As you can guess, proper construction of medieval plate armor requires various skills. The How-To pages of this site are written with the assumption that you are brand new to this craft, and considering getting set up at home. Presented here is a list of things you’ll need to learn, in some logical order. How to make your own patterns will be covered in another section.
Basic Things:
- Know your workshop’s safety practices well.
- Tracing out patterns onto sheet metal.
- Cutting sheet metal pieces with a throatless shear.
- Filing and conditioning edges and surfaces of your pieces.
- Rolling edges with a yellow plastic-head hammer.
- Dishing with a heavy split-head rawhide mallet.
- Punching manual holes with a solid tapered punch.
- Some basic forming techniques.
- Some leather working: cutting and working straps.
- Pre-assembly using screws and nuts.
- Finishing surfaces: sanding, and polishing.
- Setting solid mushroom rivets.
Advanced Things:
- Making your own patterns from scratch.
- Fluting!
- Embossing!
- Etching!
- Setting up your shop with the proper tools.
- How to get various tool stakes for forming.
Projects:
- Making Basic Munitions Spaulders
- Making Articulating Knees
- Making fluted Scout’s Pauldrons