Jump to content
I Forge Iron

Beginning..


Recommended Posts

Welcome aboard Red, glad to have you. How much experience do you have forming sheet steel?  The easiest to shape would be to have the steel supplier shear some 18ga. into 1" x 3/4" rectangles. Buy or make a punch and make scale maile. Of course ring maile sewed on leather is even easier. You can link chain maile but that's not the easiest.

A LITTLE more information from you about your skills and what kind of armor you wish to make will get you better answers. There are armorers subbed here, from recreationists to old SCA fighting armorers.

Frosty The Lucky.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For forming sheet not a ton , mostly forming small troughs for pig and horse feeding :P , but I've been doing farrier work, blacksmithing for about 8 years or so with a bit of tinkering in blades...mostly attempts lol BUT that's another issue .  

Sorry for the vagueness , I was hoping to attempt full plate metal armor (like 17th century knight style?)   For the purpose of ACL style stuff, I'm not sure about what gauges of metal is need either is another issue I'm looking at.. 

Thanks for any info 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Full plate isn't a beginners project but if you don't have a deadline it's doable. There is good info about armor and thicknesses varied with component, helms were the thickest generally. 

Were I to start someone out making plate I'd probably start with greaves and van braces, they're basically tube sections, fluted if you feel adventurous. The time a student spent trying to make one or a pair would give me a chance to learn the next one. Old style auto body work is good training but I don't think anybody knocks out and reforms damage anymore do they?

Reading material would be sinking and raising vessels. A stake plate and assorted stakes are really useful, though you can make stakes. 

I'm so out of practice I should hold my peace and hope someone more current speaks up. they're be along shortly I'm sure.

Frosty The Lucky.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 I have made exactly one piece of armor (a greathelm for my son) and thus am nothing like an expert, but I found Brian R. Price's "Techniques of Medieval Armour Reproduction: The 14th Century"  to be fascinating and invaluable. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok fair enough, and as for deadlines there are none , at this point it's all for my personal knowledge base.  Haha there are  still body shops around ...in some places anyways . 

Thanks for the info so far there guys ! 

And I'll definitely look into that book 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

there is a huge thread on armour archive about making the st florian full harness and it is fully documented by a master

http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=169445

spend a week reading that should help

here is another armouring thread

http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=171361

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...