Making a Center-hinge Bascinet

[@LivingManuscript]

Compare this to my first helmet I made five years ago (warning, it's loud and not very well done) :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/anK7eYyeiMScitk

[@saamkapadia]

This man spent hours and hours making an amazing helmet... for his friend.... Thou art a true bro my good sir!

[@LivingManuscript]

To be fair, he did pay me :p

[@saamkapadia]

@@LivingManuscript still Thou art a payed bro!

[@ericwalter651]

It's good to see you back. I missed your videos you kind of inspired me to start getting into making plate armor and I'm pretty good now (I think) so thanks and good to see an upload.

[@LivingManuscript]

That's really good to hear! It makes me very happy that I can inspire someone :)

[@kippitheclone3078]

To make sanding a little easier I like to use an orbital sander up to about 240grit. It leaves an increadible finish and doesn't take too long. Just remember to of course work yourself up the grits, like 80->120->240grit Keep up the good work man! :)

[@holoboy8133]

incredible, as a hobbyist blacksmith i am envious of your skills

[@felix.der.ritter]

I always come back here, to watch you crafting. ♥

[@NesRuA]

Wow, you can really tell how you’ve improved over the years. This is some great craftsmanship. Congratz.

[@calshistoryreenactment3494]

Apsolutely wonderful as always, it is amazing to see what improvements can be made with experience in what feels to be such little time. Also I extend my completments to your dress, very sharp and proper.

[@LivingManuscript]

Thank you very much! Returning to a type of armor which I had tried years ago is a very interesting experience, hopefully I'll be able to do that more in the future. I'm glad you brought up my attire, I initially recorded with a T-shirt but that just didn't feel right haha

[@PopulaUrbanum]

The fact you appear to eyeball you original pattern is impressive. When I used to armour, I would spend about a day prototyping my pattern before cutting. Well done!

[@PopulaUrbanum]

Also let's hear it for blazers!

[@LivingManuscript]

I've just discovered the value of blazers and I'm already a big fan! Honestly, perhaps I should be spending a little more time on my patterns, I think it might help the end result be better or at least more efficient.

[@andreaschulze3472]

I got so calm watching you work. It's really satisfying to see how it all turns out. And of course it's such a great and time consuming work. Fantastic!!

[@LivingManuscript]

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoy it :)

[@albvscommesincastello6346]

No way! Finally a video from you... what a nice beggining of the weekend. Thanks John

[@LivingManuscript]

You're very welcome! Have a great weekend :)

[@albvscommesincastello6346]

@@LivingManuscript You Too!!

[@LivingManuscript]

@@albvscommesincastello6346 Thanks!

[@ef.9095]

that helmet is awesome! it's been really cool to see how your skills have improved over the time you've had this channel. i'm working on a kit circa 1337-1346 and your videos have helped immensely.

[@LivingManuscript]

Thanks! I still have a lot to learn but I've come a long way and I'm very happy with my progress as an armorer :) . I'm glad that I could be helpful! Armor from the 30s and 40s is really cool! My next harness may be one based on stuff from that time :)

[@nuuskye]

That's a nice looking lid!

[@cameronalexander5195]

you have no idea how excited i was to see this and realize what im doing wrong with my own bascinet

[@LivingManuscript]

Good timing! Glad it was exciting :)

[@latteguy0345]

This is a (big) smile on my face! You know it's a good day when living manuscript uploads a video:) pretty helpful that you made a bascinet actually, I'm still working on a pattern for it but I guess I'll just cut it out and try. What things should I keep in mind when making a bascinet? My plan is for it to be a late 14th century bascinet with a hounskull visor.

[@LivingManuscript]

Great timing! In cases like this where there is a lot of shaping, a pattern can only get you so far, since it can't be shaped in the same way that steel can. As is the case for many helmets, I've found that the tops of the helmet end up being broader than I expect. That is, not that they're flat, but simply because of the way the head is shaped, if the helmet it too pointed it may end up being too tall. The nice thing about steel is that you can reshape and bend and grind and weld quite a lot, so if you mess up there's usually a way to fix the problem or make it less bad. If nothing else, it can always be recycled into another piece of armor :)

[@latteguy0345]

@@LivingManuscript Yes those are some good points! I have now made the first half and im gonna work on the other half today, it resulted in a very good shape. Tho the top point got a bit too tall for my liking but Its not too inaccurate if i compare it to other historical survivals. You might have seen it on my copycat instagram xD. Ill finish this and then trim the pattern for next time i use it.

[@LivingManuscript]

@@latteguy0345 Good to hear! Sounds like great progress :)

[@deepseaknight416]

Yes! A new video. Nice work dude

[@briarconner5765]

Just found your videos while researching for a first build of my own! Greatly enjoying the work.

[@LivingManuscript]

I'm glad you like it! What are you building?

[@briarconner5765]

Living Manuscript I was actually browsing KZbin looking for some different helmet styles to choose from when I found your channel. All I currently have worked out is a two half dome styled helmet similar to something that Vikings wore, but I’d like to add more steel down and around the head!

[@LivingManuscript]

@@briarconner5765 That would be very cool! Good luck on your project :)

[@jormundgarner]

Great seeing you again.

[@slumb3rg72]

dude! i know its late to say but u inspire me so much! ur so talented armor maker and u make so good videos. seeing u build protective armor whit handtools that i got is so inspiering :D keep up the great contet ur making! il stay as a subscriber as long as i can ;D

[@LivingManuscript]

Thank you very much! I'm glad that you like what I make and that I can be an inspiration :)

[@konaonpalannut9723]

Do you have any temlates for this helmet or do you know where i can find good bascinet templates?

[@calvinhuddleston576]

Armourarchives

[@ohividy2093]

I can never seem to get the helmet halves domed properly, any tips?

[@TheRegulated]

Very clever hammering technique

[@LivingManuscript]

I learned it from watching Armourysmith :)

[@TheRegulated]

@@LivingManuscript physics is your friend when doing things like this. As I'm sure you know

[@LivingManuscript]

@@TheRegulated Absolutely! The things that can be learned from armoring are very interesting and seemingly neverending

[@gunnerdavidson7287]

Do you have a template for the helmet?

[@GawynFitzGavin]

How does the central hinge lock work? I cant really find how it secures the visor in place? I want to make mine with a removeable visor, so I dont have the plate in my face at all times, and also because i want to make one with a bretache because they look really funny hahaha

[@nickdavis5420]

Have you ever tried working with steel that can be hardened?

[@ohividy2093]

what welder do you use?it seems to work well

[@SpecOp1987]

Nice! How many hours has the helmet took from Start to finish?

[@LivingManuscript]

Unfortunately I rarely keep track of how long I spend on projects, if I had to guess I think it would be somewhere between 15 and 30 hours overall, but it was split up into different days where I might go weeks without working on this helmet in particular.

[@SpecOp1987]

@@LivingManuscript thanks for anwering my question. This is neat work.

[@LivingManuscript]

Thank you :)

[@fritzemei]

How thick is the plate that you are using? It looks quite thick.

[@thehunter280]

You should try raising a one piece kettle helmet, they are surprisingly easy to make

[@swinkerswonker2745]

One thing, when you shaped the helmet and those folds appeared, you hammered them back. I did that aswell and i got cracks in my helmet, is it because i use thinner steel or?

[@LivingManuscript]

Thinner material will definitely play a part, its one of those things that need to be monitored pretty close, since with thinner stuff it's easier for it to fold over itself and then crack as well. Be careful as you dish it too since that stretches the steel even more and holes might appear right in the middle of the piece :)

[@SirMsrot]

finally! the bascinet!! thank u

[@asdrasdre9002]

Can you guys recommend me where to look for templates, i've managed to make a full suite of armour i'm just lacking the helmet?

[@calvinhuddleston576]

Armourarchives

[@alejodavies]

Nice! You mentioned cost cutting for your friend, how much did that helmet cost in materials?

[@LivingManuscript]

Thanks! The materials were actually the cheapest part, especially since the steel is just mild. I've been getting 4'x10' sheets of 16 gauge steel from a machine shop in my hometown for about $100 , which I am still using after over a year. The coif I found on Ebay after hunting around a while and got it for only $50, and the rest were materials I already had from earlier projects.

[@alejodavies]

@@LivingManuscript Do you use heat at any point to shape or harden the pieces?

[@LivingManuscript]

@@alejodavies Usually not too much, since I don't have a very powerful heating setup. I used a small blowtorch to round the tip on the visor. In the future I think you can expect to see more of heating to shape and harden.

[@toompyfloyd4074]

dang, much better than the last klap visor :D

[@LivingManuscript]

Orders of magnitude better!

[@toompyfloyd4074]

@@LivingManuscript lol

[@deece1482]

Do you heat any of your components before hammering? Sorry for the dumb question, ive never done blacksmithing before.

[@LivingManuscript]

Not a dumb question at all :) Different armorers do it different ways, and my own methods don't require frequent heating (although it would be nice sometimes, I'm a little limited by tools in this case),l. But I cheat because I use a welder a lot lol

[@deece1482]

​@@LivingManuscript I was wondering what thickness of steel you usually use?

[@LivingManuscript]

@@deece1482 most typically I start with 1-2mm sheet, but depending on how its shaped that thickness can change. The thinnest sections go primarily on the limbs and backplates, with the front of the torso and head usually getting treated to something a bit thicker, depending on what the armor's intended use is :)

[@deece1482]

​​@@LivingManuscript thanks for getting back to me. I'm a reenactor, but I don't do combat typically, so 1mm steel should do fine. Guess I have to get learning. I primarily need to make a better fitting arm harness as off the shelf stuff doesn't fit properly.

[@igneous061]

ohohohoh yaaaas the Manuscript lives... :D :D:D:D huh, isnt botom of the plate part of the helm a bit too high, it kinda looks that it dosent cover enough of the botom part of the head, or am i just too spoiled by overbuild bohurt bacinets.... generaly quite nice looking helm imo

[@LivingManuscript]

I'm glad that you like it! It wasn't until the last few decades of the 14th century that bascinet skulls tended to be long enough to cover the neck much, so since we were going for a more mid-century impression it's a little shorter than later bascinets. There are a few survivals from fairly early on, which this skull loosely resembles. Admittedly, I think that many buhurt bascinets do tend to cover a little more than many historical examples which probably wouldn't be suited for buhurt too much.

[@jeanladoire4141]

@@LivingManuscript Talking about buhurt, we all know that their armor is like tournament armor : very thick and protective. But don't you agree that they are sometimes just not accurately made ? I'm actually working for the french buhurt national federation, and i've talked a bit with a team, and i think that most amateur fighters get cheap equipment that is not well tailored nor historically accurate. Sometimes with way longer bascinets for exemple. I've seen a breastplate ressembling a cheap visby coat of plates, some kind of flat piece of steel that bends around the body without curves. And we can't really blame them, it will all look like an old trash can after a few fights, so getting expensive equipment is just not possible for most teams. Thus we see "misformed" armors in buhurt.

[@jeanladoire4141]

2 welded halves ? U maek me cri :'( Did you give a go at raising your helmet ? Without a powerful forge or a good blowtorch, you will be limited in the shapes you can make, but i've been told how to hot raise a helmet by a very knowledgeable armourer and i think it gives more room for personnal expressions : you can make extremely detailled and deep curves way more easily than with 2 welded halves. And you can control the steel thickness too ! But it's always a pleasure to see you upload :)

[@LivingManuscript]

I'm still working towards getting a proper blowtorch, then I will absolutely get into raising! Many of the best armorers raise many of their pieces, I feel like I'm missing a huge chunk of the art for not knowing how. I've heard that many armorers can command the material better through raising, and I definitely see why! My background in metalwork was heavily influenced by fabricating sheet metal, so that carried over into my armor. Though I like to think I've got a decent command of the steel ;) Once my money situation can handle it, I plan to get that blowtorch and will figure out raising if it kills me. I've recently met someone reasonably nearby to me who is a very accomplished armorer, and has already been more than willing to share his knowledge so far, which I think will immensely help as I've been almost entirely self-taught so far :)

[@jeanladoire4141]

@@LivingManuscript Oh boi, thats nice if you can get in touch with an armourer that raises his stuff ! Raising compared to dishing is simple. It's like the difference between roman churches and gothic churches. For your "klappvisor", you could only make a bulge on the face. For a pig-faced bascinet, it's fine. But i guess one day you'll be interested in making the very elongated bird face, wich you can make quite easily with raising. Once you get the hang of it (and even tho ive had a very good teatcher, i still clearly don't hehe). I've been taught by a very talented armorer, who worked as a stonecutter for 15 years, he was a "compagnon du devoir" wich is a very renowned group of craftsmen in france, then he switched to being an armorer more than 10 years ago. So he has been handling hammers for over 25 years. He showed me how he litterally sculpted the metal with a tiny hammer that he loosely shook with tho fingers. I think that you already have looked that up on the net, but raising is like dishing, but in reverse, and of course that changes evrything. When you can't really do much more than a curve with dishing, you can do any form that is between a flat sheet and an elongated spike with raising. Are included spheres, triangles, very deep and complex forms... BUT the important thing is that raising is possible cold. Just look at the silversmiths and the coppersmiths. If you have a soft engouth metal, you will be able to make very complex forms cold. But of course, steel, even annealed mild steel, is too tough really... So indeed, you'll need a good forge. (and i'm talking about a pit that seems to lead right into hell. The armourer i visited for a few days had an impressive forge. The pit in the middle is very classic, but everything is in the coal. he uses a coal that spits huge flames. Lol he quenched entire breastplates by just holding it 30cm above the pit, and letting the huge roaring flames just heat it to cherry red, without even getting close to the coals themselves). You will discover quite quickly that having differencial toughness when you work speeds up the process dramatically. For exemple, if you heat and soften the one area you're willing to retract on itself to raise the helmet, you can place the "cold" (or not glowing) parts against the anvil, and squeeze down the glowing part without distorting the rest of the helmet. Be careful tho, beacause you will need to avoid retracting material cold, as it will deform the rest of the helmet. That's a long chat overall, but there's one thing that is quite pleasing when raising : you can make a whole helmet with a sheet 40cm wide. So you will use very little material for your equipment, just beacause you can elongate it without sacrificing thickness by raising. (And you can choose where the metal is thick, and where is is thin). Well, everything i'm telling you here is quite pointless, as you will discover everything quite quickly with your nearby armourer. Anyways, see ya !!

[@williambaldwin6779]

Do you still use 22g steel for this build? (Edit) I ask cause I was looking at SCA requirements and I think I saw it 16-14g steel depending on what part of the body it is.

[@calvinhuddleston576]

no he didnt

[@madman11893]

What guage are you going with now

[@LivingManuscript]

This one was made with 14 gauge all around

[@asherterry7173]

That's a big railroad track.

[@LivingManuscript]

I like it a lot. Unsurprisingly it's much harder than the Harbor Freight anvil I have.

[@1lobster]

Nice!

[@LivingManuscript]

Thanks!

[@1lobster]

Could you make a simple Kettle helm for $50 or $60?

[@LivingManuscript]

I think that would probably be possible, though may depend on the tools you have already. Might be a fun video concept :)

[@1lobster]

@@LivingManuscript That was actually meant to be an That was actually meant to be an offer. I have no tools of my own and will not for at least 4 or 5 months. But i can still sew, And could easily make myself again And could easily make myself a gamberson. I just need the helmet. Maybe a buckler with a nice spike, and a sturdy stave of three yards, from which i can make my own spear, as spear heads are cheap enough.

[@LivingManuscript]

Ah! I see now haha. Unfortunately, at the moment I'm not taking on orders, I bit off more than I could chew with a while ago and I'm still a little stretched thin. I would be happy to keep you in the loop though for when I'm available though :)

[@thewolf6355]

First of all great Videos keep it up ! But I have a few questions (Thanks if you answer them ^^) 1. Which steel thickness do you use for combat armor? 2. Do you harden the armor?

[@LivingManuscript]

Thanks! The thickness of armor really depends where it is on the body, and what kind of fighting you're doing. I personally find myself making a lot of armor out of 16g, since I'm just very familiar with it at this point and it's very satisfying and forgiving to work with. But that might be a little thick for some parts of the body like greaves or vambraces, but it is also rather thin for helmets for what I tend to use them for. I've never hardened my armor simply because I don't have the resources to do that at the moment. It is definitely something I would like to do though, among other things :)

[@davethegreater902]

seems youre very experienced at Pounding Things with your big hammer,^^

[@LivingManuscript]

I like to think so!

[@jacksonguillory8114]

@@LivingManuscript id make a gay joke but NO

[@LawnMowerProductions]

Imagine the stuff they could make if they had welders back then

[@LivingManuscript]

It would be very interesting to see where they would utilize it exactly!

[@ribbit5633]

I don't know why but this 22 gauge steel sheet looks like 14 gauge for some reason.

[@ohividy2093]

bro that bathroom looks like its in Afghanistan lol

[@LivingManuscript]

I'm pretty sure I picked up a disease or two in my time there