Segmentata Advice

[Matthew Amt]

Yes, for years we made our loricae the same way, curving the plates first and then assembling. So that's how the instructions on my page say to do it. (I always put the fittings on before curving, but that can vary.) Put the rivet holes for the leathers in the same place on every plate. When the whole thing is assembled, yes, the leathers at either end will tend to "lean" or "step" in one direction or the other, but that's fine. So you don't have to flatten everything out, just make sure the pairs of holes at the ends of each plate are all equidistant from their respective ends.

If you aren't happy with your fittings, maybe just a little time with a small file will help? Many people make their fittings too big in any case, so there's not much danger of making them too small. If you can post some photos of what you've got so far, we'll all be glad to advise!

Good luck and Vale,

Matthew