A mixture of blacksmithing, silversmithing, and engineering, the armourer's chief tools would be of course the
hammer and
stake . Flat sheets of
iron , generally purchased from a specialist preparing sheets for an armoury, would be cut into rough shapes. These shapes would be
dished ,
raised ,
fluted and
flared until they were generally in shape. Then they would be
planished and
bouged to smooth them out. Finally they would be heat-treated, sanded and
polished . There is some evidence that forge-welding was being done during the 14th century; work done by the Swiss Institute of Arms and Armour in Granscay, Switzerland has published some excellent research on this. A modern student of armour who wants to get started should invest first in research books, to begin to train his eye; next in basic hammers, stakes and vices; then later in finish and welding equipment. See also
Chronique: The Journal of Chivalry #6 .
