My Armor June 2014

poniatowski

poniatowski

Well-known member
Some of you know that one of my hobbies is metalworking and that I'm working on a 'suit' of armor just for fun. It's all 18 gage steel, which is pretty easy for me to work. This year, I finished the basic forming the helmet, an armet, its visors etc. (a long term project), the 'dome' of which was Dutch raised from a single piece, rather than welded down the center as is often the case in replica close helmets. The armet is also fitted to a turn on the gorget, which was a REAL PAIN that I'll never do again! But it fits pefectly.



Next, the helmet needs vent holes, lining and fittings, there's a lot of riveting to do and I have to make the fauld (below the waist), which I can do fairly quickly and should have that part done next year at this time. Then it's down to the legs. As of now, my thoughts are for a 3/4 harness, ending at the knees, but who knows. Might do the whole thing.

There are more photos on my web site, just google 'Ron Poniatowski Art' and it will show up.

:D Ron
 
Thanks all!
This is my second harness, the first had some flaws (as does this), but I'm getting better at it. This all started when I wanted to teach Dutch raising to my Art Metals students. The thing I found out is that once a harness is done, the fun is too, so this one is taking a long time, five or ten minutes a day. Also, visits to a lot of museums and talks with people who love to make armor. Something I can't afford to purchase made, but I can afford $45 for steel and a couple hundred for tools. I was also lucky in that our tech-ed department was getting rid of a lot of stakes as they went into computer-assisted machining and such.

Sadly, most students don't want to take time to learn how to do things like this any more. They expect to master something in ten minutes to an hour and can't conceive of taking years to do something. I blame the same technology that got me my stakes for this loss of student curiosity and dedication. The class I learned this for also proved too difficult for students to keep classes running.

:D Ron
 
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