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Custom made helmet
#1
Salve friends! 

I have been looking around for someone who does custom made helmets. I have found the Pustelak brothers but they are very expensive and their website seems to be offline. I found the White rose armoury but that guy won’t answer any email...

Anyone knows any other craftsman?

Regards,

Marc
Marc Beermann
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#2
Seems like you would have a wait from the good ones..  There is Jeffrey Hildebrandt but he is crazy busy, probably expensive for the amazing work he does.  Craig Sitch at Manning Imperial..

Qui sepeliunt capita sua in terra, deos volantes non videbunt.
--Flavius Flav 
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#3
Jeff is not taking orders any more, for now, and Matt Lukes and Dean Cunningham are out of the game as well. That's about it in North America as far as I know. Robert Pustelak made my last two custom Roman iron helmets and the quality is excellent. If you think he's expensive wait until you get some prices from the other better European makers. I find his prices reasonable. White Rose is a good balance between cost and quality, but most of his helmets I believe are two piece domes rather than one. If that doesn't matter to you then you can save a lot of money with a two piece. If you want to go with a bronze or brass helmet I highly recommend Bernardo Pettorossi of Italy. Be wary of some, not all, Ukrainian makers. Ask around if you find one you like. My experience not been good. I ordered a one piece bronze Coolus and ended up with a yellow brass version. His excuse, he couldn't find any bronze! Good quality except the wrong metal, lol. The price was so low I should have known better. Also, one particular Polish helmet maker disappeared with many down payments for a couple years and now he's back. I got my helmet finally, but it was like pulling teeth from an angry man. There's also a French dude that modifies Deepeeka and although not cheap, you get the helmet now, not in a year or two, and it's still less than 100% custom.

Many of us have extra helmets we don't use anymore. What are you looking for?
Joe Balmos
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#4
Great, thanks for the tip. I am currently looking for a Weisenau bronze helmet, i will post a picture.


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Marc Beermann
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#5
Marc, I recommend Bernardo Pettorossi as he works in true bronze as well as brass. If you go with brass insist on low tin brass, rather than yellow brass. He was also good at responding to emails. Like every good maker he has a waiting list so expect that. Be wary of anyone who promises "30 day delivery." Everyone here has a horror story. Pustelak tells me he cannot get good bronze where he lives and only works in brass for now.

Please post some pics with what you are looking for.
Joe Balmos
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#6
I have posted a pic!

I have looked Bernardo up but i only see a fb account, doesn’t he have a site?
Marc Beermann
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#7
I don't know if he has a formal site. Some of the best makers have stopped updating their "official" websites and just update their facebook pages as it's so easy

Where's the pic?
Joe Balmos
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#8
I eddited the pic in an previous reply, can you see it?
Marc Beermann
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#9
OK, I see it. Looks not complicated. Let us all know how it goes!
Joe Balmos
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#10
I'm in comittee with Pustelak Brothers so I could ask about pricing of this helmet you posted above Smile

As for bronze, that's true. It's impossible to get bronze sheet in Poland wider than 350mm and if I find someone abroad who does bronze stuff, they charge insane 200 euro per sheet of a 600x400mm. Imagine how that would raise a cost of a helmet...
Damian
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#11
Pustelak Brothers can make this helmet for:
1. 1125 euro, made from one steel plate
2. 825 euro, made with welded neckguard
+ 100 euro for tinning if wishes
3. 1125 euro, made from one brass plate
4. 925 euro, made with welded neckguard
- begging of 2020.
Damian
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#12
Wow they raised their prices. They told me a ridge helmet only runs 400 Euro.
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#13
Evan, how long ago was that lol! Compared to others and the level of quality I still feel their costs are reasonable. As you know most of the better helmet makers have very long wait times, if they are taking commissions at all. If an artist makes one top-of-the-line helmet (1125 Euro) every two weeks that's still only 2,250 Euro per month or 2,577.92 United States Dollars. That's just $644.48 per week and then he will have to pay his taxes! A helmet maker working alone is a sure path to poverty. I know it seems like a lot of money to us, and yes it is, but from the makers point of view it's little compensation for all the hours working on the project, doing research, answering new customer emails and dealing with irate customers as deadlines are always missed, sometimes by weeks and sometimes by years.
Joe Balmos
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#14
(02-02-2019, 02:46 AM)Flavivs Aetivs Wrote: Wow they raised their prices. They told me a ridge helmet only runs 400 Euro.


A 'ridge helmet' never cost 400 from them. It was over 600 when I developed mine with them. Maybe the simple ones were costing less?
Robert Vermaat
MODERATOR
FECTIO Late Romans
THE CAUSE OF WAR MUST BE JUST
(Maurikios-Strategikon, book VIII.2: Maxim 12)
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#15
(02-02-2019, 02:46 AM)Flavivs Aetivs Wrote: Wow they raised their prices. They told me a ridge helmet only runs 400 Euro.

This is not ridged helmet but gallic made from one piece.
For example ridged christies costs around 400-500 euro.
Damian
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