European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 06, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Story and photos by John Millar i Gauntlet lying amid the tools used to create it shows the detailed work that goes into making a suit ipod on it. Id he does t make Chain mail the flexible pc like Armor made from Metal links by b. No one would pay for that either he i besides there s a machine in Austria that things like jus he uses electric drills and cutting tools luxury the old craftsmen never had. It he still bends some Metal Over his Knees uses his hammers mallets and anvils to lid out various pieces. Sometimes he even an old tree stump As an Anvil. And in assembling the parts he uses leather b or nuts and bolts depending on the Loca loathe piece and How he wants it to look. Takes him one to four weeks to fashion a out of Metal depending on How intricate customer wants it. The finished suit weighs ii 39 pounds without leg Armor and 48 ads with Iron rices for a full suit Range from 800 to 1,200 m about $475 to $700he said. He has cd As much As 6.000 Marks for special i but those Are very scarce few and far Finhall the banging clanging cutting and Flung Over the years Schneider has made a a for himself. Stories about his business in in american newspapers including the f York times. Runburg s Mam Franzische museum in the a of Marienburg has a display of Schnei my Saij a group of japanese Busi uen who purchased a Castle near Niernberg 2 suits from him. I s Armor has been worn in several euro a Colln a when the Gentian television shot its four part series r 100 of Schneider s suits were for motion pictures can be Glamor t Schneider has had his share of frus Ullh lil s Industry. A Large order from a filmmaking firm does t always mean a profit. Once he made 1 5 suits of Armor for a Yugo Slavian film. Instead of ordering enough to outfit the entire cast the movie makers promptly sent his work to Romania to be cast in plastic. The higher ranking soldiers in the movie got to Wear my Armor and the lower ranking soldiers wore plastic he said. Another time a movie middleman Gyp Ped him out of 20,000 Marks about $12,125. He had made a Large number of suits for a movie being filmed in Czechoslovakia and Germany but was never paid. He travelled through both countries in an attempt to collect his fee Only to find out that the middleman had sold the Armor to England. The Job has it rewards. Recently he made two suits of Armor for Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. This was by far the most inter Esting order i be had because it was for Roy Alty he said. That Means a lot More to me than just anyone who wants to buy Schneider has also taken his Craft to school. He said he frequently gives demonstrations to students Young and old in the Wurzburg area. Oddly enough none have shown enough inter est to take up the Trade he said. The Only person who has is his brother who s been working by Schneider s Side for about six years. They just want to make their Money fast Schneider said about Young students. They Don t want to spend time learning something like his philosophy is just the opposite. You can always learn i m always Schneider wishes he could learn More and regrets if just a Little not having apprenticed for a master Armor la never become a master because there is no one that is a master who can teach me he said. But it does t really matter because the business comes stars and stripes Wurzburg Bureau. A Hammer and Anvil Are used to Pound a leg Section into shape
