The Armour Archive

Flosi

I'll be quite honest, I don't have my sources anymore (moved to re-enacting 17th foot circa 1775 a couple of years back) so this is just from memory.

Flosi

While I am not fully up to date (having been out of viking re-enactment for a couple of years, but having previously served as an authenticity officer for a Viking re-enactment group in the UK) kites are a generally considered a no-no until the early 11th in the British Isles. Oval is generally cons...

Flosi

My local re-enactment blacksmith - who does it for a living - also has a top notch living history display, where he often spends the days making arrowheads, etc, as a public demo. He's a familiar face to many on the UK re-enactment scene and trades at the markets. his site is http://www.wielandforge...

Flosi

That would be absolutely awesome. Thank you.

Flosi

I'm currently working on a short film with members of my re-enactment society where, in order to give those of Viking origin a 'foreign' feel, I am looking for a couple of lines of Old Norse to be spoken. Not vast swathes of script, but just enough. Failing that, I will probably look towards Iceland...

Flosi

While I think it is a lovely kit, please excuse my questioning as, being an authenticity officer for a UK group, I have to ask about things, and I am sure you wouldn't have it any other way! I must question the padded armour interpretation based on the fact that you have based it to work with the sh...

Flosi

I best interpretation I have seen of the bible pics is that the big thing about the art is that you can't depict a fatality from blunt force trauma in a picture, therefore in order to depict a fatal injury you have to add gore, and it would certainly be less objectionable in the time of the bibles c...

Flosi

Norman - The archery competition had a lot of variations. That one involved shooting through a slit in a board at a mocked up upper half of a person, to represent shooting from a castle down onto defenders. There was also the challenge of shooting a cabbage on a string, shooting at a wand, and sever...

Flosi

Thanks for the compliments.

He was really that tall...

Not sure exactly who he was, I just managed to come across people taking photos while I had my camera and took one as well. The robes are those of a mayor, but he is not the one for tewkesbury, as I had assumed he was...

Flosi

just in case anyone on this board went to Tewkesbury, and for those that might be interested in seeing what happened, I figured I may as well post a gallery on here. http://www.photoboxgallery.com/njd_photos/collection?album_id=141078494 It consists of the archery contest, entertainment in the main ...

Flosi

From my perspective, as someone that had looked into the copyright issues regarding images (I was looking at possibly doing doing a book on my insights into the saxon/viking stuff myself, considering I am writing guides for re-enactment groups at the moment) you would be better off looking for photo...

Flosi

I can imagine museums would have a hell of a lot of issues with publiction of photos taken by visitors, as virtually all museums have a 'personal use only' clause if they even allow photography, which a large number of them don't. Even if people can get photos for you, you will still need permission...

Flosi

If there is anything specific you are looking for in a specific style, I'm a keen amateur photographer when not re-enacting, and will be attending several fairly big re-enactments here in the UK (tewkesbury, kelmarsh hall, etc) where there will be lots of gear on show, and I'll be able to discuss st...

Flosi

Hate to point it out, but while they allow photography they do not allow tripods or flash guns in there. I have been planning a trip to leeds with my new SLR too...

Flosi

Ok, I think I will weigh in with a couple of obsevations. Regarding Sutton Hoo: It is actually intresting that the Bruce Mitsford book descrbes the clasps as follows: On the backs are numerous strong gold staples, by which the clasps were evidently sewn on to cloth or leather. they were probably wor...

Flosi

Sir Vitus, I dispute your implication that the good and honourable king was anything but English. I will try to relate this to a modern equivilent. For a start, he was born and raised in England, not a requirement for English kingship, but certainly a good start, especially when you consider Richard...

Flosi

I personally would not expect a mace head to be heavy. It is the extreme point of a pivot mechanism at the end of the day, and a flanged mace should be capable of inflicting serious injury in most cases without hitting extremes.

Flosi

I, for one, find that engaging in combat tends to allow me to find a focus, and it virtually has a meditative effect on me, in that I come out of a session incredibly relaxed.

This is steel combat rather than SCA style, but probably something some others feel as well.

Flosi

It's a huge leap to think that the vikings had some form of leather armour in the form of either water hardened or lamellar. For a start, you are picking and choosing materials that do not survive in the archaeological record specifically so that you can justify the lack of evidence, and using what ...

Flosi

Paul Binns is a favourite of mine as a sword supplier and I have a couple of his blades, all have served me very well and I have the upmost faith in them. The only one of his that has broken on me was after I got 6 years of use out of it training twice a week and during displays at weekends, and I w...

Flosi

Those getelds sure do get around, thats at least 3, in the same colours, so far in this thread!

Flosi

pretty much the closest thing I have is this one: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/Flosi/flosicooking.jpg Unfortunately I had only just got the panelled couldron and had not sealed it, so had to use another one. Fireboxes are a big problem as a lot of sites do not like fires to be uncontained,...

Flosi

As far as I can tell, those are sickles, not scythes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scythe Anyway, as long as you have the tools seen in the calendar, you're in period. are you sure? We are looking at this image from August on the Tiberius: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/Flosi/TibAug.jpg and...

Flosi

Surely scythes are a reasonable presumtion for the period given, bearing in mind that they are pictured on the Julius and Tiberius calanders, both placed as early 11th C? I acknowledge that this is English art rather than from Hedeby, but the scythe is at least traceable back to the Romans so its no...

Flosi

I am game for it most weekends, until we hit the re-enactment show season.

Flosi

Justin - if you need a lift to leeds, or are planning on driving, splitting petrol costs would probably help both of us!

Flosi

actually, regarding the unarmoured part, this is one of the pictures which some people claim is an artists interpretation of a viking padded garment over the top of a tunic, however it is very open to interpretation.

I hadn't noticed the left handed fighter though. How could I have missed that?

Flosi

While a lot of the evidence of shields archaeologically is quite scant and tends to point to larger shields, when you look at art they do seem to look smaller, although not as small as a lot of people like. Example from MS Cotton Cleopatra C VIII http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/Flosi/reconstr...

Flosi

It certainly seems that there are a fair few of us about. It always helps to make the trip more entertaining!

I'll probably run into some of you at TORM, although I am just going as a punter. Anyone going to NLHF this weekend?

Flosi

Its been a while since I last went up, so I'm up for it again.

Flosi

Well, the text that accompanies the photos states that archaeological and sage evidence indicates that those worn it 8th-11th Ceturies were identical to those shown, which would make me think that they are later period as there would be no need for the comparison if they were originals.

Flosi

The only problem I have with this is that I look at all of the swords he is sellingand they are all corroded in exactly the same way, despite a time difference of 1000 years in some cases. They all just look in too similar condition for me not to be concerned.

Flosi

I assume, with the asking, this is a copy of an existing helm, or an original (although it looks in too good a condition)? With how high the vervelles go I would doubt that there would be a visor mounted to hinges on the side, and there does not seem to be space for suitable fittings at the top eith...

Flosi

Cheers for the replies guys. I personally think it is an over-reaction to a minute threat, and I am more concerned about whatever they are planning damaging by gear than I am of getting ill from a scratch. I guess bleach is out if it promotes rust. I am just going to go along with the well maintaine...

Flosi

Ok, this may seem like a very odd question to ask, but I was asked it earlier by the medic for the re-enactment group I am with and I was unable to answer, as it is not a question you expect! Some of our fighters have become concerned about the risk of infection from rebated steel blades as there ar...

Re: Oval or kite shield possible for a 9th century Mercian?

Re: Oval or kite shield possible for a 9th century Mercian?

Re: Dark Age Forge / Blacksmith

Old Norse

Tewkesbury Photos

Use of bleach on metal?