>In a message dated 8/15/00 12:38:11PM, you write:
>Dave Bailey
><< Can you point me in the direction of a resource that'll tell me how
> long a smith/armourer takes to make stuff?
Since I actually know people who do this (or did, haven't met them in a year or so), making re-enactment steel weapons and armour, I SHOULD know this... Unfortunately I haven't paid enough attention!
However, you CAN knock up a sword in a few days, but that means dedicating all of the armourer's time to the one weapon (and assumes you have stock of the metal for the blade, and any extras for hilt fittings). make it a week or so with a half dozen weapons in production. Mail is another matter, anyone can be taught to make mail by intertwining the wire circles, ONCE YOU HAVE THE WIRE! An experienced armourer can then weld/rivet the links together. Over a week's dedicated hard work for one man for one mailcoat, more like two. How long to make the wire? No idea... we buy ours. Plates of armour, including small ones for reinforced leather, are relatively easy in flat sheets, much harder, naturally, to shape a helm out of. Say a few days dedicated work for a helm, plus another few to actually put the bits together and adjust to fit. It is a long job to get a smooth, even surface. I've watched a leather jacket being made in an afternoon... hell, I've made one myself in a couple of days! Of course, that's given tanned leather to work from. And all of these assume plain, functional equipment.
The fun bit is tempering a (steel or iron) blade... you can plunge the hot blade in water, but better are oil, blood (your enemies, preferably), or urine... These are to add various chemicals (notably carbon) to the surface metal. My friends tried urine once... only once. Try working in a shed full of urine steam and you'll see why...
Wulf
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