The finger tips present a special challenge as they must be rolled and then formed to properly overlap the next plate.
I first rolled the finger tip as with the other finger pieces (above). Next, the tip was placed on a lead block and struck from the inside with a custom ground cold chisel to create the ridge. Finally, each half of the tip has to be re-rolled as it deforms a bit when struck with the chisel. Take care to work each side of the ridge independently as to not mar it.
So far my material costs total $0.00 USD. The steel is courtesy of the amateur armourer’s best friend, an industrial dumpster. The lead block is an old school dive weight from a now-closed dive shop. The chisel is a junker I’ve had for years; I just created the curve needed on my grinder. The ¾ and ½ inch malleable iron pipe is scrap from an old job site. The doming block set was picked up long ago for about $25 on sale and has more than paid for itself during previous projects. The knockoff Beverly shears belong to an SCA friend. My bench vice was a gift from a friend’s father and my 1950's ball peen hammers belonged to my grandfather.
My cost tracking assumes you already have the most basic of shop tools (hammers, bench vice, cheap grinder, sandpaper, etc.).
As an aside, use a lead block to support rivet heads when peening the shank. This keeps the heads round and pretty. This method also protects decorative rivet heads if you’re going really fancy. The head form a nice little dimple in the soft lead as can be seen in the middle of the block. Contrary to popular belief, lead is your friend.
