Anyone here make Armor?

Discussion of topics concerning life in the middle ages around the world, including architecture, history, and warfare.
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Charlie
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Anyone here make Armor?

Post by Charlie »

I know this is sort of Off-Topic, but seeing as this post is about real Armor I figured it would make sense to put it here, if any mods feel it's inappropriate, please delete it.

Anyway, I was just curious if anyone here makes Armor? I have made simple wooden shields, as well as tried my hand at making various Plate Armor, but just started making Chainmail, and It's really quite fun to make.

A few hours work yielded this:

Image

Most of the time came from making the blasted links, I really need to set up a nice jig to make coils, otherwise it might take me a few months to make a substantial amount of Chainmail ;) It gives me a lot more respect for people who made Chainmail.

I was thinking of buying one of those Coifs or something else off E-bay, but I decided just to make it seeing how CHEAP it is, and like I said is actually fairly fun.

So anyone else make any sort of armor?
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Blasterman
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Post by Blasterman »

Charlie - I guess you've seen my stuff.
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=44925
This is my harness to fight in(SCA).

I've made some chain mail in the past, though I never
tried actually riveting them. I've also recently made
leather arms(with steel elbow cops)for a friend of mine.
It's definitely fun stuff.

Haven't tried the full on metal-smithing yet.

Have fun, Jeff
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Charlie
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Post by Charlie »

Yeah, I saw the post with that in it, it looks very nice!Nothing I ever made turned out that good, I was really just experimenting with making different types of armor plating, such as plate shoulder armor much like yours, and various styles of plates to cover the forearm, although nothing came out with that Medieval look to it, which was pretty disappointing. If I actually modeled the Armor after some authentic Medieval Armor I'm sure it would come out a lot better, but I always stuck to doing things the easy way (which is usually not the best way)

I had thought about making leather armor, but I wasn't sure were to buy the leather at, and wasn't exactly sure how to harden it, although I'm sure with a little more research I could find out.
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sklar
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Post by sklar »

What's that chainmail made from? And how'd you link them? I want chainmail...
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Charlie
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Post by Charlie »

Well there are a few ways to make it. You can buy those pre-made links they sell on E-bay and various other sites, which come in either riveted or butted.

The riveted links have little flat spots on the ends of the links, with a hole through it, and you pass a rivet through that hole, and seals the ring.

You can also buy butted links. Butted links are where the ends are open, and when you just push them shut, and they stay together from the tension of the metal.

There are also people who weld the ends of their links together, I have never done this since I can't really get a hold of a welder for long periods of time. I'm not sure how authentic this is, I know there was pressure welding or whatever it's called in medieval times where two pieces of metal were "welded" together by applying heat and pressure, but I'm not sure if this was ever used really, I'm no expert.

LInks that have connected ends are stronger, since the links can't just pull apart as easily, but I really didn't want to get involved in riveted mail. Plus, IIRC, only royalty or very wealthy people could even afford the riveted stuff, and most common soilders just had butted mail.

I chose to use Butted links for a few reasons. First of all, They are much easier to make, and I would assume it doesn't take as long to make a sheet of butted mail as it does a sheet of riveted mail ( I don't know personally, I've never made the riveted stuff)

To make the links, you can either set up some sort of jig, or just get a metal or wood dowel the same diameter you want (I don't know if there is a specific size you are supposed to use, so I just used what was handy) and then wrap wire around the dowel in a tight coil pattern. When that's all done, take the coil off, and cut the links, I used some heavy duty metal snips.

I'm not sure of the exact size of wire to use, somewhere around .05 is good I think. I really don't know the size of the wire I used, but I think it may have just been a tad bit too thin (although it does hold up to the claw end of a hammer VERY well, haha)

To make a jig, which is what I'm going to do, all you really need is some various pieces of wood, I already have the one I'm going to make out on paper. It's just a little dowel between two peies of vertical wood on each end, with a long peice of wood at the base. The dowel extends about 4 inches past the pieces of wood that holds it up on the right side, then I will drill a hole through it, and put a smaller dowel in that. Then, drill a hole about the size of the wire on the other end, and that is what will secure the wire to the dowel. Then, just turn the dowel by the little crossbar on the other side (like on a vise) and that wire gets coiled onto the dowel. I'm sure there are more complicated methods out there, but it's really all I need for making stuff for personal use.

About the actual pattern of the links, there are some guides out there for showing you the general pattern (there are various different ways of making it) which you could probably find by searching on google. I wish I would have seen these BEFORE I started making mine, it took my a long time just to figure out the pattern, one of those guides really would have helped.
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caesar2164
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Post by caesar2164 »

First of all its actually "maille" or "mail" and not chainmail, that comes from D&D or AoE or Diablo...

Anyway, anyone interested heres a link to all this armour stuff that I have already given in the past here.

http://www.armourarchive.com

I have made Maille before a vest in fact and i can tell you that my hands wer absolutely raw after i finished :D

I have also tried plate even though I have no tools and the great helm I made (a crusader helm similar to the one Blasterman has in his suit) was a little crude.
I have also made "a" gauntlet.
Everything out of aluminum because I have absolutely no tools and I was able to get some sheet aluminum.

The guys at armour archive are a lot better and you guys should go there and read and especially look at the pictures of armour, they are really amazing!

anyway hope this post was informative,

Giulio
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caesar2164
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Post by caesar2164 »

First of all its actually "maille" or "mail" and not chainmail, that comes from D&D or AoE or Diablo...

Anyway, anyone interested heres a link to all this armour stuff that I have already given in the past here.

http://www.armourarchive.com

I have made Maille before a vest in fact and i can tell you that my hands wer absolutely raw after i finished :D

I have also tried plate even though I have no tools and the great helm I made (a crusader helm similar to the one Blasterman has in his suit) was a little crude.
I have also made "a" gauntlet.
Everything out of aluminum because I have absolutely no tools and I was able to get some sheet aluminum.

The guys at armour archive are a lot better and you guys should go there and read and especially look at the pictures of armour, they are really amazing!

anyway hope this post was informative,

Giulio
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Charlie
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Post by Charlie »

Ah, my mistake! I know people also call it by just Mail or Maille, but I didn't know those were the terms you were actually supposed to use instead of "Chain Mail" Thanks for letting me know!
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TwoTonic Knight
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Re: Mail

Post by TwoTonic Knight »

caesar2164 wrote:First of all its actually "maille" or "mail" and not chainmail, that comes from D&D or AoE or Diablo...

The term "Chain Mail" is a more modern one, and as you note, it was usually refered to simply as mail, but Chain Mail is hardly an invention of games. The first source I grabbed lists Chain Mail, Stone's A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor, with a 1934 publication date, considerably earlier than "D&D" - and even that was based on TSR's miniature medieval wargame rules, appropiately enough entitled Chainmail. :D
Redwine the Ribald: Stare long enough into the abyss...
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Blasterman
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Post by Blasterman »

Here, here! I only use the term "chainmail" because it's
most easily understood. If I write "maille", who's going
to get it? Not many, I'm sure.
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Loneranger
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Post by Loneranger »

I saw something about making good chain mall,

LR
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Jojo
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Post by Jojo »

Hello!
lone ranger wrote:I saw something about making good chain mall,
LR
Now, I guess this important message was brought to us just for the purpose of writing a post, right?


Bye
Jojo

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LEGOFREAK
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Post by LEGOFREAK »

Jojo wrote:Hello!
lone ranger wrote:I saw something about making good chain mall,
LR
Now, I guess this important message was brought to us just for the purpose of writing a post, right?


Bye
Jojo

Image

yeah - I saw this thing on TV one time...


uh - anyway.. what about plate mail? anyone do that?
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Loneranger
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Post by Loneranger »

I saw something on TV to about making chain mail

LR
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