I can't take all the credit/blame on this one. Fortunately. I helped the owner make it - that's him in the picture. This is the first helmet in which I tried engraving a nasal (the picture doesn't do it justice), and also the fist one on which I used 1.6mm (16 ga) steel strip for the frame. I learnt a lot. Especially about what NOT to do. When I used 3mm (1/8") steel for the frame it didn't matter so much how accurately I dished the plates. The heavier steel of the frame forced them to deform to its own shape. With lighter framing, the plates bent the frame out of shape, resulting in a bit of a mess.
The nasal was made out of 3mm bar, about 1" wide, which I sawed down the middle and bashed to curve the eyebrows. I used a centre punch for the engraving, and made my own small cold chisel for the straight lines. Not bad for a first try, and he still wears it.
In case you're wondering about the armour, that was an experiment too. I'd seen an 11th century Frankish picture of St Maurice wearing what appeared to be a very early brigandine, and I was trying to duplicate it. Never did put the cloth over it. Looked good if you didn't get too close, and served well for many years.
I've learned a lot since then. |
