Modifying an Old Coolus E?

[Matt Lukes]

No, it's my understanding that there's evidence that real Coolus helmets were, at least sometimes, spun- even looking at them they sure seem awfully perfect to have been made otherwise; and there's other clear evidence that it was possible- look at the toolmarks on many paterae- they clearly indicate spinning.

[PhilusEstilius]

In the H.R.Robinson showing various Coolus types he makes comment on how the working of these bowls tends to cause many of them to have a week spot on the curve area, I would tend to agree with Robinson on this point but from my very own and vast experience of hand beating of all kinds of bowls.
Then of course when it comes to Patera I have made dozens of these and all hand beaten, infact some years ago I had an original handle from a one that had snapped off the bowl clearly hand beaten.

The other very interesting aspect I have discovered about this work is that one finds it difficult to go deeper than the radius of the diameter of the piece of metal one beats out, similar infact to the reason most Deepeeka helmets have two welds one at the neck guard the other at that radius mentioned.

Infact look at the Montefortino it has the same weakness as the Coolus exactly at the same area for this particular reason.

[Magnus]

Can someone describe to me how a helmet is created by spinning? Does it have to do with a lathe?

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Yeah, summink likethat!

[PhilusEstilius]

I have over many years made helmets from spun bowls and they are made on a lathe which has a former fitted, I've not yet seen it done but from info' I've been given the disc of metal is forced over the former by a lever that has a ring and with some types of metal there has to be a bit of annealing at stages.

There has I think been evidence from some originals that show ring marks to indicate that this is how some have been produced, I'm not too sure but I think some of the types may have been Montefortino.
It is of course a process which makes the helmet circular and not eliptical as per those that have been raised, there are however those such as myself who consider that many could well have been Drop Forged. For if the Romans could hammer piles into a river for a bridge I think the same method could have also been used by Fabrica for metal work as well.

Infact where I have given an earlier post about Coolus types H.R.Robinson does I think proove as I have myself that these types were beaten out from the inside in concentric circles for they have a strong top area with a strong rim and neck piece but the weakness is in the curve or 1/3--1/2 way up the bowl.

[Matt Lukes]

Well the point I think is the extremely perfect round shape- extremely difficult to do by hammering... but then this is all a new thread; nothing to do with modifying a commercial piece to acceptable historical tolerances. Not that offshoot discussions are bad but they'll just be lost since no one in the future interested in the subject would look in here...

[andrew359]

Wow, didn't think anyone else was going to respond!

Thanks so much for the pointers and the interesting info
Sounds like taking those feather tubes off will be quite a process if I choose to do so.
hmm...