06-24-2009, 02:46 PM
Khaire!
Everything that I've seen for ancient bronze armor indicates a thickness of about 1 mm, or even less. I made a Bronze Age cuirass a few years ago with c. 1mm bronze sheet, and it weighs about 9 pounds. But an original cuirass weighed by Dave Michaels was only about 6 pounds! (If I'm recalling correctly.) Surprised us all. Likewise, my Corinthian helmet, made of the same 1mm bronze, weighs 5 pounds, but original helmets of the same style, or similar ones, are all around 2 to 3 pounds. So it all ranges from "Too Thin" to "You Gotta Be Kidding Me"! But it worked for them! Mind you, we tend to use sheet metal of a uniform thickness, but ancient armor would have varied across the piece, being thicker in some parts where needed, but much thinner elsewhere.
That help?
Matthew
Everything that I've seen for ancient bronze armor indicates a thickness of about 1 mm, or even less. I made a Bronze Age cuirass a few years ago with c. 1mm bronze sheet, and it weighs about 9 pounds. But an original cuirass weighed by Dave Michaels was only about 6 pounds! (If I'm recalling correctly.) Surprised us all. Likewise, my Corinthian helmet, made of the same 1mm bronze, weighs 5 pounds, but original helmets of the same style, or similar ones, are all around 2 to 3 pounds. So it all ranges from "Too Thin" to "You Gotta Be Kidding Me"! But it worked for them! Mind you, we tend to use sheet metal of a uniform thickness, but ancient armor would have varied across the piece, being thicker in some parts where needed, but much thinner elsewhere.
That help?
Matthew
Matthew Amt (Quintus)
Legio XX, USA
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.larp.com/legioxx/">http://www.larp.com/legioxx/
Legio XX, USA
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.larp.com/legioxx/">http://www.larp.com/legioxx/
