Say I want to make a metal, medieval style helmet... Is this forge type work, or can I get away with bending and welding...

Ive got a welder, hammers, and a plumbers torch, drills and various power tools... Can I do this?

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Originally posted by Drewculous Is this forge type work

YES. unless you have use of an english roller, and a few other body shop type tools to work tin with. the thinner the gauge of metal the easier to work with but not as strong.
most of those things were made by a blacksmith who would use wroght iron, not the same as mild steel. I was a blacksmith back in the day and it is rather costly to have one made, and very heavy if you do.
but you can do anything you want, we just want to see the pics when its done.

I have a couple of forges, a few anvils and some leg vices....and other stuff still laying around do I hear any offers???..... I have been out of the blacksmith game for some time now.....

Always thought about firing the old stuff up one day to see what kinda buggy would come out of a forge.....

What do you have for an anvil? The bowl shaped bottom of a steel gas cylinder work good for helmats & small plate parts.


+1 for pics

i do have an anvil actually! Its my grandpas and its been sitting in my grandmas garage for as long as i can remember :singing:

i also have a few vises at the ready


i found this:

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Materials ■Sheet metal- The best choice for sheet metal is cold rolled mild steel because it is cheap, relatively easy to work, and approximates the material used in actual medieval helmets of this type. You can purchase small sheets of sheet metal at large home improvement stores but it is much cheaper to buy directly from a steel supplier (check the yellow pages). You can also buy sheet metal from scrap yards or possibly get scrap pieces from fabrication shops. I would recommend that you make the helmet from 16 gauge or 18 gauge cold rolled mild steel so the metal is easy to work with. ■Rivets- The best place to buy rivets are from suppliers online if you desire an authentic look. I purchase my rivets from R.J. Leahy. Alternatively you can use nails trimmed down to complete your helmet. If you decide to purchase actual rivets I would recommend steel round headed rivets, 3/16” diameter and 5/16″ long. ■Bolts- You’ll need these to temporarily fasten your helmet together during construction. Get them in the same diameter as your rivets. Tools There are a number of tools that you’ll need in order to complete this helmet. ■Cutting tool- This is necessary for cutting the patterns out of the sheet metal. I personally use a throatless shear that I purchased from Harbor Freight for around $90. A jigsaw with a metal cutting blade is also a good alternative. If you’re using thin sheet metal a pair of good tin snips could also work as well but I would advise this as a last resort. ■Drill- You’ll need a drill to drill the holes for the rivets. Nothing special is necessary here. You’ll also need a 3/16” drill bit if you’re using standard rivets to attach the plates together. ■Hammers- You will need a ball-peen hammer to hammer the rivets that attach the helmet together. You will also need a hammer to bend down the top of the helmet. The ball-peen hammer would suffice for this as well. If you’re using steel thicker than 18 gauge you might need a hammer for bending the steel around the pipe. A dead blow or similar soft-faced mallet would be best for this so you don’t mar the surface of the steel. ■Curving forms- In order to shape the upper and lower plates of the helmet you will need a cylindrical object to form them around. This is preferably a 5” diameter steel pipe. ■Files/angle grinder- These are necessary for finishing the edges of the plates after cutting them out of steel. An angle grinder with a flap disk is preferable for this operation but a file would work as well, just more slowly. ■Anvil- Don’t worry if you don’t have access to an actual anvil. This is really only necessary to use as a backing when setting the rivets. As such, any heavy piece of steel will work like a piece of I-beam, railroad track or a heavy sledgehammer head placed on the ground or clamped in a vice. ■Finishing supplies- You’ll need these to finish the surface on the helmet in the final stage. You can hand sand with sandpaper progressively working your way up to higher grits. You could alternatively use a Scotch-Brite pad with WD-40 to get a nice satin finish. My preference is to use an angle grinder with a cup wire wheel.

based on that... im in the clear, but im not sure if anything made from 18 ga steel is going to be good for anything other than looks

should i worry about welding anything or just shape the steel from one piece and rivet as needed?

I,d rivet and stay authentic. But then i Can not weld worth 2 cent

" going to be good for anything other than looks"

What, pray tell would you need this for other than looks... You're already married, so I know it's not to impress chicks...

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Originally posted by cheezycheese What, pray tell would you need this for other than looks... You're already married, so I know it's not to impress chicks...

Wife + Irish Temper + Pots & Pans = Nuff Said

I am thinking a multi-strike EPS liner might be a good thing even if it detracts from authenticity.

ATB,
Sam

Itd just be nice to know it could withstand a blow from a club or two :D

this guy has some 16 vids of him making various parts of armor. shows some tools and technique and tons of skill. looks like a fascinating and all consuming art form. ;-)

here's him making a cool helmet...

that is so damn cool

The way I learned to do bowl shapes when blacksmithing was to use a big hunk of wood, like half a log.

You carve your bowl shape into the log (you can use a die grinder, chisels, or whatever), then starting with a circular shaped piece of sheet, you get it red or yellow hot, then pound it into your bowl carved hunk of wood. Your can smooth out the lumpyness with a smaller hammer and the horn of the anvil.

Its pretty cool to do cuz as you set the hot metal on the wood and pound it flames and ash shoot out... its cool. Also, as you burn into the wood, the wood bowl shape gets bigger, so you don't have to carve the wood completely as big as you need.

You can probably do this with an oxy acetylene torch, but a plumbers torch probably won't get it hot enough.

There are lots of plans on line for reasonably easy to build (no welding required) propane forges... you just have to be patient for your metal to get hot enough.

Practical applications for my Art school degree LOL

here's a small version of a teardrop shape I did a while back.

here's the final piece, of course there was some additional work on the anvil other than just the bowl shape....

I hope this gives you the idea of how to do what you want.

ok, budget drew is on the scene.... from the wiki says acetylene/oxygen flame burns at about 6,330 °F (also said 5720, so not sure which is correct)... i dont really have access to that.. i do have access to MAPP gas, as does everyone lol... it comes in at 5,300 (says in pure oxygen however)

Do i need to just suck it up and hit the farm sales, and find an oxy-acetylene set-up.... or could MAPP gas work?
secondly i guess, is there like a "hobby" grade oxy-acetyl setup? like small tanks, short hose, etc?

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Originally posted by Drewculous secondly i guess, is there like a "hobby" grade oxy-acetyl setup? like small tanks, short hose, etc?

Been there done that, don't do it again.
the cost of a set of gauges and 25ft hose etc, 250.00
dont get the little bottles, cost to much for a LITTLE GAS. get the biggest you can and the refill cost is much less.
You will want to get a rose bud for the heating if you go with Acetylene. you could go with propane but not nearly as hot as Acetylene.

Build your self on of these Drew and do it the old fashioned way.......

Portable Forge

forge fuel is real cheap......

http://www.blacksmithcoke.com/Blacksmith_coke_vs_coal.html

http://www.fholder.com/Blacksmithing/coal.htm

Depending on where you buy from it runs around 100 bucks per ton......

acetylene is getting costly.. Go w/ MAPP gas!

Goof, good find!

My wife is gonna flip if I tell her im building a forge! Lol I better finish my basement remodel first!

I use to use a shop vac with the hose on the exhaust side to power my forge...... I was to lazy to turn the crank.....

That set up looked pretty good......

The more I look at this stuff I might just have to break it out and see if I remember how to do it and try and crank out a black smithed buggy

maybe even give it a medieval hand hammered seat...... go all Jesse James up on it.... no cake here.....

Maybe you need to load up some kites and some iron and head up this way and we can get into some heavy metal and some kite flyin'

I still got an old stick welder..... I think my oxy/acet tanks are dry but those could get filled up......

http://www.blksmth.com/Refflinghaus_Anvils.htm

hang on to those anvils boys..... wow are they expensive to replace

here is a link to building a power hammer to go with your forge....

http://www.jamblades.com/maxpages/Building_a_Power_Hammer

2 internets if you can figure out where this design comes from (the younger crowd will get it in no time )

I hate to admit how nerdy i am sometimes, but damn, i really want one of these that isnt paper mache or plastic



Fus Ro DAH!!

You could always buy one too. I know someone who has one and might part with it. It was made by Paul Chen.

Sigh....

I know this helmet. Nice choice!