Cold Worked Iron and Steel

Friends, I am trying to get ahold of Alan Bauldree. He used to run A.B. Hammer Armoury. This man is one of the best ancient Roman and Medieval armourers I have seen and has made me several pieces including a faboulous Lorica Segmentata for my Roman impression. Unfortunately, I have lost touch and can't find his address or contact info. Help anyone? Thanks, Deks Cincinnati, OH

ive decided that its high time to start on family Christmas presents. I got laid of from work and have been useing old bailing wire to make braclets, chains chainmail and a chainmail bible cover for my Pa. the problem is that i want to paint a number of the rings to create a cross on the front. of course being on a budget and all i want to use either high grade spray paint(maybe) or go to my uncle and see if he has some old car paint lying around. anyways the problem is that most of the galvanization has worn off and most of what is left comes off when i coil the wires. in the galvanizations place a natural dark patina, rust, and oil has spread to the areas not galvanized…

I have to cut 3" dia. and 4" dia round blanks out of 22 Ga. steel sheet, I'm using them for a product we make, so this will be an on-going thing for many years (hopefully). I've been drawing out the pattern with a template and then cutting them out with tin snips, but I would like to find something a little easier on my wrists. The other night I noticed that I have a piece of 0.120" wall DOM (C1020) tube in my scrap pile that has the correct O.D. and was wondering if it would be realistic to file/grind the inner edge of the lip until I had a relatively sharp edge and then heat treat the cutting end of the tube. I was thinking that I could lay the sheet steel in my 20-…

there is a lot on here about forging swords and knives and all manor of weapons but why are there no threads on armor? is there anyone on here that makes armor, this is just a curiosity because i enjoy perving on all the swords and axes and knives but there is no armor D: lol

Hello, For people who don't stiil know. Please take a look on this video (look it completely)... ;) - http://archive.org/d...ls/SheetMet1942 You can see the use of a lot of tools. :wub: Kind Regards, De St Uby

Hi guys, i'm new to blacksmithing, and my parents aren't too keen to let me have a forge just yet. So I decided to try my hand at cold metal working. here are some pictures of my very first try at Chainmail. this was after about an hour of me trying to undo random knots that kept happening lol

Hello to all smiths out there :) I am making a suit of armor (about 45% complete) and I need to make a particular type of scales for the shoulder guards. Below is the design that I have attempted to create based off of pictures that I found of particular set of scale armor that I like. The different colors represent different angles that the metal would be bent at. I am planing on using a 20 gauge mild steel as this armor won't be used for 'heavy' fighting. I need to make at least 100 of these with each scale being as similar as possible and I have only two months to finish the shoulder guards. Any help/ideas would be appreciated. ~Ne0spartan

I'm fairly new to metalworking as a whole, and I really want to get a taste of as many different aspects of it as possible. I've been making knives, decorative brackets, tools etc on the forge, and I'd really like to try making armour. I can get old drums for free so I have a virtual limitless source of sheet- so why not? I have been researching how the different plates are made, but one bit I have struggled with is the more simple question of holding it together! I want to base the armour I am making on the one in the picture. From what I can see, he is wearing a chain maile suit under the plate, although I do not believe that the plate attaches to it. There are a few …

Hi, my project is to replicate an old (not a lot but still) lock for a cupboard. This subject is more for the locksmithing area but didn't know where to post it. I am able to make all the parts of the lock except the rectangular holes. The steel is like 18 or 16 ga. I made a small rectangular punch and tried to punch the holes over a piece of endgrain wood but all I got is a huge bulge and a lot of mess. Nothing near a clear punching. My question is, does any of you have ever tried to punch holes like that in steel sheet, and if so, how did you achieve it? My other idea is to drill a series of small holes and then file them but if punching can be done, I would prefer…

I have a friend that dose things with chain-mail i would have thought impossible (this might just be that she is fanomanaly pacient) but besides from that i just thought people here would get a bit of a kick out of her sculptural chain-mail http://kateevans68.wordpress.com/2012/03/16/the-downside-of-chainmaille/

I'm going to have a go at making some mail, in the weekdays, when I can't get to the forge. If I was wanting to weld the rings shut, what sort of wire would be best to go for? I'm assuming galvanised will give off nasty fumes! Any tips on welding, or riveting the rings would be appreciated!

Here's a spinning lathe I just picked up-16"swing, but there's actually 18" to the tool rest if it's close, 20" to the ways. It was covered with sawdust-has the wrong size belt so you can only use 1 speed. I'm going to change it to a 220 single phase motor with a VFD to make things easier. I've don some checking with machine tool dealers. Spinning lathes seem to run 4 grand and up. I got it pretty cheap. And it came] with 3 buckets of mandrels-mostly lamp bases and such. Half are wood-half are metal.

Hello, I don't know if this site has been posted before but I thought I would link these spinning books. I've read the first already and it was pretty good. There are some errors from from whatever process they use to convert them to digital but not bad. Lots of other good stuff on that website. http://www.craftsmanspace.com/free-books/metal-spinning-crawshaw.html http://www.craftsmanspace.com/free-books/metal-spinning-machinerys-reference-series.html

This has been a re-curing problem for me in Copper and Steel, this would be an exaggerated example. I saw using a knob tool (best way to describe it) its about a 1" to 1 1/4" Diameter knob made of brass on a 5/8" steel shaft, Sorry no picture for now. I'm hand spinning and as you can tell from the inside shot, I'm using a back stick. Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated :D

Hello all! I'm working on a crusader greathelm (http://www.arador.com/construction/greathelm.html). Now, for anyone who has made armor, or even just riveted two plates together: How far in should I drill/punch the holes for riveting? Obviously I want the helm to fit, but I don't want to stress the metal and have it break.... I think I use 3/16 inch diameter nails as rivets. Is there a general rule of thumb?

We just got a cabinet for the bathroom it was hand made pine kind of distressed wood looking. My girlfriend wanted a latch for it as the doors are a bit warped and will not stay shut. So I have to go and open my big mouth and say that I could make a latch and some hinges as well. (doohht) Well I have some yellow brass that was kick plates on doors that I saved from the trash on a job a few years back, I kept it real simple nothing fancy and these are my first hinges so it was a good learning experience. I used 3/16 stainless for the hinge pins and upset the end a little so they will not slide out I think I am going to shorten the latch about 1/2 an inch

Well I think I started this somewhere around 6 years ago,and finally got the finish on it over the weekend!!!! Sorry for the crappy photo.I intend to take better ones and then do a progress thread on the Armour Archive.I started one for it a few years ago,but the site changed and I lost my progress pics that I had up.My username there is "redrook". Once I get it all done I will give a link,I am just excited to to have it done(well the front anyway). Cheers, Richard http://s1087.photobucket.com/albums/j476/tantofolder/?action=view&current=breastplate.jpg

9''x7'' 16ga, raised 1/4'', background hammer texture..........

I've done a search and I found nothing for chainmail. I know the general way of making chainmail is to link rings together. Some people just use wire and sodder it, but I want to make it out of steel and forge weld it. I would like to know the best way of going about this, and the thickness of the steel that I should use, and if I'll need a jig to make the rings, other than bending it. And about the diameter of the rings.

Just a theoretical question, assuming I had lots of time: What combination of bending and straightening would be best for reducing the thickness of a square foot of 3/16" plate, using only an English wheel? The sole purpose being to get it as thin as possible while increasing the width and length evenly...ending up as sheet. I have flat and radiused anvils for my wheel. Thanks!

i feel almost stupid, but satisfied and exuberent about my newest project. started a chainmail bible cover and have been useing rings 1/4 inch wide. its 9 6/16 tall and 7 inches wide per cover with a 2 inch spine. standard 4 in 1 weave. I'm going to make elfsheet as a border all the way around. funny part is that, as usual, i didnt think about the extent of the project as much as i should have. i have 2 inches to go and, if my math is right, the main body in 4 in 1 will be 7600 rings compacted in a small space. and about 3000 to 4000 in elfsheet. using leather for the inside to attach to the cover. other than sharing and bragging rights im curios as to what you would be c…

Thanks for looking! Your post has been edited. 40 megs of images were reduced to less than 600K. Your link to more images went to a facebook page with no additional blacksmithing content that I could find and the link was deleted. Edit: sorry about the bandwidth problem. I will re-size my photos next time. I hope this link fairs better.. I use facebook as a tool to share my photos a lot of them with the world. And I take a lot of smithing photos. I'd love to be friends on facebook with all of Iforgeiron. It;s save me a lot of unloading and wasted bandwidth to show off all of my 500 or so photos. Just to get some recognition and validation from my peers.

Hello Sorry if this is posted in the wrong place, or if I didn't take the proper steps first But I was wondering if someone could get me information for some gauntlets I was trying to get my hands on a pair of gauntlets that look something like the attached photo. If any one could get me information such as: A blacksmith I could contact Ballparking the price And where I could get a lesser quality if the blacksmthing price is to high for me Any more information you could provide would be much apreciated Thanks for listening

http://cgi.ebay.com/Blacksmith-Tinsmith-Armorers-sheet-metal-anvil-stakes-/270744545829?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f09a1ea25 I was just taking a stroll through eBay looking for a needle stake and found this, looked kind of interesting, more than I want or could afford for the needle stake though :blink:

I guess this qualifies to go on here. I attached a couple of pictures of some 1st attempts at mail. Wooden shield crafted by son.Mail will be installed ona helm of some sort. A just for practise and theactrical use. Bout all I can do right now. Just got 9 stitches in my forearm. My side I hammer with.