Karl Vorwerk wrote:
I used to be in the SCA. I've made a riveted steel helm and a butt joint
mail coif by hand. The helm didn't take that long to build since I cut the
steel from sheet but I wouldn't want to hammer out the sheet. The butted
mail took a long time to assemble. I would hate to have to draw down the
wire first. This doesn't even address the fact that medieval mail was
riveted. Try putting a rivet in several thousand 14-16 gauge by 3/8" ID
rings.
If I remember correctly a suit of amour was the price of a house. Of course
if you're poor it's a poor persons house or less.
Karl

Thanks Ed and Karl, that makes good sense. I suppose if the guy is rich
already he'll have followers who would appreciate some good armor as
part of their plunder.

Re; riveted mail rings, yeah, that's some serious fine work. I figure it
wasn't so hard for 8-year old kids to do, they got some good eyesight
and coordination.

I sure am glad I wasn't born in the old days, either Classical Greece or
Medievel Europe.. It's all very interesting, but seeing it from the
distance I do is enough for me..

John