11-05-2012, 10:17 PM
I wouldn't go for a cast copper-alloy peak under any circumstances. There is no evidence for the Romans using this method for producing peaks and it would not make sense anyway as it would shatter under a sharp blow, rather than acting to deflect the blow and spread the shock over a wider area as it is designed to do.
As to field repairs to damaged equipment, we can only guess, but forged iron is far more likely than cast copper-alloy. To cast copper alloy, although moulds could easily be made from local clay, you would need the ability to heat the metal up in a controlled environment to a high enough temperature to run smoothly as a liquid. This would be very difficult in the field, unless a local bronze workshop was available.
Iron, on the other hand, is far more convenient to work. You only need to heat the metal up enough for it to become malleable (rather than liquid). A basic forge can be created in something as small as a metal dish not much bigger than a fairly normal sized Chinese wok, as you can see local blacksmiths doing in parts of Africa even today. There is the suggestion as well, primarily from Caesar's Bello Gallica, that portable iron working facilities travelled with an army on campaign.
Therefore whilst it is possible that field repairs might look rough or non-standard, I think it is far and away more likely that they would be of forged iron than cast copper-alloy.
On the matter of how my own helmet was made, to return to a point raised earlier, when I visited White Rose Armoury's workshop a few years ago I saw no forge. I am pretty sure that I saw an oxy-acetalene torch though, or something like that anyway.
Crispvs
As to field repairs to damaged equipment, we can only guess, but forged iron is far more likely than cast copper-alloy. To cast copper alloy, although moulds could easily be made from local clay, you would need the ability to heat the metal up in a controlled environment to a high enough temperature to run smoothly as a liquid. This would be very difficult in the field, unless a local bronze workshop was available.
Iron, on the other hand, is far more convenient to work. You only need to heat the metal up enough for it to become malleable (rather than liquid). A basic forge can be created in something as small as a metal dish not much bigger than a fairly normal sized Chinese wok, as you can see local blacksmiths doing in parts of Africa even today. There is the suggestion as well, primarily from Caesar's Bello Gallica, that portable iron working facilities travelled with an army on campaign.
Therefore whilst it is possible that field repairs might look rough or non-standard, I think it is far and away more likely that they would be of forged iron than cast copper-alloy.
On the matter of how my own helmet was made, to return to a point raised earlier, when I visited White Rose Armoury's workshop a few years ago I saw no forge. I am pretty sure that I saw an oxy-acetalene torch though, or something like that anyway.
Crispvs
Who is called \'\'Paul\'\' by no-one other than his wife, parents and brothers. :!: <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_exclaim.gif" alt=":!:" title="Exclamation" />:!:
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