How to Make Armor with Ordinary Tools - Pauldron

GET THE TEMPLATE at armortemplates.com/
#armor
#armortemplates
#davidjguyton
In this tutorial I show you how to make a Pauldron (shoulder armor). This is made from 16 gauge steel, but you can also make it from other materials such as Eva Foam, plastic or fiberglass. Whether you are new to metalworking, going to a comic con to show off your awesome cosplay costume, or just want the best Halloween costume ever, this video is for you!
This armoring process is inexpensive and fairly easy to do. I only use common, ordinary tools that you likely have in your garage already. So grab your hammers and let's get started!

[@jamesgreen5298]

Seeing your skull and wing motif.. my first thought of how to use this item... a Warhammer 40k Inquisitor costume.

[@DavidGuyton]

+James Green I think you're REALLY going to like my next tutorial!

[@jamesgreen5298]

Awesome. I'll take a look.

[@Godspeedmyfriends]

You have no idea how hard it is to find good shoulder armour templates, thank you 🙏

[@epicengies4342]

you're an artist my friend. what you're doing is shaping metal into something functional and beautiful.

[@tigertoxins584]

mh, you can't really call it functional, its more cosplay than anything. I don't doubt the metal can stand to a good blow but it looks too tight to actually move around in reasonably. You can't even lift your arms over your head.

[@iche9373]

It’s called Handcraft, not art.

[@bethgrinnell1164]

You are one of the last true artists. Always take pride in your craft.

[@DavidGuyton]

why thank you Bethy!

[@Melodic_Analysis]

Thank you for providing us the ability to purchase these templates. When money comes my way I look forward into picking up this hobby.

[@SuperLAFWorld]

Fantastic piece you've made. I hope you'll continue to build armor until at least the point of a full (or partial) suit of armor, something you might see in Spartacus or any Medieval/Fantasy setting. I'm currently building my 2nd and 3rd gauntlet (the first being a prototype) and am sure to continue working with your tutorials and possibly expanding out from there with custom designs. Keep up the good work, Sir Guyton!

[@christophersmeader5006]

Just bought a few templates, going to save me a ton of work judging size of the pieces. templates look good, and a fair price. Thank you , and keep up the good work.

[@DavidGuyton]

Thank you, sir! Post some pics of your progress on the Armor Templates Facebook page so we can all see!

[@Damonpuss]

Amazing! No welding... just a hammer and a few bits... I'm so inspired!

[@halkeye20]

these video's have helped so much with my post apocalyptic armor made from old discarded signs. keep them coming.

[@its_samlpz]

bet that looks amazing

[@baltsosser]

I've learned from watching your videos. I needed thicker stock than what was available for a motorcycle project. We would up drilling and riveting the pieces together to make it the thickness we needed. A little hammer work and some grinder work and it fit in just fine. Your videos motivated me to try that method and they are held together very well. Thank you. Now for some armor fun...

[@DavidGuyton]

Awesome I love hearing stuff like this!

[@metalmayhem4365]

Fantastic video very informative you explain your techniques well I've been thinking about doing something like this for a while this video has great giving me great confidence that I can do it... once I started watching the video I could not stop thanks

[@OblivonKnight]

I will buy this template. Very nice work! keep up the great vids!! Cant wait for the next one!

[@americanvirtues]

Thanks so much for doing this for the community, glad I found it on here!

[@DavidGuyton]

+Stephen Boggs (Belgrim Shadowheart) and thank YOU for checking out the video!

[@brendancurrey2358]

I'm a huge fan of your work. I'm starting to get a forge organised and tools needed for both armor and weapon smithing, I cant wait until I can start working some metal ;). Keep up the imaculate work.

[@DavidGuyton]

awesome! Make sure to keep me posted on your projects!

[@kaedebe]

U re just great man. U wake a child's dream up from my past. Thanks for showing the path !

[@stormwing2614]

sir you rock... this shoulder guard is just awesome.

[@T3hJones]

Wow you are a master. So simple tools and smart tricks.

[@mowerbro965]

Fantastic pice! The skull and wings give a wonderfully intimating feel!

[@Steve-ps6qw]

freaking incredible!!! and the music makes the video that much more inspiring.

[@MrHatetheplayer]

i'd love to see that paired with your badass skull helm. out of control

[@ChofniKnol]

Man your tutorials are very helpful, not only to people who love making armor in real life. But also those like me, who take the commentary and apply it in 3d. Right now I'm working on human based armor and this will come in very handy when rigging them. PS the shoulders are just awful to make, always something incorrect lol.

[@JspidermanP]

No doubt. Seeing armor built from the ground up makes creating it in 3d so much easier and just makes so much more sense.

[@ChofniKnol]

Justin Parker indeed it does help, when you see how it works in real life.

[@sometreeguy2450]

Is your end goal to have a full suit of armour? love your work and can't get over how amazing it looks. Can't wait for the next video!

[@DavidGuyton]

The song in this video, "Calm Amid the Raging Waters" is now available at armortemplates.com/

[@user-zt9pq9ez6d]

whether it is possible to turn to you for advice? if so then where you would like to communicate?

[@DavidGuyton]

Sure. You can communicate here or through the Armor Templates Facebook page. That's the easiest way to reach me.

[@Chiefpilot414]

really awesome man!

[@Odelle5]

This music rules. I love your videos!

[@nicholashamblen1574]

This is incredible! Thanks man!

[@nicholashamblen1574]

But as an idea, could you make the elbow pieces (sorry I don't know what they're called) so that I could have a complete arm?

[@norchaaa]

the music?

[@CaptainDestructo82]

That's awesome. You've made some very nice armor there sir. I've not made any myself besides the chainmail that's still in progress. I've got one of your gauntlet templates and hope to get working on it soon. One idea for doing the dishing, which may or may not work. A blacksmiths rounding hammer. They have a nice rounded face, not as much as say a ball peen, but may help by not putting all the dings that need to be planished later. Just a theory. Thanks for the great videos and I look forward to the next.

[@user-xc8bo8ho4c]

Wow this is gorgeous! I want my brother to learn how to do this.

[@kalzii]

This is awesome!!! Every piece of armour that you make deserves to be shown in a movie. Keep going!

[@ericferguson9989]

I saw a skid plate or heat cover for a muffler at the side of the road and thought "that would make a neat helmet if it were rounded out to fit one's head." I did some searching on KZbin and found your videos. I'm now looking around for a good log to make a dishing stump.

[@LuisRdzG10]

This is great!

[@lionkelly8633]

Wow thank you, your videos are inspiring.

[@Radomid]

A helmet I'd recommend is a frogmouth helmet for your next build. Very cool and different from the modern helmet. Keep up the great work!

[@LeonardoVizeu]

such a great work man, i cannot wait to do mine.

[@DavidGuyton]

make sure to keep me posted on your build!

[@LeonardoVizeu]

of course i will man, i love your job, so unique.

[@buddykane22]

Good costume work, nice copper rivets- I suggest using brass for better lasting results and a more durable finish (better for more movement capabilities at the downside of being very slightly more expensive)

[@marcorodrigues5492]

Hello David, first this is a amazing piece, I highly respect your work. I was wondering if you at any point are planning to make a video for how to make the edge of cut steel smooth? If not, could you give a aspiring diy armourer some tips on it? Thanks in advance, -Marco.

[@mercenarymike1397]

When rolling an edge, I used a piece of wire, like 12 or 14 gauge, which adds strength to the rolled edge

[@hypermecha3040]

Huh?

[@ronnewton606]

all your videos are great, not sure ill be making much armour but watching the process is great and inspiring. one of the big things i noticed is you use of minimal expensive tools. thanks

[@cohenmarlow3283]

Very good, sir.

[@Fluff_Panda]

Watched 35 seconds into the vid and already subbed

[@ASpecialKindOfMan]

i find it so amazing that you share the templates. i am going to try to make one

[@sergeybubley7928]

good job man!

[@DavidGuyton]

This piece of armor is for sale on ebay! Visit the lisitng here: www.ebay.com/itm/Handmade-Pauldron-shoulder-armor-REAL-STEEL-Video-in-listing-/131468116706?

[@shardliveactionroleplaying1113]

David Guyton "That skull--so awesome" lol agreed!

[@GldnMnky]

+Shard Live Action Roleplaying It made me think of Warhammer.

[@MCbadass7]

+David Guyton Where do you get your steel? The thickest metal I can find in Home Depot is 22gauge

[@DavidGuyton]

Lowes often has a better selection than HD. But if all else fails, try Ebay

[@MCbadass7]

David Guyton I haven't tried Lowes. I didn't know they sell sheet metal. I'll try it, thanks!

[@realnickmasters]

I think this one is my favorite too

[@christopherpaulo6818]

Amazing, I would love to buy a whole set. As long as it was customs to my body shape, waist size, wieght, hight would be given.

[@anthonykuhn7027]

David you need to do a showcase video wearing all of your pieces you NEED TO

[@noble1618]

Very nice.

[@sammygarcia6968]

That's awesome...👍👍

[@unusuariocualquiera5422]

Men i justo alredy discover your channel and i love it i always want to do armors you son a new sub

[@Snowmanbutternips]

THANK YOU!

[@sebbychou]

Very impressive

[@laimonassileika2285]

can you do a tutorial for front and back armour plates in the save style as this and the gauntlets+ bracers?

[@metalistikart]

Nice work love it being a artist my self nice work

[@NeoIsrafil]

Hey, thanks for the design, a pair of these (without the extra brass flair, dont wanna give my opponents a pretty target to destroy) will soon be seeing combat on the fields of the Adrian Empire. Also I'll be building the finger gauntlet mk2 as well once there is enough spare metal/money. Well worth your asking price for the plans.

[@DavidGuyton]

Awesome! Glad you like the designs and please post some pics on the Armor Templates Facebook page when you can

[@NeoIsrafil]

David Guyton once they're done and mated up with the rest of my Armor sure!

[@stefanomorandi7150]

dude, that metal work is really beautiful... im planning to make a gladiator cosplay (if i get buff enough eheh) and this will definitely help me if i do SUBSCRIBED!

[@halkeye20]

not all gladiators were buff. just the ones who survived. lol

[@lioncantpullout.3939]

Most gladiators were actually chubby, so you know, one cut wouldnt severe an artery.

[@stefanomorandi7150]

true! they were basically strongmen-like (and not lean bodybuilder-like) always on a bulk-diet, so lot of muscles covered by a nice fat layer for protection

[@lioncantpullout.3939]

Funny how our culture really seems to hate fat, when it really has some useful qualities

[@DavidGuyton]

Might be selling this piece of armor. What would you say it's worth?

[@skullkid99999]

i would suggest a bidding war.starting at just enough to cover your costs which im guessing is around 150-200$ mark

[@honda24169]

David Guyton I like this piece.. Very nice.. Slowly getting the tools needed to make some of these awesome pieces you have made. I have to agree with Ventius Alabaster, have a bidding..

[@noisybandit5180]

I would sell the shoulder for $350 maybe $500 for set of 2

[@DavidGuyton]

it's on ebay right now. So far bidding is at $149

[@peterlustig8021]

David Guyton it would be awesome if you couldn put up a picture of tools that you are using for the build at the start of the video :) i never know what the people are using and i think thats something that interest more than only me. gread video tho!

[@Schadar.]

Красавчик!Хорошая работа!

[@homemadedisaster1288]

Could you please do a tutorial on how to make a dishing stump. Or planishing stake.

[@DavidGuyton]

+Homemadedisaster 12 yes I will do one, but you can see the basic idea in this video. Just get a log and sand id down with a grinder some, or you can just beat on it until it begins to dish a little bit

[@Brunokratos]

awesome !

[@MaxTheGamingMan]

I first thought it was just a CGI clickbait. Now I'm more than glad it wasn0t the case XD good job!

[@DavidGuyton]

nope! All my armor is the real deal!

[@MaxTheGamingMan]

it's good to know, everything looks amazing!

[@dragongeek8676]

this is so useful. i have never worked with metal before but I am planing on working with it soon to make a cosplay for an anime convention. so if you have any tips I would love some because this just looks like so much fun to do.

[@DavidGuyton]

well, my tip is to not be afraid of metal. It's a lot more forgiving than people realize before they start using it. Also be sure to check out all my other tutorials....I have loads and loads of info in them on how to do this stuff.

[@LemonChieff]

Dang you're skilled :o

[@lawrencef9943]

Will this add +10 holy damage when you wear it?

[@uwutwtlwlowoqwqvwv2876]

Lawrence F no It will add 50 holy and combined with a leather greatcoat you also get 60 demon banishing

[@richardstylez1950]

It adds +10 virginity

[@Sigmar_Heldenhammer]

+10 intelligence +15 strength -6 dexterity and adds the effect “They Shall Know no Fear”

[@skylerhall1537]

Hi! I'm thinking of making matchin suits for my bf and I, any recommendations/tips for a beginning metal worker?

[@OrionsAnvil]

Great tutorial. My son and I are really interested getting into the armor side of smithing. I was thinking about getting him a pneumatic planishing hammer for Christmas. But I think we'll check out the rest of your videos first to get a better idea of what it actually needed. I wonder if a basic hammer set that you see for car body work would be a good starting point? Thanks for the tutorial.

[@DavidGuyton]

+OrionsAnvil Well I try to do this stuff keeping in mind that the people watching these tutorials don't have expensive tools. I try to keep things as simple as I can (even though I want to use more complicated tools myself) The pneumatic planishing hammer will make things WAY easier for you and your son, but a couple of decent hammers will get the job done too. Keep in mind that you would need a heavier, rounded hammer for the initial banging, and a nice, flat "body" hammer for the smoothing. If you haven't already, check out my video on DIY Armoring Tools.

[@OrionsAnvil]

David Guyton thanks a lot for the reply, I'll check out the other vids.

[@0126jet]

Holy cow man this is so freaken cool. I hope I can buy this stuff?

[@ricardoacostatorres1350]

Amai amai very good zenne

[@macro3751]

that is so cool

[@CertifiedSunset]

I subscribbled!

[@MsPatriciadelaGarza]

This is incredible! I cant commit to metal and these tools. Do you think I can use your template with a heavy vinyl/pleather material and grommets and spray paint silver?

[@DavidGuyton]

many people have used these templates to make armor from leather, plastic, and foam. While it can be done, I have no experience in those materials so I can't do much to help you along the way

[@Carlzday]

omg this IS exactly what i've been looking for ... a DIY that uses ol' school tools... thank you, thank you, thank you... thanks for the links to the patterns as well you're awesome ..... > ps. great job can't wait to start this project.....

[@DavidGuyton]

+Carlzday haha awesome! Glad you liked the video!

[@carlosfondelo7040]

muito bom parabens...

[@xalacai2140]

This was sold for only 172$? D: ppl these days just don't know what a handmade piece like this really is worth.. 500$ would have been an adequate price. gj on this amazing piece of armor

[@DavidGuyton]

Xala Cai Thank you. I wish it fetch a bit more money, but oh well. I figured $300 was reasonable. Ho hum

[@thorgarwulfson9269]

+Xala Cai their are a lot of armor smiths out there that make heavier gauge armor for combat purposes, i think it was fairly priced, though id not want to take it into a fight, its too nice to mess up lol.

[@tylerholtz7802]

+Joeseph Hays hey would 16 gauge be one of those higher gauges? just asking.

[@thorgarwulfson9269]

yeah 16 is thicker than 18 or 20 of course, but its also the minimum allowed thickness for SCA armor.

[@tylerholtz7802]

Ok thanks

[@brycemintie1781]

Just bought this template.

[@madechoo]

Excelente!!!!!!!!!

[@emiliosene]

awesome

[@MrBeardedgelfling]

How far can you lift your arm up? It looks like it doesn't flex very well if you wanted to raise your arm above your head for example.

[@berner]

Would rolling the edge prior to bending make the project more difficult, easier or would it be negligent?

[@light-sg1413]

like your work and lot of good info I love to see final fantasy cloud armour

[@amoon865]

+David Guyton I have access to a variety of welding processes at my school and wanted to go that route with your templates. I think the riveted look is great, but would you recommend binding it all with tig or mig welding?

[@DavidGuyton]

+1 2 I have only ever used MIG, so I can't speak for TIG. MIG works fine for me but be careful if you are using thinner metal because it's easy to burn through. 18ga or 16ga shouldn't give you much trouble.

[@warlord5295]

I know this is not armor meant for combat just for a costume but if you want it to be combat ready you want to heat it when forging because hammering cold metal can actually cause cracks if your not careful also the material needs to be at least 2 millimeters thick you don't need much metal to have it combat ready and also heat treat it so when it's hit with a sword it won't get deep dents and so you won't get hurt first heat treat step is to normalize it basically heat it up to about a bright orange color and let it air cool this will reduce any stresses after forging do this a few times then heat it to a dark orange color then quench it in warm oil not water then once it's done cooling in the oil wipe off the oil with a towel then heat the metal to wear it's not glowing hot but hot enough for it to change to a straw color this process will make the metal spring steel making it strong flexible and when it's hit it will come back to its true shape.

[@warlord5295]

+Bryce Corbin never forget about tempering and normalizing it a quench alone is very brittle.

[@warlord5295]

+Bryce Corbin I know you already explained that I meant if it was carbon or spring steel.

[@ragilalhaddad2658]

Amazing...

[@ryanmcewen415]

might i suggest that instead of using a flap disc to remove the imperfections in the metal you plannish more and use a fine grit sand paper and a palm sander.. you dont want to take too much material off the paultron otherwise you weaken the armor. thats fine for Cosplay. but if any SCA or other reenactments use this as a guide they will be weakening their armor too much. also it looks like a touch more dishing on the main paultron might help close the articulation gap on the top.

[@dragonfire810]

Can you teach me how to make a Warlord claw gauntlets ?

[@Z0mbeSlayer]

I need this to wear on my motorcycle.

[@phantomwraith7289]

well done mate will pop over to your facebook page

[@tasatort9778]

Would love to have these pieces made from something like 14 ga. mild steel.

[@ericwilliams7374]

What type of metal would one use to make "working armor"???

[@adamwilliams1192]

Worth the subscription, pretty impressive. what kind of metals are you using for the plates? just want to know if it's just for costume or if you make them strong for kicks.

[@DavidGuyton]

+Adam Williams they aren't heat treated or anything, but they will hold up to average abuse. more of a costume/hobby thing though

[@adamwilliams1192]

At any rate, it's nice to see some awesome looking armor being made, keep it up man!

[@matthewmayhem1463]

The lighting an finish make the finished part look CGI

[@TheHonestJoey]

AWESOME AMOUR AND AWESOME MUSIC to go along with it if their was a double like i soo would

[@JazDSpaz]

Do you plan on make a full arm piece. Pauldrons, vambrace/gauntlet all together? I'm thinking of doing one for a costume but have no idea how I'd connect the two.

[@DavidGuyton]

+Jared Austin I probably won't, but it would be fairly easy to connect the pieces using leather straps. You would have to rework the pauldron part for the upper arm area to cover more of your arm, but that should be pretty simple and you wouldn't need one of my templates to make that yourself.

[@sandmurais]

Where do you go to get your metal? Just trying to get the best price for what I buy. Thanks! And btw amazing job on the pauldrons!

[@DavidGuyton]

Thank you! I just look on ebay to find what I need as far as metal goes

[@cadu1990]

Amazing work as always. Curiosity, how long you took to make it?

[@DavidGuyton]

Design took a few weeks, but fabrication was about 3 or 4 days

[@sunstudios98]

Hey man, I love your videos, I made your grieves and cuisse and it looks awesome for my first build! But I have a question if you can help me out with it; So while cutting out the metal for the grieves and cuisse, I noticed with using tin snips, it hard to get the snips down the middle of a piece of metal because of the snips hitting the sides of what it's cutting into. So, I had to cut pieces of metal out of the sheet to get the good curves and lines i needed, well, in some parts, the metal came out bent, and not so straight, and it was hard to get the edges straight. Could you explain how you use the snips or cut the metal to get perfect curves and lines?

[@DavidGuyton]

Well, you are going to run into issues like that cutting by hand. I usually just cut a little outside of the lines and then use a grinder (sometimes a file) to shape the part perfectly. Afterwards you can use a flat surface (like an anvil, etc) to hammer the metal flat and perfect again. If you are serious about metalworking, I strongly suggest getting a throatless shear. It mounts to the bench and it makes cutting a LOT easier. It still won't give you perfect cuts because it's hard to control the machine, but it makes it 100x easier on your hands, and it's about 20x faster too.

[@jamboy9268]

your work is so inspiring. what do you cut the 18 guage mild steel with

[@DavidGuyton]

Jam Boy this was too thick to cut comfortably with snips. I had to use a handheld grinder with a cutting wheel on it to cut out the basic shapes. Then I used the bench grinder and files to get the parts shaped properly.

[@johncannon3593]

Do you coat your rivets with anything when done to keep them from tarnishing/corroding quickly? I am planning to use brass because it tarnishes more slowly than copper, in my limited experience. Or do you just let it build a patina and go with it?

[@DavidGuyton]

honestly if you are not exposing the metal to the elements, you won't see a real patina likely for a decade or more. If you are worried about it, you can wipe the piece down with olive oil, or WD-40, and then wipe it all off. What remains on the surface will protect the metal. Repeat this every 6-12 months. You can also offer the metal some protection by adding a faux patina with black oil paint like you see me do in many of my videos.

[@dryzix]

this is fucking awesome, you sir, just earned an instant subscribe.

[@DavidGuyton]

+noiwont youcantmakeme haha well thank you! Glad you liked the video

[@asmodeus1552]

hi, i have a question... which material did u use for that?? i didnt understend very well by the video (i'm italian)