I was curious. I"m planning on building a much simplier version of the helmet: f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/swordwarrior1066/detail?.dir=/5488&.dnm=f13d.jpg<br>
and was very curious what options I had for decoration. I have no idea of how to attach glass gems to a helm, but I was wondering how appropriate it would be to use brass as the central ridge and nasal.<br>
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Any thoughts and/or suggestions are welcome!<br>
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Cavetus <p></p><i></i>
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Hi Tom,<br>
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I think I know which helmet you're after (from the Segontium group), but I'm not sure as I can't access that link of yours.<br>
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About using brass, would that be strong enough? After all, it may look good but would it withstand a good blow?<br>
<br>
Valete,<br>
Valerius/Robert <p></p><i></i>
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Oh, Secunda Britannica strikes again !<br>
The more decorated helmets were made in parts: The bowl could be simply composed of two halves or of six segments, always joined by a ridge. Some helmets wear a base ring attached to the bowl. Nasal protector is optional and seems (only seems) to be linked with heavier 'cavalry' helmets. Neckguard and cheek-pieces were attached to the bowl (or the base ring) by flexible means; in heavier helmets, metal hinges were used for the cheeks and leather straps and buckles for the neck-guard. Finally, narrow bads were rivetted to the sides of heavier helmets to protect the vulnerable hinges and the gaps between cheeks and the base ring.<br>
In decorated helmets, EVERY component was wrapped INDIVIDUALLY with thin (less than 1 mm) gilt silver or gilt copper plating, wearing embossed motives. Some raised or sunken features had been previously worked on the iron components to give better support to the embossed decoration on the 'sheathing'. The components were rivetted together in most cases using SILVER rivets with knob heads. A layer of pitch or tar seems to have been detected in a pair of cases between the iron and the 'sheathing'.<br>
The 'stones'? Up till now, all of them were made of glass paste, but surely, really high rankers and the emperors wore true stones and true gold sheathing on their helmets, as Ammianus tells us of Valentinian I during Strasbourg battle. Well, the stones were surrounded by a lead frame to form their nest and probably embeded in the pitch layer. Holes were pierced on the sheathing and the perimeter of the stones raised on the leaden setting.<br>
Copper alloy ridges have been detected in a apir of cases, but they were or had been sheathed with silver.<br>
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Aitor<br>
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It\'s all an accident, an accident of hands. Mine, others, all without mind, from one extreme to another, but neither works nor will ever.
Rolf Steiner
Quote:</em></strong><hr>About using brass, would that be strong enough? After all, it may look good but would it withstand a good blow?<hr><br>
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Well, I know brass has been used on SCA helms for nasals for years, though it's been deemed unsafe for full helmets since way back. However, SCA combat isn't reenactment combat either, so I didn't know. Also, you're right about the helm, but yahoo is the only webhosting I have and it apparently won't let anyone else see the pictures<br>
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Oh well, back to the drawing board on the pic hosting at least.<br>
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As for decoration, I seemed to recall something about silver being used. This particular helmet, apparently found in Budapest, appears to be gold plated with the glass paste stones, so apparently gold was used as well (unless that was a trick of the light in the photo). I just didn't know if there were some options that my wallet could handle<br>
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Cavetus <p></p><i></i>
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This may be a stupid question, but I assure you I ask it innocently; what exactly are "paste" jewels? I know what they look like, but what are they made of and how were they made? <p>Lucius Aurelius Metellus, miles gregarius, Secunda Brittanica</p><i></i>
Lucius Aurelius Metellus
a.k.a. Jeffrey L. Greene
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Tom,<br>
Both Berkasovo I (Serbia) and Budapest (Hungary) helmets have glass stones inserted on their surfaces. Their revettment is made of silver but, as I told on my previous post, all late helmet sheathings till now found had been mercury gilt, no matter if made of silver or copper...<br>
You'll need a very thick wallet if you want a helmet like that. Of course you can always resort to the Deepeeka 'replica' of the Berkasovo I helmet, but it is rather like those Hollywood films, i.e. 'inspired by...'<br>
Lucius,<br>
Melted glass is a dense fluid. You can blow it using a cane to make recipients or you can simply dip it into a mold, the latter is 'glass paste'<br>
The two late Roman helmets I've mentioned wear imitations of precious or semiprecious stones (rock crystal, emerald, chalcedon,...) made of glass paste. <p></p><i></i>
It\'s all an accident, an accident of hands. Mine, others, all without mind, from one extreme to another, but neither works nor will ever.
Rolf Steiner
Quote:</em></strong><hr>Of course you can always resort to the Deepeeka 'replica' of the Berkasovo I helmet, but it is rather like those Hollywood films, i.e. 'inspired by...'<hr><br>
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I'd rather go undecorated than go that route. I looked at their Deurne helmet last night and cringed<br>
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Oh well, the lines on the Budapest helmet are cool enough for me, no decoration is needed there for me to like it<br>
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Thanks for the info!<br>
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Cavetus <p></p><i></i>
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