The Armour Archive

Maredudd

I use Tig-welding gloves. Thin enough for lots of feel. Last long enough for me not to feel ripped off (because they are cheap enough that I can buy 10 pairs at once). Short cuffed gloves work if you have some way to prevent bare skin showing after your shirt cuff has been pulled about during combat...

Maredudd

I think I've posted this method before, but can't find it now... Take four lengths of garden hose, the length of your finished quillons; tape these as two sets of two (end profile of each set should look like a figure 8, or one one top of the other); set these on either face of your rattan and cut e...

Maredudd

In your second link, the third figure from the left shows a clear seam at the rear of the hose. From my experience that would indicate that these are fitted hosen with slashing rather than trunk-hose which usually have a seam on the inside of the leg.

Maredudd

The main thing that struck me was the issue of shallow breathing. Possibly the cuirass was a little tight for the subject? I know I breath hard after excercise in armour, but not shallow/rapid as they seem to have found.

Maredudd

To find your local SCA group (if you haven't already) go to your Kingdom page (I think you are in Atlantia) http://www.atlantia.sca.org/ and use the zip-code branch locator. That should enable you to find someone local.

Maredudd

I have a pair of the Zweihammer 18ga. stainless gauntlets. I fight pole weapon or greatsword a lot. My gauntlets are not padded. I've never had a problem (except that one time when I was switching hands and was hit with a greatsword on the inside of my thumb - dislocated the thumb, but the gauntlet ...

Maredudd

The pre-made kozane mentioned above won't work with para cord. They will lace together, but the para cord is not wide enough for the hole sizes. IIRC the Effingham plates are designed to work with 3/8 inch lace to get the look of the laces butting against each other. You'll either need to make narro...

Maredudd

If you use a commercial doublet pattern (even a good one like RH), you really REALLY need to check that the waistline is at your "true" waist, which can be as much as 4 or 5 inches higher than your "jeans" waist. It's a bit like the globose breastplates for the 14th century - if you put solid bits o...

Maredudd

I've made one (the pair is waiting for an event when I have several days and no room for lots of projects). I used the "Gothic Armour Notes" from the pattern page of the archive for the basic shape (which I then tweaked for the exact shape I wanted). With no heat source and minimal tools I was able ...

Maredudd

What knitebee said! But to clarify: in articulated elbows I Pad the outer lames as they are continuously in contact with my body, with a small circle of padding right in the point of the cop for that "just in case I get hit there when my arm is fully bent" moment. The depth of the cop means that the...

Maredudd

Whilst I mostly do late(15th/16th century) my fanciest outfit is my 11th century saxon: Green and white diamond twill with embroidered collar and cuffs. Early textile CAN be dull, but they don't have to be that way.

Maredudd

...and having now seen your question to the Dread Lord, I second the "ask Eff". My own armour was made using Eff's website for patterns and instructions, and can be seen at http://maredudd1066.livejournal.com/13187.html#cutid1 and is made from a mix of steel, ABS plastic, fabric and bootlaces. The h...

Maredudd

The Hotoke Do has the simple single shape of a kendo do. I am not familiar with the construction of the kendo do - check with a local marshal about if it is sufficient kidney protection by itself or if it needs additional padding and/or stiffening (IIRC kendo is characterised by face-on attacks and ...

Maredudd

When I had to switch for a while I found that whilst building the coordination and strength of my left arm I could still use a lot of my right side. My left "forehand" shots were weak, but the "backhand" was strong because it used my hips the same as a right-handed "forehand". Just being able to fig...

Maredudd

I saw these in person at Kentwell (the manor in the background) and they are every bit as nice as they look - any progress on the cod-piece that Blue had on display?

Maredudd

Bernie the Bolt and Ali (Herts fabrics) both know what is good in their stock for what periods - talk to them, not their random assistants. If its not urgent, meet me at TORM on the Saturday (12 November) and I'll say yay or nay to the fabric from the point of view of a costume checker for the Kentw...

Maredudd

Probably worth also contacting the local SCA Shire who may know of interesting places that haven't been covered by everyone else.
The Shire of Polderslot covers Belgium, Luxemburg and the Netherlands (here in Drachenwald we have small countries and big Shires)
www.polderslot.nl

Maredudd

As bits of this kit have been in use for well over a year now, I'd have to say that the blackening hold up pretty well to SCA combat (of course I'm sure that Tom spent some time making sure it was all perfect for Raglan).

If anything it looks even better with the waffenfrok over it.

Maredudd

I can't help with the long term plan, but if you want to increase your skill levels in the short term it may be worth your while getting in touch with your local SCA armourers. I know that, because of the lack of professionals working in Ireland, that they have built a reasonable skill level and col...

Maredudd

Two points: The image to my eyes shows a pourpoint worn over a shirt - at the neck you can just see the shirt underneath. A doublet or a pourpoint are both very fitted garments, much tighter to the body than a modern jacket or coat. Whilst a shirt would hold hose up while you stand still in one posi...

Maredudd

For an accurate indication of just how slender KinnieKat actually is (and therefore where her waist sits), look again at the second image. Now look at the lower half of that image. see where her hips are? Now revise where her waist is accordingly. Almost looks like two images photoshopped together d...

Maredudd

To get a pattern that fits YOU: Take a thin plastic bag and put it on your head covering your hair but NOT your face; cover all the bit of your head that you want to be covered by the cap with masking tape or grey duct tape (or any other tape that marker pen will show up on); draw the finished outli...

Maredudd

For the crusader-type: Floor length tunic/surcoat covers everything apart from helm and gauntlets. I used this when I had to switch most of my steel for plastic to get a couple more years fighting out of my body.
Duke Radnor springs to mind as a good example of the type.

Maredudd

I have used simple household paints with good results. Either water-based emulsion with PVA glue mixed in; or Latex-based paint (in the UK it's not called that - Kitchen and Bathroom paints are the equivalent). In both cases the large expanses of paint are liable to crack over time but decorative li...

Maredudd

You are in the "Principality of Nordmark" in the SCA http://www.nordmark.org/
The website is in Swedish.
I'm sure there are several armourers who can help with things like where to find tools and supplies near you, and just share the fun of making stuff.

Maredudd

Although I don't know of any actual corsets for men in the 16th century, I have found that to get the really exagerated peascod belly some internal corsetry is necessary to take the strain off the buttons and keep the proper shape.

Maredudd

There are many links (unfortunately some are now dead) if you search for "Hastings 2006" in the Interpretive Re-creation forum. There are people discussing their gear before the event and photos from the event. THE book on clothing is "Dress in Anglo-Saxon England" by Gale R. Owen-Crocker. ISBN 1 84...

Maredudd

If you are lucky enough to have a decent lumber supplier near you, great. If not then if you have an IKEA or similar, their simple wood shelves are one of the cheapest sources of "finished" timber. Two shelves joined side by side make a table-top. Cheap wood is fine (and water resistant) if you pain...

Maredudd

Please bear in mind that this is just my opinion... The answer is that it depends. It depends on the shape of the fighter and the shape of the bazuband. I have very skinny arms and pointy elbows. When I bend my arm a bazuband that did not cut into my upper arm, when the arm was straight, leaves the ...

Maredudd

I had to chase all the way up through Kingdom (Drachenwald) to Society on the issue of hole spacing on perf-plate. The answer I got back through channels was "centre to centre" but I didn't keep the relevant emails. I recommend going through channels again in your own Kingdom so that your local mars...

Maredudd

For a more regular supply I'm wondering if its the same stuff as "Jersey Black Butter"? Quoting from the label: "A mixture of Apples, Cider, Liquorice and Spices create a dark, rich apple fruit butter" http://www.lamarewineestate.com/shop/index.php?app=gbu0&ns=catshow&ref=PRESERVES&sid=9e4a816a7s15b...

Maredudd

First: Will you be at Coronation in January? If so I can give some "hands-on" help. If you still need padding after the lowest strap strap avoidance, can I suggest the evils of camp foam held in with duct tape. It is what i use on armour that I want to pad for SCA use, but also want unpadded for Liv...

Maredudd

Flyglobespan have failed. There do not appear to be any other scheduled flights available from the lower 48 direct to Cardiff.
Remember that Britain is not large, and that London, Bristol, and Birmingham are all within 3 hours.

Maredudd

One of my guys wants a visored sugarloaf. I need recommendations of armourers that do these - preferably from folks who either fight in one or who fight in something different from the same armourer, but know the sugarloaf. This guy shelled out on a bunch of scrap metal from Performance Armour befor...

Maredudd

There are scheduled flights from Orlando Sanford to Cardiff, with flyglobespan. Flights on the Wednesday prior to the event (event starts Thursday), flying back on the Wednesday after the event (event ends Monday), are about $530 each way. Let us know in time and crash space could be organised with ...

Re: Gloves for Fencing.

Re: garden hose cross hilt tutorial

Re: Early Puff & Slash Trunk Hose - Pattern?

Re: BBC - Treadmill shows medieval armour influenced battle

Re: Looking for an armourer

Re: The poleaxe, armour and SCA. Looking for guidence.

Re: Traditional Samurai Armor.

Re: Pattern Question on a Jack of Plates

Re: Late period elbow

Re: Blue foam in articulated elbows?

Re: So, explain your fascination with "Late" Period.

Apprentice armourer

Visored Sugarloaf recommendations?