Balteus Terminal Fabrication

[Primvs Pavlvs]

Yup, that´s what I think. They are available, not really expensive and they are "correct".

they're not direct replicas of them anyway.

where´s the point in making them? wink:

That´s what I meant. Why aren´t you making direct replicas?
I am quite aware that not everyone can cast. But that´s not what I meant. Why spending time on producing "incorrect" items?

For example, with my officer’s impression…. I need a Roman Style Gorgon, two facing Gryphons, a candelabra, and a Romulus & Remus suckling Lupa appliqués to decorate my lorica.

Now, no one sells them for less than $200 each and the correct accurate way to have made them would have been to carve a negative image into stone with a hammer & chisel, melt down a few gold bars and pour the molten metal in... But I can’t do that or obviously afford that, it’s just a wee bit beyond my abilities so I had to go with a more modern equivalent... cold casting.

Erm... you NEED it? I´d rather say you WANT it, because that is the impression you want to make. You could probably go along with a museum-quality reconstruction light infantryman impression by spending the same money as you do for you officer´s impression.

Christian I think you need to re-evaluate your attitude here mate.

Why is it any of your concern what someone spends their time on?

Ever hear the saying " Wenn Du nichts Gutes zu sagen hast, sag lieber gar nichts" ?

Your condecending tone is very discouraging to new members who are trying to do the best they can. I have seen this happen so many times in other re-enacting groups where someone acts this way towards others, and it causes many problems. This isnt the first time you have acted this way.

Anyway I am sick of it. If anyone needs to get in contact with me please do it via email.

[richsc]

Reproductions of these same strap ends are available already

4x$14 = $56 US plus shipping from UK (another $15) can be too expensive for some folks.

[Gaivs Antonivs Satvrninvs]

Does anyone remember Albion's "moat" sale?

True, you're a bit limited on selection but you can't beat the prices.
And there are other options in country.

(Still, sometimes you just want to try your hand at it.)

[AntonivsMarivsCongianocvs]

Salve!

Caiustarquitius said…

Erm... you NEED it? I´d rather say you WANT it, because that is the impression you want to make.

In all honesty, I guess we’re looking a bit hard at semantics but… I guess I could clarify a bit.

I ‘wanted’ to make an impression of an ancient Roman from the military. I ‘wanted’ to go with (aka replicate) an officer’s impression. However; to do it ‘right’ or to best replicate what I see in sculpture of Praetorians, Generals, and Emperors alike… then I do ‘need’ those ‘unique to an officer’ items… I ‘need’ a Roman style gorgon, two gryphons, a candelabra, and a Lupa/Romulus & Remus appliqué.... attic helmet, a Parazonium, etc. (okay, maybe I 'want' the Parazonium! LOL)

I do agree when you said

You could probably go along with a museum-quality reconstruction light infantryman impression by spending the same money as you do for you officer´s impression.

I could have done that but, I guess I chose to go with an officer’s impression. I knew getting into it... that it would be time consuming and I’d have to make a great deal of it myself. I guess I like making the parts, learning new techniques, and learning how to fabricate stuff.

Either way, no offence taken and I trust none given.

Anyways, I don’t mean to highjack Michael Griffin's thread… Hey Mike! Any new photos of your belt terminals??? Did you start making them yet?

[richsc]

Does anyone remember Albion's "moat" sale?

Yes, I ended up with a pile of their Herculaneum belt terminals, the cut/stamped brass ones.
Casting is not easy: I'd rather take a thick piece of brass and hammer it into some semblance of a rough casting.

[Magnus]

Re: Albion's moat sale...I keep meaning to buy some terminal ends myself...they come in handy.

[caiusbeerquitius]

Sigh. If you wonder why I wrote in here, here´s the answer, from post #1:

I'm working on my first balteus, and I thought I would ask for some input from the forum. I re-enact a Legion during the Dacian Wars, and I wanted some input on how I should construct my belt terminals.

If you ´re only fishing for compliments, guys, let everyone know in the beginning.

I spent so much time re-working items, or making items three or four times until they met a standard I was satisfied with. And the standard always grew. I guess this is the case with almost everyone here. So basically there was a lot more money and time spent than one would have had to, had one done it properly in the beginning. This is my experience, this is, of course, very subjective, but I would have been happy had I received more critique in the beginning.

Christian I think you need to re-evaluate your attitude here mate.

Why is it any of your concern what someone spends their time on?

Ever hear the saying " Wenn Du nichts Gutes zu sagen hast, sag lieber gar nichts" ?

Yes, yes but I keep more to "Kritik ist heilsam".
All explained above. IMO it is a positive thing to let someone who asks for your opinion know what you think.

Your condecending tone is very discouraging to new members who are trying to do the best they can. I have seen this happen so many times in other re-enacting groups where someone acts this way towards others, and it causes many problems. This isnt the first time you have acted this way.

Anyway I am sick of it. If anyone needs to get in contact with me please do it via email.

I understand that. You can be sure that it is not my intention to be or sound condescending, but from time to time I have the problem of having not enough time and having to write only very brief posts without a lot of sugar on top. As moderator I have to read alot here, it´s at least an hour every day. If you think it were better if I wrote nothing instead of brief postings, let me know. Also, as is, we are here on an international forum, where many different characters meet, many different cultures, and many differently socialized people. In that, some people may be more empathic than others, some more patient than others, some more... whatever. So maybe it were sensible to be less sensitive. All of us, of course...
However, what you can do, if you don´t like my tone, and what I write doesn´t let you sleep, is to put me onto your ignore list.

Ah, what I forgot: Almost every day I get requests from beginners or people that have questions about certain details in reconstruction etc. pp.
I try to answer them all, sometimes it takes a few days (the time issue again), and so far none of those have complained about my tone. But many wrote "Thanks !" or something alike. Even if they get only brief answers.

Either way, no offence taken and I trust none given.

Good, and yes, you are right.
IMO it is better to have an impression which is a detailed reconstruction. That´s for me. I rather don´t have a thing instead of having it wrong. I don´t say that everyone has to see this as I do, but probably I were happy if everyone did so... P
Anyway, everyone should do what makes him happy.

Oh, and Matt, I´d like to remind you what you wrote elsewhere about the scientific niveau of the forum, esp. in the context of leather musculata etc. Gave it a second thought now, maybe? :wink:

[Magnus]

Oh, and Matt, I´d like to remind you what you wrote elsewhere about the scientific niveau of the forum, esp. in the context of leather musculata etc. Gave it a second thought now, maybe? :wink:

Not really, in one of my above posts I said it was ok for my group to do somethings constructionally different so long as the historical, and accurate roman style was preserved. When there is no evidence or not enough, we don't do it. I guess you can call it a threshold that I have...but to me casting vs sheet brass when it comes to terminal ends is pretty low on the scale of inaccuracies, and well within my group's limits.

Leather musculata are bad. :lol: