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Repousse~ Scabbard Plates and Lockets
#1
Started working on the Scabbard for my Officer's Impression. Here are the first pictures of raising the brass (Before detailing it from the front side.)

[attachment=10170]IMG_2973.jpg[/attachment]
Raising the Brass from the backside.


[attachment=10171]IMG_2976.jpg[/attachment]
Another look

[attachment=10172]IMG_2979.jpg[/attachment]
Imbedding the brass in order to repousse~ the front's details.

More to Come soon!


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#2
Patrick.
The dictionary definition of repousse' is of course raised relief hammered out from the underside of a sheet of metal, and I can see that you are in fact getting there. However there is an easier way and one that was indeed used by Roman artist craftsmen where much thinner fine metal was used, this is with 5 to 7 thou' inch thick sheet metals even silver and gold.
I think that a craftsman such as yourself would enjoy having a go at this kind of repousse' also, in fact you would find it so much easier and a faster way of achieving the end product having said that keep up the good work.
Brian Stobbs
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#3
Thank you Brian...
Yes... this is thicker brass. I do have .007 Brass that I will be trying today. I wanted to have a go at the thicker stuff just to see. I will post my results with the thinner brass as well.
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#4
First attempt ready for pickling.
[attachment=10175]IMG_2985.jpg[/attachment]


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#5
Hello Patrick,

That is very nice work. Most Roman sheet metal decoration that I have seen is around 0.5mm thick.....not really thin stuff. Many decorations on scabbards were not done by repousse. Most were done by punching sheet metal. You can tell that much of the decoration is very crisp indicative of work that is not done by repousse. Really thin sheet metal as far as I can tell was not used. Sure it is easier to work but not necessarily accurate.

Annealing the brass as you have done and working the material will allow you to get good detail. Its a pain because you have to constantly heat. Large pieces of armor I think were done by repousse. Belt plates and scabbard parts were stamped out.
"You have to laugh at life or else what are you going to laugh at?" (Joseph Rosen)


Paolo
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#6
Really nice work Patrick. I would love to have the time to give repousse a go
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#7
Paolo.
As you say there were many scabbard decoration pieces that were indeed punched out but much of this work was done with thin sheet copper alloy, in fact where we look at pieces such as the Fulham scabbard I would say this was indeed done by hand worked repousse'
Then the sword of Tiberius was worked in even thinner sheet metal again that has been wrapped onto other sheet before being applied to the brass metal plate of the scabbard this plate being tinned of course.
Brian Stobbs
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#8
Great work Patrick, keep going with it and you will reap the benefits. Smile
Doc, as you say many of the intricate decorations on belt plates and some scabbard lockets are indeed punched out, but I agree with Brian that repousse' was also used on scabbard lockets like he has noted...the Fulham and Tiberius, and I would suggest many others. The sheets that were used are very thin, and therefore easily workable by hand.
Phil McKay
Illustrator
www.philmckay.com
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#9
If anyone has pictures and stories of Scabbards... Lockets... or Plates they have made... please feel free to post them here as well... I will not consider it "Hi-Jacking" this thread. Big Grin :-D :grin:
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#10
Quote:... or Plates they have made...
Here's a breast plate for a mail shirt from Germany I made a few years ago: http://www.romanarmytalk.com/20-roman-re...tml#300635
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#11
Where I have mentioned earlier about hand worked repousse' in fine metals this is a copy of the Lauersfort dish that I made in bronze silver and gold some years ago.
[attachment=10181]Ldish2.jpg[/attachment]


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Brian Stobbs
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#12
Here is a picture of the fragment of silver from the original dish found with the Lauersfort Phalerae that I acquired from a museum in Berlin to work from.
[attachment=10182]Ldish.jpg[/attachment]


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Brian Stobbs
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#13
Beautiful Work Brian and Martin!

Brian... on that dish... Did you start with a base metal and then overlay or use silver or gold leaf on top of it? Or were your metals separate and then added or fused together?

Also... in looking an it closer, the outer raised ring, the pattern is so well done, did you make a stamp that was hammered in?
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#14
Patrick.
The under dish is gilding metal that is in fact more of a bronze than a brass then that was covered by a hand worked piece of 7 thou' silver sheet, where the oak leaf crown is all hand done no punches what ever for with thin metal there is no need to punch.
The figure in the centre was also hand made from 7 thou' sheet Gold in the form of the Emperor Titus Flavius with the oak leaf crown being 22 ct Gold plated, this particular oak leaf crown is an award that we find was given to Centurians.
Brian Stobbs
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#15
Superb work, Brian!
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