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Naphula — Lamellar test
Published: 2011-06-25 18:29:07 +0000 UTC; Views: 22242; Favourites: 65; Downloads: 265
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Some more cardboard tests. Above is some sort of lamellar armour and below is Chinese mountain pattern armour , along with some pictures of the work in progress.Related content
Comments: 42
I know this is old, but think I'd add rivets to the corners of the bottom row, to hold them down. Might be a way to flip the pattern pieces around, to get more efficient cuts from a strip, rather than cutting out of sheets of metal.
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Thanks for your feedback.
In a Chinese armour, the scales would be pinned down with a layer of cloth along the outside, so there'd be no need to rivet them down.
I have been toying with the idea of a more effecient way of getting more scales from a single piece of metal, but I'd have to get it done by machine.
Another idea I had was to cut it like I did and melt down the excess metal to cast other armour parts from.
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Still think, to secure those tabs, they should be riveted, but that's me.
What if it's a dome? Start with a circle, take your 3 notches out, extend the 3 lobes the same amount as the notches, to make tabs. drill all 3 tabs, as if for rivets, use those holes to locate the blank over a depression in 1/2 of a stamp and die, press the shape, then fold 2 tabs, to hook into the notches of the next 2 scales...? Alternate the 'Y's across a narrow strip of strap, to minimize waste...? Not sure if they could be heated, then stamped hot, to help harden the steel, in the process.
That would allow the 2 ends to rotate within the notches, for flexibility in 2 directions, while the 3rd notch can rotate over the rivet tab. If you use pop-rivets, you can blind rivet the edge tabs under the domes, for a narrower margin. Granted, that might not fly with a purist, but, until proven by an example, it's considered fantasy armor, anyway.
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was purely chance to land on this. def notched aside to try later...
if i get crazy i may even go metal on these. would get the shape laser cut en mass then make up a really crude dye to get the peak folds.
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Wow, laser cut. That should be interesting. And probarbly the only effecient way to cut that shape.
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For a short run yes; also water jet works. It is something that you can get done for fairly low cost.
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The above lamellar is actually too widespread to say it's Assyrian. That pattern is also used by Byzantine troops, as well as Mongols and Central Asian steppe people.
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My thoughts exactly. Lamellar has been in use with countless cultures from the Asian Steppes, to China, Japan & Korea to Assyria to even the Norse. To say it's conclusively Assyrian is... Presuming a bit too much, IMOHO. Very interestingly, the Chinese would use Lamellar Cuirasses or Hauberks for their lowliest foot soldier to the highest-ranking general... Love it
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Interesting. I saw a movie about Genghis Khan the other day. That Mongol empire seems like quite a fascinating subject.
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Indeed. It was a very peculiar empire, with a mindset very different from the other medieval empires.
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That makes sense. Thanks for enlightening me.
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also here's a picture proof from wikipedia
[link]
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wow that chinese pattern is impressive!! how does it stay together?
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It's 'riveted' to the carboard on the back with brass fasteners. Originally they rivetet it to cloth or leather.
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just at the top? or all the way down?
i can see how it starts, but do the plates hold themselves together naturally with just the connections at the top?
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Yes. Just at the top. One rivet per plate.
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the chinese one is super awesome! are you gonna make it out of leather?
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Thanks. And it was supposedly made of metal, so that's what I'm gonna try too. Gotta figure out a way to make those mountain shapes though. Snips would be too big and a stamp too expensive. If it doesn't work at all I'll just go for a simplified version which doesn't have those hook shaped sorta thingies.
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Sorry to butt in, but the 'hooks' are what hold the armour together. P:
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I know, that's why the simplified version uses 3 pop nails. [link]
But I think I can manage the mountain shapes with a fretsaw.
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Well. Daniel Sloane did a fantastic article on it, which has been posted in a couple of places: [link]
I've been an avid Hopologist/Martial Artist for years and this has cemented my interest!
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Yes, that article is one of the resources I used.
I haven't actually made any 3 pointed scales, simply because the mountain scale looks so much more awesome.
I think I'd use brass in a final version.
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Kewl, I'm gonna try making my own soon. Probably using steel. getting it done @ a metalwork shop doesn't cost me an arm & a leg where I'm staying!
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I chose brass for the colour. It should work well with red leather.
A metal workshop sure sounds convenient.
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Yeah, if they're tight ebough you might be able to pull it off.
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That Chinese pattern is wicked. Got to store that image for future reference.
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I LOVE that pattern of Chinese armour. Some day I've gotto make myself some...
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In that PDF I linked to is a picture of a full officer's armour. I've been toying with the idea of making one myself.
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Yeah, definitely... it'd be a pain to cut all the pieces out with some tin snips, but the thing to do would be to have a dye where you could just punch them out of sheet metal... but getting one custom made wouldn't be cheap I bet.
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I don't know if it's even possible to use snips. I used a box cutter to get that shape right, but that's a little harder on sheet metal. It'd work with this pattern though: [link] I should make a cardboard test of that too.
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oh that would definitely be easier, but that doesn't seem like it'd be as secure...
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The star shapes are riveted in 3 places while the mountain shapes only in 1, so actually I think it'd be more secure.
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Thanks. Though most credit goes to Chinese craftmanship. They sure know how to make ornate armour.
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very cool to see a behind the scenes on how this is done
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Loving the chinese mountain pattern. I need to try this!
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Thanks, I'm quite fond of it myself.
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