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Old 12th November 2013, 12:38 PM   #22
A Senefelder
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 214
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This one is a little tougher but here's the things that would give me pause. The upper visor,as you mentioned has definitely had part of it cut away, with it looks like a chisel, I use a chisels to make cuts when installing hinges in bracers and it leaves what appears to be the same kind of rough edge prior to file/abrasive work to smooth it out. Second, the chisel work of the roping, especially on the top edge of the the lower visor seems very ham handed, as if they were trying to create the effect of " cabling " ( a term for a broad type of roping done with a round file rather than a chisel ) by using a big dull chisel ( roping was nearly always done with a sharp chisel ), especially when you compare it with that on the lower edge of the opening for the face and the comb which is much better done. That odd, incomplete weld at the back of the comb. Whilst helmets were made by forge welding two halves together, once the technique of crimping the two halves together along the comb and lap riveting at the brow below on either side caught on in the 16th century, it became nearly universal for two piece helmets due to its ease to produce over forge welding. This isn't an automatic dismissal, i'd want to see the inside of the helmet to determine if in fact what i'm seeing is a grind down of an old electric weld, or in fact a forge weld. I'm not seeing any beveled plate edges where I should either which would give me pause. This helmet is also missing at least one additional gorget lame per side as indicated by the empty holes on the sides of the visible back lame in pic 2
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