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Chin strap
#1
Salvete, Romani! My Roman helmet (Italic, I think, not sure which letter designation) didn't come with a chin strap, and I kinda want one. There aren't any holes to add a legitimate strap, so for a cheap DIY temporary one I just got some leather string and gorilla taped it to the inside of the cheek plates (which is actually pretty good, believe it or not), but I'm wondering if there's a better way to add a chin-strap short of buying a new helmet. Any advice helps. Gratias!
HONOR VICTORIAQVE TECVM

John F.
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#2
Ave,

On my Roman helmets I had holes drilled at the bottom of the cheek plates. Leather thongs are used for a chin strap.

Vale,

Publius Quinctius Petrus Augustinus
(aka Pierre Kleff)
Petrus Augustinus
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#3
Most actual Roman helmets (of the first century AD at least) feature a ring riveted to the underside of the neck guard and a ring of the same type riveted to the inside of each cheek guard. A leather lace is passed through the ring under the neck guard and then each end is threaded through one or other of the rings inside the cheek guards. The ends of the laces would then hang thus pass from the behind the neck, under the ears and emerge close to front of the lower edge of each cheek guard. They can then be drawn tight (bringing the armour in close to the face) and either tied or passed through a slider which can be slid up them to tighten the fit on the head.

I hope this helps.

BTW, this thread should have been posted in the 'Re-enactment and Reconstruction' forum. Perhaps a moderator might oblige.

Crispvs
Who is called \'\'Paul\'\' by no-one other than his wife, parents and brothers.  :!: <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_exclaim.gif" alt=":!:" title="Exclamation" />:!:

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.romanarmy.net">www.romanarmy.net
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#4
Yeah, it's been frustrating having members buy helmets only to find out they need more work before they're "usable" with chinstraps. They're clearly there on actual archaeological artifacts yet this modern idea that there only needs to be a strap under the chin….

Anyway

Check out Larp.com/legioxx and look under Helmets. Down at the bottom you'll see how to figure out the arrangement.

Making a chin-strap ring part is fairly easy. You ought to find some sheet brass at a hobby store, as well as some brass rod you can bend into a ring. (don't get thick metal). Use metal snips and cut out a "butterfly" or "bow tie" like shape and drill/punch a hole in each end, bend the strap in half. You can shave/shape the middle with a file (or the snips but takes some finesse) or heck even a Dremmel tool whatever. Having the ring freely move in the strap seems to work best.

good luck.
Andy Volpe
"Build a time machine, it would make this [hobby] a lot easier."
https://www.facebook.com/LegionIIICyr/
Legion III Cyrenaica ~ New England U.S.
Higgins Armory Museum 1931-2013 (worked there 2001-2013)
(Collection moved to Worcester Art Museum)
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