Repousse

This is some more of the repousse that I have been doing all week. I don't think it looks too shabby at all, considering that I really have not done any repousee before. (its a French word, it means "to press out". In reality, it looks more like leatherwork such as you would find on a western cowboy's saddle rather than anything actually made from steel. Please click on the images to enlarge.

Properly speaking, these are not armour at all, but rather costume pieces. Just fun for a change, and of course, a real departure from the deep metallurgical discussions and the uphill struggle for authenticity we have been having this last few weeks.
But, it is metalwork same as any "real" armour, and tricky metalwork at that. Not hardly the same quality as, say, Wignacourt's armour in Malta, but that is a labour of a lifetime...this is just a few hours of fun. (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Alof_Louvre.jpg for a REAL good looking bit of repousee. Someday...........)


Below is the belted loin cloth which I am making to support this costume. http://clydecaldwell.com/large_images/rose_sea.html


And a close up of the same....

This is a back plate, in aid of supporting this costume.... http://clydecaldwell.com/large_images/armed_dangerous.html

Below, this one was incomplete when I took the picture...it goes with the "Rose Sea" costume above. Lots of nice leatherwork. The hardest part (I think) was getting the rivets to line up and look nice.

Below, a vambrace with a snake peeking over the edge. Hammered into eighteen gauge steel with a cold chisel. Just a concept piece to see how it would turn out. Its not so bad, but again, hardly a "period" piece.

There were a lot more things made this week, a foot operated punch to do the above kind of work, the punches themselves which I made from some tool steel bits lying about, and a lot more layouts and work on saleable items like Iron Crosses. Snakes and dragons on the vambraces, that sort of thing. I'll show them off here if they end up looking either decent or at least, interesting.