does anyone have any tips or guides or plans on how to make plate mail armour?


this is a serious request so dont send it to the muppets!

I assume you are talking classic 15th century full or half plate armour.

Depends what you are after: fancy dress or the "real McCoy"? :)

Fancy dress: I would suggest card board sprayed silver.... :)

The real deal: Unless you are a very skilled smith I wouldn't even consider it - many hours of blood sweat and tears for, at best, an average job.

There are professionals out there who can do a top job from thick steel plate that is historically accurate. "Dressed to Kill" are one such outfit - there stuff used to look top notch IIRC - don't know if they are still in business tho'. It's not cheap though. There are a few other armorers out there too.

If you are serious I should be able to get some more details for you. :)

Quality google link :D .. its gone now :(

[Edited by brett555 - 1/28/2004 7:21:09 PM]

Actually the "brighthelm" google link looks as though it might be surprisingly useful! :)

If I had 6 months, a working forge and few £'000 of tools I might give it a go myself! :p :D

Edit: typical it's bloody vanished now - it's at http//armour.brighthelm.org/Basic-Armouring.pdf

[Edited by GreenMachine - 1/28/2004 9:33:28 PM]

Yes. A friend of mine makes custom armour, all designed around traditional armour patterns.

We do mediaeval re-enactment, so it has to look convincing. For plate, you need to talk to Ben Godden, from the House of Bayards - top chap here.

His work has stood the test of many a pike, mace and sword! :D

im asking for a friend whose deisinging and making some plate mail armour made out of spam tins :D for his german metal festival goings on, so just lookin for best techinques for linking the plates and blueprint style stuff

Ouch - gonna cut himself to ribons!!

I go with padded leather armour with metal plating on it - 2 or 3 inch squares over the surface

lol hes an engineer so know what hes doin i think...

hes planning on attaching some padding of some kind to the underneatch and de-burring all the edges probably by foling them all over etc..