15th century German Knees
Page 4
Refining the shape
On knees and elbows you will notice that the fan or wing has a tendency
to warp upward as you raise. You will need to bend it down periodically to
keep it out of your way as you form. The area between the apex and wing
will need to be pushed down as well with a few firm whacks once in a while.
In these areas you can strike further away from the contact point to tame
it into shape.
Here is the knee with the warping tamed down a bit. It still needs some more
work.
Now the raising portion is finished and the knee is looking like a knee.
It is hard to tell from the photo above but the curves on either side are uneven.
Notice in the photo that the right side is not as curved as the left.
This can be easily fixed with some softer hits to the inside of the piece
over an anvil.
I use the larger hammer on the areas with less curvature and the smaller hammer
in areas closer to the centre of the knee where the curves are tighter.
These hits shouldn't be too forceful but need strike the point where
the armour contacts the anvil. Go over areas that need to be brought outward
or need a little more curve on the sides.
Now the knee cop area is all evenly formed and ready for planishing.
Next Page
Planishing
