Gallery - Ironskin

Rare 13th-century mail... How did all the 13th-ce

Rare 13th-century mail...

How did all the 13th-century mail armor get lost? A lot of it was cut into pieces and reused. And pieces in the ground have rusted into fragile lumps. Yet this one here is a promising candidate to be from that time - the time when mail armor was visually dominating the appearance of knights on the battlefield.

What can we observe? The mail is made of riveted and solid rings, with perhaps 8mm inner diameter. Both types of rings look flattish but rounded. Interestingly the upper chest is made of rings with stronger crosssection. There is a clear transition line. But all rings appear to originate from the same workshop.

The neck-hole has a vertical slit to allow comfortable entry, but it seems to be wide enough even without it. Perhaps that is a later adaptation. Possibly the armor was once long-sleeved and cut shorter.

This armor is displayed inside the German Wire-Museum in Altena. The museum labels it as 13th/14th century. It weighs 8,5 kg. Footage by Ironskin.

#historynerds #ironskin #medievalstuff #armormaking #medievalknight #chainmail #knightsintights #medievalarmor #13thcentury #medievalclothing #altena #medievalarmor #chainmaille #historyfans #historians #medievalknights #medievaltimes #medievalpeople #buhurt #hema #historyfacts #medievalarmour #chainmaillove #medievalart #medievalwarrior #medievalfighting #knight #crusader #ironclothes

For the fight, one shall be armed. With rings care

For the fight, one shall be armed.
With rings carefully knit.
Stay agile and from cuts unharmed.
Mail armor has to fit!

#ironarmor #medievallife #maillelovers #rockyroadtodublin #ringmaille #kettenhemdmacher #chainmailleartisan #chainmaillelove #wearingarmor #chainmaillefashion #historicarmor #chainmaillearmour #ringarmour #knittingiron #personalarmor #chainmail #chainmailarmor #customarmor #gymclothesformen #armorsuit #medievalarmor #ironsuit #larparmor #knightly #médiévale #armadura #fashionlife #secoloxii #medievalsquire #armoring

The Bourke Scale Armor John G. Bourke was an army

The Bourke Scale Armor

John G. Bourke was an army officer and anthropologist on the American Frontier in the 1870s. He brought into his possession this gorget or collar of plate armor. It's been discussed whether this is a relic of the time when the first Europeans went into the Great Plains of America. Was it even obsolete late medieval gear brought to the New World?

Rather not: The armor consists of consistently shaped iron scales riveted onto cotton fabric. Carbon dating of the fabric reveals that it can't be older than 1650. Yet the material of the scales is bloomery iron. That points to an earlier date than roughly 1825.

The concept of plate armor was still known during Bourkes lifetime. Even though outdated to the military, we know of similar theater costumes of the 19th century. It is also known from text sources that native warriors in the Great Plains appreciated and used such armor in rare cases. It must have been acquired or made for that market - manufactured in the old or the new world.

Pictures and info from the paper "Scale armor on the North American frontier: Lessons from the John G. Bourke armor" by David J Killick et al. Plains Anthropologist DOI:10.1179/2052546X15Y.0000000001

#scalearmor #greatplains #americanarmor #spanishconquest #americanhistory #americanhistory🇺🇸 #scalearmour #gorget #ancientrelics #scalecollar #americanarmory #americanheritage #19thcenturyarmor #bloomery

Let's look at the source of the shiny brass rings

Let's look at the source of the shiny brass rings we adore in chainmail. This is the historic copper mine of Prettau in Italy, where reenactors met to experience medieval smelting: The ore is mined deep in the mountain and transported out. It is crushed by a water-powered plant. The ore is preheated to remove sulfur and to reduce it to raw copper. Together with charcoal, it enters the smelting furnace in layers. A manual bellow (better would be two) blows oxygen into the oven. Only with that the high temperatures of 1085°C respectively 1985°F can be reached.

We did several runs with and without a crucible. Typically it took one or two hours to run the oven. The resulting lumps are a mix of copper and unwanted parts/slag. We crushed everything and manually sorted the bits of copper for a second run of melting. It takes a few steps of melting to purify the copper enough to be able to forge it. The best pieces were already malleable after the first run.

Thank you @bergbaumuseum_museominiere for having us. And thank you to the crew of passionate people who were involved in this. More impressions will follow on @die_reisecen and @fyngerlyns_handwerkerey

#copperore #smelting #Prettau #coppersmelting #Kupfer #Erzschmelzen #rame #Predoi #Kupfererz #smelting #smeltingcopper #medievalcraft #makeeverything #fusione #ramenativo #kupferschmiede #schmelzofen #schmelzen #meltingfurnace #meltingfurnaces #smeltingfurnace #makefromscratch #makemetal #verhütten #copperore #cuivre

What is a Mail Apron? This item is odd. It appear

What is a Mail Apron?

This item is odd. It appears to have a human-sized head hole. I can imagine it being tied around the chest as an apron.

When examined closely, one can see riveted rings of a very inconsistent nature. Along with them are butted rings that are spot-welded/soldered. The dense square in the middle is solely made from riveted rings. Perhaps it was a test patch at first.

The garment seems to be a creation of the younger past - 19th to 21st century. It may have been manufactured to complement a suit of armor for a collector. Or perhaps it was even made for a butcher to serve as a cut-protecting apron during slaughtering. Who knows?

Now the piece is housed in the museum of Veste Coburg in Germany. During the recent chainmail classes, we used it to demonstrate the difference between the mail armor of the younger past vs. medieval pieces. If you are interested in such courses, the actual workshop is yet ahead: the 18th and 19th of March 2023. A few places are still available.

#apron #butcher #kettenhemd #armsandarmor #ringmesh #rivetedrings #orcarmor #orcarmour #vestecoburg #schutzkleidung #cutprotection #butcherapron #butcher #chainmaille #ringarmor

The Resurrection of Christ - an Altar piece from

The Resurrection of Christ - an Altar piece from Nuremberg 1488 featuring two men in mail- and plate armour. Noteworthy are the visor with bars and the helmet made from segments.

This is GM 159a GM 1100, displayed in Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nürnberg

#medievalarmor #platearmor #armor #armsandarmor #mailcollar #barvisor #Germanarmor #15thcenturyart #blackenedarmor #armsandarmorlove #armsandarmour #armsandarmor #nurembergmuseum #artmuseum #altarpainting #altarpiece #historyofarts #armorhistory #medievalsoldier

The unconventional mail coif in Altena Castle, Ger

The unconventional mail coif in Altena Castle, Germany

It puzzles me that the coif is fully enclosing all of the head. There are no holes for the face. There are only two torn spots - not really intentional holes.

The museum labels it as 12th-century. Yet the rings are a wild mix. Most appear to be of 15th century origin.

I have an idea, but what do you think is the reason for the non-existing face hole?

PS: We still have a few spots for the Ironskin Chainmail Workshop in March. You can sign up on our website.

#altena #burgaltena #altenacastle #camail #camaglio #bandana #ringbrünne #armourphotography #armorcosplay #ringbrynja #ironskin #medievalgermany #ritterrüstung

For 33 years this medieval war machine has amazed

For 33 years this medieval war machine has amazed admirers from all over the world. Now it had aged and is unsafe to use.

In 2023 we're going to build a new trebuchet from scratch. Our friends at the Medieval Center in Denmark will need a whole lot of lumber.

You can support this with money and in other ways: How? Find out on Indiegogo - "Medieval Trebuchet". Help us build this!

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/medieval-trebuchet

@middelaldercentret_nyk_falster

#medievales #citemedievale #medievaleurope #danishheritage #medievalpark #medioevo #campomedievale #early15thcentury #medievaltown #mittelalter #historylive #historypark
#middelaltercentred #mittelalter #livinghistory #trebuchet #lebendigegeschichte #geschichtspark #medieval #tribock #medievallife #mittelalterhaus #catapult #medievaltimes #siegeengine #mittelalterleben #denmarksights #medievale

Looking back at 2022: While news around the globe

Looking back at 2022:

While news around the globe hasn't been all positive in 2022 - some people have found a space for themselves to calm down. For us, that space is the world of arms and armor. And you who are reading this - I hope you did get some of that feeling too.

Let's not forget: You enable us to exist as a workshop for mail armor! Thank you for following along, for putting value into a handmade craft, and for honoring originality!

Special thanks to the little crew who supports us on Patreon! We will be uploading more posts there.

Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, and on the internet - it was refreshing to meet you guys in person. And I can't wait for more of that in 2023!

#medievalcenter #battleofvisby #medievaltimes #medievalpeople #buhurt #hema #historyfacts #historygeek #liveactionroleplay #medievalarmour #historylove #bestof2022 #historynerds #ironskin #medievalstuff #armormaking #Ritterspiele #medievalknight #chainmailmaking #larp #reenactors #armsandarmor #medievalreenactment #historyfans #renaissance #nerdhobby #chainmail

Sometimes we're using slightly different rings for

Sometimes we're using slightly different rings for the seams. They may be just slightly thinner or from a different batch of iron. Yet when you look at them at the right angle and light you can see the lines clearly. Sometimes you can even observe that on originals. It's not a bug - it's a feature!

This armor is our shot at building a 12th-century mail shirt yet without coif. The 12th century is a time of which we have no well-preserved and clearly dated originals to study. So we were bringing in our knowledge from earlier and later times.

The period drawings indicate details as the finger-free gloves that we decided on. However, these drawings can't be trusted regarding the pattern and shape of the mail itself.

You may have noticed that the hauberk looks very wide. The wearer has a chest circumference of 150cm / 59" while wearing a padded undergarment. The part in the middle was our way to create a skirt-like expansion and add more total width at the same time. That was a challenging project outside of the box of what we had done before.

What are you thinking about the visible seams?

#chainmail #hauberk #extra-wide #12thcentury #fingerfreegloves #crusaderarmour #armourer #crusaderarmour #12jahrhundert #ritter #kettenhemd #cottademalha #ironskin #ringarmor #armorer

The Mail Cape... At first thought, it appears rid

The Mail Cape...

At first thought, it appears ridiculous: A cape made of rings. And yet this piece of armor was appreciated by German mercenaries in the 16th century, the so-called "Landsknecht".

The shape is imitating leather and textile rain capes of the period. At the same time, it is an elongated version of earlier mail collars. While the shorter mail collar appears to be in use with plate armor, I found the longer version more often depicted by itself. It can be seen as lightweight cut protection in a time when firearms had outgunned heavy armor.

Another name for such capes of mail is "bishops mantle" in reference to the similar-looking clerical garment.

This is object 87:1939 in the Saint Louis Art Museum. Likely of German origin, early 16th century.

#landsknecht #mailcape #bishopsmantle #mailcollar #chainmail #chainmailmantle #landsknechts #16thcentury #mercenaryarmor #mercenaryarmour #europeanheritage #historyofart #stloiusartmuseum #artmuseum #cape #larparmor #ringarmor

Guardian statue on the facade of Nuremberg St. Lor

Guardian statue on the facade of Nuremberg St. Lorenz cathedral

When you can squat like that in armour, your mail-armorer has likely done a good job.

#nuremberg #stlorenz #cathedral #ridder #ritter #mountandblade #germanknight #chevaliere #medioevo #kettenhemd #medievaltimes #crusaderarmor #medievalreenactment #medievallivinghistory #14thcentury #crusader #cottedemaille #ringpanzer #cerveliere #livinghistory #medievaleurope #bannerlord #medievalwarrior #minne #ritterlichkeit #mittelalterlich

The collar of a haubergeon: Our latest creation h

The collar of a haubergeon:

Our latest creation here is for the late 15th-century. This means plate armor is hiding most of the mail parts. Yet the collar is still visible. So we better aim to make that part extra nicely. Thus we didn't shy away from using actual silk and all-handmade ornaments. The shell-like clasp is serving to fix the position. It is riveted to the inner layer.

This would feel incomplete without a quick shoutout to Tom Billiter from @historically_patterned_mail who pioneered the subject.

#onlytookforever #silkinlay #15thcentury #late15thcentury #15thcenturyfashion #medievalgermany #cottadimalha #cottadimaglia #clamp #mail #ironskin #medievalclothes #15thcenturyarmor #medievalart #historyofarts #historyofarts #armsandarmor #armsandarmorlove

Congratulations, Bob Degreef! During the late 14th

Congratulations, Bob Degreef! During the late 14th century, knights wore bascinet helmets with a so-called houndskull visor. The chainmail part is named aventail. It is stitched onto a textile liner. And there is a combination of a leather band and pins to connect the aventail to the helmet.

Bob Degreef crafted this aventail ring by ring, following a museum piece in the Royal amouries. All his rings are handmade. Neither have we seen anything like this nor would we be able to do it better. Respect!

Photos by Thomas Geboers

#aventail #visor #houndskull #hundsgugel #14thcentury #englishknight #royalarmouries #armouries #handmade #visir #helmet #waroftheroses #bascinet #knightinarmour #knight #blackdeath #breathingholes #armored #knightinarmor #englishheritage #covidproject #patience #medieval #armsandarmour

A Crinet is the segmented neck-armor for a warhors

A Crinet is the segmented neck-armor for a warhorse. Together with the face-plate called Shaffron and the parts for the chest, back and sometimes legs it defines the horse's Barding.

This example is from the 1480s or slightly later, made in Milan, Italy for a noble person in Lyon, France. Such things can be known from makers' marks on the plate and written records of purchases.

Most interesting to me is the mail-part. It can lap over the reins and thus add a tiny bit of protection for the reins from being cut. Imagine cut-off reins on a warhorse - indeed a nightmare.

Metropolitan Museum New York, item number 14.25.1662.

#barding #horsearmor #warhorse #medievalwarhorse #horsearmour #shaffron #gothicarmor #schlachtross #horsewarrior #horsefight #renaissanceart #rohirim #storiamilanese #heavycavalry #mountandblade #Chanfron #ridersofrohan #medievalwar #medievalwarfare

As Steve Jobs would say: When you have an iron shi

As Steve Jobs would say: When you have an iron shirt, you don't have to iron shirts. 😉

Hi Trevor, this is yours. From snowy Germany to snowy Alaska.

#ironshirt #chainmailshirt #chainmail #ironarmor #ironskin #kettenhemd #stevejobsquotes #cottadimaglia #haubergeon #goingoutinstyle #skyrim #stevejobs #armaduramedieval #mountandblade #ringbrynja

Knight in the years 1190 to 1200 The most rewardi

Knight in the years 1190 to 1200

The most rewarding about this account is to get to dwell amongst the finest people in living history. Hence I see it as my duty to take you guys along that journey:

Today we're meeting Tim Kramer from @sericumetferrum at Abenberg Castle, Germany. He is representing a knight in the late 12th-century with his kit all homemade. Note the rows of mail running around the arm. That is what I and others call "closed-hang orientation".

Tim deserves my deepest respect for this work. Thumbs up to him and all the other lovely people at Abenberg Castle. It's been a perfect weekend!

On a side note: The castle is besung in medieval poet Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival to have had an overgrown tournament-place and a dead-boring atmosphere. 800 years later we tried to change that reputation. 😉

#abenberg #burgabenberg #secoloxii #12thcentury #knight #ritter #rittertunier #parzival #wolframvoneschenbach #medievalgermany #mittelaltererleben #medievallife #medievallivinghistory #hauberk #chainmail #medievalevent #sieclexii #mittelfranken #germanknight #germanhistory #castlesofgermany #medievalcastles

A little teaser for the international chainmail co

A little teaser for the international chainmail competition.

Participants from all around the world had submitted pieces of handmade chainmail. We tested them with a crossbow and a strech machine and discussed their historic accuracy.

The video will be out on Tuesday evening 20.12.2022 at 18:00 CET on Ironskin's YouTube channel.

#kettenhemdringe #loricahamata #ironskin #chainmail #cottedemaille #chainmaille #chainmailrings #chainmailreconstruction #romanarmor #kettenhemd #ringpanzer #zakovica #cotademalla #Klinknagel #Кольчуга #Ringbrynje #harnisk #Kolczuga #nitning #makingrings #mailmaking #cottedemaille #jewellerymaking #makechainmail #ringschmieden #blacksmithingclass #armormaking

Fingerfree mail gloves - Sometimes they appear in

Fingerfree mail gloves - Sometimes they appear in artwork from the 12th to the 14th century. We had our go at recreating that. The gloves are going to be attached to a mail hauberk.

Do you think one should be concerned about the exposed fingers? Or isn't it the case that the shield and the sword cross help to protect them anyway?

#gloves #fencing #medievaltimes #medievalfashion #medievalart #armour #schaukampf #historicalmartialarts #swordfighting #fingerfree #fencingglove #historicfencing #hema #gauntlets #12thcentury #fingerfreegloves #fingeredgloves #leatherglovesfetish #leathergloves #personalarmor #kettenhandschuh #eisenfaust #mittelalterhandwerk #medievalcrafts

Happy Easter! I'm grateful for the people that ar

Happy Easter!

I'm grateful for the people that are peaceful, those who contribute to the world being a free, safe, and enjoyable place. You have balls of steel! Thank you for being here - on this planet - on this account.

#chainmailegg #steelegg #ballsofsteel #easteregg #easteregghunt #metalegg #chainmailart #chainmailartist #chainmailball #chainmaillejewelry #chainmailjewelry #chainmailleartisan #metalart #metalfashion #dragonegg #ironskin #Påskeæg #huevodepascua #ovodepascoa #uovodipasqua #paasei

Mehr… Follow on Instagram