An exercise in basic hammerwork, finishing, and assembly
by Eric Slyter
Page 8 of 8
Assembling
Assemble your buckle straps using the 1/2" buckles and 2 piece "pop" rivets. To set the "pop" rivets just smash them together with a hammer over your anvil until they are flat and snug. Punch 2 holes in the bottom lames for the bicep and buckle strap using a 1/8" punch or drill bit. I generally just "eyeball" the location for these, the holes being placed about 1/4" up and in from the corner (you can add these to your pattern if you like). Place a rivet through the hole, place your leather over the rivet, and lastly add a thin washer. Carefully peen the rivet with your ball-peen as seen in Figure 37. Ensure that there are no sharp edges when done. Do the same with the bicep strap, and repeat on the other spaulder.
Figure 37
The "armyng nayles," at 3/4", are a tad long for the assembly of the spaulders. They need to be cut down to about 3/16"-1/4" in length (depending on how thick your leather is). I use bolt cutters for this, as in Figure 38. Don't cut off your fingers.
Figure 38
The "nayles" are placed through the leather and the steel so that they stick out of the finished face of the lame. They are then carefully peened. If using a 5/32" hole as with a hand punch, you will need to leave the shank of the "nayle" a little longer, as you will need to thicken it as you peen it in order to fill the hole. I try to peen them so that they fill the hole, are flat and secure with no sharp edges, yet still have a little bit of rotation to them (this adds to the flexibility of the spaulders). Figure 39 shows a finished "nayle." It is entirely possible to overdo it and compress the leather so tight as to damage and weaken it. Practice will lead to success. They are assembled from the bottom lame to the top, and I add the leathers to both sides of the lame before proceeding to the next lame.
Figure 39
When you reach the cop, you will need to take special care in peening the "nayle," as missed strikes will show up on your finished surface (revisiting these mars with the finishing scrubby pad will help disguise them if this happens). This one can be peened a bit more securely than those on the lames, as it will not need to rotate. Figure 40 shows this in progress.
Figure 40
The final step is to add the buckle to the top of the spaulders. The rivet, at 3/8" long, will need to be cut down like the "armying nayles." I place a washer on the rivet to distribute the pressure on the leather. Then I add the leather and place the rivet through the hole, and peen it.
Figure 41
...and here are the finished spaulders. Hopefully this article has provided some insights to basic skills in creating some simple armour- skills that you can apply to bigger and better projects of your own :-)
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