The Armour Archive

Ian L

tineye reverse image search keeps linking this backplate to an old version of the website belonging to the Art Institute of Chicago, specifically backplate 1982.2240 (c1520 Nuremberg) but the current entry for that backplate no longer has an image displayed with it...

Ian L

Could you or anyone else who wears a lendenier with a post-1360 harness show how you suspend everything? I photographed the inside of my doublet on an earlier thread (H are for hose, C are cuisses). Here are my foundation layers, generally in the order described in your source I believe. The hose a...

Ian L

That's certainly unambiguous about the 'estrainte's purpose. I also find it interesting that as late as 1386 the preceding text describes the use of a breech-belt. I've always defaulted to one, but I silently thought of it as a concession, because trying to use a doublet to hold up one's hose always...

Ian L

Greetings All, I've finally compiled the photographs from the PDB shoot taken at the Chivalric Fighting Arts Symposium back in November. The following link should give you access to the PDF: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16x4ZohtAYFYkMBcwXJZXTTJ6LDoRADUK/view?usp=sharing The files are arranged in ...

Ian L

Have you run into anyone that couldn't get their head in it? It'd be too small for me, for instance. Not quite couldn't get in, but certainly people who needed a little encouragement to get in. I haven't looked at my notes yet, but there were a subgroup of people that were experiencing pressure poi...

Ian L

Hi guys, the event has now passed, and our first sample group of victi-, er test subjects have been photographed. Overall I had 16 people try on the helmet in various types of armored configurations (I still have a get a photo array of myself as a subject, but I will add that later). Each person has...

Ian L

The head tilt test doesn't really seem to tell us all that much. I will move it to the low-priority list. I see exactly what you mean with the postural lean in the couched lance position. I will plan on shooting those seated and coach people into that posture for those shots. I'm thinking it will al...

Ian L

It looks like it belongs there! Just want to say how freaking cool it is to see with a good kit. This is the level of experimental archeology that makes me happy. As for where you go? A bigger background for photos would make it easier to see the subtle movemeuhnts of the parts in the different pos...

Ian L

I've done some really quick and dirty testing on myself. I will provide some thoughts on each series of photos that may guide how we proceed. The first thing I discovered is that I'm too fat for my armor now :oops: My wife was cursing my name while trying to squeeze me into my cuirass for the first ...

Ian L

I should have access to a lance (or lance-like object at the very least). If I can't secure a proper lance, I will bring my spear, which is hafted in ash, but it's not balanced like a true lance. I think it will do in a pinch should it be necessary. I won't have unlimited time with each subject (the...

Ian L

Hello everyone. Mac has very kindly loaned me his reproduction of the Palazzo Ducale bascinet for a few different projects. Here is a sample image from some of the photography that I have been doing. There will be a full length photo album coming very soon and a video discussing the helmet. https://...

Ian L

Mac wrote: Do you think a brass-less stripper of the Ch 13 would be useful, or must it have all the trim?

Mac

Absolutely still useful. The value of showing the proper structure and shape of the overall piece is very much accomplished without the bling.

Ian L

There are a shit-ton of bad ones out there, and very few respectable examples. Even the ones that look OK have some little point that's off. I'm not sure I have ever seen one that used the correct method of joining the central plates. Kastenbrust are very under-represented while CH13 is very over-r...

Ian L

Mac, if you have the opportunity, when you get pictures can you please include some with the helmet being worn now that the mail is in place?

Ian L

Mail for the sake of the experiment, but I do share Augusto's concern about the way the mail may hang. I'd hate to see it ruin the lines of the helmet by hanging at an abrupt angle to the rather gracefully swooping ventail. Even if it's supported by substantial textile, if there's a significant gap ...

Ian L

What's your take on the shoulder asymmetry of the original? Do you think that's a "bug" I should ignore, or a "feature" I should emulate? Mac With the PDB being so unique among survivals, we don't have the luxury of comparing to similar objects to see if it's a constant or a peculiarity. Bug or fea...

Ian L

Both have been straightened, and then aligned and scaled as close as I could get them. Without knowing exactly what landmark on the helmet the camera lens was level with when each photo was shot, we're guessing as to what landmarks to align between the photos (and really, they both need to have been...

Ian L

Please forgive me if this is not my place, but Mac, I'm afraid you're chasing millimeters on a medium that cannot resolve that level of precision by virtue of its fundamental nature. The photo of the original on the left in your last post appears the way it does because the camera lens was very clos...

Ian L

The tooled leather rerebraces from the British Museum and Dordrecht have trace residue of gesso, gilding (British Museum) and paint (Dordrecht) ... I had not heard that, what is your source? Hi Sean! In Chris Dobson's ebook - As Tough as Old Boots: Essays on the Manufacture and History of Hardened-...

Ian L

I can't recall seeing any evidence for brass trim on historical leather armors if that's what you're asking, but there is archaeological evidence for gessoed, painted and gilt or silvered leather armor. The tooled leather rerebraces from the British Museum and Dordrecht have trace residue of gesso, ...

Ian L

I've used CLP for years on firearms, swords and armor with great success for both short-term and long-term storage. A little goes a long way. I've personally never had any issues with CLP soaked rags like one would with something that exothermically oxidizes like BLO. CLP MSDS - http://sds.chemtel.n...

Ian L

This one was just brought to my attention. Your work of course Piotr, and my photos of it - https://www.ebay.com/itm/Armor-Knight-Medieval-Bascinet-Hounskull-or-Pig-Face-Close-Helmet-With-Chainmail/263289316183?hash=item3d4d442357:g:mDIAAOSwzx9Zw03M I get my photos stolen a lot by Ebay users from In...

Ian L

It occurs to me that I have been remiss in not posting the most important dimension of the lining pattern. The length will be related to the internal circumference of the helmet, and it easy enough to figure out. The height, on the other hand is not as intuitive. On average, the height of the finis...

Ian L

Ffoulkes mentions 'cotton-waste' being prescribed in the use of pourpoints in the low countries, and we know that the 'Linen Armourers' are often the same 'stuffers of bacynets.' Interestingly, Jess Finley has been experimenting with 'bowed cotton' for the purpose of pourpointing. The cotton, after ...

Ian L

That's French armorer Georges Jolliot, here's another of his photos from that trip, but unfortunately he's a little further from the helmet.

Ian L

Note quite duplicates but some matching gauntlet pairs (and presumably other paired objects) are split into non-sequential ref_arm numbers ref_arm_1150 and ref_arm_1165 are the left and right gauntlets, respectively, of the Churburg S18 pair. ref_arm_1148 and ref_arm_1268 are again the left and righ...

Ian L

It's not a matter of intentionally distorting an object, it's just the nature of light going through a lens. In many cases it simply can't be helped to some degree depending on exactly what they're photographing and how close to the subject they have to be and what equipment they're using. They may ...

Ian L

Just to make the point about optical shenanigans when it comes to photographs, I conducted a little experiment. All of these images were shot at 1/100th of a second a f/3.5 on the same Nikon D610 with a 35mm full frame sensor. No post-processing or distortion correction has been done. The first comp...

Ian L

A few more example composites from some sources Mac sent my way. If you try to make the gap disappear either the sights become woefully misaligned or the helmet needs to be scaled to comically absurd proportions. The final image is the only one that comes close, and that is the depiction of our frie...

Ian L

Here are two views of Bernabo Visconti from his famous statue. I hope that those of you who are able will photoshop the helmet onto them. The scales are slightly different, but it's the best I could do. On the front view I set the sights even to the lower portion of the eye because of the apparent ...

Ian L

Too few reenactors pad out their doublets properly! It does tend to complicate the tailoring. I don't think that the problem is the padding, its the cutting. If you cut the shape of a modern off-the-rack jacket, then that is what you will get, however many layers you use and however much cotton you...

Ian L

Isn't the helm a little bit too low? I see that the ocularia don't align with your eyes in both views. The front view has to be set like that because the photo of the helmet is taken at a slightly different angle. The helmet needs to rotate backwards to match the angle of my head and body which wou...

Ian L

Here is an attempt at a front and profile composite. The angle that the front view of the helmet was shot at isn't quite dead on like one would want for this 'mugshot' style of photo. There is also some lens distortion occurring on the photos of the original because the common landmarks on each view...

Ian L

I apparently have no photos of myself in armor from profile, nor can I get in armor right now :( While looking for a suitable photo I did find this one of Bob C. in his harness from profile and I think it makes the point. It's definitely not as seamless as the front view in my armor and you can see ...

Ian L

Just food for thought... when I add in my full harness and scale the great bascinet to my existing bascinet with the sights lined up to mine the 'mantle' sits perfectly flush on the shoulders. Different builds and the addition of harness might make the difference.

Re: Identify a harness??

Re: Comfortable and Flexible, suspending your legs

Re: Comfortable and Flexible, suspending your legs

Re: The Palazzo Ducale bascinet.

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Re: Mac's blog

Re: Mac's blog

Re: The Palazzo Ducale bascinet.

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Re: The Palazzo Ducale bascinet.

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Re: The Palazzo Ducale bascinet.

Re: brass trim appropriate for 14th c leather armour?

Re: brass trim appropriate for 14th c leather armour?

Re: CLP break free to clean/protect armor

Re: Indian Dealer Ripping off Pictures from Platener.eu

Re: An old project returns

Re: An old project returns

Re: The Palazzo Ducale bascinet.

Re: Goll's Thesis Topic #5: Duplicate entries

Re: Image juxstaposition of helmets on a head

Re: Image juxstaposition of helmets on a head

Re: The Palazzo Ducale bascinet.

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