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My first later helmet - jackmcauliffe - 01-07-2011
I am a college student and apprentice blacksmith trying to make a living doing just that. For about a year now I have been working with metal and trying to learn the skills and trades specifically related to historical smithing and reproductions. I want to become a bladesmith in time but recently armour has been the focus of my attention.
This the first real helmet I have MADE, I say real because the other two were not from scratch like this one. It is solid brass, red and yellow, and I threw in some copper to be a rebel (honestly I ran out of brass).
Now this is no beautiful work of art and I am fully aware of its faults both historical and artistically. The triangular copper edging was really to cover up some holes from the kickplates I made the dome out of and to bring some original flare. The design came from later roman shields so its not totally made up. I have yet to perfect the design, and size relations hence the large dome small rim large nose piece ect.
Now If you please would give any feedback I would greatly appreciate it from such an educated group of people. Dont be afriad to give it your worst, if everyone said it was perfect I would have no motivation to do better next time, which is what I plan on! However, keep in mind I am only 19 and in college so I have yet to completly devote my life to this art, but if any of you have some support or inspiration I would really appreciate the backing of you all to persue this further.
If you want to buy one of these for yourself my website is
http://jackmcauliffearmsandarmour.webs.com/
If anything is over priced, let me know and I will gladly take it down to what is more suitable!
Re: My first later helmet - Demarkil - 01-07-2011
Nice! I've considered trying to make my own as well, but I'm really not knowledgable in smithing. I have one question I would like to ask you. How did you dish out the ridge?
Re: My first later helmet - jackmcauliffe - 01-08-2011
Quote:Nice! I've considered trying to make my own as well, but I'm really not knowledgable in smithing. I have one question I would like to ask you. How did you dish out the ridge?
The ridge was made by hammering the brass into a steel mold with different round shapes and bends. The picture below is the basic tool. However unless you know someone who has one good luck finding one, I want one so I mean that honestly. There are other ways to make a ridge such as making this same tool out of a hardwood will work just as well for brass and it will not leave any marks and give it a nice smooth finish.
I have also heard of hammering small ridges into a leather or soft wood block with a bar or thick wire on top to shape the ridge, if that makes sense. Legio XX talks about it in their armoring hints page, I would recommend them for any basic questions.
Re: My first later helmet - Demarkil - 01-08-2011
Thank you, that was very helpful! Hopefully I can soon make a post about my own very first later helmet.
Re: My first later helmet - jackmcauliffe - 01-08-2011
Well I hope it is ten fold better than mine!
Re: My first later helmet - Robert Vermaat - 01-08-2011
Quote:Well I hope it is ten fold better than mine!It's not bad at all Jack! Just a few things that could easily be altered. Such as the nasal and the neck guard (both a bit too large). Or the cheek plates, which should be leather-lineed, also easily remedied. Where did you get the idea of the triangular bowl decoration?
Do you have a picture were you are wearing it?
Re: My first later helmet - Matthew Amt - 01-08-2011
Yeah, not bad work at all! Things like that crest ridge can be a major pain, no mistake, so congrats on yours. When I end up with an extra hole where I don't want it, I just stick a rivet in it and call it even. Did that on my own Late Roman helmet, in a couple places. Looks fine.
Only other critique I'd add is that the holes around the rim were more likely for stitching or lacing (for an edging/lining), since there are never any rivets found in them on original helmets or fragments. (If I'm remembering correctly!)
Keep up the good work!
Matthew
Re: My first later helmet - Crispvs - 01-09-2011
I agree with Robert and Matt.
None of us started off doing perfect work and when you have a desire to get progressively better then you certainly will. I look forward to seeing more of your work in the future.
The forming tool you used is normally known as a swage block. From your photo it looks as though you have one already, but if you are after another, they are not that hard to get from a professional tool manufacturer. Like everything else, you just need to know where to start to look.
This is the one I use. It has eight different sized channels and fourteen holes, each of a different size, bought over the counter from Sutton Tools here in Birmingham.
http://www.suttontools.co.uk/acatalog/info_DB006.html
If you have trouble tracking one down where you are, this is Sutton Tools website address:
http://www.suttontools.co.uk/
Keep up the good work.
Crispvs
Re: My first later helmet - jackmcauliffe - 01-09-2011
Thank you both very much for the advice! I think I will shrink down the nasal guard, I honestly don't like the size of it in the first place. The whole thing turned out a bit bigger than needed which was just a mistake, oh well. As for the holes, I thought about rivets but they were in really awkward places and it would have looked terrible it just one or two random rivets stuck out RIGHT NEXT to the ridge. Hard to explain if you didnt see them. The lack of lacing, was really just me trying to take a shortcut. I did research and find a few that did not have lacing, as far as I could tell. It may have been modern ones that decided not to follow archealogical finds or maybe the originals I saw just did not show or tell that they were laced/sewn on. In other words, I was lazy and I like the look and fastness of rivets.
The block I used for the ridge was not mine personally, it is owned by the blacksmith I apprentice. Next time I may use something different only because I want a deeper and narrower ridge. I also want it to be taller on top and shorter on bottom.
Thank you all for the support! I plan to put out anything I produce when I do and I hope you all enjoy
Re: My first later helmet - Robert - 01-09-2011
Hi Jack,
It may be a bit off topic, but I had a look at your website and just want to point out that the finish on most original ancient articles was excellent. They were made by craftsmen taking pride in their work. So leaving a knife like your sax (wrong shape, by the way) with a lot of forge markes is not historicly correct. It is a misconception that craftsmen of two millenia ago just banged out any old knife as long as it would cut.
On the helmet too, I would suggest you have a real good hard look at finishing details (such as that unriveted strip of brass/copper sticking out near the back). If you want to turn this into a profession, it is very important to reach a high level of perfectionism and to do a lot of research. And I would advice you to specialise first, learning to forge and finish something really well. Well made solid necked spearheads starting with a billet require a lot of different skills, for instance, and are a great start to a hirstorical smithing carreer.
Good luck!
Re: My first later helmet - jackmcauliffe - 01-10-2011
Quote:Hi Jack,
It may be a bit off topic, but I had a look at your website and just want to point out that the finish on most original ancient articles was excellent. They were made by craftsmen taking pride in their work. So leaving a knife like your sax (wrong shape, by the way) with a lot of forge markes is not historicly correct. It is a misconception that craftsmen of two millenia ago just banged out any old knife as long as it would cut.
On the helmet too, I would suggest you have a real good hard look at finishing details (such as that unriveted strip of brass/copper sticking out near the back). If you want to turn this into a profession, it is very important to reach a high level of perfectionism and to do a lot of research. And I would advice you to specialise first, learning to forge and finish something really well. Well made solid necked spearheads starting with a billet require a lot of different skills, for instance, and are a great start to a hirstorical smithing carreer.
Good luck!
Um, not trying to take offense here but as the description states, the seax was my first piece EVER meaning I had no clue what I was doing. Hence the fact there is litterally no finish job. I want to see the progress in my work which is what happens between that and say, my gladius? Secondly the shape is correct, I dont know what you are reffering to that restricts their shape from this but It is most certainly correct as they came in many forms and sizes. Now that I am learning more and only recently developing my skills under a professional smith, who does not study the same type of art I am looking at, do I understand the best method and way to polish and finish any metal work. All of my blades in progress are getting this and are SIGNIFICANTLY better than my first piece over a year ago.
I am also quite aware that smiths gave their work a profesional finish. I dont know anyone who is unaware of this, it seems rather obvious. I have done plenty of research into all of my work. I still do and I am NOT a profesional yet. I appreciat the advice but if you are going to critisize me in this way, I would first like to see some examples of anything you have made. I appreciate your 'help' but the way you stated this is almost rude, if I must say. I am 19, Ive barley been doing this for more than a year.
Lastly, what are you talking about with the unriveted copper/brass piece in the back? Do you mean the back plate, I see nothing sticking out unriveted? I left that unriveted or sewn to match the rest of the helmet. Be more specific when you try to help me out in improving my helmet like the everyone else has been so far, which is the purpose of this thread.
Re: My first later helmet - jackmcauliffe - 01-10-2011
Quote:It's not bad at all Jack! Just a few things that could easily be altered. Such as the nasal and the neck guard (both a bit too large). Or the cheek plates, which should be leather-lineed, also easily remedied. Where did you get the idea of the triangular bowl decoration?
Do you have a picture were you are wearing it?
I do have one or two pics of me wearing it actually, it looks a little big. I think that was just me getting the size wrong, oh well. As for the triangular pieces, I kind of decided to be a rebel there, they are taken from some designs you see on later shields. I just put them around the edge. at first I tried the more accurate rim the goes around the whole dome but it was hard to add it after the shaping had been done. I need a geometric pattern that could bend with the shape so I took some artistic license there.
Re: My first later helmet - Robert - 01-10-2011
Hi Jack,
Sorry if I have offended you, it was not meant that way. For many on this forum, myself included, English is not their native language, so subtleties in phrasing may be lacking.
In pointing out the need to finish an article, there is ground for that. I have often seen articles offered for sale by people who seem to think "crude" or “covered in forgemarks” is a mark of antiquity. I am glad to hear you are not off that opinion, but you must agree that looking at the Celtic knives and sax it is not strange I got the impression it was. I know you stated the sax was the first thing you did, but you claim it is a historical piece, be it crude and simple and put a price to it.
I have been a hobby blacksmith for two years now, practicing my craft in a small smithy I build in my backyard and trying to use traditional methods as much as possible. I am still very much learning the craft, unfortunately, no blacksmith nearby to show me the ropes, so it is all book-wisdom and trial & error. But should you want pointers on making specific things, PM me and I will see if I can help.
As for things I made, here is a recently finished knife, an “almost” replica of a La Tene knife (I shortened the blade a bit on clients request), not yet in the Fabrica of Vvlpivs. There is an early langsax there, too.
Re: My first later helmet - Robert - 01-10-2011
Oeps, forgot the helmet.
Re: My first later helmet - jackmcauliffe - 01-10-2011
Ah, I see another lost in translation miscommunication. As for the description on my picture, I am not selling THAT particular knife. The one I would sell, would be a replica of that. In doing so, it would also be finished entirely, perphaps I should add that to the description. The photo gallery description says how they can all be reproduced like the photos, so I assumed people would think I was going to make a new one specifically for the person. The historcial aspect lies in the shape, size and look (not including the unground finish of course).
as for the helmet, I dont see what is wrong with that piece still? It is riveted to the strap of the cheek guard because it has to be able to move with the straps. they have two rivets, one on each strap. There isnt even another place to rivet it. It simply stays in place where it is. If you see another way to go about this, please do tell