Opinions on Balteus

[Matthew Amt]

Avete!<br>
Rusty, I got your email with the detail photos of your new belt, and this seems as good a place as any for a critique. Overall, I like it. Good buckle, great frogs, and the plates look good (though I agree with Crispus' feelings above--more in a moment).<br>
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Most of my gripes are with the apron. I would go with just 4 straps rather than 5, and there should be no gaps between them. (I usually just take a 4" wide piece and cut slits, leaving them joined at the very top which is behind the belt.) The studs are fine, though I'm sure none of us would mind if they were a little thinner, like the originals, if we could GET thinner ones!! The terminals are odd--the crescents are a little extreme, i.e., the opening should be smaller. Rather than riveting a loop on the top, better just to have a tab which is folded over. Those ovalish strap ends are wacky, too! Better to use a rectangle with 2 rivets, and a small slot at the bottom for the terminal's tab. I found that it looks more elegant to taper the strap end a little, like the Tekije pieces. Mine are shown here:<br>
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www.larp.com/legioxx/apron.jpg<br>
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Though now that I look at it again, those aren't really tapered! But they are narrower than a full inch, since the strap tapers to meet them.<br>
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Now, on the subject of cast plates that should be stamped, and vice versa:::<br>
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Why the heck should stamping plates be expensive? Take one of those cast ones, back it with a thick steel plate or block (1/4" or more), and use it as a die to stamp out as many sheet plates as you need! That's essentially what I did--my wife made clay mockups of several dies, about a half-inch thick, and we sent them to a foundry to have them cast in brass. To make the negative of each die, I melted lead in a can and floated the brass positive die in it. Once it cools, give a few whacks with a hammer to set it nicely and reinforce the image. Anneal and repolish a bunch of .010" thick brass sheet, cut out the blanks you need (leaving space at each end to be folded back). (If you want them tinned, do that now.) Place a blank on the negative die, line up the positive, give a few taps to make sure it's in place, then half a dozen good thumps (I use a 3-pound hammer). No problem! Anything more high-tech than this will just give better results. And it's CHEAP! Cost for the dies won't be much more than for one of those cast plates, lead tire weights from the street gutters are free, and you can get enough .010" brass for a belt from a hobby shop for less than 2 bucks. And people actually charge MORE for these things than for cast ones??? Wacky! Now I will say that it can take a little finagling to get the impression in the negative die just right. I tried to have a brass negative made for one type, and it really doesn't work well. But it does give some extra details in some spots, so I use it to touch up the plates after stamping in the lead block. With my Emperor-and-Cornucopia die, the hair and the grapes don't come out well, so I lay each stamped plate on the positive die and go over it with the corner of a piece of lead to bring out the detail. Still only takes a few seconds per plate. HAS to be easier than casting them all!<br>
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By the way, I did sell dies for two different plates to Albion Armorers over a year ago, and they have yet to use them. Call them and start bugging them for stamped plates!<br>
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Gotta run! But we're getting there, I think. Valete,<br>
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Matthew/Quintus <p></p><i></i>