How do you hammer a breastplate into shape?

[rustysickle]

I am thinking of trying the to make the simplest breast plate pattern from the archive. How does one fit the pattern to ones size and how is it hammered into shape?

Thanks for any info.

[Ideval]

I've not worked with the Archive pattern, but I have made three breastplates successfully.

Take good measurements with the garments you intend to wear, and pay special attention to where your waist "bend line" strikes the breastplate.

The most fool-proof method is to buy posterboard, make a mock pattern two sizes too large, punch appropriate holes, and have a friend mark and cut the pattern to fit.

Once you've cut and prepared the steel, the deepest dishing will be determined by the period of the piece you wish to approximate. As you know, a globose cuirass is markedly different than a peascod.
So, figure where the "peak" of the belly needs to lie and mark this with circles or other annotation.

Now, lightly dish the entire breasplate, even at the top where it might "seem" flat. Dish the love-handle area a little more aggressively, and transition to the deepest point of the belly (which you will need to keep remarking).
Riveting a fauld to the breast is far simpler than either welding and cleaning or annealing the material for a deep flared fauld.

You will at least need to roll the top edge of the cuirass, and if you're practised enough go ahead and roll the arm-holes (which snag garments to no end). Make sure, of course, to account for the rolled material in the original mock-up.
Good luck,

Idëval

[rustysickle]

Thanks for your help. It would sure make for good exercise for me.

[Patrick]

I have made 4 breastplates, so far. I learned the hard way on the first one to make it a little wider than the guys at fighter practice tell you. My first one was about 1" narrower at the top than the distance between my nipples. I caught a wierd tippy shot to my chest which pinched my nipple between the sword and the edge of the breastplate... The next one was about 2" wider than my nipples. No loss of mobility. Of course, a properly padded arming coat would have solved the problem, too. I had one layer of canvas over my T-shirt.

For me, the key was to make sure I fit the breastplate up to myself every time I had to take a break from hammering. See where it fits and where it doesn't. By the time you know where you need to hit it more, your arm should be ready to do it.

I second the suggestion about the posterboard. That's how I measured both of mine and both that I made for other folks. Works great!

-Patrick