You can clearly se the hammermarks of a round hammer, that have been used from the inside quite late in the shaping process of the helmet. if it had been forged more from the outside the hammermarks wold not have been so “sharp” as they still are.

It´s mabye hard to se, but the difference is quite clear when looking at it in real life.

I decided to try another take on the helmet and start with a more narrow, and longer piece of metal.

Now I tryed with 3mm thikness. I have not yet find any records of wich thikness they started with. But i whanted to try thinner to compare the difference.

I did a coupple of heatings, streching out the material, and then i started to rais the helmet from the outside on the helmet stake.

I was amazed how quick this metod is. Definetly a good way to raise closehelms and burgonets on. After only 4,5 houers i had a reasonelebly good helmet top, wich can be finaly shaped to a medium high combed helmet.

With this metod and the helmet I am going to do, i had to less material at the cheek aeria, and I am not pleased with the look of the inside, the original have got much more clerly visible hammermarks on the insid made by a more rounded hammer. So, the conclotion is that tis is a very quick metod, but not used making the helmet I whant to do. This I can use in a other project.

I started streching in the middle on a flat anvil with a rounded oval shaped hammer. 5 heatings, it was quite easy to strech the 5 mm material

The hammer i use:

After four more heatings:

Then i started to strech/thin the matetial towards the edges

This was also quite easy. After about 5 heatings, on each side I continued streching from the inside with a longer hammer

Now I got a little to carried away, streched it to much so I had a hole in it.

Anyway quite pleased with the result after 3,5 hoers by the forge.

I decided to try some thicker plate anyway. We don’t know the thikness of the sheet plate delivered to Arboga, and with my expirience of making one pice helmets, my guess is that it cold be somewhere between 3-6 mm. The question is what requiers the lesser amount of effgort and energy: making the sheet thin, and rais it or: start shaping the helmet while streching the material?

Anyway, I started wit 5 mm mild steel.

With experience of previous similar helmets i cut out 36×36 cm. This was way to hevy, nerly 5,5 kg. ( total helmet weigt is under 4kg), so a cut it down a bit more.

Probably i will cut away some more material, but I play it safe and start with this 33×36 cm, 4,7 kg plate.

Today I will start the making of the Masterpiece armour.

I have not yet completely decided the final design of the suit of armour, but some features are set.

I have decided to make a suit of armour, like one that could have been made by a Swedish master armourer in the royal workshops of Arboga around 1560-70. From 1560 to 1568 The Swedish king Erik XIV rules Sweden. In Livrustkammaren (the royal armouries in Stockholm) there are several existing original suits of armour which most likely are made for the king or ordered by him in Arboga. These suits of armours are my main inspiration for the masterpiece armour.

However, these originals are highly decorated by other master craftsmen, like guilders and etchers, my masterpiece will not be decorated. It will be made as if it could be decorated later or as if it was a lower rank suit of armour, not richly decorated, but still of high quality.

The suit of armour will be made as if it is a small garniture, for field and tourney. Like the two originals in Livrustkammaren: LRK2610

And LRK2616.

But only showing one set of the garniture. I have chosen the foot tourney set, Mainly because of the well-used and very interesting helmet of the Erik XIV suit of armour. I still have not decided which other parts I will use as models for the masterpiece, but as I am sure about the helmet, I will start with that.

The helmet LRK23382

I have examined the helmet and even if there does not exist any metallurgical examination on it, I am quite sure it is made from mild steel. There are visible sword cuts in the comb, and this suggests a low carbon content. If the carbon content had been higher, the cuts would have been shallower and definitely would have cracked more. It is clear in the structures of the damages how the material has been pushed together in a way only softer material would have been.

Furthermore, the helmet is quite heavy, 3940 grams, which also points at it being made of softer, but thicker material. The thicker material would make up for the lack of hardness and enable the helmet to withstand the blows of weapons, without getting too dented or cracked. I also find it interesting that the helmet is of an Armet construction, at the time of its manufacture the most common helmet for foot tourney was of a close helm construction.

I will raise the helmet in one piece from 3 mm sheet metal. I might have to grind away some material when finished, but I think this is the best material to start with. There are documents from Arboga during the chosen time period that shows that the armourers obtained sheet metal for armour making from the nearby workshop” Hammarforsen” which was a local hammermill. To begin with I had ideas of starting off with a thicker piece of material, and then stretch it and thinning it out while forging the shape, but as I now know that the Arboga armourers got their material from the hammermill, I assume that the material would have been forged out to a suiting thickness, and I therefore think the thinner sheet is more correct as a starting point for the helmet.

Some preparations before i can start the making of the armour…

On this blog i will post updates on the ongoing Masterpiece project.

Today, there are no masterships for armouring, but the handicraft is practised and is needed. This project aims at documenting the knowledge within the art of armouring, it aims at creating criteria for armouring and it aims at spreading the results in media and exhibitions. The project is a co-operation between craftsmen, antique experts, the craftsmanship council and museums, and includes investigations, craftsman’s tests and documentation. The main figure within the project is Albert Collins, armourer since 20 years.