Nightplate Hand Forged Blackened Steel Plate Cuirass Breastplate | 16 Gauge Mild Steel | Articulated Fauld, Runed Buckles and Leather Waist Belt | Knight Armour Gift | RK-1462

Nightplate is a breastplate with an articulated fauld, blackened over the whole surface with the rolled edges left bright so the outline reads as a bright line against a dark body. Black leather shoulder straps run over the shoulders through steel roller buckles, each carrying a small steel keeper plate stamped with Elder Futhark, and a leather waist belt closes the whole thing on the body. Say the important thing first: this is the front plate of a cuirass. It is supplied as a breastplate with its fauld, its shoulder straps and its belt. A matching back plate is not included, and the quilted gambeson shown in the photograph is there to illustrate what should be worn underneath rather than as part of the order.

Blackened armour is not a fantasy invention either. Munition armour of the sixteenth century was very commonly finished black, either by controlled oxidation from the forge or by painting, because a black finish is far cheaper to maintain than a polished one and because it resists rust. Bright polished harness was the expensive option. Every Nightplate is raised, dished, rolled, articulated and finished in our shop in Memphis, Tennessee. Free shipping inside the United States, one to two weeks processing, seven day returns, and a genuine lifetime warranty against defects in the forging, the grind, the heat treat and the fittings, with no end date and no receipt needed.

Specifications

How a cuirass is articulated and why the edges are rolled

A breastplate is a rigid box over a body that has to bend. The fauld is how that problem gets solved at the waist. Instead of running the plate down over the hips, where it would stop you sitting, mounting or bending, the armourer stops the breastplate at the natural waist and hangs a band below it on rivets, so the lower plate can ride up and down slightly as the body moves. On a full harness there are several fauld lames stacked. Here there is one deep band below the waist line, which covers the belly without locking the hips.

The rolled edges are the other detail worth understanding, and they are the quickest way to judge how good a piece of plate is. Take the raw edge of a sheet of steel, turn it over on itself and hammer it down and three things happen at once. The sharp edge that would cut a glove or a hand is gone. The rim becomes several times stiffer, so the plate cannot begin to fold from the edge inward, which is where plate always starts to fail. And a blade sliding along the surface meets a rounded lip and skips off rather than catching. Every serious piece of historical plate has rolled or turned edges, and here they are polished bright so you can see exactly where the roll runs.

The shoulder straps are set to carry the weight on the shoulders and the belt is set to take some of it onto the hips, which is the same load sharing principle as a modern rucksack. A breastplate hung entirely from the shoulders is far more tiring than one belted at the waist.

The steel, the blackening and the leather

Mild steel at 16 gauge, which is a step heavier than the usual 18 gauge display weight and part of why this plate feels substantial. Mild steel is the correct armour material and it is not blade steel. It dishes and rolls without cracking and it deforms under impact rather than fracturing.

Be honest about what that means. This is a display and light reenactment cuirass. It is not certified armour, it is not tested to any combat standard and it should not be worn into full contact steel fighting on the assumption that it will stop what a purpose built combat harness stops. Groups running heavy contact set their own gauge minimums and inspect kit at the gate, and you should buy to their rules if that is the event.

The blackening covers the body of the plate and the rolled edges are polished back to bright, which is a finish that stays looking right with very little maintenance. The straps and belt are full grain leather with plated steel buckles, and the little rune stamped keeper plates on the shoulders hold the strap tails flat.

Engraving, runes and your own design

Use the rune converter on this page to turn a name, a date or a short phrase into Elder Futhark and we will cut it into the steel or the leather. If you would rather have a Viking pattern than a rune line, choose your own design in the engraving option above the add to cart button and tell us where it goes. Where a piece already carries an engraved design, your chosen engraving replaces it rather than sitting alongside it. On Nightplate the shoulder keeper plates already carry runes, so your line takes their place, and the centre of the breast is the natural home for a larger design. Full detail is on the engraving page.

Fit and sizing

Measure your chest at the fullest point with a soft tape, over the padding you intend to wear underneath rather than over a shirt. That last part is the mistake people make. A gambeson adds real bulk, sometimes two inches or more around the chest, and a breastplate sized to a bare chest will not close over one.

Then check your torso length. A breastplate should end at the natural waist with the fauld hanging below it, so if you are unusually long or short in the body, tell us before we start and we will adjust the drop. The shoulder straps have adjustment in the buckles and the belt has more, but the plate itself has to be the right length or it will either dig into the hips or leave the belly bare.

Wear something under it. Steel directly on a shirt is uncomfortable, noisy and hard on both the shirt and the plate, and the padding is what actually makes armour bearable for a day.

Care

A blackened finish is low maintenance but it is not rustproof. Wipe the plate inside and out after wearing, because sweat gets behind the straps and sits there. Put a light film of oil or paste wax over the whole surface a few times a year, and pay particular attention to the bright rolled edges, which are bare steel and will spot first. Store it hanging on a stand or a hook rather than face down on a floor. Feed the leather straps and belt with a neutral conditioner two or three times a year and check the rivets and buckle stitching each season. Our steel care page covers oiling, storage and rust removal.

Forged in Memphis

The plate is cut, dished and raised here, the edges are rolled and polished here, the fauld is articulated and riveted here, the blackening is done here and the straps, buckles and rune plates are cut, stamped and fitted here, all in our own shop in Memphis, Tennessee. Nothing is drop shipped from an importer catalogue with our name printed on the box. That is what makes a lifetime warranty on the forging, the grind, the heat treat and the fittings a real commitment.

A note on handmade variation

This breastplate is hand made and not machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. The depth of the dish, hammer texture under the finish, the exact tone and mottle of the blackening, the width of the bright rolled edge and the grain of the leather all vary because each one is worked by hand from natural materials. The dimensions, the material and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Does it come with a back plate?

No. This is the front plate of a cuirass, supplied with its fauld, shoulder straps and waist belt. A matching back plate is a separate piece.

Is the gambeson included?

No. The quilted gambeson in the photograph shows what should be worn underneath. It is not part of this order, and you should size the breastplate over whatever padding you intend to use.

Can I wear this for full contact reenactment?

Not as certified armour. This is a display and light reenactment cuirass. It is not tested to any combat standard, and heavy contact groups set their own gauge minimums and will inspect your kit.

How do I size it?

Measure your chest at the fullest point over the padding you will actually wear, not over a shirt. A gambeson can add two inches or more, and that is what makes the difference between a plate that closes and one that does not.

Why are only the edges polished?

Because the edges are rolled, and rolling is the detail worth showing. Leaving them bright makes the line of the roll visible, which is also the traditional look on a blackened munition harness.

How long does it take to ship?

One to two weeks, because each plate is raised, rolled, articulated and strapped to your measurement. Engraved orders sit at the longer end. Shipping inside the United States is free.

What is in the box

• One blackened steel breastplate with an articulated fauld
• Black leather shoulder straps with steel roller buckles and rune stamped keeper plates
• Black leather waist belt with a steel buckle
• Your own Elder Futhark line or Viking design in place of the existing runes where selected
• Care, oiling and storage notes
• Forged and finished in Memphis, Tennessee

Explore the range

See more in plate armor, brigandine and gambeson and Viking armor, or read the guides for how to measure yourself for a cuirass.