SCALES the fast way

[Daniyal]

We have a different style of doing things !!!

[Robert]

Perhaps an idee to sell loose scales in bags of 100. For all those DYO fans around the world. Best check up on the double top holes, though.

[Tarbicus]

Best check up on the double top holes, though.

Check the thread on the DSC Armamentaria squamata:
http://www.romanarmy.com/rat/viewtopic. ... sc&start=0

[Aedinius]

Hiberinicus. I am using .032 thickness, roughly 22 gauge. I wanted to get .025, but they no longer had this type of metal in that thickness anymore. When this metal is heat treated, it has the strength of 14 gauge mild and keeps it shape very well. I had a friend of mine smack one of the scales with a bearded axe and all it did was crease it. Its a bit easier to work with than stainless and to me is not near as bright. It has a nice light blue finish to it. I really like the punching out the scales concept. I think that would be the way to go since it would reduce a lot of clean up compared to grinding them out. Since this metal is super tough, it would take one hell of a punch to able to stamp them out in this type of metal I am using.

[Hibernicus]

032 is great. Too many "rattaners" overkill on gauge. Good on ya.

Estrella?

[Aedinius]

Ansteorra.. The land of minimal armor and leather kidney belts. .032 is all I will need since they will be heat treated. I really wanted to go .025, but it wasnt possible.

[Robert]

Salve Tarbicvs!

Thanks for the pointer, no need for them to check, as it seems. Fully authentic! Great work, lets hope the scales are made available in bulk to save many a great deal of punching.

[Marcus Julius]

032 is great. Too many "rattaners" overkill on gauge. Good on ya.

Estrella?

Amen to that!

Considered tinning those steel scales? No one would know from outside appearance that it's steel instead of brass underneath the tin. Just an idea, and something that I had considered before deciding I like the look of brass for myself.

[Matt Lukes]

All the data I've seen suggests the most common thickness, and the upper end incidently, was 0.5mm or about 0.020", with the thinnest being just 0.3mm, although those are usually very tiny and used in huge numbers perhaps making up somewhat for their minimal thickness. 0.032" seems a bit think I think, but of course if you can't get anything thinner, well then you have to use what you have :wink: Even 0.5mm does fine vs. cutting, it's piercing that's rather more dangerous- in tests I've had a sword thrust virtually defeated, to piericing to a potentially dangerous depth...

[Daniyal]

Our scale thickness is = 0.315 MM or 0.124"

[Aedinius]

I would consider tinning however the heat treating the scales is going to cost me a fair bit of money on top of the amount it cost for the metal. I honeslty think it really won't dtract from the scales if I Dont tin them. To most eyes it will look tinned or close enough.

[Latinitas]

Well done, very nice lorica squamata

How did you have cut the steel to get a oval shape on the top?

[Marcus Julius]

How did you have cut the steel to get a oval shape on the top?

After seeing this thread, I'm considering doing this myself (Aviation shears are taking forever!). I plan on shapi them on my bench grinder.

As for the thickness of the material for scales, one of the problems that I have run into is getting thinner metal cut to size for you. I found out that once I get below a 20 guage, the local shop (if you consider 80 miles away to be local) where I get my sheet metals from, can't cut them down. There's a minimum thickness for it to be cut in their big hydralic shears. Thus, if I wanted to get proper thickness metal, they can supply it, but I'd have to buy the entire sheet. So, in my case, having thicker sheet actually saved me money.

[Latinitas]

After seeing this thread, I'm considering doing this myself (Aviation shears are taking forever!). I plan on shapi them on my bench grinder.

Thanks for the answer

[Aedinius]

Bench grinder works pretty good in shaping the scale, however there is some clean up to be done that takes about 2-3 minutes per scale. This doesn't sound much but when your doing 800 scales it becomes a lot of time. I think I am going to attmept to make a punch that will punch out the lower part and I just have to round off the two corners of the scale. I am still kicking around various ideas.