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The Kelly Gang

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Joe Byrnes armour

Ned Kelly, Joe Byrne, and the rest Kelly gang retain a strong hold on the Australian imagination. The unforgettable slited forged steel helmet worn by Joe Byrne has become an iconic symbol of rebellion. But where did the armour come from, what was it made of, and what has ANSTO got to do with it?

The story started when the National Museum of Australia (NMA) decided to host an exhibition of heroes and villains from around the world called Outlawed! The World’s Rebels, Revolutionaries and Bushranger. When the NMA took stock of its exhibits, it quickly realised the armour worn by Joe Byrne was going to be the star attraction. The organisers decided it was a great opportunity to prove or debunk some of the myths surrounding Byrne's armour, specifically how it was made, and from what.

Through their contacts in the University of Canberra they discovered that ANSTO was the only place in Australia that could assist them. Over the years numerous debates have emerged about what kind of metal was used to make the armour (ploughshares being a favourite nomination, perhaps donated or stolen) and where it was made (in a blacksmith’s forge or a bush campfire). ANSTO scientists were assigned the tasks of revealing some of the armour’s long-held secrets. The following analytical techniques were used:

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scientists at work on the armour

  • Neutron scattering: this process provides information, via a diffraction pattern created when neutrons hit the sample and scatter over a detector, on how the atoms are deformed in the crystal lattice of the armour as a result of heat treatment or being worked with a hammer, or something similar.
  • Metallography: areas of the armour that had been scuffed bare while on display were polished without mechanical deformation, etched in acid (which revealed the processing history of the steel) and then replicated with cellulose acetate film.
  • X-ray fluorescence: X-rays from radioactive sources were used to generate characteristic radiation from elements within the armour, confirming the alloy content of the steel. Lead detected at some places indicated where bullets had ricocheted off the armour – the armour obviously did the job it was designed for!
  • X-ray diffraction: this process is similar to neutron diffraction. The X-rays interact with the crystal structure near the surface, whereas neutrons examine the bulk of the material.

Using these techniques (which examine the crystal structure of materials), ANSTO scientists were able to show that the armour was probably made from plough shares and that it was forged in a low temperature (bush) fire, not a blacksmith’s forge.