The Armour Archive

Vinnie

Heck, even "cold blue" is nasty stuff. Be careful with ANY chemical treatments.
I love the late "Black and White" armor, but I have kept to polished helms for the overheating issues here in the desert.

Vinnie.

Vinnie

Watch out for some of the formulas in the book. Some are not at all user friendly and can be toxic through touch or inhalation.

Vinnie

Vinnie

If you can find a copy of "Firearm Blueing and Browning" by R.H. Angier it is a great guide to the treatment of iron and steel.
Rust blueing that is then "Buffed" off might give a nice look.

Vinnie

A big + on MidWest Tents. Nice folks, I got my 10x10 wall tent from them. As was said earlier, if you make an internal frame you won't need guy-lines, and it makes it easier to fit a floor. I use a ridge pole, the two end poles, and six side poles. The end poles and ridge pole are two piece for easi...

Vinnie

Think of it as sword and small buckler, but you can thrust with the buckler :-) Off-side sword cut to the side of his head will often cause a sword (basket) block from the S&S fighter. The thrust to the armpit or side that you started just after the off-side sword cut went has a good chance to arriv...

Vinnie

Construction is a lot like fitting a rattan cross hilt, with a good fit of the notched haft to the "hammer" with a tight cross wrap and circle of strapping tape. Steam bending the cross piece rattan and starting with thick rattan to carve the matching notches the helps the fit. I remove the tape fro...

Vinnie

"and these were used in which tournaments in Europe pre-17th century?" The most Knightly one on one foot combat weapon in my era of pre 17th century tournaments was the poleax. Fiore, Di Grassi, Ringeck, Talhoffer and many more instruct in its use. I would think that more hammers and like weapons we...

Vinnie

Hammers in period came in a lot of styles and shapes, from a ball-peen on a long handle to a long armed pick like device designed to be hard to block. They ranged from the Romans using entrenching tools to one handed light and fast horseman's hammers to the afore mentioned pick-like weapons. If I ha...

Vinnie

An old do-it-yourself link.

http://chestofbooks.com/crafts/popular- ... -Tent.html

Vinnie

Vinnie

Email sent.

Vinnie

P.M. sent

Vinnie

I have used one for 15-20 years in the West, but ask that they only be counted to the face/throat. No more danger than anything else we use, less in fact. I never "reverse" the sword in using them though. I have a hammer for that. Makes the up-close more fun. The quiilons are no more (or less) a pus...

Vinnie

Asbrand said: "LOL - the knight from my original group had a huge footman's mace he made up...looked like a huge Q-tip. Which is what we called it. " One of our local fighters wanted a real peasant weapon so he made a three foot "caveman" club. About a 30% angle cone out from the grip to the blunt t...

Vinnie

Saint-Saver said: "Ooooh, look! Tana leaves! Let's see what happens if we feed the thread an infusion made from them! " And as Boris drinks the brew the voice over says... Speaking of things older than the Pyramids, anyone out there use a Madu like object before 1980? Things like madus, my all ratta...

Vinnie

Heck, that's just good looking armor. Not just an O.K. by me, but a please do. As a trim, style, and flash lover, how about adding it to the leather holding the mail to the helm? If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing... And it would tie into your device when just the helm is on display. Vinnie, ...

Vinnie

Alcyoneus, in a lot of modern art butts are part of the art, so it won't matter which you chose.

Vinnie

Vinnie

"Of course - *nothing* helps when the tip of the sword catches one testicle - just that... Since that day I *never* fight without the cup in place. Gavin" Mother of God, I walked pigeon toed for ten minutes after reading that :shock: That's as bad as the story about the plastic cup that split, opene...

Vinnie

I "authorized" on The fifth of May, A.S. XIV (1979) at the West/Caid war. "It was a hot and dusty day..." (As a side note, I was knighted on the twenty-third of April, A.S. XXVIII (1994) at the West/Caid war on my birthday) I've been hitting and poking since then. If you think you see a war theme in...

Vinnie

I think I remember that a pistol company was going to (or did) make a striker or firing pin out of a beryllium-copper alloy. Gun nuts own almost as many grinding devices as guns... I decided to never file, grind or buff one of these. I have not heard of this for the last , oh 15 years so I would bet...

Vinnie

Left vs. right handed... In teaching fencing classes and in fencing (34 years...Damm that's longer than it feels like) I teach the righties that anything a lefty does to you, you can do to him, and to practice against them use a mirror. At times locally both the fencing club and the SCA heavy fighte...

Vinnie

SIRMRKS said "the issue is the extra weight and length. antir tried "techno" carbon fiber spears but they cracked and were $150 or more. they defenitely hit light enough to be used and didnt suffer the same leverage effect. no problems using or taking them but they were like a magic wand of death". ...

Vinnie

Go to your nearest Starvation Army or other thrift store. Go the the sporting goods section. Look for a "Personal Floatation Device" that a water-skier would use. The ones with the slick molded on plastic-like covering, not cloth. Too many of the cloth covered ones use a white large cell foam that i...

Vinnie

When fighting against sword & buckler, it is like fighting against SCA two sword, only they can't hit you with the buckler

Well, it is not a bad place to start from when you first run up against it.

Vinnie

Dmitriy, Sebastian, and Scott are where I am on this. One of the best descriptions of a "good" force level was: "A stout blow, openly given and recieved". I call it binary force levels, good or not good, not a big grey area with a "light, but controlled (or clean) middle ground. Light but clean is j...

Vinnie

Winterfell asked: Has anyone ever made or seen an SCA shield that was not one of the basic standard shapes; ie heater, round, kite, or roman? I have used an "Italianate" shaped shield for the last ten years or so. Often called a nibbled on cookie shield It is a cross between a dished kite and a dish...

Vinnie

Plese e-mail to me as well, I may have a buyer for some rivited mail in the near future.

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Vinnie
Sir Vincenzo di Calabria, KSCA West
AKA Sir "Yo! Vinnie!"
Dino in Reno

Vinnie

Now that 12th Night (West) is over I can give feedback without giving away gift hints. PRICE: Good to me. QUALITY: Just fine, for the price I would not make it. SHIPPING: At Christmas no less, fast and packed well. COMMUNICATIONS: You don't get better. He was right on top of things. I will not only ...

Vinnie

Hum, I was being a bit over the top and blunt with a "feeling" I got from some of the plate there. Not whole suits, but some stuff had the feel or look of 19th century "restorations" where 85% of an item was restored from new metal. Some of it looked, well, klunky. Then again, I also think that Oswa...

Vinnie

He he, yep nice place. Now tell us what you think the fakes are

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Vinnie
Sir Vincenzo di Calabria, KSCA West
AKA Sir "Yo! Vinnie!"
Dino in Reno

Vinnie

D. Sebastian asked: "Would choking up your grip 1.5 forward on the 7.5 one work also? 'm pole-curious" For me it does not work as well as using a shorter length weapon. There is less "rotational inertia" and flex with a shorter weapon. This gives better control and quicker straight attacks and direc...

Vinnie

If you do not have hidden flaws in your health, have reaction time near normal, don't break easy, and can keep going when there does not seem to be any hope of improvement, you can be a good SCA fighter. The fact of the matter is that women who accept that thumps and bumps will happen have been some...

Vinnie

I have one a dear friend (now gone from us) made for me to fit over a hocky glove. The fun part is the edge banding of six to one. Like plate with a constant slight flex.

Vinnie

Dmitriy said: Tarquin -- ever try to do the opposite, onside snap rolled into a thrust? Tends to move their defence just enough to open a hole for the thrust -- and to to people on the sidelines it often looks like you came up and gacked the guy in the face while he just stood there Yep, I was shown...

Vinnie

"After 6 Months of a Hellish Home buying experience We moved into our new home."

He he, You did wathch "The Money Pit" and "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dreamhouse" before buying, right?

Vinnie, who went from renter to owner in 32 days from start of search to close of escrow... Manic time...

Vinnie

Originally posted by Drake Orion:
"how about this beasty?"

I looks like what a Roman would wear to a meeting of the "masked Rocky and Bullwinkle fan club".

Vinnie

Re: How do you get this color / patina

Re: How do you get this color / patina

Re: How do you get this color / patina

Re: Not exactly armor but .... Period tents

Re: Sword and dagger in SCA heavy

Re: Maul/hammer question

Re: Maul/hammer question

Re: Maul/hammer question

Re: Not exactly armor but .... Period tents

Re: Visorless Early Great Bascinet for sale.

Re: Visorless Early reat Bascinet for sale.

Re: Quillions with thrusting tips on a great sword

Another Coldwater Armourery review