Making Lorica closure loops driving me CRAZY!

[QVINTVS ARTORIVS CORVINVS]

Exactly Matt, I thought I alluded to the heat doing the annealing, but sometimes there is a difference between what I type and what I am trying to say :lol:

ANd that certianly explains why brass rod stock can be such a cruel *&^$^ !!

So maybe I'll try brazing rod next...

.... and again, yea, I forgot the trick of placing the loop on its side and giving it a few good whacks to help lock it there

[PhilusEstilius]

I was just thinking Kevin if you have enough of that 18 gauge, why don't you have a go at making a musculed cuirass. Then with the fortune you make on that you will be able to afford some 20 gauge for the lorica seg'. don't forget to keep a little to make some hooks for a Corbridge B.

[QVINTVS ARTORIVS CORVINVS]

Or conversely, he could just go down to his local hardware store and buy a couple of solid brass kickplates for about $40 each and have more than enough proper gauge brass to do his lorica and probably a most of a balteus as well...and save the heavy brass for when something really cool rears its head.

[Primvs Pavlvs]

Or conversely, he could just go down to his local hardware store and buy a couple of solid brass kickplates for about $40 each and have more than enough proper gauge brass to do his lorica and probably a most of a balteus as well...and save the heavy brass for when something really cool rears its head.

Be sure to take a magnet with you! Many of the ones being sold as "brass" are in fact brass plated, or even worse painted. Be careful!

[QVINTVS ARTORIVS CORVINVS]

Absolutely!!!

And even though it says SOLID BRASS on the front, watch out especially for the words "Anodized" in fine print. It is useless.

[Matt Lukes]

Exactly Matt, I thought I alluded to the heat doing the annealing, but sometimes there is a difference between what I type and what I am trying to say :lol:

Been there LOL I think most people are aware of the way steel is hardened by heating and quenching, so might expect the same is the case with all quenching- that it's a significant step, which for copper it isn't. For a long time I figured it was too before I left something I'd heated and discovered it was as soft as the stuff I'd quenched :wink: Then reading the metallurgy, I found indeed cooling fast or slow was not a factor...

[kevotron]

OK, I feel a little better with all the great suggestions. I have to get my project done in a month and I get panicky!

[kevotron]

I case you are all COMPLETELY confused, I changed my user name beause I couldnt stand my old one and I am in the middle of setting up the new one. I responded with the new one. Oops. Anyhoo, I still need to add the signature and all the crud. Sorry for the confusion.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

hock: :? shock: :? roll: :lol:

[kevotron]

Try being me where the plot is ALWAYS lost!

[Matthew Amt]

Avete!

I used 18 gauge brass for the lacing loops and hooks on my first lorica. I just cut them all to the shape shown here:

http://www.larp.com/legioxx/lorfit.gif

For the hooks I made the tongues about half an inch longer. In about 17 years of abuse all the lacing loops are fine, never had a problem. 3 or 4 of the hooks have broken, always right at the bend. You can see in this photo that the 2 on the left are replacements, those on the right are originals (twisted all over the place!):

http://www.larp.com/legioxx/lorlace1.jpg

My guess is that if you cut the loops and hooks out of 16 gauge and don't kick it around too much, they could easily last 20 years even if you don't bother thickening or hammer-hardening them. But I'd really find some thinner stuff for the hinges!

Valete,

Matthew

PS: 16 gauge is still kind of thick for a muscled cuirass, but you could probably make a good patera from it. Never throw brass away, and never regret buying any! It will have uses for years to come.

[sillious saurus]

How did you cut those being they are so thick? Also, the hooks, when you put on the lorica, are you bending those hooks at all to assist putting the top and bottom together or are they pretty much hard? I have noticed with mine I actually find my self bending the hooks around a bit to help go into the holes when connecting the top half to the bottom. I toook some grief for that from a few people I know. Just kind of a side question as we were kind of on the subject.

Avete!

I used 18 gauge brass for the lacing loops and hooks on my first lorica. I just cut them all to the shape shown here:

http://www.larp.com/legioxx/lorfit.gif

For the hooks I made the tongues about half an inch longer. In about 17 years of abuse all the lacing loops are fine, never had a problem. 3 or 4 of the hooks have broken, always right at the bend. You can see in this photo that the 2 on the left are replacements, those on the right are originals (twisted all over the place!):

http://www.larp.com/legioxx/lorlace1.jpg

My guess is that if you cut the loops and hooks out of 16 gauge and don't kick it around too much, they could easily last 20 years even if you don't bother thickening or hammer-hardening them. But I'd really find some thinner stuff for the hinges!

Valete,

Matthew

PS: 16 gauge is still kind of thick for a muscled cuirass, but you could probably make a good patera from it. Never throw brass away, and never regret buying any! It will have uses for years to come.

[Matt Lukes]

'Aviation' snips do well for cutting thickish sheet metal, but you have to file off the teethmarks. And I've always had to do a little bending of hooks to get them in when assembling a cuirass- and surely the real things got bent some if only through daily wear, so what kind of grief could anyone rightly give you?

Man it's like talking to someone with MPD- is it sillious saurus or kevotron- you never know! LOL

[sillious saurus]

Hey Look, dont give me anymore MATT-ITUDE! hahaha!

For anyone who doesnt know, I bother Matt CONTINOUSLY with questions, outside of a lull in the winter. I thought I would give him a break and post a question here, but he STILL answers them!

Gotta love Canadians, God bless em'!

[Matt Lukes]

That's not a quip about we Canadians being doorMATTs is it?