Seeing originals in museums and the opportunity to handle and inspect them will help expedite the development of a practical design, but a good collection of images are invaluable for developing a design. I appreciate the interest of everyone that emails asking for copies of my master templates and construction details. Please be patient while I format and prepare the gauntlet design for publishing in a book titled "Gauntlet Secrets", but until then imagine what it would be like trying to build armour from flat patterns with out ever having seen finished armour at all (not even a drawing or a picture). Pictures are patterns, they can be inlarged to any scale and relative dimensions can be surmised. Anyone interested in designing and building armour should take heed in the wisdom that a picture is worth a thousand words and the information and tools available give the modern armourer an enormous technological advantage over his ancient counterpart. The chemistry and process for the making, shaping and treatment of high quality steel is available to everyone.
Links to pictures of antique gauntlets.
Links to new gauntlets produced by armourers on the web.
A list of mostly technical books from my metalworking reference library.
The gauntlets in the gallery are all size 10 1/2 male.Two Basic Styles of Finger Gauntlets:
Basic Open Cuff -
(cuff covers outside of arm)
with solid brass hinges and brass buckles
One pair is constructed from 586 individual parts, approximately 120 hours labor
Basic Closed Cuff -
(cuff wraps around arm)
with solid brass hinges and brass buckles
One pair is constructed from 618 individual parts, approximately 130 hours labor
The hours of labor are relative to the experience of the armourer, the tools that are used and the complexity and quality of the design.
Options
Rivited Buckles
Heavy Duty Hinges Brass or Steel
Roping on Open Cuff or Closed Cuff
Art - patina silhouette (a patina is a metal finish similar to gun blueing)
The design of the gauntlets I build are inspired by 16th century originals. They will offer general protection similar to gauntlets of that era. Keep in mind knights wearing the best armour available were killed in tournaments and combat....(Skill factor). The protective quality of any armour is best decided by the user or someone qualified. Adjust your combat variables and rules to what you consider safe.
Some good advice for people interested in purchasing a pair of gauntlets.......
Quality vs Price....are the gauntlets wall hangers or are they functional?
"BEWARE" there are alot of dysfunctional (and gaudy) gauntlets being sold on the web.
Range of Movement....can the gauntlet allow the hand to move through it's normal range?
Comfort Level....how comfortable is the gauntlet?
(slipping into a well made gauntlet should be similar to an ore-gazzm)
References....ask the armourer for referals of past patrons.
Finding a good (and well fitting) piece of armour or an entire suit at a festival, fair or store
can save you money and avoid the disappointment of custom or mail order work that
does not live up to your expectations.