New helm?

[Sir Ulrich]

I'd consider a spring steel helm but it would cost a lot. I don't have plans to do SCA fighting as I cant stand how rattan weapons handle and I think it's too farby for my tastes to be honest. So all I really need is a helm that works well and isn't too tight. The GDFB one is the one I'm eyeing the most right now despite it being rather heavy. I just wish there were more options than just that though. Not looking for stainless as I want my stuff to develop a patina rather than stay fresh looking all the time, maybe even blacken it.

[Sir William]

Ulrich, just out of curiosity- if you do not intend to wear your armor in combat, why not go for lighter alternatives?  For instance, I picked up an aluminum hauberk for like $200; it came with chausses, sleeves and an integrated coif.  Altogether it weighs maybe 15 lbs?  Unless you're up close and personal, it looks like the real deal.  Sir Edward wears aluminum maille as well...altho you can't tell by looking at his avatar picture but the maille you see, that's aluminum butted.  Just like mine.  Worth a thought as weight is a real concern...it also has a dark patina style look to it.

[Lord Dane]

Well I been wearing my maille a few times at faires and I've learned that my kettle helm does NOT fit well over my maille coif, actually had rings digging into my forehead which hurt a bit. Maybe I need a large size helm similar to Joe Metz's kettle helm? Not really sure where to get one that is the design I want and isnt too heavy, I'm sorta fed up with the rings digging into me and cutting me due to the helm being too small... Any suggestions for a helmet type?

I suggest trying something that fits properly & comfortable. First thing, Kettle hats provide little protection & try a padded liner or cap as opposed to maille under a Kettle hat.  If you want to try something comfortable, I wear a Pembridge style helmet or a Crusader-era Great helmet depending on my character.  I wear a padded cap/liner, maille coif, and then a MachoMan padded head-guard w/ a velcro chin-strap (If they don't know, why tell them). If fits perfectly snug, doesn't pinch/snag or leave oil marks on your face, & when I take a head shot with an aluminum waster, I hear & feel little. But it leaves a good ding in the crown but that's what armorers are for. The Downside: Little visibility. The Plus: Good breathing holes & protection. Hope it helps. 

[Sir Ulrich]

From what I heard that stuff comes apart easily at least the MRL stuff does. I am starting to think I shoulda went with it but I like a lot of my stuff to be functional as I got a limited budget being younger and not having a stable job other than odd jobs I do. The darker patina on that stuff would prolly work for me though as it would look like iron rather than another metal which I'm quite obsessed with my maille looking like iron. I would like my armor to double for both combat and wearing at faires. Shoulda waited for titanium maille but that was expensive and out of my budget range.

Thing is I like the kettle helm because of the practicality of it. I tried on great helms before and dont care for the poor visibility and heat of it in the summer. It's good for fighting but bad for faires and I mainly bought my kettle helm for my "foot soldier" kit because I was too poor at the moment to buy armor and refused to go as a partial knight so I went for a route that didnt really require a lot of expensive armor. Guess I should get a great helm but that wouldnt be very practical for a faire and it's MUCH heavier than a kettle helm. You dun see many kettle helms at faires and usually I get complemented for my kettle helm by a lot of faire goers. The design of great helm I want is the maciejowski bible one with larger eye holes and breathing holes similar to Joe Metz's but thats hard to find. Every design I want is hard to find which frustrates me.

[Lord Dane]

From what I heard that stuff comes apart easily at least the MRL stuff does. I am starting to think I shoulda went with it but I like a lot of my stuff to be functional as I got a limited budget being younger and not having a stable job other than odd jobs I do. The darker patina on that stuff would prolly work for me though as it would look like iron rather than another metal which I'm quite obsessed with my maille looking like iron. I would like my armor to double for both combat and wearing at faires. Shoulda waited for titanium maille but that was expensive and out of my budget range.

Thing is I like the kettle helm because of the practicality of it. I tried on great helms before and dont care for the poor visibility and heat of it in the summer. It's good for fighting but bad for faires and I mainly bought my kettle helm for my "foot soldier" kit because I was too poor at the moment to buy armor and refused to go as a partial knight so I went for a route that didnt really require a lot of expensive armor. Guess I should get a great helm but that wouldnt be very practical for a faire and it's MUCH heavier than a kettle helm. You dun see many kettle helms at faires and usually I get complemented for my kettle helm by a lot of faire goers. The design of great helm I want is the maciejowski bible one with larger eye holes and breathing holes similar to Joe Metz's but thats hard to find. Every design I want is hard to find which frustrates me.

Just food for thought. The MachoMan padding actually lightens the weight of my helmet. As for the padded cap, mine held up nicely for 4 years now & I wash it regularly. The only price in helmets comes from the design & metal-gauge. You can get a good replica helmet reasonably prices (Range from $60-$200) on average in many fashions. Doesn't need to be fluted. One guy I know says he paid $1800 for his fluted Armet style helmet. I doubt that to this day but it takes some dings & almost shows no damage at all so who knows ...... Kettle helms work good for foot soldiers or men-at-arms.

[Sir William]

Ulrich, this White Mountain Armory Mac bible helm is up for sale on AA:

http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=150183&hilit=WMA+Mac+Bible+helm

- it has the wider eye slots and the breathing holes...and although it is painted red and white, I'm sure i you paint the white part black it'll fit in with your colors quite well.  Just a thought.

[Sir Wolf]

looks nice

[Sir James A]

One guy I know says he paid $1800 for his fluted Armet style helmet. I doubt that to this day but it takes some dings & almost shows no damage at all so who knows

Definitely possible - I've seen armets / close helmets float around the $2k mark, and that's for mild steel - spring steel or stainless, and it'll be even higher.

[Ian]

One guy I know says he paid $1800 for his fluted Armet style helmet. I doubt that to this day but it takes some dings & almost shows no damage at all so who knows

Definitely possible - I've seen armets / close helmets float around the $2k mark, and that's for mild steel - spring steel or stainless, and it'll be even higher.

James is right on. Heat treated spring helmets are going to be in that price range easy. Not for a Norman or a Kettle maybe, but for the Armet you're describing, assuming it's spring, he got off light staying under 2k.

[Sir Ulrich]

http://revival.us/linenarmingcoif.aspx
Is that a decent arming coif? I already have a GDFB one but it's got foam and it isnt very flexible or good at all, it's just a piece of foam covered in canvas and doesnt flex at all.

[Sir Wolf]

looks ok. i have one from here http://www.merchantadventurers.com/medstock/admed.htm been using it for about 10 years or so.

[Sir Ulrich]

My main problem is it covers my forehead which coifs of this type do not cover my forehead. Maybe I should sell the coif I own and get a wedge riveted coif instead which would dig less into my forehead I suppose. They are in stock but at the time I got mine they weren't. It's mainly the rivets that dig into my skin and are rather sharp. With the icefalcon maille it isnt the case as they're peened over rather well and much better quality than the GDFB maille which is pokey as hell. I want mine in black though cause I sorta hate white, I look terrible in white.

[Sir Wolf]

you can move the coif any which way to cover what is there. some people use a leather cord thru the mail around the forehead to help round it out when they have smaller heads. experiment a lil and make it work. i always play with mine a lil in the reflection of the car when i'm at events to get it to sit where i want it to

[Sir Matthew]

you can move the coif any which way to cover what is there. some people use a leather cord thru the mail around the forehead to help round it out when they have smaller heads. experiment a lil and make it work. i always play with mine a lil in the reflection of the car when i'm at events to get it to sit where i want it to

HAHAHAHA. I thought I was the only one who did this 

[Lord Dane]

you can move the coif any which way to cover what is there. some people use a leather cord thru the mail around the forehead to help round it out when they have smaller heads. experiment a lil and make it work. i always play with mine a lil in the reflection of the car when i'm at events to get it to sit where i want it to

HAHAHAHA. I thought I was the only one who did this 

That works but leather is kind of rigid & if not the right softness, it feels rough wrapped around your scalp (especially with a coif).  I improvise with a braided-cord colored to match my surcoat that is cheap, soft, flexible, and can be easily wrapped around my head.  It holds my coif in place easily and very natural feeling to it.  Just get the right thickness & colors and it's easy to do.