Getting back to the original post for a second, when I do a lot of hand sewing, mostly with linen, one thing I like to do is pull out threads from the fabric to use as my sewing thread. If you have plenty of scrap it makes the finished product very nice. If your wool is very tightly woven, it might ...

Thank you, I will be ordering the book tonight! I think I should try to find a look I am after and recreate the suit to match, but it seems most of my "documentation" starts AFTER I make something and grow fond of it. Heh eh heh he, one of my vices I suppose. Thanks again.
James

I think he is saying, this helm looks like a greathelm from 5 feet, or to someone who knows what one is supposed to look like but is not constructed in a period fashion so could not be sold as historically accurate. It looks rather okay to me, and a bit nicer than some of the drek that makes it on t...

The problem you are having with creases can be many things, but might be the result of trying to dish too much too fast. Dishing should be done slowly, with overlapping hammer blows, and when the edges start to creas too much knock them flat again before going on. Also, aluminum will crack badly if ...

I believe a pavise was a shield, sometimes of woven material, that was large enough for an archer to hide behind and stood up on it's own so the archer could approach the walls of a castle under seige without being killed by arrows. On a guess, and from the images I have seen, they appear to be just...

Hello all, I have only been a registered member of the archive for a month or so, but it has been a favorite place for me for some time now. I am involved with SCA but lean towards the LH level of authenticity when I can. I was wondering if anyone might be able to shed some light on the harness seen...

If your intent is to portray a specific military order, you should try to find one that suits. The Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem had a green cross on a white field. The Sovereign Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, sometimes called the knoghts of...

I buy my steel in the US, and use that standard, so Im not quite sure what gauge 2mm would work out too, but looking at my ruler (the side we dont use often enough here in the states) I think 2mm would be way more than needed for besegews. That looks like 14 or 12 gauge to me, but I have a bad eye f...

You might try a hanging pell, similar to a boxer's heavy bag but designed for wooden/rattan sword use. I had to do this while deployed overseas for a while. I used a C-Clamp to attach a stout one inch rope to a ceiling beam, then hung a 3 foot section of 4x4 wrapped in carpet from it. I used another...

The link I had for wooden frame glasses went away some time ago. The person who posted the link and was selling them said there wasnt enough interest in them. If I recall, they were a pair of spoon shaped wooden frames that were joined at the end with a pin that allowed them to open and close. They ...

Have you done hardened leather armor? If you have, you know that when the leather is immersed into water that is 180 degrees or so for a minute or minute and a half it gets very stretchy. If you need to make deep dished pieces, this is the way to go. Sandwich the piece, between two bowls that are ne...

What materials? How are they made? And what would a pair of pointy-toed turnshoes run? Do you have a website? I bought my first and only pair of turnshoes of that type from revival. m They are 75.00 and made very well. They have a modern sole construction technique, but done to look very much like ...

If I had to choose a profit making venture for an aspiring armorer/fighter, I would have to say knees and elbows. It seems that knee cops and elbow cops are the two pieces that new fighters pay money for the most. If you can aquire the few tools and a decent stump to make them on, get a decent patte...

Thank you, I actually had your pattern mocked up in card already, changing the size just a little bit. As I said, I have most of the patterns in the archive memorized by now. I am trying to learn the whole pattern drafting bit myself, but so far it is eluding me. Until I make 6 or 7 pieces of each t...

I know this thread has been dormant for a bit, but I also know there is a discussion on a similar venue (yahoogroup) that suggests Sir Andrew may be posting the pattern in the archives soon? I am a beginner myself, focusing mostly on simple, functioning pieces with clean lines until I get the basics...

I started with besegews as well. The CD is a good measure for size. I then used a T-square to marke a cross on them, I split the cross by eye and had lines to flute 8 lines into mine. I cut the outer edge into a scalloped edge that seemed to follow the lines of the flutes. I placed the besegew on th...

You might consider aluminum. I make aluminum great helms for youth combat in SCA, and the abuse is similar to the average light fighting. The weight is not a problem, my 12 year old daughter loves hers. I used plastic for some time, and got really good at it, to the point where I was making articula...