Armoring questions.

[Kaisryk]

Heyo, I'd like to get started on my own full metal kit.

I have a couple questions.

1 ) How heavy should my anvil be? Also, where do I buy one? Couldn't find any at Lowe's / Home Depot.

2 ) Is there an alternative way to cut metal, rather than using Beverly B2 shears? I'll need to cut through 16 and 18 gauge mild steel, and the shears are like $500. Know of any less pricey tools?

In return, patterns ; http://www.armourarchive.org/patterns/

[Sieglatan]

When I made my SCA heavy armor (16ga steel plate), I used a 20 lb anvil/ vice I bought at a street fair for 10$, bolted to a small sheet of plywood, as an anvil. To cut, I bought a 40$, 15 amp jigsaw, with 32 teeth per inch blades, and a LOT of oil, and went at the steel, when it was clamped down. Then, a file to round the edges.

[Zuloo]

lol
dude $16 for a pair of heavy tin snips at lowes, they can easily cut through 14 gauge wire, and can cut through sheet metal up to 12 gauge

[No'Vak]

lol
dude $16 for a pair of heavy pos tin snips at lowes, they can easily cut through 14 gauge wire, and can cut through sheet metal up to 12 gauge

ftfy

[Arrakis]

Get the Weis ones and expect to have to really work on the edges. Or get the jigsaw/scroll saw. Or a good metal chisel.

[Dacian]

chop it with the blade of your hand. It's what all the cool kids are doing these days...

[Zuloo]

the snips i get from lowes work pretty well, i can make 4 or 5 chain shirts before i have to get a new pair, i am going to buy a saw blade to replace them though

[Forkbeard]

More than an actual anvil, you need a good set of hammers.
1 a 3 lb with at least a 2.5" ball face.
2 a good ball peen
3 a good planishing hammer.
You can gat an anivl from train track. I have several. If you come here, I'll sell you one, but I'm in utah and you can't afford to ship a home made anvil for what its worth.
You would do well to get a large flat piece of very heavy steel, at least 18" square and 5/8" thick, This is for pounding stuff flat and having a flat heave furace for ****. Very handy.
You'll need a dish. You can dish out a stump. Make the dish about like a cereal bowl, only a little bigger. Make it nice and round and smooth. Or you could find an old Ox cylinder and cut off the bottom, weld the stamped numbers and sybold over and grind the bolw smooth. Again, I love mine. You HAVE to have some king if dish. THere are blacksmith sites that sell them, and anvils.
You can get a knock off of the beverly B-2 at Harbor Frieght for about $130. It will cut anything if you take care of it. Once again, I love mine.
You could use a leather sand bag as well. I've heard good things.SCA season is starting for me again and I'm gonna make one.
You'll need a few good files, for egdes. This is a MUST with steel. Un treated edges are like knives. Without proper smoothing, they WILL cut you and other people.
You'll need a drill, or a set of steel punches.
And some kind of buffer. Or a ton of elbow grease, if your into that kind of thing.
All together, you can get the tools for about $300.
Then you need to learn to use them.
Have fun.
FB

[Stahlgrim]

Forkbeard has the right advise here. I do lots of armour and I use stakes about 99% of the time and an anvil 1%. in fact I am selling two of my anvils that I just don't use em. although the harbor freight shear http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=throatless+shear
is closer to a B1 in the gauge of metal it can safely handle but you should be safe as long as you don't go into 14 or 12 gauge.I have seen several break so I saved up for the real thing and there is no comparison.Harbor freight also sells anvils
http://www.harborfreight.com/55-lb-anvil-806.html
if you can call them that they are closer to ASOs or anvil shaped objects. For a great deal of what you will be doing a small length of R.R.track will get you where you need to go.
Stakes you should look for are Ball and mushroom stakes,blowhorn stakes and fluting stakes. I use bowling balls,shot-putts,the ball-weights off a crane cable,as well as ball stakes of different sizes.A notched 2X4 in a vise can be used for quite a bit of armour work as well.Good luck in your journey