The Armour Archive

earnest carruthers

I don't understand how wax resist painting is less time consuming than the proper method. I paint on silk and this is just like painting on paper, as long as your paint is the right consistency then all is well. If using gum based paint, then this is simply water colour, goes on very easily, has the...

earnest carruthers

'A great deal of the meat that was eaten by medievals was beyond palpable by modern standards, and had to be heavily dosed with salt and spices in order to even seem fit for them' Based on what evidence of the time? ie where is that food is flavoured to mask 'bad' flavours as a general practice? I h...

earnest carruthers

What about non-Moorish items from Al-Andalus? Was it all Islamic or were there Christian items too? A question.

earnest carruthers

Thanks Jester.

Medieval papers range from quite white, not as blue white due to not having the optical whiteners, to a lining paper colour - the cheap paper used for wallpapers that are then painted.

earnest carruthers

I would stay away from watercolour paper, especially if it is the NOT pressed, ie rough, medieval paper is quite smooth and needs to be for printing. I would second wheat paste, it is period, use vinegar or alum to keep it from going foul. Also ensure your laminated card sheets dry evenly, I found t...

earnest carruthers

There are a number of 14th century imaged with cotes and slits, often on agricultural workers, they usually have something sticking out. There is a sculpture - The Great Cross - the Well of Moses, 1395 - 1404 and one of the figures has a slit in the front left of his gown. http://en.wikipedia.org/wi...

earnest carruthers

I used the Griffen mill stock when I made my woodblock printed cards. Although expensive, it was worth it. I pasted a top layer and bottom layer to a grey core paper, giving a heavy thick card. Christine has developed a heavier weight paper, but you would need to paste two together. The cards at the...

earnest carruthers

'Wow! That is an unbelievable amount of work in those garments. Interesting note, the second shirt in your images actually has mail rings sewn in those little rosettes. Hm...that could make a case for "ring-mail"...' 1) I had the privilege of visiting Ian Ashdown's workshop in Switzerland many years...

earnest carruthers

Any ideas on girdle-books? some survive. http://levitabooks.wordpress.com/2011/04/18/girdle-books/ http://tywkiwdbi.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/a-medieval-portable-girdle-book.html http://bibliodyssey.blogspot.co.uk/2006/12/collected-threads.html http://brbl-archive.library.yale.edu/exhibitions/golittleb...

earnest carruthers

Looking at the hole in the faulds, the overlaps have done a good job, even with this poor piece of metal.

earnest carruthers

That breastplate looks a low grade piece of kit, mild steel or not. I would not wear that on a re-enactment field, looks awful and cheap, a lot of re-enactment armour has not had that much beating to change thickness (as you say in your post), there is a fair amount of pressing of sheet metal. Mind,...

earnest carruthers

'and here they are spouting off about "plate mail". '

yep, I did strangle a whimper at those, but the 'white armour' did for me, grrr.

earnest carruthers

' It was also a "white harness," meaning that it bore no adornment, '

sigh.

earnest carruthers

You lucky man, an amazing resource, I refer to it a lot, same for the growing up in Medieval London.

earnest carruthers

Sean, many thanks for that link, wow, very useful indeed.

earnest carruthers

Love it!

earnest carruthers

You are right Karen.

William, is it not also down to a lot of earthenware being of so low a value that it is hardly listed in probate inventories?

What is the picture with lesser households?

earnest carruthers

Karen has it spot on, that is an amazing resource and covers the 16th to the early 17thc, however the basic manners were the same for earlier periods.

There are other too, but that one is excellent.

earnest carruthers

Eating with fingers was required and expected, happy eating

earnest carruthers

Not to mention a visit to the Museum of London to see their shoe collection.

The Museum of London: Shoes and Pattens

earnest carruthers

Barbara Hanawalt's: The ties that Bound, peasant life in the middle ages - a must have, superbly written and descriptive using coroners' reports amongst other documents to paint a picture of rural life form cradle to the grav. Growing up in medieval London Again, a must have, all about childhood to ...

earnest carruthers

'Pricking tools are not associated with eating, they are most often found attached to a sword or large knife kit (like a high end hunters set) and may have had some cleaning or de-burring purpose. I don't know of one being found with a common knife set or a carving set.' indeed, using them as pseudo...

earnest carruthers

Funny, I had a go at one a few months' back, I have yet to make the buckles for the straps, the following pics are an interpretation of the St Ursula fardels/valises, not black, but I might make one with a waterproof pitch at a later date. Not having a huge amount to go on I simply made two circles ...

earnest carruthers

You might want to contact this man.

http://www.despawson.com/Museum.html

earnest carruthers

There is a claim that meier/maya/mire is a made up game (based on liar dice) circa 1988 by members of Wolfsbane re-enactment group, it has permeated into 'history' as has 'slapcock' another Wolfsbane invention. Given that no rules for this game actually accompany any of the dice found, to suppose th...

earnest carruthers

It might have been wych elm, Ulmus Glabra. IIRC.

earnest carruthers

IIRC Pastons have an inventory item a barrel for scouring mail. John Fastolf section. Does not mention any scouring agent.

earnest carruthers

Karen 'On a 15th century tangent -- I'm puttering around and finding the use of the term "close hose" which may be the 15th century English term for what we're calling "joined hose."' yep regulated by statute Very good for establishing rank and clothing, it is clear on who should wear open hose. (14...

earnest carruthers

Maybe it is more about water resistance, after all woollen overgarments are still in use and don't really get fully soaking unless you try really, really hard, I refer to UK Police coats (until they went to synthetics). Maybe there is not the need that we see, but I do not see people putting up with...

earnest carruthers

Snow time in Siena. Hood and coat.

earnest carruthers

"I think more often than not, our ancestors simply dealt with being wet and being cold." Medieval hoods and coats and capes, all designed to keep one functioning in poor weather. The medievals had a sound knowledge of waterproofing, for example cloth fenestrals could be waterproofed with either varn...

earnest carruthers

Not forgetting the use of chicken fat to prevent rust on armour - side shoot but waterproof related.

earnest carruthers

There was something called Cere cloth - waxed cloth, various uses. I have added some medicinal uses for lanolin. 1448) Pet.Hen.VI in Archaeol.16 7: Item v yerdys of sirecloth pris the yerde xij d. c1450(c1430) Brut-1430 (Glb E. 430/9: Thanne was his body enbawmyd and dight with riche Spicerie and oy...

earnest carruthers

They look like flat bows with a 'long bow' style. They seem to have no D section and have an inset grip, not really log bows as we use them.

Lovely kit though, no getting away from that.

earnest carruthers

I was contesting Jester's first line, because it is not an absolute in reality. Yep, medieval people had many ways of describing objects, in English often to allow for different dialects to understand the terms, Caxton summed it up well in his prologue to the Enid, although he was talking about tran...

Re: Linen banners and pennets?

Re: Were Mediæval Cities THAT Bad?

Re: 12thc Middle Eastern chests

Re: Making Playing Cards

Re: Making Playing Cards

Re: Medieval pockets, corazzina and reinforced shield.

Re: 16th century style Paper Source?

Re: Almost 10,000 pics in Flickr: Frescoes, paintings, armou

Re: Q: Earliest date of a girdle book, wax tablet and etui

Re: crossbow bolts and longbow arrows against armor

Re: crossbow bolts and longbow arrows against armor

Re: woman's armor io9

Re: woman's armor io9

Re: Books for 14th century stuff...

Re: Pleated Shirts from Lengberg

Re: interesting take on armor

Re: Flatware for a 14th century European table questions

Re: Flatware for a 14th century European table questions

Re: Flatware for a 14th century European table questions

Re: Period shoemakers/resources in London (UK)?

Re: Books for 14th century stuff...

Re: Flatware for a 14th century European table questions

Re: Period Duffel Bags

Re: ROPE folks....need some guidance for 16t-17th century ro

Re: Dice Games

Re: 2 Ash Longbows

Re: Was maille cleaned using sand and vinegar?

Re: Possible early image of joined hose

Re: Medieval rainwear

Re: Medieval rainwear

Re: Medieval rainwear

Re: Medieval rainwear

Re: Medieval rainwear

Re: English Longbow reviews

Re: Function, not construction.