The Armour Archive

Does anyone have any information on the tools that were used to 'finish' armour? Today, we have buffing compounds, sanding discs, etc. How did armourers in the 14th and 15th cent. get the work to the final state? Thanks for the help.

They could grind and polish using water powered versions of the same power tools we use today, with polishing compounds that weren't quite as controlled as we use.

Look at the Hausbuchs for pictures of folks using scrapers and various wood and sand set ups for finishing armour.

Thomas---didn't we have this discussion just a couple of weeks ago?

Online dragons 10 and 11 have some interesting tid bits on this subject;
http://www.companie-of-st-george.ch/

Images from Das Hausbuch der Mendelschen Zwölfbrüderstiftung in Nürnberg
http://homepage.univie.ac.at/rudolf.koc ... /m_inh.htm

Harnischpolierer, 1523 (138r) - a really big wheel
http://homepage.univie.ac.at/rudolf.koch/mendel/071.jpg

Harnischpolierer, 1483 (101v) - scraper/burnisher thing
http://homepage.univie.ac.at/rudolf.koch/mendel/060.jpg

Harnischpolierer, um 1425 (7v) - another scraper/burnisher setup
http://homepage.univie.ac.at/rudolf.koch/mendel/003.jpg

And then there's this detail from the painting Venus at the Forge of Vulcan Jan Brueghel the Younger - Flaemish Master (1601- 1678)
http://www.karlofgermany.com/section4.htm
The whole painting - http://www.karlofgermany.com/brueghel.htm - with links to enlarged details.

Thanks for the links.
I can see using files and sones for flat and convex surfaces, but what about concave surfaces and tight spaces. I can see smaller files being used with a lot of labor. Also, what kind of finish would a file give? Maybe its my inexperience with files but I have never gotten a smooth surface.

There aren't many concave areas in a suit of armor, or flat areas either. Convex is the rule, because it will resist deformation better than either of the previous.

Alcyoneus wrote:There aren't many concave areas in a suit of armor, or flat areas either. Convex is the rule, because it will resist deformation better than either of the previous.

True, but there are some areas that are saddles (concave in 1st direction and convex in the 2nd direction) such as a sallet helmet. Wings on knee and elbow cops may have convex areas (not sure on the historical accuracy of the cops that I have seen like this).

Has anybody ever seen anthing resembling modern sandpaper?

Thanks.

Sandpaper, no but a piece of wood, or wood with a leather covering, and grinding compound ranging from sand to emery was known---however you can get a pretty good finish with a scraper and a burnisher.

Thomas

Thomas

Thanks for the info. What do you mean by a scraper and burnisher? In woodworking a scraper can be used like a plane to take off high spots. Is that what you mean, and if so what would the scraper be made from in order to 'shave' metal and not destroy itself?

You would forge weld a thin strip of steel to make the edge of your scraper...since medieval metal armour was made from wrought iron the harder steel would work.

It's not medieval but japanese swordmakers still use scrapers to shape swords---called a "sen".

Theophilus would be a good easy read to find out how non-ferous metals were smoothed and polished in 1120 CE which might give you a bit more info on the medieval mindset for such work.

Thomas