Raising a helmet

[Tim Mathews]

I have some questions about raising a helmet.
I am wanting to make a greek helmet, and do not want to buy a cheep Depeeka helmet as they look like buckets on peoples heads. I love Manning Imperial helmets, but with a 2 year waiting list I reckon I could probably make one myself within this time.
I have much metal dishing experience, simple forging and metal skills, but making a corinthian helmet poses some questions.
I will work with brass beasue where I live bronze is over priced.

Do you dish it like an oversized shield boss, or raise the helmet? What guage brass do you use, millimeters thick?

Any useful sites that may help?

Thanks in advance.

[Andy]

Hope this helps

http://www.anvilfire.com/21centbs/armor ... _index.htm

[Titus Petronicus Graccus]

Try a combination of dishing and raising. That's what was done in period.
Dish the bowl as far as it will go and then anneal it. Then start raising it until it work hardens, and then anneal.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
It will take some time, but the results will be worth it.
Good luck and please show us pics of your efforts!

[Matthew Amt]

Ave!

If you are mainly raising, you may get away with 18 gauge (about 1mm), though be aware that the metal will continue to THICKEN as you work farther down towards the brim. Also be forewarned that a Corinthian helmet is basically the epitome of the art of armoring, and that many very experienced armorers can't make a good one. It just isn't highly recommended as a starter helmet.

The Deepeeka Corinthian (what they call "Italo-Corinthian") is actually a surprisingly good fit, in my experience. Any number of Greek reenactors around the world use it, and it generally looks better than other off-the-shelf alternatives. It is NOT entirely accurate, but it probably would not hard to trim the cheekpieces and make a few other modifications to improve its overall look a lot. So don't rule it out.

Not that I'm trying to discourage you from making a helmet!! Though I would really recommend experimenting in cheap scrap steel for a while, before risking expensive brass or bronze.

The Armour Archive is also a great place for help,

http://www.armourarchive.org/

Good luck!!

Matthew

[Peter Raftos]

Tim,
I mentioned this paper on another thread but I will repeat it here for you as it may be of some use.
" How The Greeks got ahead: technological aspects of manufacture of a corinthian type hoplite bronze helmet from Olympia".

In this study a Corinthian helmet was examined using a Synchrotron. The conclusions can be best summed up as:

"It was manufactured out of a single piece of bronze, probably on a rod-anvil, and like all body-armour it was made to measure." but most importantly: "The object was more than likely cast as a ‘skull-cap’, then beaten and heated in an iterative cycle and dressed down to its final thickness and shape to fit the customer’s head."

See www.srs.ac.uk/scienceandheritage/presen ... nal-v2.pdf

[QVINTVS ARTORIVS CORVINVS]

Tim,

If you really want to attempt this, you had better get this video as it will be indispensible to you. Way down the page it is the one called "Patrick Thaden Raising a Sallet-2 volume set! "

The sallet is reasonably similar to the Corinthian to be of great use to you. Plus he talks allot about what he is doing while he is doing it.

Good luck, and don't make any of your first 4 attempts in anything expensive as they are going to end up looking like retarded Woks :lol: