Q:   Do you have any armour for sale? / Do you take comissions?

A:   No, I make armour as a hobby not as a business. I publish all my patterns on my web site in an effort to encourage more people to get into armouring. If you are looking to buy armour I recommend the following armouries:

Keep in mind that each armourer does things a little differently even when trying to make an exacted copy of the same thing.
 
 

Q:   What scale are the patterns? / What size are the large squares on the graph paper?

A:   All the patterns on this web site are on 8.5 inch by 11 inch graph paper. The large squares on the paper are 1 inch by 1 inch. If you print the patterns as 8.5 inches by 11 inches with no margins they will be full scale.
 
 

Q:   Why are your patterns copyrighted?

A:   The web site and the patterns are copyrighted, but this is only to stop someone from publishing them without giving me credit. Feel free to use any of the patterns on this site to make armour for personal use or for sale.
 
 

Q:   How do I print the patterns?

A:   From Redhat Linux 5.x/6.x with xv (Should work on any Linux or UNIX with "xv"):

          Load the JPEG pattern files into "xv" (example "xv elbow_p1.jpg"). Print the file from "xv" as a grayscale image on a 8.5" X 11" page with the height and width set to 102.50%.  Remember to "Center" the image after setting the height and width set to 102.50%.

    From MS-Windows 95/98/NT4/2000 :

          If you run the program "Imaging" that's under the "Accessories" menu you can load the JPEG pattern files (*.jpg) and save them as MS-Windows Bitmap files (*.bmp). After that load the Bitmap files into "Paint" (which is also under the "Accessories" menu). Then stretch the image 128% both horizontally and vertically. I set all the margins to 0.25 inches, which was as small as the printer driver would allow. It this point I was able to print the pattern so that the squares were 1 inch by 1 inch as they should be.
 
 

Q:   How to dish the halves of the helmet tops :

A:   I dish the helmet halves with a 4" solid steel ball welded to the end of a 18" long 1" thick steel bar. I use the bar as a handle and pound the plate into a dishing form using the steel ball. For a dishing form I use the bottom of an old oxygen tank that has been cut off and welded to a steel plate. The bottom of most large (200 cubic foot) oxygen tanks are concave.
        You can buy "ball stakes" and dishing forms from Iron Monger Armory http://www.kingslayer.com/ironmonger/tools/tools.htm .  If you order from him be sure to tell him that you want a dishing form for helmet tops. Also let him know that you want to use the ball stake as a dishing hammer. The larger ball stakes come with thicker posts (about 2" thick). If you want to use one as a hammer the post should about 1" thick by 18" to 24" long.
 
 

Q:   How to dish couters (elbow cops) and knee cops:

A:   I dish couters (elbow cops) and knee cops with a 2 inch hardened steel ball that's welded to the face of a 20 oz. claw hammer (a ball peen hammer will also work).  I've cut off  the claw part of the hammer inorder to use it inside helmets. You can buy the 2 inch hardened steel ball for about $16 from McMaster-Carr Supply Co. http://www.mcmaster.com/  .
 
 

Q:   How to form comb/crest on the helmet top (for Close Helm and Armet):

A:   After dishing the halves they should be liped along the edge that will form the comb/crest on the top of the helmet. Put the edge you want to lip against the edge of a wood block. An 18 inch long by 18 inch diameter hardwood log is what I use. The edge of the wood block should rest against the outside of the metal half about 3/4 of an inch from the edge. Then use a steel hammer with a flat face to bend the edge (from the inside) of the half over the edge of the wood block. Do this along the edge until it has the lip that you want. I would recommend a shorter lip in the front (just above the opening of the face) and the back (so you can fade it into the back plate).
 
 

Q:   On the close helm and armet what is the purpose of the post (or rod) with a metal disc on it?

A:   The purpose of the post and rondel (disc) on the original helm was to hold up the strap for a wrapper (neck guard used for jousting). The reason I put the post and rondel on my helms is simply because the original that I based my helm on has one.  On my helms the end of the post is threaded so it can be remove.
 
 

Q:   Can I use a set of pre-dished top halves, elbow cops, or knee cops?

A:   The simple answer is I don't know, I dish all my own plates. Even if the pre-dished plates were made from my patterns they still may not work if they were not dished the same way mine are. One the many reasons I dish all my own helmet tops by hand is so that the top will be made to form to the wears head which isn't symmetrical front to back like most of the pre-dished halves that I've seen.
 
 

Q:   How do I make spring pins to keep a visor closed?

A:   I start with 0.035" thick by 3/4" wide by 5" long strips of spring tempered steel.  For armour made from a carbon steel (including mild steel) I'd use spring tempered 1095 carbon steel which you can buy in 3/4" wide by 12 foot long rolls for $32.10 from McMaster-Carr http://www.mcmaster.com/ (part #9075K316). They also have 85 foot rolls for $90.12 (part # 9036K274). If I'm using stainless steel then I use 0.031" thick by 3/4" wide 302 spring tempered stainless steel which I bought from McMaster-Carr in a 100 foot roll for $107.75 (part # 90415K11 0.031" thick by 3/4" wide).  Just so you know the 1095 spring steel makes a better spring then 302 stainless but the 1095 will rust.
         Drill 2  7/32" holes in the helmet top just above the top edge of the visor where you want the two spring pins to be. I would put the holes 1 to 2 inches apart so that they are near the center of the top edge of the visor but far enough apart so that both pins can't be struck at the same time by the same shot. The bottom edge of the holes should be even with or better yet a 1/64" below the top edge the visor when fully closed. Now measure 4 inches from each of the two holes to where you want to put the rivets which attach the back end of the spring strips and drill a 3/16" hole there.
        Punch or drill a 3/16" hole 3/4" from the end of each spring strip. Form the strip to the inside of the helmet where it will be attached (this will be a bit of a pain with 1095 spring steel). Insert a 3/16" rivet (mild steel rivet if using 1095 or Stainless for 302 Stainless) through the hole in the helmet top where you want to attach the back end of the spring strip and the hole in the back end of the spring strip itself. Mark the spring strip through the hole in the helmet top that the pin will go through for each spring strip. Be sure the marks are centered on the strip. Remove the spring strips and drill or punch a 3/16" hole centered on where the mark is on each one of the spring strips. Insert a 3/16" wide by 3/8" long rivet (mild steel rivet if using 1095 or Stainless for 302 Stainless) into the hole you just made for the spring pin on each spring strip. Be sure to insert the rivet so that the shaft of the rivet will sticking out the hole in the helmet top for that spring pin (i.e. don't put it in the wrong way around). Now trim any excess off that end of the spring strip so that the head of the rivet is 1/8" from the end. Now very carefully tack weld it in place in 2 or 3 spots around the rivet head. Be carefully only to heat a very small area around the rivet head or else you will ruin the temper of the spring strip.
        Now you will need to adjust the 7/32" holes for the spring pins so that they retract and extend freely but are still keep in place. After the spring pin holes are adjusted set the rivets that attach the back end of each spring strip.
 
 

Q:   How to form the point on a Sugar Loaf, Bascinet, or Conical helmet top:

A:   The way I shape top halves for those types of helmets is to first dish them evenly as if they were halves for a round top. Then grab the top edge of the plate with one hand on either side of the point (each hand should be a couple inches from the point). On a Bascinet or Sugar Loaf bend the plate along a line from the point to 1/3 of the way from the back on the bottom edge, on a Conical the line will be from the point to the center of the bottom edge. Then use a hammer to do some final shaping on the edge right around the point. This method may sound really cheesy but it works great for me. Please make in mind that my Bascinet, Sugar Loaf, and Conical helmet patterns (but not the low point bascinet) were designed with this method in mind. If you don't use this method the pattern probably won't work very well.
 
 

Q:   How do I heat treat 1050 carbon spring?

A:   Notes on hardening 1050 Carbon Steel
 
 

Q: How do I tin brigandine plates?

A:  Notes on Tinning Brigandine Plates
 
 
 

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Copyright 2006   Craig W. Nadler   All rights reserved