[Piotr H. Feret]

At this special time I wish you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May the holidays bring you piece, joy and a chance to rest and recharge.

[Piotr H. Feret]

Greetings!

Some updates from my workshop for first quarter of 2024. At first I invite you to follow me on my Instagram profile: https://www.instagram.com/piotrplatener/ I going to public there latest armour projects and also remind some of my previous work.

Complete reproduction of the helmet from Nysa (Poland), with hand-sewn lining (made also by me) and with riveted mail avential made by mail maker Paweł Dubiel - https://en.paweldubiel.pl/ That's how the helmet may looked like when it was new in mid XIV c. It's was my very interesting project, because I have unique opportunity to work so close with original piece which was preserved in soil for more than 600 years.









Klappvisier bascinet based on two sources: skull on bascinet from Musee de Valere in Sion and visor on original from University Museum in Marburg, Inv.-Nr. 185. For the visor I made additional vent holes on left side and divided eye slot into small rectangles for better protection. Skull raised from two halves of 2 mm high quality mild steel, heat hardened and tempered up to 36 HRC. Visor raised from one piece of 2 mm medium carbon steel and hardened and tempered up to 42 HRC. Visor is removable. All in rough satin finish with some visible hammer marks and scratches from grinding. Weight 3,230 kg.







Leg harness in Kastenbrust style, circa 1470. It's part of incoming full armour suit, one of few projects I currently have on my workbench. Made of medium carbon steel and spring steel in various thickness: 1,5 mm; 1,2 mm; 1 mm. Equipped with handmade steel buckles and vegetable tanned leather in dark blue dye. Heat hardened and tempered up to 42 HRC. Weight of single cuisse is 2,5 kg, and 1,2 kg for single full greave.













For more photos I invite you to my website.

[Piotr H. Feret]

Greetings!

After a longer silence on this forum I have for you a massive update of my work.

More late XV c. stuff and next part of armour in Kastenbrust style, circa 1470. This time braces and gauntlets. Made of medium carbon steel and spring steel in various thickness: 1,5 mm; 1,2 mm and 1 mm. Equipped with handmade steel buckles and vegetable tanned leather in dark blue dye. The gauntlets have articulated wrists, which gives some extra mobility. Heat hardened and tempered up to 42 HRC. Weight of single brace is 1,780 kg, and 1,140 kg for single gauntlet. Stay tuned for more gauntlets photos.










A short video showing the gauntlet wrist mobility you can watch on my Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5-vNYFrs8h/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

New version of cuirass based on effigies of Beringer von Berlichingen (1377) and Voit von Rieneck (1379). The backplate (consisting of 74 plates) is based on the statue of Saint George from Prague. Breastplate was forged from 2 mm thick medium carbon steel, the front fauld from 1,2 mm spring steel and the entire back from 1 mm medium carbon steel. It’s heat hardened and tempered up to 42 HRC. Weight is 11,35 kg (it’s XL size).









And now the armour on which I was working on for longer time and finally is almost finished. I have presented you some photos from work in progress in above posts. The Spanish armour project mainly inspired by depicts from Altar of St George of the Valencian school, circa 1410. Link to the Altar: https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O17807/altarpiece-of-st-george-altarpiece-master-of-the/ All brass decorations are with quatrefoil pattern, a very popular motif in Spanish medieval art. The armour is equipped with handmade steel buckles with brass gilding.

At first here is the great bascinet. It's made of high quality mild steel of 2 mm thickness. The skull consists of 4 pieces riveted together. Visor was raised on hot from one piece of 2 mm steel, whose final thickness varies from 2,5 mm on the visor peak area down to 1,5-2 mm and the edges. Below the visor on the chin plate there is a solid stop rib to deflect thrusts. It’s heat hardened and tempered up to 36-38 HRC. Weight 6,7 kg.











Cuirass with separate paunce in downward lapping lames construction. Backplates hinged at breastplate sides - so called "reredors" construction. Made of medium carbon steel of various thickness: breastplate 2 mm, backplates 1,5 mm, skirt 1,2 mm. Equipped with lance rest based on Churburg CH13. Heat hardened and tempered up to 42 HRC. Overall weight is 9,85 kg (breastplate and backplate 5,25 kg + paunce 4,6 kg).











Complete arm harness: early pauldrons with rondels, braces and gauntlets. Hourglasses are variation of English style ones with brass gilded knuckles for a more fancy look. All made of medium carbon steel and heat hardened and tempered up to 42 HRC. Weight for one pauldrons with rondel is 1,5 kg; weight of one brace is 1,580 kg and one gauntlet is 0,830 kg.











Complete leg harness. Cuisses are quite unusual with such detail like lames on upper part of thigh plates and stop ribs. They are also closed at the back like in English style armour. All made of medium carbon steel and heat hardened and tempered up to 42 HRC. Weight of one cuisse is 3,140 kg; one full greave is 1,360 kg and one sabaton 0,650 kg.











St George armour, circa 1410 - have a look at the bigger picture.











More photos you can find on my website.

[Piotr H. Feret]

Greetings!

A little suplement for my previous post.

Here in a short video on my Instagram profile in which you can see hourglass gauntlets from the Spanish armour project circa 1410 with sewed leather gloves: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAso3tItw88/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

For comparison here is a video with Kastenbrust gauntlets also with sewed leather gloves:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DA0-QsbNuwh/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

[Piotr H. Feret]

Greetings!

For the upcoming winter holidays, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Recharge batteries, spend time with family, read a good book, watch a good movie, play a good game…that’s my plan.

[Piotr H. Feret]

Greetings!



Exactly 15 years ago, on 1st October 2010, I became a professional armourer. It's quite a challenge to recreate such traditional craftsmanship in the modern times. It wouldn't be possible without my stubbornness and passion for armour making. Just as it wouldn't be possible without my wonderful customers who place their trust and patience in me.

To summarize these 15 years of armouring, I have selected one piece or armour set from each year, from 2010 to 2025, that was the most meaningful work for me in that time for various reasons.You can see it on my Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DPQ8aITiH51/?img_index=1

[Chad Arnow]

Congratulations! Your work is beautiful.

[Piotr H. Feret]

Thank you very much Chad!

It was quite a while since I shared here with my latest armour projects so now is time for some large update:

Thanks to the kindness of my customer I can share with a few photos of armour for the beginning of the XV century mainly inspired by depictions from the Altar of St George of the Valencian school, circa 1410. Spanish armour reproducted from medieval art, worn by my Spanish customer on Spanish soil - it?s a wonderful compilation of circumstances, which bring history back to life.






Photo made by @albertoexekution


Photo made by @caballerosdeulver

My interpretation of a tournament helm based on the Henry V helm - part of his funeral achievement from Westminster Abbey. It represents an early style of jousting helm dated for 1380-1420. It is composed of five primary plates: rear plate, brown plate, crown plate, face plate and monstrous thick reinforcing plate in front. Rear plate, crown plate and face plate are made from 2 mm steel. The brow plate is 3 mm thick steel and the roll above the eyes is 13 mm thick in front and about 10 mm thick at sides. The monstrous reinforcing plate I forged from a flat 8 mm thick steel sheet. The thickness at sides and bottom of it is around 5-6 mm and at eye level is 11 mm in front and 8 mm at sides. Between the face plate and the reinforcing plate there are several layers of linen canvas up to 2 mm thick in front. The purpose of the interlining is to reduce a little the noise after getting a hit. All above gives a total of 16 mm of steel and space protection in front at eye level. Total weight of that beast is 9,840 kg and reinforcing plate itself is aprox. 4,600 kg. The aforementioned bit of beauty in the form of brass decorations I made in combination of punching and engraving techniques.











Leg harness for late 14th/early 15th c. in simple and clean form. What's unusual this time is its lack of demi-greaves and due to that bottom lame is riveted (through sliding rivets) to the extended top part of the front greave. There are quite many sources from this period with depictions of a leg harness without demi-greaves and it was interesting to check how it would work. Weight of one leg is 3,9 kg.







Armourer achievement: craft something related to the legendary Helmschmied work - checked
The high gothic set circa 1480-1485 in Helmschmied style consists of sallet, bevor and cuirass. They are made of steel in various thickness: 2 mm; 1,5 mm and 1,2 mm and heat hardened and tempered up to 42 HRC for cuirass with bevor and 38 HRC for sallet. The visor, lower lames and tassets are brass gilded. I also crafted handmade steel buckles for this set. Overall it involved around 850 of work hours to make it.
Weight data:
Cuirass - breastplate 4,380 kg; backplate 3,960kg, one tasset 0,380 kg = 9,1 kg
Sallet ? 3,170 kg
Bevor ? 1,550 kg

















Late 14th/early 15th c. style full plate leg harness with brass decorations with a geometrical, hand filed pattern.
Material: medium carbon and spring steel of various thickness: 1 mm; 1,2 mm and 1,5 mm; brass; vegetable tanned leather.
Heat treatment: cuisses (thigh plates, lames, poleyns and demi-graves) heat hardened and tempered up to 42 HRC.
Weight: cuisse 2,360 kg; full greave 1,650 kg; sabaton 0,510 kg











Here is a classic breastplate with V-neck stop rib (to deflect thrusts away from the neck) based on Churburg CH14. I enhanced its simple aesthetic by adding brass decorations around the edges with a geometrical, hand filed pattern. They were inspired by decorations from Churburg CH13 segmented breastplate and depictions in art from this period.
Material: hot forged medium carbon 2 mm thick; brass; vegetable tanned leather
Heat treatment: steel heat hardened and tempered up to 42 HRC
Weight 3,6 kg.










Thank you for attention and more photos you can find on my website.

[Alan Schiff]

Congratulations on your anniversary! I always love seeing your work.

[Piotr H. Feret]

Yes it's that time of year...I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Time to catch your breath, spend time with family, a favorite book, a good movie, and a game. Several new armour books are waiting to be explored. The next year will be very productive one: more English style armour, Italian export armour, and Gothic armour...