[Nathan Kowalsky]

I am hoping to find a blacksmith who'd be willing to make me a wide-brimmed kettle hat like the one in the photo above. I had been talking to Woods Armoury in Canada about it, but they're shutting down and not taking new commissions. Royal Oak Armoury in Canada does amazing work, but it's out of my price range. I only need something utilitarian and munitions grade anyway, nothing fancy. Woods suggested I post a request on the Armour Archive forum, but I'm not on there and so I thought I'd check here first.

So are there any smiths out there who'd like to put together a proposal for a wide-brimmed kettle hat? (Further details below.) Location doesn't matter so long as the shipping to Canada isn't unreasonable. Alternatively, would anybody like to recommend any smiths who might want to take on a project like this? There's various blacksmiths around my home province of Alberta, but none who I know that make historical reproduction armour anymore.

Thanks, Nathan

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Proposed use: 14th century rebated steel re-enactment combat. I'm looking for a versatile helmet that will allow me to portray a variety of kits over the period, basically infantrymen. I'm assuming 16 gauge steel would suffice, although I'll take the recommendation of the smith on that (14 ga. might be a bit heavy with a helmet this size, though, eh?). I'd use the helmet for practice & shows where I'm liable to get whacked on the head with a blunt steel spear or rebated sword, but I'm unlikely to ever fight in a full-speed tournament (and I certainly won't ever need to worry about this thing passing the specifications of the Battle of Nations or a buhurt). Historical accuracy is paramount, or as close as can be reasonably surmised (again, I would defer to the expertise of the smith or other forum members on this as well).

Provenance: the guy who owns the helmet in the picture is frequently seen in photos from the Battle of Wisby re-enactments, and may still be a member of Albrechts Bössor in Sweden. I've managed to contact the owner who told me the helmet was derived from an English manuscript miniature that he cannot locate anymore (if any forum members have some idea of what that might be, that would super awesome), and that it was built by a Scandanavian smith (which is why it's not surprising that I can't find any wide-brimmed kettle hats in stock with various vendors or manufacturers). He's provided me with a rudimentary measurement of the helmet's brim, but I think on the whole we'll have to work from the numerous photos one can find of the helmet on Facebook or elsewhere (I have a tonne of them saved to my harddrive).

Construction notes: as mentioned above, I assume it could be done out of 16 ga. steel and the width could be adequately estimated from photographs. Riveted spangenhelm-style construction is preferred, rather than a single-piece skull or whatever. I'd like a rolled edge on the brim, and a leather liner installed (I could probably make one myself, but have no idea how to affix it to the inside of the helmet). Other than that, I don't know what else there might be to consider other than posting all the photos I've got of the helmet, so I might as just wait and see if anyone has any ideas about how to proceed. Cuz gosh darn it, this helmet looks amazing and I want it!

[Foong Chen Hong]

Does budget matter? If budget doesn't matter

http://royaloakarmoury.com/

They are in Canada and they make the best historical repro armor i I ever seen in NA

[Mark Griffin]

Have to say, with a bit of work (mainly removing the spurious leather work, the gdfb made kettle helms are dirt cheap for the money and are substantial. Might be a vendor over your way...

http://www.getdressedforbattle.co.uk/acatalog...tml#SID=25

http://www.getdressedforbattle.co.uk/acatalog...tml#SID=25

http://astor-versand.eshop.t-online.de/Banded...-sizes-M-L


The minute you are commissioning something you are asking a craftsperson to spend his time working for you plus materials so the cost goes up accordingly, regardless of the finish you want. The above are made quickly and cheaply in a factory so difference economic rules apply.

alternatives:

http://www.medieval-weaponry.co.uk/acatalog/k...lmets.html

http://shop.strato.de/epages/245791.sf/en_GB/...E/Eisenhut

[Mart Shearer]

[Kel Rekuta]

The brim isn't as wide but they are pretty comfortable with a padded or mail coif. I wore one several times on a movie shoot recently. Reliable vendor.

http://kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=AB03...Kettle+Hat

I would consider making a custom wide brimmed kettle depending on your budget and required turn around. I am definitely cheaper than Royal Oak but I am not the artist he is. Plain utilitarian would be it for my available time. I am busy making harness for my students at AEMMA.

[Nathan Kowalsky]

Yeah, Foong Chen Hong, price is a factor, which is why I'm out of Royal Oak's league! Absolutely astounding work, though.

Fair points, Mark Griffin, but I have saved up for a while so I don't mind paying a smith for the custom work involved, as long as it's within my budget. The ones from Medieval Weaponry UK look really great, though!

Thanks for the links, Mart Shearer, although presently the site seems to be down so the images aren't loading. I'll try again later. I didn't realize that about single-piece kettle hats predominating in the later 14th, that's good to know. Thankfully I'm an early-century guy myself, but if pressed to do a later-century impression I'd say I was from some backwater area where folk used obsolete equipment.

PM sent, Kel Rekuta! I've got interest from another smith already, but it's good to talk to everybody first before making a decision.

Thanks guys! --Nathan

[Jimi Edmonds]

You could try Manning Imperial of Australia? http://www.manningimperial.com/ I have one of his kettle Helms

[Nathan Kowalsky]

Nice, thanks! I wasn't aware of that vendor. Although I won't need it for this particular item, I've managed to find a smith in Quebec who'll make me a custom helmet for a price I can afford. Pretty pumped!!!

[Jeffrey Hildebrandt]

I just noticed this thread - thanks for the kind words about my work, guys!

I will be hosting some armour-building workshops over the warm months, and a helmet with a multi-plate skull would have made an ideal project. Too bad there is so much prairie to cross between us, Nathan!

-Jeffrey Hildebrandt

[Nathan Kowalsky]

[Nathan Kowalsky]

Here's the finished product! Wide-brimmed kettle hat custom made by Olivier Laliberté-Beaulieu of Quebec, Canada. Sadly, I'm out of the country for a year so I had it shipped to my buddy's house for safe keeping while it's gone. That means he gets to wear it in this picture, not me.