Posts: 5,981 Location: Birmingham, Alabama
Thu 26 Jun, 2008 12:34 pm
| Danny Grigg wrote: |
Sean, nice work, have you got a pic showing yourself in the helmet with the bevor up?
Does it come to the point of your nose or cover your nose to the bridge? Does it obscure your sight in anyway?
Thanks
Danny |
I don't have a photo of myself with the bevor up, mainly because it would be a bit misleading. It's not as obvious with the top lame dropped, but in the photo I'm wearing this over a very thin shirt, so it sits more forward and lower (maybe .5"?) than it would if I were wearing the appropriate body armour.
Contemporary German artwork shows bevors of this type reaching to anywhere from the mouth to the tip of the nose. I think I'm seeing most just below the nose and fitting tight against the face.
As you can imagine, the padded lining makes a huge difference when the piece fits that close. There's a bit of room to tip the head back and forward, so it's easy to close up the gap between the bevor and sallet if you see something unpleasant headed in your direction. Frankly, I'd prefer a standard if I were an infantryman simply because the bevor, if it sits high enough to do much good, also restricts side-to-side movement of the head. No surprise, then, that contemporary artwork most often shows infantry with standards instead of bevors. See the small German images in the earlier post on this page. I'd love to have a blued standard with brass or gilt dagged lower edge.
Here are a couple of photos from the period I was aiming for:
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Last edited by Sean Flynt on Fri 27 Jun, 2008 6:27 am; edited 1 time in total
Posts: 141 Location: Jeffersonville USA
Thu 26 Jun, 2008 12:39 pm
Sean,
That's very nicely blued. It's a good color, and very even.
What is your method?
Mac
Posts: 5,981 Location: Birmingham, Alabama
Thu 26 Jun, 2008 12:55 pm
| Robert MacPherson wrote: |
Sean,
That's very nicely blued. It's a good color, and very even.
What is your method?
Mac |
It's Birchwood-Casey PermaBlue. Dead simple, but, as you know, requires care during the steel wool stage to get an even finish. This finish is sort of like looking at a pond. From a short distance it looks dark and uniform, but close-up you see some faint swirling and mottling beneath in some place. I actually prefer this effect to a "perfect" finish. Also, whereas the sallet is blue-black, the bevor, especially the lower lame, tends more brownish. It's barely noticeable, and not at all noticeable when the pieces are mounted together because they reflect light at different angles.
I was surprised how easy it was to get a decent finish.
Posts: 141 Location: Jeffersonville USA
Thu 26 Jun, 2008 1:05 pm
Thank you Sean!
Well done! I always have trouble with the selenium bearing quick blues. My favorite is Brownell's Oxpho Blue, but "favorite" is a relative thing.
Mac
Posts: 5,981 Location: Birmingham, Alabama
Fri 27 Jun, 2008 6:25 am
| Robert MacPherson wrote: |
Thank you Sean!
Well done! I always have trouble with the selenium bearing quick blues. My favorite is Brownell's Oxpho Blue, but "favorite" is a relative thing.
Mac |
Thanks! I didn't give a great deal of attention to surface preparation, and that probably accounts for some of my finish (for better or worse, depending on one's perspective). I think it's interesting that the blued finish makes the armour look more finely polished than I thought it was. I'll have to try the Oxpho Blue some day.
Posts: 141 Location: Jeffersonville USA
Fri 27 Jun, 2008 11:25 am
Sean,
You will find the Oxpho blue to be rather blacker than the BC Perma Blue, but it is extremely forgiving of surface uncleanliness. It somehow manages to get under oil and do it's job just the same. Brownel claims that you can use it to touch up scratches without even bothering to remove any oil you might have on the surface. It's true.
Mac
Posts: 5,981 Location: Birmingham, Alabama
Fri 27 Jun, 2008 11:46 am
| Robert MacPherson wrote: |
Sean,
You will find the Oxpho blue to be rather blacker than the BC Perma Blue, but it is extremely forgiving of surface uncleanliness. It somehow manages to get under oil and do it's job just the same. Brownel claims that you can use it to touch up scratches without even bothering to remove any oil you might have on the surface. It's true.
Mac |
That's impressive, because I tested the Perma Blue on the bevor before I did any surface prep, just to see what would happen. Might as well have been stainless for all the effect the solution had. But when I properly degreased the pieces, I was surprised at the evenness and depth of color I got with a single application. After months of painfully slow progress on the lining it was a treat to see such results within seconds. I did notice that I had to work quickly, immediately rubbing out any runs and pressing the sponge hard against the steel, back and forth--more like polishing than painting.
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