Lamellar armour ideal plate size?
Jan 19, 2014 20:50:43 GMT
Post by 30cal_Fun on Jan 19, 2014 20:50:43 GMT
If you don't have the time or the interest to read trough my introduction of myself and the project please skip the first two large blocks of text below.
since I am technically a new member I would like to introduce myself first shortly.
I was active on the old SBG forum and on countless other sword collecting and forging forums.
My passion for both historic and new arms and armour was most evident in the Japanese sword styles I practiced, like Iaido and Katori Shinto Ryu. I also collected Nihonto and tsuba for a couple of years resulting in a couple of blades from the 16th and 17th century (Bizen and Mino schools). I build a Japanese style forge and a gas forge in my back yard and forged my own knives and tanto-style blades including differential hardening and polishing to produce a hamon. I even had a 15kg power hammer for larger bar stock.
All of that changed about five years ago.
After high school I joined a NGO project for street children in Ghana and lived and worked there for a year as a volunteer. When I came back I started my study at university.
Sword forging and collecting ended up way down on my priority list. I didn't have the time nor the money to pursue this passion and I had to sell all my forging equipment and most of my collection including all Nihonto.
Fast forward to today: I recently got my bachelor degree and can now officially call myself a physiotherapist.
So my passion for, primarily Japanese style, arms and armour has been motionless for the past years and I am slowly getting back into it. So please forgive me for any ignorance I might show, my knowledge of Nihonto in particular is very rusty and I am mostly oblivious to any sword-related news of the past five years.
Now to get to my project.
I have a lot of spare time the coming months and I want to start a project that I have been wanting to do since I was a little kid: build a Japanese-style suit of armour.
I have already determined that it will be a kozane/iyozane-type armour. Lamellar-type armour will be the easiest to work on for me since there is little to no bending and forging required to produce a good fitting armour.
There is a steel workshop nearby where I was able to pick up plate steel in the form of long strips 4cm wide, 125cm long and 1mm thick. In imperial measurements: it's 18 gauge steel in strips 1.5inches wide and 49 inches long. I have 36 strips of it (15kg / 33lbs), which will last me a while. They can provide other size and thickness plates if needed.
I have been searching the internet and have found some useful websites but still have some questions.
Some key aspects:
Functionality comes first, money second, looks third and historical accuracy fourth.
I am not looking for 100% historical accuracy. I am just going for the looks and functionality of a Japanese-style suit of armour. Historically accurate armour is very resource and cost intensive and I have neither at this moment. I am on a tight budget and working with modern materials. This is also meant as a fun learning experience to fuel possible future, more historically accurate projects. I will not be using this armour for any type of full-contact sport but it needs to be fully functional! I couldn't live with a useless pile of metal that is just for show. I intend to build a full suit as time progresses, starting with the cuirass and working my way to the extremities.
I have three questions:
1: What size plates would you recommend for lamellar (iyozane/kozane-style) armour?
I am planning to cut the strips in 6cm long sections, 6cm seems like a good height. I am however in a lot of doubt about the width of the plates and it's effect on the ability of the armour to form itself to my body shape. It would be easiest to cut the strips in 6cm long sections (making 4cm x 6cm size plates), however I am worried that 4cm wide plates will produce a very stiff, uncomfortable armour. I could also have it cut into 2cm wide strips, which seem more historically accurate for and would produce a more flexible armour, it would also give me far more work. Do any of you have experience with different size lamellar plates and its effect on armour flexibility?
2: What kind of lacing material would you recommend?
It needs to be strong enough, reasonably cut-resistant and as cheap as possible.
3: And last, what kind of lacing method will hold the plates firmly while requiring minimal amount of drilling holes?
I have added a picture of my intended lacing method.
I apologize for the amount of text, but I immensely appreciate all your help!
Kind regards, Louis
since I am technically a new member I would like to introduce myself first shortly.
I was active on the old SBG forum and on countless other sword collecting and forging forums.
My passion for both historic and new arms and armour was most evident in the Japanese sword styles I practiced, like Iaido and Katori Shinto Ryu. I also collected Nihonto and tsuba for a couple of years resulting in a couple of blades from the 16th and 17th century (Bizen and Mino schools). I build a Japanese style forge and a gas forge in my back yard and forged my own knives and tanto-style blades including differential hardening and polishing to produce a hamon. I even had a 15kg power hammer for larger bar stock.
All of that changed about five years ago.
After high school I joined a NGO project for street children in Ghana and lived and worked there for a year as a volunteer. When I came back I started my study at university.
Sword forging and collecting ended up way down on my priority list. I didn't have the time nor the money to pursue this passion and I had to sell all my forging equipment and most of my collection including all Nihonto.
Fast forward to today: I recently got my bachelor degree and can now officially call myself a physiotherapist.
So my passion for, primarily Japanese style, arms and armour has been motionless for the past years and I am slowly getting back into it. So please forgive me for any ignorance I might show, my knowledge of Nihonto in particular is very rusty and I am mostly oblivious to any sword-related news of the past five years.
Now to get to my project.
I have a lot of spare time the coming months and I want to start a project that I have been wanting to do since I was a little kid: build a Japanese-style suit of armour.
I have already determined that it will be a kozane/iyozane-type armour. Lamellar-type armour will be the easiest to work on for me since there is little to no bending and forging required to produce a good fitting armour.
There is a steel workshop nearby where I was able to pick up plate steel in the form of long strips 4cm wide, 125cm long and 1mm thick. In imperial measurements: it's 18 gauge steel in strips 1.5inches wide and 49 inches long. I have 36 strips of it (15kg / 33lbs), which will last me a while. They can provide other size and thickness plates if needed.
I have been searching the internet and have found some useful websites but still have some questions.
Some key aspects:
Functionality comes first, money second, looks third and historical accuracy fourth.
I am not looking for 100% historical accuracy. I am just going for the looks and functionality of a Japanese-style suit of armour. Historically accurate armour is very resource and cost intensive and I have neither at this moment. I am on a tight budget and working with modern materials. This is also meant as a fun learning experience to fuel possible future, more historically accurate projects. I will not be using this armour for any type of full-contact sport but it needs to be fully functional! I couldn't live with a useless pile of metal that is just for show. I intend to build a full suit as time progresses, starting with the cuirass and working my way to the extremities.
I have three questions:
1: What size plates would you recommend for lamellar (iyozane/kozane-style) armour?
I am planning to cut the strips in 6cm long sections, 6cm seems like a good height. I am however in a lot of doubt about the width of the plates and it's effect on the ability of the armour to form itself to my body shape. It would be easiest to cut the strips in 6cm long sections (making 4cm x 6cm size plates), however I am worried that 4cm wide plates will produce a very stiff, uncomfortable armour. I could also have it cut into 2cm wide strips, which seem more historically accurate for and would produce a more flexible armour, it would also give me far more work. Do any of you have experience with different size lamellar plates and its effect on armour flexibility?
2: What kind of lacing material would you recommend?
It needs to be strong enough, reasonably cut-resistant and as cheap as possible.
3: And last, what kind of lacing method will hold the plates firmly while requiring minimal amount of drilling holes?
I have added a picture of my intended lacing method.
I apologize for the amount of text, but I immensely appreciate all your help!
Kind regards, Louis