Edge Rolling

Rolling The Edges of Armoured Plates

The single most important factor in producing an armour that is safe for combat sports is the rolling of all edges that are likely to come in contact with the wearer. At the very least the exposed edges must be rolled. Yes some munitions armour and some medieval helms had no rolled edges but the armour in question was for single use by cannon fodder or in the case of barrel helms they were intended for use over chainmail and were preceded and superseded by more sensible helms with miled edges. Careful examination of armour from Rome to the eighteenth century shows that in many cases armour that appears unrolled does in fact have many edges turned under and all the best armour, like Henry VIII's, this amour for foot combat had all the edges rolled on every piece.

The simple fact is that an armour with exposed edges are a greater risk to the wearer then fighting with out armour. In almost thirty years of combat sports I have seen people seriously injured by their armour several times. Tendons were cut at the armpit on one occasion and throat cut on another by cuirasses with leather folded over the edge. On another occasion a barrel helm with a sharp edge was driven into a shoulder when the wearer was thrown from a horse. The worst however was a lorica segmentada that seriously cut the abdomen of the wearer when he was struck in the guts with a steel axe. When any unrolled edge is struck repeatedly with steel weapons it becomes as sharp as a knife. The point is that real armour must be proof against real weapons. There are many groups now experimenting with steel weapons and the general run of armoursmiths with their stick fighting backgrounds are mostly refusing to accomodate them. Even swift movement or falling while wearing an armour with unrolled edges can produce injuries without any weapons or combat ever being involved. Any armoursmith that is unwilling or so unskilled that they do not roll even critical edges is putting the very lives of their customers at risk and should be avioded.

The Process of rolling the edge is simple and requires little skill and no machinery. A small cross pein hammer, an anvil and a stake made by putting a blunt chisel or crowbar into a vise is all that is required. Many otherwise competent authors make the mistake of assuming that these edges were rolled around wire. This erroneous assumption comes from the fact that many museum pieces have damaged plates that have splits or cracks at the edges that clearly show a wire bridgeing the crack at the rolled edge, the wire being wrapped byt the folded metal at the edge. These prove to be, on detailed examination, Victorian era repairs. At that time it was common to take old munitions armour and rebuild them as quality etched and gilded parade armours for resale. This was bascally a fraud. However in these restorations cracked plates had the rolled edges pried open and a piece of wire placed so as to bridge and stabilize the crack. It is easy to carry the rolling around corners and curves. Rolling thicknesses of metal up to one eighth of an inch is no problem. The following illustrated lesson shows exactaly how to roll edges with every hamer angle and stock position covered. Experiment a little on scrap before trying to roll the edges on your favorite helm and remember that rolling slightly reduces the dimentions of a piece . If your local armoursmith does not or cannot roll edges give them a copy of this and bid them to mend their ways. Failing at this shop around and find better, your saftey, possibily your life is the issue and don't let some opinionated smith put you in jepoardy.

Sir Mathew Cross

Blankenshield Armoury

P.O. Box 368

Pismo Beach, CA 93448