My "selfmade" helmet is finished: PHOTO!

[Anonymous]

Dear Gashford,<br>
<br>
If you mean the "moon"-shapes at the mouth and eyes, those are easy enough.<br>
You just draw the design on the metal and then you follow the line using a smal chisel (I used a screwdriver that I grinded in the right shape, with the corners rounded). You go around it in several steps, just watch out you don't break trough the metal (I did and had to start over, so it's better to have some practice on some scrapmetal). When you reach the right depth the ridge will still look bumpy. Now you sand the ridge until it becomes a smooth line (do this whitout electric tools).<br>
If you mean the jawline, that is actually more rounded. Again I drew a line to follow, but now I didn't use any chisel. I just hammered it with the smallest ballhammer I had (no special tool).<br>
<br>
Glad to help,<br>
<br>
Jurgen/Quintilianus <p></p><i></i>

[Gashford]

Jurgen<br>
<br>
Great stuff thanks. I thought that it might be something like that.<br>
<br>
I have been wondering how our Roman counterparts did such work though because cutting metal from a sheet is wasteful and the effort to turn out a sheet might leave a worker horrified at snake shapes cut from them. But I will stick with your suggestions as they obviously work.<br>
<br>
Thanks <p>Graham Ashford
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[Anonymous]

Graham,<br>
<br>
Can you explain what you mean with the comment on our Roman counterparts? I think I didn't get it.<br>
<br>
Jurgen/Quintilianus <p></p><i></i>

[Gashford]

Sure thing<br>
<br>
By Roman counterparts I mean the original roman armourers and smiths.<br>
<br>
I often wonder about the way that we complete our work and whether the techniques we employ are the same as those that the original roman smith might have used.<br>
<br>
If we need something a peculiar shape we can simply cut it from a sheet, nothing wrong with that. However the original Roman smith would probably have started with a billet from which he would beat the shape out and then work.<br>
<br>
A lot of what we make relies upon sheets of metal that would represent a considerable investment of time and effort for the Romans. The combination of billets into a lump which would then be beaten out to a sheet as consistantly as possible. As a result I try to think (not always do) whether techniques I am using might represent those orginally used ... truth is it is only guess work as no manuals or patterns have been left us by history in as far as I know.<br>
<br>
I hope this explains better?<br>
<br>
All the best. <p>Graham Ashford
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[Anonymous]

That's right.<br>
But maybe making a plate from a billet wasn't that difficult to the Romans. They would probably have a system of hammeringgroups taking turns to forge the metal flat. I am sure, considering their talent for organisation, they knew something like labourdistribution and therefore could do it quite fast and in big quantities. They probably had specialised smiths doing only that.<br>
After all you could forge the billet in a crude shape you want to end up with, but then you will still have to grind it in the right shape. So I think using plate "from the shelf" isn't that bad. Also, after working it properly it is impossible to see how it was made exept for the egality in thickness of the modern plate.<br>
<br>
The techniques for creating the details like ridges etc. must be generally the same, since they all involve force.<br>
<br>
Greetings,<br>
<br>
Jurgen/Quintilianus <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

In the book Iron for the Eagles I believe to have read an article about a water powered hammer that was used in Roman times.<br>
<br>
I have used a powerhamer for forging and it is perfect for making iron sheets. I guess that the Romans had two options work with slaves or use machines powered by water. <p></p><i></i>