The true story of the Kelly Gang Armour | Did it work? Who made it?

[@neon922]

I like this man. He owns a piece of priceless armor and lets people see, touch, and wear it. Not keeping it behind a piece of glass just to look at.

[@SgawCules]

@Leathley especially documents, like the declaration of Independence, the ink is fading day by day

[@forget2bhuman993]

@@SgawCules they do restoration on the declaration of Independence constantly dude. all the ink has pretty much been replaced by now :')

[@johoreanperson8396]

Do it in my country and some retard will steal it.

[@user-zg5ey5xo9i]

@Oliver Eales *normal european people

[@crwydryny]

I'll be honest i cringed every time I saw someone touch the armour with their bare skin, human skin contains some nasty acidic oils that can destroy steel, it takes a lot of work to clean those oils off the metal and seal the metal against moisture and oxygen

[@juslangley]

Why does the opening of this video look like something from 1986?

[@admiralgoodboy]

Justin E. L. H because it was

[@gabrielaskew1415]

eh Australia's a little bit behind, we're still really looking forward to the opening of ghost busters this weekend.

[@westvirginiahellbilly8124]

Same here at Cabin Creek , W.Va., Gabriel Askew , we are way behind times ! Although we may be a little farther than y’all , Crocodile Dundee , part 2 opens this weekend here in the mountains !!!! DAMN , me and my sister , oops I mean wife can’t wait to go !!! LMAO !!!

[@Theo-bk6qj]

It from 2003

[@SirSpinalColumn]

Because ABC

[@Thatsme849]

“Expert blacksmith”. Surely its almost impossible to make a more crude piece of armor than this lol

[@crwydryny]

yep, heck I could do a better job than that in a bush forge, (it helps I know how to build a proper bush forge and am a trained black smith)

[@cinemar]

@@crwydryny Yes but are you a trained outlaw on the run from the cops who are trying to kill you while you're making it?

[@medicolkie3606]

Yeah, literally just hammered steel with some bolts

[@Tyguy161]

Try forming metal to any shape you like and you'll see it's not as simple as you think

[@jackdaniels4975]

@@Tyguy161 I can bend a spoon pretty easy! Surely bullet proof steel is just as easy!

[@cycadaacolyte6349]

I was making similar pieces in my garage with an oak tree stump, a hammer and portable gold rush era forge. Sure it would have been a real pain to make but I think the armor's appearance gives that away...

[@ioioioioio6026]

"wow this armour is so mysterious I wonder how it was made" well the fact it's made of steel plates and has bolts holding it together should have been a hint

[@andrewyork3869]

If that steel is hardened it would need to be heated, to bend it.

[@scarto3887]

scotch fueled......the question is who made it and where,maybe over a few scotches eh

[@MotivationExMe]

Can we just appreciate that there's people and machines that can tell how hot a piece of steel got 100 years ago?

[@Arbiter099]

@anonymous one it's not brain surgery

[@Chew1ee]

@ArmchairWarrior it's rocket leage

[@stevencrawford1841]

It's not like making a woman orgasm, it's just armor

[@hunters36forgingwoodworkin73]

Don’t worry it’s simple. Judge by color. Red is 1800ish F, orange is 2000ish F, and white is 2300ish F.

[@mikeries8549]

Oh there is more. With more testing you can determine the microstructure of the steel and determine not only how hot it was but also how quickly it was cooled. It actually is rocket science pretty much

[@johnsweeney6072]

After all that science they decided it’s made from steel available to them at that time. WELL DER.

[@nuclearwinter1984]

John Sweeney When he said that, I went well for fucks sake you don’t say??

[@RictusHolloweye]

Nope. Aliens!

[@tracygallagher4632]

😂

[@johnsweeney6072]

I’ve got a PHD and could have worked that one out. Piss , Hardy , Drunk.🍺🤪

[@HenryLinMusic]

That pun game was strong

[@CaptainLuckyLuke]

In primary school we made our own Ned Kelly armour out of cardboard and ran around throwing rocks at each other to test it out. Never get away with that today. Simpler times.

[@yaboi-km2qn]

Less children with concussions though.

[@soundbreakermusic]

Nah we still do that mate

[@DatGamingKid1]

​@@yaboi-km2qn ugg

[@remcovanvliet3018]

@@yaboi-km2qn it's called natural selection, snowflake. Something we desperately need to bring back.

[@freesexyew]

Yup, Dad sent me to school with a wheeties box on my head for dress up day.

[@noahbass3687]

As a blacksmith myself I can see that it wasn't done by a professional smith without having to watch the video. It would have been much more shapely and better fitted for the wearer because moving the metal would have been far easier with a coal forge

[@BoxLaneProductions]

I've only ever seen the typical battle armour that knights and samurai wore, as cool as it is this looks like it was made by a wookie

[@flamingfrancis]

@@BoxLaneProductions Battle armour was hand made by highly skilled armorourers. Their work was unbelievable given they did not have steels that were malleable and ductils per today's products.

[@tdb7992]

Suddenly this video from 2003 (uploaded in 2015) is in everyone's recommended. Nice work, algorithm.

[@crwydryny]

well to be fair I do watch a lot of historical warfare videos, HEMA videos, and science videos.... so I can see why youtube recommended it to me

[@Cpt_Boony_Hat]

I do the same but mine came up because a mysterious Kelly song earlier

[@Kitasho]

We blasted it with a nuclear reactor and found out it was made from steel available in the time it was made, is probably the biggest waste of a nuclear reactor I've ever seen.

[@flamingfrancis]

Most definitely overkill. A small piece or even a small amount of filings could have been analysed at a steelworks laboratory where identification is being performed all the time.

[@justinjoyit13]

Reprter: ''Should we find out how it was made, wouldn't it be better to leave it as mystery's and myths?'' What a question coming from the person who is making the film about the fact that it being tested and that is what is of interest!

[@craigsavarese8631]

This must have been the inspiration for the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

[@miktik8624]

Craig Savarese exactly my thoughts

[@highfall60]

Or maybe they just used a great helm for inspiration. Y'know, just a thought.

[@toddwebb7521]

Your arm is gone

[@207KalashBoy]

@@toddwebb7521 tis but a flesh wound

[@Benzy670]

Craig Savarese nah, Monty Python’s inspiration was a Great Helm.

[@D10RC]

If ned was alive he would be in stitches laughing that one of the armoured suits been delivered in a 🔐 security van that he would of robbed if he was still with us. Love from 🇮🇪

[@davgpol]

Why would he have robbed it? It had no money in it

[@keyworksales6241]

@@davgpol because it had his armor in it

[@TheLumberjack1987]

would have, not would of

[@themaskedman221]

@@TheLumberjack1987 lol, he meant to say "would've", but spelled it phonetically.

[@blameusa7082]

no professional armorer would have made something so crude-looking!

[@jurassicthickness1340]

Sorry what? I don't understand what you're saying

[@scharftalicous]

I don't know about that? I doubt they would've had the luxury to give it finer finishings even if it was in a professional shop. Plus some blacksmiths like the heavy duty look.

[@Doctoranthetardis]

You can make a forge with a hole in the ground and forced air. I find it completely probable it was made in the bush.

[@luke9911]

Of course it was. Rocket stove.

[@tomthompson7400]

very interesting , and well done to the owner for letting the tests take place.

[@anarchyorslavery1616]

I thought they were gonna make a copy and shoot at it, very dissapointed!

[@Etherman7]

What, actual ballistics testing? That requires scary bang sticks, cant have those on the news. It'd frighten the children.

[@BigBeerus]

Lol why bother you can tell the first 2 rounds that hit is passed through easily. Just look at it.

[@bedeodempsey5007]

It's Australia, they threw all their guns into the sea....

[@davgpol]

Why? The original worked just fine

[@KittycatKye]

@@davgpol With the high powered firearms of today, most cartridges would almost certainly go straight through that hunk of metal.

[@jameswalton5733]

i gotta admit, adding the phrase 'they even made their own armor to fight in their last stand' would be pretty badass especially if it worked and the armor protected them from the shots

[@breaux2806]

Title - "Did it work?" *Armored car opens, revealing helmet with holes shot through it. Me - "No, no it did not."

[@snakezase2998]

Oh no it did

[@louiswain9139]

It worked pretty well

[@markfryer9880]

A lot of the bullet damage was done by the police after the siege was over, testing how well it worked against their firearms.

[@AmanAman-ri9kk]

Historic armor Gets sent to nuclear reactor

[@grumpy2606]

What's your point?

[@bloodking73]

@@grumpy2606 its funny

[@gurgy3]

I thought they were going to test it against a blast.

[@grumpy2606]

@@bloodking73 How is it funny?

[@BRDScorpion]

The logic is trough the roof

[@Honsanmai]

Where others would have touched those armor pieces like egg shells, those dudes basically went like "oi mate, want to stick your mug in a piece of history?". I'm somewhere between wincing at the rough handling of it (iron/steel and fingerprints don't go well together) and smiling because of how much fun they have interacting with this armor.

[@carsonaswell2809]

It’s a suit of haphazardly forged armor made out in the boonies. It’ll be fine

[@mikeries8549]

If you would like to gander at ancient antique junk I've got a whole house full but you must handle each piece with gloves like it actually is priceless. Hurry before the fire.

[@chrisalbrecht1297]

Coincidentally i was talking to a new associate yesterday and we were talking about our family history. Her family history was from Daylesford like mine. She claims that her one of her great grandfather's not sure how many generations ago was a blacksmith in Daylesford and his claim to fame was making Ned Kelly's armour in his blacksmith shop in Daylesford. She didn't know how true it is but that's there family story handed down through the generations. So I hope this keeps the mystery alive." SUCH IS LIFE ."

[@chrisalbrecht1297]

@knife I have been doing some research and the family name I was given was one of the names police and historians mention. I'm not willing to give the name as I don't have permission from the person or family members of the person or persons involved. I'm not saying this is factual information just a coincidental conversation I had the day before I saw this clip.

[@scarto3887]

@@chrisalbrecht1297 however you're here noting yourself without being accountable WTF ?

[@chrisalbrecht1297]

@@scarto3887 A bit more cryptic for you mate. His name starts surname starts with a C ends in a h and he was a black Smith in the Beechworth area before moving to Daylesford. He then owned the local gig, then his son became a black Smith also. And he may and I say may. Have taught Ned how to make a Bush forge demonstrated and taught the Ned and the lads how to armour up. Like I said a reputable source. And if you cannot give me a name in the next 48 hours. You are a oxygen theife. No offence but I just gave you the name. Take care. Enjoy some actual research.

[@sheepdog4041]

@@chrisalbrecht1297 You have your bragging rights mixed up with your arse.Don't believe all that you read

[@markfryer9880]

Well my family history has it that my forebear was a blacksmith in Benalla, right next door to the police station. The cops found his maker's mark on some of the armour and accused him of making it. He protested his innocence and other blacksmiths were able to show the police that the armour had not been made over a smithies forge. As my relative no doubt said "Why would I put my mark on something like that and have made it right here next-door to your police station????" No doubt his mark was on one or more of the plow shares used in the armour and had not been damaged by the Kelly Gang when making their armour.

[@sopwithpuppy]

So, I got 23 seconds into this video and was compelled to point out the spelling on the Armoured Van. (ARMERD TRANSPORT). Would you trust your valuables to this company?

[@tracetassie4637]

Lmfao ah must be french😂😂😂😂💀💀💀

[@SirSpinalColumn]

And then proceed to load it into the back of a VT commodore wagon?

[@dmjaxun9848]

@@tracetassie4637 Why would it be in French?

[@tracetassie4637]

@@dmjaxun9848 say armerd in a french accent

[@tracetassie4637]

@@dmjaxun9848 you never seen a christmas story?

[@acronm20]

Deontay wilder’s walkout suit

[@vshv9136]

Till this day

[@Whatmurdaaaaa]

He wouldn't have made out of the locker room

[@boilabum]

Ouch lol. Hope hes got an armor codpiece because that was below the belt! Hehe

[@vshv9136]

More than 40 pounds man

[@MaxUgly]

Nice one

[@athiefinthenight6894]

i remember my primary school teacher saying her grandfather helped made ned kelly's armour. if you are still alive mrs Trafford have a good day

[@athiefinthenight6894]

i think she said a blacksmith melted down old horse shoes and gardening tools to make the armour

[@Blaster-po5ou]

@@athiefinthenight6894 Which is false

[@athiefinthenight6894]

@@Blaster-po5ou stfu you know as much as i do and unless you where there at the time or a qualified scientist with 100% certainty don't correct people with something you are not even sure on

[@gravygames5945]

@@athiefinthenight6894 This is literally a video of scientists saying with 100% certainty that this isnt the case

[@athiefinthenight6894]

@@gravygames5945 this is not ned kelly's armour its joe burn's there is a difference. And Science can be wrong.

[@flashfire2906]

classic youtube, recommending a video years after it was uploaded

[@OswaldBeef]

3:25 it gets pretty hot when I’m in the Bush I tell you. But seriously that’s bushcraft alright

[@dudesweetpro]

How did they find every clueless Australian at that party to comment how the god awful armor was made by an “expert blacksmith” WTF?

[@TheMijman]

It looks like a pile of shite. Needs must sorta way. It's hilarious anyone would think an expert blacsmith would make that Have they ever seen a real suit of armour?

[@marklospoopoo]

The 80's called. It wants its video back.

[@ValdVincent]

Doesn't it being made by a bunch of gangsters make it cooler?

[@reedy_9619]

Still trash

[@reedy_9619]

cdcopper flat earth.. tide pod challenge... sjw... « the moon doesn’t exist » .. « mountains are tree stumps » «magic rocks cure cancer »... Are you really surprised? It’s far from being the most stupid thing i ve heard.

[@roostersbays95]

they wernt gangsters...

[@scrubsrc4084]

Priceless peice of history..... rolling around in the floor of the van

[@shaymcleod5735]

Imagine how proud Ned would have been knowing that his amour is a huge part of our nations history

[@antoniocarniero5138]

Always found it bizarre that the Kelly gang were the only out law gang to make body armor, I mean they still lost in the end but they went down fighting and Ned even survived in it but had his legs shot to hell.

[@shaunprimmer2676]

How did that Commodore make it from glen rowan to Sydney.

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

"It's not often scientists get a chance to take a piece of Australian history into the lab" ... uh, well, yeah that's actually kind of what scientists do ...

[@crwydryny]

well to be fair australia doesn't have a lot of history to take into the lab

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

@@crwydryny I am sure there must be a few bits of history strewn about the place, I understand it's fairly spaceous. And let's not so hastily disregard the untold millenia of aboriginal history either =.O

[@themaskedman221]

@@crwydryny From the pov of an American like me, I'm beginning to wonder what other history Australia has besides this. They've got the Ned Kelly museum, the Ned Kelly restaurant, the Ned Kelly family home historical site, scientific testing on the Ned's armour. Naturally the US has outlaws in its history, but none around whom the entire national narrative gravitates.

[@davidgibbes967]

@@TheWaggishAmerican at least 60,000 years of it, you seppo clown

[@DoctorTooploop]

you managed to tell us absolutely nothing that we didn't already know

[@lauraarcher1730]

I didn’t know!

[@sparks6177]

WHAT?! It was made with metal from the 19th century???!? And it was made by the amateur blacksmith in the Kelly gang?!? the techniques we’ve lost it brings a tear to me eyes. This is a discovery science will speak of for generations to come!

[@chrissoto7187]

$20 it was made in the bush!

[@chrissoto7187]

And I was right I know what a stone anvil mark looks like

[@andrewroy6376]

La dee da. You're so smart. Or skipped ahead. Dumbass

[@bonniemagpie5166]

Ned's descendant, 'Ned's' say is very plausible, that they used a tree trunk for a shapely model. They used to sit around fires, at least one of them had a blacksmith in the family and so lent some skill. T'is finely made: it might be the closest thing you will find of a knights armour here in Australia. Shapely and decorative Kings and Knights armour stayed behind in England and Europe, we don't hear of all that coming to Australia.

[@Free_Krazy]

JS having a party around a suit of armor worn by a murderer and outlaw is a bit unsettling....

[@tinfoilhazmat4539]

@Epoxygleu wait till you here about Australia Day

[@CrusaderSports250]

A huge public display with fires and fireworks in many places and displays in many domestic areas to celebrate the capture and public dismemberment of a man at odds with the system, long live Guy Fawlks night!!!.😀

[@maksimrashkovskiy9187]

Extra Credits: The kelly gang crafted the armor themselves Most people: NO 2015: So we did some tests

[@ironhornforge]

As a blacksmith and without finishing the video yet (paused at 3:29) I highly doubt a blacksmith made it, it looks rushed, hastily made and slapped together. A smith of the time would have been able to make a better set with his eyes closed.

[@ironhornforge]

Boom, I was right.

[@Sekrf]

I'm a smith too, its pretty obvious really. It's interesting, the bending would've been relatively easy at cherry red, but I wonder how much hot cutting they would've had to do. That would've been a right pain in the ass with a cold forge and no power tools...

[@steely10]

The True History of the Ned Kelly Gang movie brought me here. I found this an interesting bit of Australian history.

[@waynearmstrong5233]

Definitely adding to the story!

[@Ryan.90]

Would have pissed myself if half way through someone went, 'hang on a minute, somebody's scratched their name here...'

[@prophez23]

I'm a professional blacksmith and custom knife maker and I could have told them without all the fancy testing that it wasn't done by a blacksmith. If you know how to read steel you can see it. That steel never got forging hot. It was done by inexperienced hands in a hot wood fire.

[@jamestopham7744]

There not plough blades sureley?? Those blades look about 8mm thick

[@xMrjamjam]

Pretty easy for a beginner Smith to make something like this using a basic charcoal forge. Coal forges get way way hotter and yet with charcoal you can melt steel. Its also not hard to silence an anvil so it doesn't ring and damage your hearing you just mount it properly by staking your anvil shaped object or anvil down onto a tree stump, if the anvil doesn't move it won't ring

[@00Discourse00]

As a man in my twenties as well, I've gotta say I'd be absolutely bewildered, slightly amused and very disappointed that such a footnote item in my life had been treated as such a sacred relic by my kin, the kin of my enemies, and even the kin of onlookers for hundreds of years after my (arguably justified) murder. A man with a story, a life and circumstances, a personality and thoughts, reduced to a makeshift piece of repurposed scrap metal. What a tasteless joke.

[@MrLoobu]

Lol that's what I was thinking

[@harmonic5107]

"No one knows just how it was made" Presumably a hammer?

[@gwolf6975]

Beating plow shares into suits of armor. Wild.

[@joem21292]

You can't just stick an object on a stand and say to people look at it LMFAO someone has never been to a museum before 😂😂😂

[@DeadKennedys-eo1oo]

The Symbol of bravery,mateship and freedom.

[@bradwilliams7212]

Ned Kelly gave up his mate Harry Power and arranged the murder of Aaron Sherritt, another mate. You are delusional.

[@MD-kz9mi]

​@@bradwilliams7212Thank you. These people are nuts.

[@romainvicta3076]

i could tell just from the quality that it wasnt a blacksmith; this is near the turn of the century any established blacksmith would not let shoddy work like that leave shop

[@subatomic10]

All these experts should try doing this in the same settings as they did . And only Blacksmiths under 25 years of age

[@bucc5207]

Gotta love Stevo, dropping trou for the camera to honour the Kelly gang. That's pretty Aussie.

[@SuperMadmadman]

I can only guess the depth of streaming hours I must have sunk to in order to pop this on my recommended in 2020...

[@luke-xz1gb]

i loved watching this. really interesting !

[@garybaker6067]

"Joe Byrne built this in the bush from scrap!" "I'm sorry. I'm not Joe Byrne."

[@sanalexgamingtr3881]

they say that It's not possible to heat the iron to yellow color (1000°C) In a bushforge. But I saw a guy who actually made a forge in the bushes without any modern tools and made his own iron tools in it. I also saw the iron was yellow when he did it.

[@Wraithsong]

i HIGHLY doubt that was made by a blacksmith. second month apprentice....MAYBE. there is no sign that whoever did the hammering had ever done anything but bend nails before. :) really grateful that there are folks out there in the world willing to let people get that close to history! cheers

[@hilossrt4]

Fact: anyone who can heat metal and work it into anything functional can call themselves a blacksmith. Thus, it was made by a blacksmith.

[@thetruthexperiment]

I’m not Australian, this is the first time I’ve heard of this, but one look at that and no self respecting professional would have made something that crude looking. As a symbol of national pride I can see how some would glorify it in their minds but that is not made by a blacksmith. One look. Black smiths have lots of skills. And yes, you can make a forge in the bush. No nobody heated it over a “bush fire”. People in those days had to know a lot of things to be able to survive. Every farmer knew a little bit about everything. Most definitely the basics of metal work. Any farmer in those days knew how to do everything. Poor farmers couldn’t afford contractors. They did everything themselves.

[@_SamDoesStuff_]

American here, no idea what this armor's cultural relevance is, but I am your average armor loving American, so I must learn more about it now that KZbin recommend this video 5 years later.

[@notmenotme614]

“I dedicated my right leg to the gang” If you didn’t know the context, someone hearing that would have thought that he had his leg cut off.

[@jordanoneill82]

one of my closest friends is descendant from joe byrne. so awesome that he wore iconic armour too

[@ionceateapinecone]

*Australians:* nah, yeah, look at the craftsmanship! it had t'be a blacksmith, mate! *literally everyone else:* areyousureaboutthat_cena.png

[@AdamAdamHDL]

How was it made? Looks impossible to reverse engineer. I mean, what's it even made of? How is it joined together? It's a mystery.

[@Raphtalia.Everyone]

Also in 1898 in Fort Mercer at state of New Austin United States 4 people raided the fort accupied by a gang who was hooled up there by the marshals. Thees 4 people wore the armour and killed em all in there.

[@loretta_3843]

The fact that the identity of any blacksmith or place of work has remained so unknown made me think it was more likely an amateur job.

[@TheDevilockedzombie]

It would be a lot cooler if Australia actually existed and these werent paid actors.

[@TitanTubs]

It's even more legendary now

[@chaos_omega]

I can see why people would think it was made by a blacksmith... The visors for the helmets look pretty good, for example. Turns out it's just a fairly impressive feat for some non-blacksmiths!

[@ferocessimia3641]

Everybody’s gangsta till people start aiming for the legs.

[@Capthrax1]

so a 'bush fire' with a good ember base and a hollow tube to interduce air to the coals riases the temp very quickly and yeah

[@cmacdhon]

Just before Ned Kelly's capture, he was known to have said "Alright, We'll call it a draw."

[@edwardvermillion8807]

i don't think a professional blacksmith would have had frankenstein bolts holding it together.

[@mfhoss9570]

the og madlad

[@bhaddock9277]

Genuinely interesting, thanks

[@jolla9963]

There is nothing to say it wasn't made by a blacksmith, but it was not made in a Smith's forge, that be forged out bush by 1 Smith and 4 men with hammers and /or axes, and bend over a log. Somewhere in the Victorian bush is a whole in the ground with an amazing story to tell..

[@Joe005]

“This wasn’t professionally made if I say so myself. I can do a better job than that… *scoff*” Yes sorry, I didn’t realise the Kelly gang, being highly wanted outlaws and all, could’ve just walked into a professional blacksmith workstation and be like “we’re on the run but it’s ok we’re allowed to have a break. do you mind making full custom made suits? We want them to be professional and practical”

[@phillipsmith6756]

fascinating difference between the historians of the Victoria State Library, constantly dusting and only ever handling Ned's armour in gloves - padding under the tilt visor etc... and just handing it round. The 'owner' (and I'm curious about how these things are sold around) obviously has it secured, but not worried about preserving it: more like a souvenir than a piece of national heritage?

[@mickr12345]

Give it to myth busters. Would have been better.

[@CK-xe4hy]

"YOU'RE BLOODY BULLETPROOF BOYS!"

[@noelhutchins7366]

TrollHunter was a good movie, but this armor is the inspiration for the prop suit featured with a "Red Button".

[@johnburgess9185]

I live in ireland near to fethard in tiperary and we have a show every year about him

[@jublywubly]

I managed to heat a metal fire poker to white hot, in a domestic pot belly stove. I'm certain people could easily achieve similar results using rocks to create a forge. If there's any granite around the area, there would likely be flat sheets available, too.

[@samiamm5764]

5:51 is that a Pontiac Oldsmobile station wagon or what tf is that?!?

[@lib556]

I recall reading years ago that the police were using Martini-Henry rifles on the Kelly gang. Any bullet hitting that armour is going to ring your bell. But, a .577 calibre, 480 grain bullet travelling 1,300 ft/sec... ouch!

[@phoenixmodellingphotography]

Not surprisingly, Ned's face was swollen black and blue by the time they lifted his helmet off after apprehending him

[@pickledone9698]

Confirmed what I always believed as fact that Ned and his gang made the suits themselves. Not putting the Blacksmith sympathiser of Glenrowan at risk of persecution by the constabulary.

[@Anthanos89]

I wonder how it would stack up to a modern 30-06 rather than the lever actions back then. I suspect it may have stopped the bullet from exiting the body on the other side..

[@aaronmcgoldrick2439]

The British program "Time Team" fired modern rifles and projectiles from a 300 Win Mag and it punched through the similiar steel plate used in the demo. I would bet a 30-06 with 150-180 grain soft points would punch through. The kinetc energy would heat up the lead and melt through the metal. After all the WW1 Germans used the same principle by shooting reversed projectile at British tanks.

[@mondomacabromajor5731]

JJ Kenneally was told that the suits were built in the bush by Tom Lloyd jnr and Dan Kelly.

[@Firefox1189]

This entire time, I'm saying to myself "IT'S SHEET METAL! IT'S NOT THAT HARD TO SHAPE IT!"

[@dustinhaus1165]

It is not hard to make a forge, billows, containment. The magic of the neolithic

[@justinr9784]

Did they wear coats over the armour or just the armour itself?

[@DNADirekt]

To find out take a shank of old similar metal and give it a bush job. 750 C° cherry-red is still hot. It all comes down to tools and materials. How to get plating, an ambos, pliers, hammer, a drill, screw, rivet, riveting hammer, splitting wedge, saw, vise, files when you are on the run? You will get it on a station. Someone gave them a hand I think.

[@justaghostno.2234]

You reckon that would have really stopped a bullet back then?

[@constant3273]

maybe if its hit at an angle

[@heimdall7098]

ned kellys armor reportedly had 18 bullet holes in it so yeh i reckon it could have stopped a bullet

[@justaghostno.2234]

ChiefGuacamole holes or dents? Coz if it was jokes then his body probably stopped the bullet ha ha.

[@WhatIsSanity]

@@heimdall7098 Hahahah! Bullet holes means the bullets went through. To be more precise I reckon 2cm of (lightly) forged steel/iron that one would find on the breastplate could definitely stop a black powder musket ball, especially from a pistol or revolver paper cartridge. However on the helmets neck guard you can clearly see a musket ball went straight through the steel and that was the shot that killed Byrne I believe. 0:44 Modern cartridges would plough through it no problem. I wouldn't wear steel like that in a firefight today, I would rather take it off and run. Armour stopped being effective and reliable protection against firearms 600 years ago, until kevlar and modern steel forging from the late 20th century. That said even the strongest modern armour cannot stop purpose built armour piercing ammunition today.

[@theimmortal4718]

It could stop 19th century handgun bullets, no problem

[@mikeoz4803]

Police today are almost as brutal & corrupt as in Ned's day (who will ever forget Melbourne lockdowns. Old lady bashed to ground & pepper sprayed, pregnant woman in pyjamas arrested in home etc) Image back in the 1870s when the law WAS the big landowners who had the police & judges in their pockets. A poor man had no chance. Ned was a product of this & his hatred of the 'traps' grew with every outrage. The fact is a Royal Commission into the 'affair' was conducted in early 1881 & resulted in the sacking of two police Superintendents, a police inspector being retired & several other officers reduced in rank. The charge of attempted murder of constable Fitzpatrick by Ned & his brother Dan was found to be false. Fitzpatrick was later dismissed from the police force on several counts & that he 'could not be trusted out of sight & never did his duty'. The police in the bush were notorious for corruption & lagging innocent men for monetary reward from rich land owners who lost livestock. Any man would do so long as the police got their reward. Many innocent people spent years locked up in hell holes while the police conducted themselves like tyrants - which was also raised in the Royal Commission & was one of Ned's grievances. Just look at the police shooting peaceful innocent protesters in Victoria recently & the brutal way they conducted themselves. Nothing has changed in Victoria. I had the privilege of speaking with Ern Straughair from Benalla in 1991. This man knew Jim Kelly, Ned's brother. He told me that during the police stakeout on the Kelly homestead, Kate Kelly was raped by the police when she went for a horse ride. She was 15. She went to Melbourne for a 'holiday' (abortion) & at 35, committed suicide due to the trauma. Show less

[@ozzybwild]

I thought SwaggerSouls was from America and not from Australia?! My world just shooketh..

[@dhss333]

Ned also wore armour.