Bascinet Construction without a Welder.....

Harold the Bear · Post by **Harold the Bear** » Sat Aug 18, 2001 10:02 am

Any Ideas??? an i am not doing the top out of one peice. I'm gonna put a band down the middle to hold the two halfs, but i dont know i will topple the point of the bascinet at the top of the helm. Any Ideas?

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In Loyalty Steadfast,

Harold der BÃ¤r

Rev. George · Post by **Rev. George** » Sat Aug 18, 2001 12:05 pm

artistic licsence might be cool. try joining the point with a disc of metal, and have brass rays coming off of it. that way, no one can see the strips aside from it looking like a brass sun/ ompass star.

-+G

Ideval · Post by **Ideval** » Sat Aug 18, 2001 12:30 pm

Harold, I just made a spangen-joined sallet/bascinet.

Making the peak will be very difficult. You will need to shape the ridge band extensively. Look at the Pioneer Helmet thread and see how the peak is shaped. That should give you an idea.

If you wish to make a tallish but round top, simply do all of the dishing of the halves, dish your ridge-band accentuating the peak, and rivet from the brow the the back, one pair of rivets at a time, gently hammering the "wrinkle" down and pushing it "backwards" as you go. This, in my singular experience, allowed the ridge band to sit flush with the helmet halves and to look much more professional than a first helmet ought to.

IdÃ«val

Patrick Thaden · Post by **Patrick Thaden** » Sat Aug 18, 2001 5:27 pm

On a recent trip to the medieval crime and punishment museum in Rothenburg I saw an execusioners mask made to resemble a bascinet that was made from two halves overlaped along the center line and riveted together. At the back point the overlaping side was notched to ease the overlap and preserve the point. This example was said to date from around 1550 I believe. Very ineresting piece with a period solution for you. Patrick

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Patrick Thaden
Thaden Armory
http://www.thadenarmory.com

Harold the Bear · Post by **Harold the Bear** » Sat Aug 18, 2001 9:31 pm

Thanks for the imput guys, now I'm having a problem getting the halves to fit together. I know they arnt dished right somewhere, but it looks like the metal is as far as it cars to go. Like the front of the bascinets halfs fit together and after the point the halfs split off to create a triangle opening. Please advise.

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In Loyalty Steadfast,

Harold der BÃ¤r

[This message has been edited by Harold the Bear (edited 08-18-2001).]

Erik Schmidt · Post by **Erik Schmidt** » Mon Aug 20, 2001 5:28 am

I hope I understood the problem correctly, basically it's gaping at the back join. It has a simple solution.

Rest the point of the helm half against something and use your hands to bend the edges in a bit more. Repeat on other half and the gap should be closed. It's bacically a matter or hand manipulation till it matches.
Hope that solves it.
There was a thread about fitting helm halves a few weeks back with some more thorough explanations.

Erik

Ideval · Post by **Ideval** » Mon Aug 20, 2001 12:30 pm

Harold,
that same thing happened with my helm. As Erik suggests, I too tweaked the helm until the halves fit. I also trimmed a bit from the peak, as it contacted before the other edges.

When I had one half fully dished, I traced it on my dishing stump. Then, as I dished the second half, I kept laying it on the tracing to see how it needed to be shaped. Worked well.

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IdÃ«val
The Huntsman of
I-NossÃ« LÃºmÃ«vanwa
My mind opens wide when I roar