I'm sure some of you have made your own helms, so how did you construct the top? I am using a photo of a carved-stone effigy as my model, but when bending the top-piece edge over it crinkles (looks like a soda bottle cap). It seems impossible to do because in essence I'm reducing the circumference which leaves extra material. I've seen modern repros where the tops have cutouts to relieve the stresses and get rid of the extra material, but I've also seen photos of real helms where the tops are bent over the edges of the side plates without cutouts and they do not appear to have the crinkles. Anyone know of a way to accomplish this? BTW, the effigy helm top may have the crinkles, but it's hard to tell from just a photo.

There are several diferent methods used to make helmets - from yoru description it seems that hemet might be rised from one pieces - essentially, meaning it is put over a forming stake and hammered untill you get the desired shape, and when metal is hearted correctly and apropriate force applied, it can be formed in most surprising forms. Modern way of dealing with this is just to make two helmet halves and weld them togeather. Another method is to make it of spangen construction - consisting of several parts that are riveted togeather, it all depends on construction of the original helmet.

Hello and welcome to armouring!

You need to tell us the kind of helmet your making for us to help better.

If I may be impertinent however I'll suggest you post your question at armourarchive.org - a large group of professional and semi-pro and amateur armourers. They can no doubt provide the assistance you need.

Cheers,
Steven

I'm working on a great helm based on an effigy. Thanks for the advice sirs, I may check out the other site.

Here are two vidoes showing Eric Dubé raising a sallet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuuC4Bq4Y2U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAcWnBnLtA8

He's making a "great helm" or "mace landing pad" as some folks call them.

Do check out armourarchive.org. They have forums dedicated to this.

It takes a lot of hammering to bang that oval shape down 70(ish) degrees so you can rivet it to the sides. I do it this way: Use a sharpy marker and draw a line 1/2" from the edge, then another 1/4" from the edge. Start hammering it at the 1/2" mark on a stake very evenly, then do the same at the 1/4" mark. Pound out any crinkles, make sure your bends are even at every step. It helps to anneal the metal if you have the heat, but you can do it entirely cold. Hope this helps, it's hard to explain in text.

Greetings!
I made my own helmet, with the help of one of my relatives.
First i gave a slightly dished form to my helmet's top, not a strong curve, only a little.
After this, We attached the upper two plates, after it it was time to use the blowtorch.
Whit it's help you can heat the metal to red hot, this lets you to hammer the two upper plates inwards, wich would form an edge, with enough room to place the rivets. (With this mehod you can get rid of those crinkles!) This is where the top plate is going to be attached.
Mark the top piece trough this big hole, and bend the edges of it, just like described before. After doing this drill holes for rivets than pein the whole stuff together.
Here are some links wich might help You in the process; a nice page about the great helms, and a fantastic book, wich might help you in any kind of armouring process.

http://home.scarlet.be/~klauwaer/helm/
http://www.brighthelm.org/articles/armour

And some pictures about the top of my helmet.

I hope I was able to help :D
Good luck in the process!
John

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