Viking helm: part I

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Greetings:

I have acquired a camera, so now, finally, I can chronicle my projects with purpose.

The first project I shall chronicle, from start to finish, is that of my third Viking helm. Below is a picture of my last helmet:



As you can see, it ended up rather bulbous on top, so it doesn't have the proper profile. The one I am making now shall be slimmer, more dainty, and better formed. I started out last night making a wooden form slightly bigger than my head. Here's the pattern for the base:



And drawn on wood:



Here are the top pieces' patterns and wood:



I cut those out with a saber saw, cut slots in the top pieces to fit them together, drilled holes in the base, and screwed all the pieces together. I didn't bother to finish the wood at all, since I plan to bend metal around it, and that's likely to mar it. So here's the finished product:



I spent a good long while playing with wire mesh, trying to make a head shape, and kind of succeeded (it did help me make sure the form was the right size), but the result was so ugly I'm not posting pictures.

I measured a strip of metal 1.5" wide by ~27" long for the brow band, cut it out, and filed and sanded the edges:



I offset one end the thickness of the metal so that when the ends overlap, they end up at the same level on the outside. Then, I bent the strip around the form, utilizing C clamps, pipe clamps, and brute force. It took far too much effort, but I got it to the right shape, and approximately oval, without too many anomalies. It ended up a little larger than the form, but on trying it on my head, it seems to be the right size.

Here it is, clamped together, as it isn't yet riveted:



And here's a top view, showing that it is mostly oval:



I did change it after to round it out slightly more, so it looks better now. If you can't see that it isn't off, call me crazy. I can't see it anymore either.

The next installment will involve, in all likelihood, me cursing out bits o' metal, since I shall be forming the top plates, which always annoys me. That doesn't mean that my next post will be more helm pictures. I may post pictures of other, finished projects, or, as materials permit, the beginnings of new projects.

Until then,

James

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10