cup. D-rings. And a cord lock.

I usually just take a piece of 16 ga steel and fold it over the end of the D-ring like a buckle plate. Then weld the plate to the inside of the helm or you can drill and rivet the plate with the D'ring into the helm. Use a flat headed rivet, with the flat side inside the helm so you can peen it from the outside.

If you don't have a flat headed rivet, but have a dremel, you can use a round headed rivet and just grind it down to nearly flat.

Run the cord through D-rings and leather chin cup and add on your cord lock. and you're done.
-Cian

No rivets needed:

Two holes on each side of your head where you would normally mount the rivets.

Loop a LONG piece of paracord through one set of holes (if you are right handed I would suggest the left hand set of hols) so that both ends of the string are now inside the helmet.

Take a rectangle of leather about three inches by two inches and punch holes down the long sides - 4 holes each side should be sufficient. Feed the cord through the hoes as this will be your chin cup.

Feed the cord out the other side of the helm.

To secure helm to head pull the loose ends tight and tie.

I fought with a set up like this for years on a great helm. My nose was about half an inch off the faceplate and never had a single touch. It works very, very well.

Gregoire that is what I was thinking about doing.

Cian that is what I would normally do if I had time to get everything together.

Gregoire de Lyon wrote:No rivets needed:

Two holes on each side of your head where you would normally mount the rivets.

Loop a LONG piece of paracord through one set of holes (if you are right handed I would suggest the left hand set of hols) so that both ends of the string are now inside the helmet.

Take a rectangle of leather about three inches by two inches and punch holes down the long sides - 4 holes each side should be sufficient. Feed the cord through the hoes as this will be your chin cup.

Feed the cord out the other side of the helm.

To secure helm to head pull the loose ends tight and tie.

I fought with a set up like this for years on a great helm. My nose was about half an inch off the faceplate and never had a single touch. It works very, very well.

This would be my suggestion if you are in a time crunch. It work very well.

Technically, a douche marshal could say that the paracord does not meet the 1/2" rule, but that seems remote. (This topic was discussed a while ago.)

Jestyr wrote:This would be my suggestion if you are in a time crunch. It work very well.

Technically, a douche marshal could say that the paracord does not meet the 1/2" rule, but that seems remote. (This topic was discussed a while ago.)

1/2 inch rule?

[quote="the SCA rules"]
All helms shall be equipped with a chinstrap or equivalent means to prevent the helm from being dislodged or metal contacting the wearer’s face during combat. An equivalent might be, for example, a bevor or a chin-cup suspension system. A “snug fitâ€

olaf haraldson wrote:

the SCA rules wrote: The chinstrap shall be at a minimum a ½ inch (12.7mm) in width

Hmm, I've never seen that before. Learn something new everyday!

Be sure to file the hole edges so it doesn't abrade the para-cord. I'd also cut a "point of the chin" sized hole in the "chin cup" so it actually cups the chin. I would be surprised if a 4-point chin strap didn't pass - it is arguably not a "chin strap" anymore but the equivalent. I'm not with the marshallate anymore however, so it would be good to check with an inspecting marshal.

It's your face. Don't cut corners.

Regards

Avery

DukeAvery wrote:Be sure to file the hole edges so it doesn't abrade the para-cord

Have the tiny files out on the work bench ready to go

Personally (as a marshal), I think the rule is intended so that the actual cup, not the cord, needs to be at least 1/2" wide. Further, the spirit of the rule is that it is a guideline to protect against unsafe equipment that can injure the wearer.

That said, in the thread that raised the question, I think that an KEM from somewhere (or former KEM) had it cleared up by the SEM and he said that it was the entire chinstrap, not just the cup.

If it becomes a problem, just be aware that you can always appeal the decision up the chain of command.

Jestyr wrote:Personally (as a marshal), I think the rule is intended so that the actual cup, not the cord, needs to be at least 1/2" wide. Further, the spirit of the rule is that it is a guideline to protect against unsafe equipment that can injure the wearer.

That said, in the thread that raised the question, I think that an KEM from somewhere (or former KEM) had it cleared up by the SEM and he said that it was the entire chinstrap, not just the cup.

If it becomes a problem, just be aware that you can always appeal the decision up the chain of command.

Indeed, this system falls under the "equivalent" since the cord itself is just a means to keep the chin cup/piece in contact with the chin, and it does not attach directly to the head/jaw.

I use a similar system, but with a long 1" strip of leather, with a lengthwise slit in the middle to form a cup. Secured on the left side with lacing through holes in the helm; on the right side, long laces to tie & untie. It's worked well -- though I also have my helm padded so that even without the strap, it doesn't touch my face.

Agreed. "equivalent" specifically lists "chin cup suspension", which is what I'd call this...
I'll check with Master Pad once I get to Pennsic though...

Glaukos the Athenian wrote:

Jestyr wrote:Personally (as a marshal), I think the rule is intended so that the actual cup, not the cord, needs to be at least 1/2" wide. Further, the spirit of the rule is that it is a guideline to protect against unsafe equipment that can injure the wearer.

That said, in the thread that raised the question, I think that an KEM from somewhere (or former KEM) had it cleared up by the SEM and he said that it was the entire chinstrap, not just the cup.

If it becomes a problem, just be aware that you can always appeal the decision up the chain of command.

Indeed, this system falls under the "equivalent" since the cord itself is just a means to keep the chin cup/piece in contact with the chin, and it does not attach directly to the head/jaw.

Mine is similar to gregoir's except that there are two holes just below the band at the temple and two holes at the back of the helmet on a level with the first two holes. The paracord is knotted in a figure 8 knot at the temple hole and feeds down to a leather chin strap shaped like an oval with a hole in teh center for the point of the chin. The cord goes through a whole punched inthe meat of the leather oval and back to the holes at the rear of the helmet. The chin cup (leather) sort of floats until I cinch the whole rig down making it really easy to get a good fit. I have literally run full tilt boogey onto a spear point with my face and not had the helmet hit my nose, despite a really small clearance. I love it and unless I have another bascinet like my old Kelson one, wont change the harness.

Good luck!

I have a leather chin cup made of two 5/8" straps riveted together. One piece of long cord is tied to each end. Each end of the cord goes through a single hole about the place my ear is and the strings come out the holes from the inside and tie around back of my head. I can adjust it easily. Easily take it on and off. If it breaks, it can be fixed in seconds (I've only had it break once in 10 yrs.) I have never had the grill which is 1/2" from my chin/face bottom out.

I've always read SCA rule to mean the chin cup or "equivalent". It cannot choke me.

After trying many, this is definitely my preferred strap.

James B. wrote:I picked up one of Hjalmr's helmets for the Hastings battle and I need to put a chin strap in it tonight so it will be ready for Pennsic. Anyone have suggestions on a quick and easy method?

I suppose duct tape wrapped under the chin and up over the top is out of the question?

Thanks for the advice everyone, I went ahead and riveted in leather last night. It is not pretty but it will get me through this Pennsic and I will get a proper liner and strap system in over the winter.