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Conversion of a European Helm |
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By Sir Ogami Akira
Cross-posted from Tousando - July 12th, 2006 |
I've "Japanified" several European helms, and there's no reason why you can't make a *very* passable kabuto out of this one.
I don't know what kind of equipment you have to work with. Obviously, the better your tools, the better your end product and the quicker you can finish it. But even if all you have is a jigsaw, a hand drill, a $15 anvil from Harbor Freight and a half-round file, you can do a really nice job.
It's the little details that will make all the difference. They add realism and a 'texture' for the eye which will help a lot.
Starting at the top:
Take a couple of 2 1/2" stainless steel washers and a file, and make a two-level tehen. I'd carve an eight-petal flower myself, but I'm lazy. (Be sure to pound them into a curve that matches the top of the kabuto *first*.)
Take a 'D' ring and a little piece of brass and put on a 'helmet flag ring' in back. Add a brightly-colored agemaki or hang a rectangle of white leather with you mon on it.
Put in a 'waistband' around the brow of the helm. It will help with the illusion that there is a separate bowl. (All too many converted helms miss this, and they just don't look right.) Roll the top edge to make it more distinct. Flare out the bottom edge, and hang your shikoro from the flare.
Put in *lots* of rows of lacing. I used 33 rows for my last kabuto, and it looked fabulous. Again, the more texture and detail, the better the conversion.
Make the brim large and fancy. Paint it gold, add decorative 1/8" copper rivets around the perimeter, put your mon on it - that sort of thing.
Where the back of the helm is under the shikoro, paint it a matte dark color. This will make it considerably less noticeable, especially if the shikoro and the bowl are a bright, glossy color.
Two last things -
You *might* want to add fukigaiishi. Yes, they are uniquely Japanese, but they always get pounded flat and end up looking like crap. I've seen leather ones, but they look like leather and get pretty droopy after they've gotten wet a few times.
I've seen two kabuto where several 3/16" strips of steel have been riveted to the bowl (from the tehen to the waistband) to simulate the edges of individual plates. I've never done it myself, but I didn't think they looked bad at all.
I have a neat little technique for making your shikoro lay perfectly:
Once you have used poster board to get your top lame the way you want it, lay it out on another piece of poster board. Trace the bottom edge.
On the inside of the curve, mark a line at 1/2". This will be the top edge of your second plate. Decide how high you want your plate (2", for example), and mark the bottom edge of the plate.
Repeat this until you have all the lames you need.
I don't know what kind of equipment you have to work with. Obviously, the better your tools, the better your end product and the quicker you can finish it. But even if all you have is a jigsaw, a hand drill, a $15 anvil from Harbor Freight and a half-round file, you can do a really nice job.
It's the little details that will make all the difference. They add realism and a 'texture' for the eye which will help a lot.
Starting at the top:
Take a couple of 2 1/2" stainless steel washers and a file, and make a two-level tehen. I'd carve an eight-petal flower myself, but I'm lazy. (Be sure to pound them into a curve that matches the top of the kabuto *first*.)
Take a 'D' ring and a little piece of brass and put on a 'helmet flag ring' in back. Add a brightly-colored agemaki or hang a rectangle of white leather with you mon on it.
Put in a 'waistband' around the brow of the helm. It will help with the illusion that there is a separate bowl. (All too many converted helms miss this, and they just don't look right.) Roll the top edge to make it more distinct. Flare out the bottom edge, and hang your shikoro from the flare.
Put in *lots* of rows of lacing. I used 33 rows for my last kabuto, and it looked fabulous. Again, the more texture and detail, the better the conversion.
Make the brim large and fancy. Paint it gold, add decorative 1/8" copper rivets around the perimeter, put your mon on it - that sort of thing.
Where the back of the helm is under the shikoro, paint it a matte dark color. This will make it considerably less noticeable, especially if the shikoro and the bowl are a bright, glossy color.
Two last things -
You *might* want to add fukigaiishi. Yes, they are uniquely Japanese, but they always get pounded flat and end up looking like crap. I've seen leather ones, but they look like leather and get pretty droopy after they've gotten wet a few times.
I've seen two kabuto where several 3/16" strips of steel have been riveted to the bowl (from the tehen to the waistband) to simulate the edges of individual plates. I've never done it myself, but I didn't think they looked bad at all.
I have a neat little technique for making your shikoro lay perfectly:
Once you have used poster board to get your top lame the way you want it, lay it out on another piece of poster board. Trace the bottom edge.
On the inside of the curve, mark a line at 1/2". This will be the top edge of your second plate. Decide how high you want your plate (2", for example), and mark the bottom edge of the plate.
Repeat this until you have all the lames you need.