The Armour Archive

Geoffrey of Blesedale

The hilt doesn't have to be that thick if it projects only a half inch or less beyond your armored hand. It won't be penetrating deep enough.

Geoffrey of Blesedale

Strap the plates together like a Wisby harness and use low profile arms and elbows. Wear the armor seperate from the garment. That's what I have always had, works very well.

Geoffrey of Blesedale

Oh, and if I made it again, I'd go 12ga. Harder to dish, but much less likely to dent in use.

Geoffrey of Blesedale

My first helm was a Norman conical. I used 14ga mild steel, cut with a jig saw. I made a wood armature by cutting a hole in a piece of plywood and shaping it to just fit my head, then cut it out 1 inch all around, resulting in a plywood band. This gave me the perfect measurement for my head. Next we...

Geoffrey of Blesedale

Ernst, the way the one-piece is draped, it would be difficult to show shoulder seams. Your reasoning on the color schemes of illustrations is also what I believe.

Geoffrey of Blesedale

Josh, there has been debate as to whether the Mac Bible gambesons were one piece or a separate torso piece. The image a couple posts up, showing one draped over the shoulder, clearly shows a one piece and convinces me that the seams at the shoulders depict a set-in sleeve.

Geoffrey of Blesedale

Me! (And thanks!) Sheet steel, a few jig saw blades and drill bits, and lots of pounding!

Geoffrey of Blesedale

Here is a better view of the helm itself. This was at Gulf Wars, 2008.

: me in my mac.jpg (97.38 KiB) Viewed 736 times

Geoffrey of Blesedale

It's only one layer of batting, just enough for looks. It's all uniform. I didn't need padding for protection as the armor underneath is sufficient.

Geoffrey of Blesedale

Thanks for the feedback! (I fixed the title, didn't realize the possibility of confusion.)

I didn't fight much in it the other night, and this was my first time in a year but I do know I need to adjust my calibration in thiis coat.

Geoffrey of Blesedale

And please ignore the pant leg riding up!

Geoffrey of Blesedale

I thought I'd post a picture of my Maciejowski helm and coat. Sorry the quality isn't better. I gave it a test run at practice last night. It's 2 layers of cloth with cotton batting between to give it the quilted look. Everything underneath is plastic. My torso is Wisby style, the arms and legs are ...

Geoffrey of Blesedale

I'd be inclined to think it's close to scale (sorry for the pun) because everything else is fairly accurare in proportion.

Geoffrey of Blesedale

Had to resize...

Geoffrey of Blesedale

Had to resize...

Geoffrey of Blesedale

Double posted

Geoffrey of Blesedale

The Mac Bible clearly shows different colors for different layers of garments, such as the sleeveless surcoats. None of the quilted coats are this way but all have the sleeves match the torso, I believe they are all one piece and not 2 separate layers. There is one plate that shows a soldier carryin...

Geoffrey of Blesedale

My head is about 26.5", I use 1" padding.

Geoffrey of Blesedale

After a 4 year hiatus from the SCA, I find that I am just not mentally able to get back into it. I am therefore selling the Carlos the Crusader helm I recently put together from Halberd's latest kit run. It is 14ga mild steel, in a matte finish. I have a couple pictures here, but I know interior mea...

Geoffrey of Blesedale

Carlos is the 5th helm I have made. A Norman conical, a Vendel, a Maciejowski, and this, my version of a Sutton Hoo. The mustache mimics my own, and I shave my head, so the helm looks like me! The nose is a separate piece, over an opening my own nose pokes into. This one is 12ga. THAT was fun to dis...

Geoffrey of Blesedale

Thanks, Hal. It has its flaws, dings from the hammer missing, the dome not perfectly smooth, etc. I don't have a real way of planishing, my anvil is a section of train rail, my dishing stump a hollowed-out piece of telephone pole. Somehow I have managed to make 4 helms with spangen tops in my meager...

Geoffrey of Blesedale

I finished mine! Just needs a chinstrap and a few finishing touches. It was easier for me to peen the rivets on the outside, plus I like the look better than machined rivet heads.

Geoffrey of Blesedale

I ran into a small problem. After assembling the bands, I found the plates to be a bit short along the circumference. I have a big head and need enough clearance for my nose and based the size on other helms I made.it was only after dishing one plate I realized the problem. Luckily I have a bit of 1...

Geoffrey of Blesedale

I think the sleeping guard has his hands flat with palms down on a flat top, not a sugarloaf. He's using his helm like a pillow, which would be very uncomfortable to head or hands if the helm had a pointed top.

Geoffrey of Blesedale

Got mine yesterday! I've made 3 spangens, 1 conical and 2 domed like this. Should go together quite easily. For those new at it, just think it through and work methodically. The foam spangen is a great idea for getting the size right.

Geoffrey of Blesedale

I will be making something like that in red. I may paint my clamshell gauntlets to match so it gives the illusion of a St. Michael's sleeve.

Geoffrey of Blesedale

It looks like the entire front is a separate piece from chin to crown, which would make sense to get the swing needed to clear the top.

Geoffrey of Blesedale

He also drew horses. Doesn't make him a veterinarian.

Geoffrey of Blesedale

Sean, what you say about rotating the helm makes no sense. The shape is all wrong- the back and top still have the profile of the helm worn properly, and if you did that with a backless helm, it would probably fall off altogether. I don't see any manteling in these Italian images, looks more like th...

Geoffrey of Blesedale

Sean, the helm you cite is basic 4-plate construction with 90 degree, overlapping seams at the side. There is nothing that an artist would depict with a diagonal running from ear to chin. Given the artist(s) were precise enough to even show waves of air coming out of the horn being blown, I believe ...

Geoffrey of Blesedale

Earnst, it was the link Tascius posted that had the sugatloaf.

Henrik, I think any mantles would go ftom the top front down to the back.

Geoffrey of Blesedale

So why the difference between them? I see a distinct advantage of a visored sugarloaf over a visored flat top.The visors flat tops appear to run only from the brow down, leaving a structurally weak area over the nose and forehead. On the sugarloaf, it runs from the hinges up over the forehead. Not o...

Geoffrey of Blesedale

That stone carving looks like a sugarloaf, though, not a flat top.

Geoffrey of Blesedale

Very interesting. On many images, the lines of the helms are hard to determine because of the way they are colored, but image 4329 shows them quite clearly. You can certainly see the diagonal line a visor would have. Image 4808, specifically the two groups on horseback with the vulture between them,...

Geoffrey of Blesedale

Henrik, I'm not certain the Mac stuff was 2 separate garments. Indeed, good arguments can be made for the sleeves being integral to the torso. I am currently studying the Mac images and plan on writing a brief summary of what I find.

Re: rattan saex

Re: Standalone gambeson, ala Mac Bible and Konstanin?

Re: Noob SCA spangenhelm build.

Re: Noob SCA spangenhelm build.

Re: Questions about Gambesons, Circa 1200

Re: Questions about Gambesons, Circa 1200

Re: My Mac Bible kit

Re: My Mac Bible kit

Re: My Mac Bible kit

Re: My Mac Bible kit

Re: My Mac kit

My Mac Bible kit

Re: 13th century sources?

Re: 13th century sources?

Re: 13th century sources?

Re: 13th century sources?

Re: 13th century sources?

Re: FS: Carlos the Crusader helm built from kit

FS: Carlos the Crusader helm built from kit

Re: Any intrest in my "Carlos the Crusader" helm kit?

Re: Any intrest in my "Carlos the Crusader" helm kit?

Re: Any intrest in my "Carlos the Crusader" helm kit?

Re: Any intrest in my "Carlos the Crusader" helm kit?

Re: Visored Great Helm

Re: Any intrest in my "Carlos the Crusader" helm kit?

Re: Any intrest in my "Carlos the Crusader" helm kit?

Re: Visored Great Helm

Re: Visored Great Helm

Re: Visored Great Helm

Re: Visored Great Helm

Re: Visored Great Helm

Re: Visored Great Helm

Re: Visored Great Helm

Re: Visored Great Helm

Re: Mac Bible quilted armor construction