Helmet Commissioning

[John1]

I met Wulfheodenas at Kelmarsh last year and was blown away by their work. They were showing one helmet with the Benty Grange boar crest but it was a willful fantasy piece with a mash up of several different elements into a single piece, still brilliant though.

[John1]

https://www.facebook.com/108333802621780...=3&theater
this was the one, and I'm guessing Matt is one of their number if the Avatar is to be believed.

[Medicus matt]

https://www.facebook.com/108333802621780...=3&theater
this was the one, and I'm guessing Matt is one of their number if the Avatar is to be believed.

Yeah, you got me.


I was at Kelmarsh last year too.

[john m roberts]

A Coppergate-style helm with a Benty Grange-style boar crest, with real boar bristles. Very cool. As long as they don't say that this is a copy of a real find, this is fine with me. After all, if reenactors only wear gear that is closely modeled on actual finds then everyone wears the same dozen or so helmets, most of them made for kings. Not realistic by any means. Right now, Dave Akers is making a helmet to my design that I call "generic Germanic Migration," having elements of several pressblech-style helmets plus a few late-Roman features. It's what I picture a typical prosperous, but not aristocratic, warrior to be wearing in 5th-6th century northern Europe.

[John1]

They were very open about what they were doing and why, I recall it was the same rationale you have. I think there is a bit of Staffordshire Hoard going on there too, I think it's the figures on the band. The Benty Boar seems a bit more practical than the interpretation here;

http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Golden-le...story.html

[Medicus matt]

They were very open about what they were doing and why, I recall it was the same rationale you have. I think there is a bit of Staffordshire Hoard going on there too, I think it's the figures on the band. The Benty Boar seems a bit more practical than the interpretation here;

http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Golden-le...story.html

Yeeessss....the statue.
<shakes head>

Anyway, the black boar helm was commissioned by Dave as (and is presented to the public as) a speculative piece, based on surviving elements (including the running man motif from the Staffs Horde).
Because it'd be a dull old place if we could only wear one of 5 'Anglo Saxon' helms.

[jackmcauliffe]

I just finished up a sword commission for a fellow RAT person so my workbench is open. I don't do a lot of helmets but the ones I have done were from this period mostly. Also if materials are important, I am offering some of the most historically accurate metals for really reasonable prices.

For example, the last few swords I made were forged entirely with smelted iron and steel I made and I make/smelt most of my bronze and silver.

PM me if you want a quote/to talk further. The door is open for others who are interested in this kind of work as well.

[John1]

Thanks for the offer Jack, I'm not certain where we are at with the commission right now. The client has been looking excitedly at the thread and I think he is looking for prices now, I'll point out your post and see where he wants to take it, thanks again.