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By the middle of the 15th century a fully armed knight was virtually encased in plate armour. However, due to the skill of the late medieval armourer, he was not as restricted as he might appear; the armour joints were designed to permit a large amount of movement. The northern Italians and the southern Germans were the most celebrated armourers in Europe. They perfected the close fitting armet helms, and breast and back plates that were perfectly molded to fit the wearer's body.
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Steel Tailors
An actual functional suit in medieval times would be custom-fit for each person like a set of clothes. The armourer would be considered a tailor of steel clothes. This is also evident in that the design of armour reflected the fashion of clothing of the time. We use templates that were designed and perfected by us for over fourteen years. These are modelled after authentic armour we have studied. These templates are traced onto sheets of steel and cut out and filed by hand. All work done on the armour parts are done by hand, or with hand tools, with the exception of a modern welder.
Each piece is hand-hammered in special wooden and steel forms. Once these pieces are formed into their desired shape they are planished on steel anvils to smooth any hammer marks. They are then riveted together to allow movement or articulation where neccessary.
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Maintenance
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We protect the metal with a metal seal used to protect guns from rust. The insides of the pieces are cleaned and painted flat black.
If the customer spots any further oxidation or rust we recommend using a cleaning oil like WD40 in spray can available at any hardware store. For a suit of armour that has rusted considerably due to high humidity or perhaps was rained on the WD40 will still work but may need a very fine scouring pad (not steel wool) and some light scouring motions. You can also use a product called "autosol" - a chrome polish.
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Other ways of stopping any rust from appearing is to spray the metal with a clear coat of varnish or laquer. We have found though that if any scratches occur they are a lot more noticable on varnished metal. People with armour will invariably want to move the parts of armour to see its functionality. A wear spot on an oiled suit will only polish that spot more, and make wear marks of shiny steel like a historical suit would have wear marks.
Aside from the rust factor which can be kept in check with cleanings every year or so, there really is no maintainance.
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Valentine Armouries
Located in Las Vegas.
Email: vaprivatecollections[at]hotmail.com
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This page and all photos are copyrighted © by Valentine Armouries.
Please ask us for permission to use these photos
for any reason other than your own personal collection.
All photos are of items at our armoury.
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Last modified May 2014
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