[Ansteorra] armour materials, was Gauging interest for a Cut Test BBQ

[Dave W]

The short answer is medium carbon steels.  The slightly longer answer is
that by 1400 some armors had the carbon content to be heat treated.
Originally this was through an interrupted, or slack quench, then later with
a full hardening and tempering.  The most significant difference was the
lack of homogeneity in the steels.  The steels produced varied in carbon
content and slag content depending on the production method.  It was the
quality of the iron ore in Styria that allowed the German armorers to
produce more consistent armors.  The trend was for an increase in the
hardness of the steels through the end of the 15th century, peaking around
1480 for the Italians, at which point their hardness fell off rapidly.  For
Innsbruck and Augsburg, the primary German centers of production, the armors
retained higher hardness values into the 1520's before falling more
gradually.  The English armors improved in quality with the establishment of
the Royal Armoury at Greenwich in 1515.  That armory saw an increase in the
hardness of its armors peaking around 1590 as they followed a similar curve
to the other centers of armor production.

For comparisons sake of the hardness of various materials, using the Vickers
scale:
Wrought iron around 60 VPH
Mild steel around 140 VPH
Hardened steels from 200 to 550 VPH

For a great introduction to the subject I recommend The Royal Armoury at
Greenwich 1515-1649, by Alan Williams and Anthony de Reuck, ISBN 094809222X.
For an in depth look at the topic, there is no better source than Alan
Williams the Knight and the Blast Furnace, ISBN 9004124985.

Hope that helps,
Alexis

 
BTW, anyone know what metal was being used in armor by the end of our
period? Obviously it was not tempered stainless. Is our mild steel a good
approximation of their state of the art? I know steel was in use for very
small applications but did they make it in quantities sufficient for armor?

Doré