The Armour Archive

Vermin

What are the square holes in the excavated breastplate for?
they appear to be reinforced....and really random......

Vermin

"Graham at work on restoring and preserving historic stuff we use renaisance wax for a lot of things, it is based on a microcrystalline wax ( with added plastisizer etc and is approved of by museums and conservators worldwide but is ruddy expensive," Seconded, we use this in my lab as well. Love it....

Vermin

Tip for the JS-

Keep a hunk of bees wax around.

It's the best lube I've found for using one, no mess, doesn't stink...

Vermin

So, it seems we got a "maybe" from Wade......

Vermin

Sir Wulfstan

For taking me under his wing and showing me how.

Vermin

"with all info underwritten by anonymous author 'Matt'. "

That's Broadway trying to muddy the waters......

Vermin

4th-d

You're a living Virginia Slims ad....

"You've come a long way baby".....

Vermin

"whats up with the sole of the boots on the guy with the blue pants? "

Peter Frampton can wear anything Peter Frampton wants!!!!

Vermin

"I have some 17c pirates who are customers too "

For that I would recommend-

"Southwestern Colonial Ironwork" by Marc Simmons and Frank Turley
ISBN 0-89013-128-7

I've worked on a LOT of iron hardware from Spanish shipwrecks and mission sites, this book rocks, which is why it's in our lab...

Vermin

What's got two thumbs and loves that helm?

THIS GUY!!!!!

Vermin

If it's indoors, do one wall as an indoor climbing gym. Seriously. We had a practice place that was an indoor climbing gym. I'd warm up by getting into armour and then going to the wall for 5 minute periods. Wayyy better than simply stretching. And, once you get used to it- Climb/boulder for 20 minu...

Vermin

"the look of an Eastern Woodlands North American Indian of the 18th century is completely different from that of the 16th century Indian (without any further information, I'm forced to assume a wood-slat "lamellar" like in the North West). " Or hide. Deer, bear, possibly even buffalo. The early Span...

Vermin

I seek no pardon for my many, many, sins because I am unpardonable, and undeserving of that act.

That said, I never stole OJ from God.

Vermin

What's your footwork like? Lots of good advice here so far, but one thing people haven't mentioned is whats going on with the lower half of your body. How well you move around has a great deal to do with the length of the weapon that is best suited for YOU. Also, I will heartily agree that the short...

Vermin

Lacrosse elbows work VERY nicely under a loose sleeved shirt.

Vermin

OK, thank you for your reply!!!!!

Vermin

Wade, is it a trick of the light, or is the metal slightly flanged inward on the BP at the arm gussets?

Vermin

Oh, FFS.....they could have at least used nickels on it....

Vermin

"The world did not end. It really has not been that a big deal. "

Exactly.

But for the folks who think it is, there's always MY solution.....

Vermin

"And Vermin you are suggesting that we basically screw it up bad so that we can bring it back down to a more acceptable level afterwards. That's a lame concept. It would probaly work but what a terrible thing it would be to do." And it's been HOW many years since the nice approach has REPEATEDLY fai...

Vermin

Ah, but if marshals are not to be the judge, who is? Someone's gotta do it. My argument is no more ridiculous than folks trying to rules lawyer their way around not having blue plastic on the field because they believe that marshals don't/shouldn't have the authority to enforce field appearance. My ...

Vermin

"Be careful of what you want, Vermin." Why? If I were to get back into things full swing, I could pull off a kit that would not make Laurels have a hissy fit. It would be a LOT of work, but I have absolutely no doubt at all that I could do it. Thing is, I would be in a rather small minority, which i...

Vermin

Good lord, I got to page 8 before I went numb.... If folks want to say it's not the Marshals job to enforce appearance, FINE, humor them. GIVE WAY TO THEIR FEELINGS. Use another group to enforce the standards. I suggest the Laurels. Let THEM be the ones who decide on who belongs on the field. Then, ...

Vermin

Suzerain, I've attached two pics of sword I have here in the lab right now. Both are casts since the iron was completely gone, but the grips survived, and are the real deal, wood, with wire wraps. The first one is silver, it has sheet wrap in places, but the wire, where it is used, is twisted from s...

Vermin

"And still people disagree with his facts because they watch cartoons. " Every now and then I'll get someone who wants me to make them armour. Doesn't happen near as much as it used to, but it still happens...heh.. Most requests are turned down right off the bat when I hear what they want, and I've ...

Vermin

I would rather GIVE armour away before I would loan it out.

That way when it doesn't come back, which it won't, I'm not upset about losing it.....

Vermin

I've worked on 1700's examples, so this might no be relevant to what you're looking for, but-

On EVERY wire grip I've conserved, most, if not all, of the wire is about the diameter of human hair.
It's thin stuff.

Vermin

"Vitus....I wish I could quit you.."- His Armour....

Vermin

". they used to make them by inserting a steel bit into wraugt iron that way the edge could be made a lot sharper while the rest could suffer the blows... " I work on ones from the colonial era up all the time, I see that on a regular basis. I dunno about the function aspect, I suspect it had a lot ...

Vermin

It's hard to explain in words, but I've done faulds that were held on only at each end with a rivet and because each fauld had a taper/flare the lames could only go down so far before "bottoming out". No internal leathers. Articulated up and down quite nicely. As a matter of fact the faulds on the B...

Vermin

Word of warning on The Rifle Shoppe....you will WAIT on your order if it is not in stock.
And by wait, I mean it could be YEARS.

Vermin

" lots of gossip whores that love to tell a tale and the idiots that blindly believe them. feh! "

Hey, don't knock it, my genitalia has increased to inhuman proportions that way....

Vermin

The "everyone needs screen in their helms!" angle was floated a few years ago.

I don't see the CA community being masochistic enough to actually try that angle again.

And tape wrapped wooden shafts?

Hellllll no.

Vermin

Dibs on one....my "dark ages" heavy metal guitar strap will be reality!!!

Vermin

" If your in the Allentown PA neighborhood arround 24 July Dixon's gun builders show (muzzleloading) will probably have a few guys doing engraving in brass and steel. " Just go to Dixon's ANYWAY, no matter what time of year. That place is just plain awesome. Chuck's son does engraving there at the s...