Ned Kelly Model

Creating a model of NED KELLY's Armour

slv.vic.gov.au

I researched on the internet to find a picture of Ned Kelly's armour and I was unable to find a template that I could print.
So using the a picture as a guide I created my own template.

As the picture is 2D I added extra to the width of each piece to allow for the sides that wrap around the body.

Next I gathered up the supplies.

     Supplies

• Armature wire
• Thin wire
• Tin Snips
•  Hammer
• Scissors
• Pliers
• Ruler
• Template
• Pictures
• Spray paint (red/rust and black)
• Hot Glue Gun
• Nail Punches
• Marker texta
• Block of wood with a hole to put wire  into
• Aluminium flashing (used for roofing / guttering)

Now I was ready to begin.

1.  Using the template draw around the pieces on the flashing and cut them out using tin snips.

2.  Put a fold in the middle of the front plate and the breast plate so that it looks like the Armour has been joined.  It is easier to do this using a ruler to create a fold line.

3.  Put the Holes into the Armour for wiring (as in the picture).   Originally it would have been leather straps but wire is easier.  A nail punch can help with these.  Square up the hole with the tip of a pair of small scissors.

4.  Use the nail punches to mimic where the bolts would have been.  To keep it curved you can curve it around a can or a rolling pin.

5.  Create a cross with armature wire and place into wooden block ready to hang the Armour on.

6.  Now start wiring it together using thin wire and pliers.  Once you are happy with the placement start work on the helmet.  I used 2 pieces of flashing to create this.  I joined the pieces together using hot glue and then mimicked the bolts using the nail punch again.  Excess wire can be removed with pliers.  I curved the armature wire to add the shoulder plates to rather than worrying about wiring them to the Armour separately.

 

7.  Now it's time for the spray paint.  I used a metal paint in rust/red colour for the first layer and then did a layer of black (not completely covering the red) in a plain enamel whilst the first layer was still wet.  This gave it the steel, rust, old look that I was after!

When I compared the original armour to my model I was pleasantly pleased with the results.