How to Craft Ancient Roman Armor
- 1). Set up your welding tools, lathe and metal forge. Welding expertise is essential. If you do not have solid welding techniques, enlist the help of a certified welder.
- 2). Take accurate measurements of your body diameter, from your elbow to shoulder, every two inches. Forming the metal "plates" will require these recorded measurements to craft the armor. Allow, at minimum, one inch for leather straps and the mobility of your extremities.
- 3). Measure the trunk of your body every two inches, and record those measurements for the steel bands you will forge. You will forge together bands of steel, similar to the scales of an armadillo. Allow a half-inch for the leather strapping in both the front and back of the armor.
- 4). Put on the safety goggles and gloves. Cut the steel pieces into strips in accordance with the measurements taken, ensuring that the strips measure a width of 2 inches.
- 5). Heat the steel strips in the forge and then shape them with a hammer. Allow the strips to cool, and then test them on your arms and torso. The goal is to have the metal conform to your body but not fit too tightly.
- 6). Remove all sharp edges by buffing the metal until smooth and polished.
- 7). Bind the leather straps to the ends of the metal strips, using the metal screws and a drill. The leather straps can measure any selected width and may be as thick as you want to ensure comfort and a secure fit to your torso. The back and front of the armor should include at least two leather straps.
- 8). Bind the trunk metal strips to the straps by working from the bottom up, overlaying the strips a quarter-inch as you go.
- 9). Use the strapping to bind your shoulder pieces with the trunk piece, and then the arm pieces to the shoulders, using the same overlapping binding. With each stage of completion, check the fitting before continuing.
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