Iron Age scale armour/armor

[Sean Manning]

Inspired by the good folks of the Bronze Age Center and Roman Army Talk, I am thinking of replicating some Achaemenid Persian scale armour based on art and the few finds. Right now I am still looking into getting tools and materials, and will soon have to decide whether to imitate iron (with mild steel, or just possibly stainless steel) or bronze (with phosphor bronze or possibly brass) armour. Both materials were definitely commonly used, and the decision may come down to cost and especially availability. I have gotten most of my questions about the mechanics of making armour answered by Todd Feinman of BAC and the lego XX site, but have a few questions for Iron Age reconstructors and reenactors. To wit:

How bad has the rust/cleaning problem been on mild steel scale armour? If I do use mild steel I don’t plan to paint it, tin it, or blacken it (there is no evidence for any of these techniques, and the last two are too complicated for a first armouring project). I might paint the backs of the scales and wax their fronts. I live in a fairly humid area. I have read this thread on the ethics of using stainless rather than mild steel.

I understand that the Romans used brass scale armour. Is there any evidence that brass was used earlier in the iron age?

[brennivs - tony drake]

I am afraid brass was invented during Avgvstvs period 27 BC -14 AD and to my knowledge no where near early iron age.Stick with bronze, iron at the out side also horn is a possibility.
Regards Brennivs

[Dan Howard]

Historically iron armour was often tinned. Some cultures (e.g. India) used galvanisation during the Middle Ages. What is the purpose of your reconstruction? If you want to test it against various weapons then you'd need to find metallurgically correct wrought iron. If not then just use galvanised mild steel.

[Sean Manning]

I am afraid brass was invented during Avgvstvs period 27 BC -14 AD and to my knowledge no where near early iron age.Stick with bronze, iron at the out side also horn is a possibility.

Drat. Bronze would be very nice, if I can get it. There's no evidence for horm armour, although the Achaemenids used so many weapons from the steppes that some of their troops probably used it at some time.

Historically iron armour was often tinned. Some cultures (e.g. India) used galvanisation during the Middle Ages. What is the purpose of your reconstruction? If you want to test it against various weapons then you'd need to find metallurgically correct wrought iron. If not then just use galvanised mild steel.

Galvanized mild steel? There's a thought. It would reduce the rust while being somewhat more historical than stainless, and I know I can get some. I'm glad to hear tinning was widely used.

I wasn't planning on testing the armour, since several aspects will have to be plausable guesses. The published sources on how thick Persian armour was aren't very good (only the Persepolis finds were published with side views, and they were mostly iron so badly corroded), we don't know anything about lacing material or backing material, and my resources for testing are limited. Still, if I run across any sources for wrought iron sheet, I might make a seperate section to test one day.

[brennivs - tony drake]

If you were to use galvinised steel it will take a while but a light polish on a buffer, it turns it like silver tinning and will take that grey look of it.
Regards Brennivs

[Sean Manning]

One more question, if you don't mind. What do you recommend for polishing galvanized mild steel sheet? Since I will be working with flat plates on a student's budget, I may have to work by hand. I've heard mention of polishing disks you can attach to a regular electric drill- are these sold with the drill, or something you can pick up at a hardware store?

[Aurelianus]

polishing galvanized mild steel sheet

hock:

.

[brennivs - tony drake]

Sean you can get polishing mops from good hardware stores ,you need to buy the arbor as well to attach it to your drill .When I come back from Chester I will show you polished galvenised plus mop gear.
Regards Brennivs

[Sean Manning]

Could I have those photos, Brennie? Parenthically, I hope I did that vocative right. No problems if you cant, but I will probably be getting metal next weekend.