Lorica ?

[Jim McCoin]

I am a newbie to the Forum and will probably be asking a lot of questions, please bear with me.

I am starting to assemble the bands on my lorica Segmentata, are the bands the same length from top to bottom or are they slightly shorter as they go down to acomadate the overlap.

My background working with close tolorances forces me to be a bit anal at times.

Thanks

Jim McCoin

[Aluscladiusmaximus]

Forget tolerances the Romans didn't have machine shops although they did have metal turning lathes.
Roman equipment was generally much rougher than modern reproductions.

I would make the strips the same length as you can always trim the ends if required. The ends of the strips should overlap overwise you leave a vulnerable gap down the front and back.

Aulus Cladius Maximus

[Matt Lukes]

Hi Jim,

Yes you do have to trim a bit off every band below the first one so you end up with a straight vertical front and back edge. Also remember that in order to accomodate the ~1" overlap of these seams, one side's hoops do have to be about 2" longer overall than the other side's. It's usually left side over right.

Matt

[Neuraleanus]

Before you cut any metal, first make a cardboard mockup. It's easier to adjust the lenghts and the width of the plates on the cardboard than it is on the metal. Last year I made a new torso section for my store bought Albion seg. From the mockup, I determined that a slight downward taper would work best. I cut the plates with a little extra for overlap. You will also have to adjust the plate width. I'm tall and I found that the usual prescription of 2.25 inches would not do. I made the plates on my lorica 2.5 inches wide. Adjust the length and width of the plates with a suitable overlap, 1/8 to 3/8 inches, till everything looks and feels right. Here's a close-up view of my rebuilt lorica:

[Jim McCoin]

Thanks for the replies, the CRS is free but I hate doing things over. As Norm says "measure twice cut once".

Jim McCoin