Making a Corinthian Helm?

[PhilusEstilius]

When I first began to make Corithian helmets the first step was to make the dome, I did not make any notes on this but as I can remember it was beaten out from 18 gauge brass sheet.
This sheet was first cut into a circle of around 11-5 inches diameter and beaten out circular, ie to a depth of around 4 to 5 inches deep and then it was simply squeezed in at the sides to give an eliptical shape.
Then the wrap around part was also made from 18 gauge but one had to kind of guess the width of the front from the center point at the brow to the points below the chin. This was around 24 inches long and it was here that great skill was needed for one had to create 2 curves near the neck guard that go at 90 degrees to one another, the whole of this piece had to be curved all the way around and joined by braising down the center of the forehead.
This was where the nasal had to be applied by braising it on but also building it up in thickness with extra layers, then after this experience I became more bold and began to make the wrap around in 2 parts where I could make the face all in one with it's nasal as a part of this face but still had to build up in layers, this time of course there were 2 braising points at the sides.
The realy difficult part is the cleaning down to get the two parts ie the dome and the wrap around to match up so one could braise them together as many originals may have been, infact the side welds can be seen in the pictures showing the multiples of helmets together if one looks carefully.

[PhilusEstilius]

There is another interesting aspect about the Corinthian and that is the tiny holes showing on the points of the face plates, and I have made a one in this fashion but sadly do not have a picture of.
What I wish to know is if any Greek re-enactors have found what I discovered, and that is that these two tiny holes can have a dramatic effect on the helmets' facial strength. What I mean by that is when one hooks these points together with a small piece of copper wire a hard push against the nasal prevents the face plates from spreading, however when the copper wire is removed pushing against the nasal tends to spread the face plates. It makes one wonder if this was not the method for the use of these tiny holes, I'm sure indeed a leather thong would not be used for this could be cut by a sword blow however after a battle a piece of copper wire could easy be removed and is this what these tiny holes were for to increase strength against blows.

[Giannis K. Hoplite]

Very interesting theory! Indeed i was also wondering how those two holes could have been used to fasten the helmet,since they usually apear in later types with longer cheek pieces. These holes are even more frequent in Illyrian helmets,though these wouldn;t face the problem you are mentionning. They don't have nasal at all. Also there is not one reprisentation that shows anything like a thong or a wire down there...And finally why just not cut the cheek peices all the way down, and leave just one small piece of bronze connecting them? This has been done in apulocorinthian helmets.
Khaire
Giannis

[PhilusEstilius]

It was only when I made a helmet of this type that when I finished it, I put my hand at the back of the helmet and pushed at the nasal with my other hand and found that the cheeks spread.
Then as I wondered about these holes I locked them with a piece of copper wire, then when I pressed against the nasal this time everything was rigid and no spread at all.
This was what made me interested as to why these holes were there and was this there function ??

[Giannis K. Hoplite]

On my corinthian with a 6mm nasal this wouldn't happen. And it needs quite a bit of force to open the cheek pieces even a bit. But it's a bit heavier than the originals,1.2 mm brass. I haven't weighted acurately but i think it weights about 1,2-1,3 kg,not out of range of the originals,but rather heavy for the later types.
Khaire
Giannis

[PhilusEstilius]

What I should have said was that the gap in the cheek plates just opened but not so wide a spread, and indeed this helmet was made of 18G which is around 1-2mm also after building up the nasal it was about 6 to 8mm in thickness.
I think your about correct on the weight around 1-3 to 1-5 kg which for that thickness of metal is somthing like what originals would have been, it was just that these two small holes at the points of the cheeks have nothing to do with the attachment of this type of helmet for the chinstrap is further up under the back of the jaw.
This is where one has to consider they are for locking the plates rigid.

[Paullus Scipio]

What I should have said was that the gap in the cheek plates just opened but not so wide a spread, and indeed this helmet was made of 18G which is around 1-2mm also after building up the nasal it was about 6 to 8mm in thickness.
I think your about correct on the weight around 1-3 to 1-5 kg which for that thickness of metal is somthing like what originals would have been, it was just that these two small holes at the points of the cheeks have nothing to do with the attachment of this type of helmet for the chinstrap is further up under the back of the jaw.
This is where one has to consider they are for locking the plates rigid.

.....see my post about half-way down P.4 for actual thicknesses - which varied - and weight. The later Corinthians weighed less than a Kilogram.

[Giannis K. Hoplite]

Found this better photo of the helmet from Olympia i had posted above. It is clear that the thicker nasal is not produced by turning edges
http://travel.webshots.com/photo/249813 ... 2311erxnHq
Khairete
Giannis

[PMBardunias]

Finally found that corinthian in two halves.