The Armour Archive

Bentz

I just noticed on myArmoury.com that there is a post about a Norwegian mace head, 13th/14th c. that looks mighty interesting:

http://www.myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=16048

Bentz

Thomas Powers wrote:Forge, chisel, file. Casting of steel in Europe dates to the 1700's and cast iron is not a good material for such things.

Thomas

See, now that makes just so much sense I feel foolish for having asked.

Thanks!

Bentz

From classical through the high middle ages, you occasionally see metalwork that is intended to be both artistic and functional (muscled cuirass, zoomorphic lionhead spaulders, elaborate "maksed" helms in the east and west, etc.). In most of these instances, the sculpted metal was fairly t...

Bentz

[quote="chef de chambre"]I will try to get some footage. For something worthwile to film, I'd need 15 archers, and I only have 7 on the roster - one rank of 5 pikes is optimal, with three ranks of 5 archers, with those numbers, to give a short and accurate cross-section of the battle-line ...

Bentz

You are missing two points. Fair enough. But you are missing two points as well. 1. This conversation regarding armor restricting movement is too broad in scope unless you specify an exact harness or year and location. Transitional period doesn't do it. 2. This conversation regarding Sir Angus's ar...

Bentz

It would be great to see some footage of something like this (videogamish or not).

Bentz

In point of fact, I have two challenges for you - in regards to the bolded statement you blithely made. Wear a complete set of Italian arms, with pauldrons ( that are *accurate* reproductions ), and touch your hands together directly over your head, and wear a great bascinet, strapped down properly...

Bentz

Grappling is integrally a part of both major schools of armoured combat with whatever weapon comes to hand. You aren't likely to throw a killing blow with a single hand sword at an opponent armoured cap-a-pie, in either late transitional, or plate harness. Hard to grapple from horseback. But you co...

Bentz

Grappling is integrally a part of both major schools of armoured combat with whatever weapon comes to hand. You aren't likely to throw a killing blow with a single hand sword at an opponent armoured cap-a-pie, in either late transitional, or plate harness. Hard to grapple from horseback. But you co...

Bentz

Big CD of primary charge, yes. Would you still like it if the colors of the charges were reversed? -- Argent, two chevronels gules, in chief two lions rampant sable. That rearrangement would completely guarantee at least two CD's. Actually, I just invented the example with the bear to illustrate, b...

Bentz

Great. Now if I go with the chevronel idea, I'll always think of cats on a hot tin roof. So, just to be sure I'm getting it, "Argent, two chevronels sable, in chief two lions rampant gules" would be clear of "Argent, a bear passant sable, in chief two lions rampant gules" because...

Bentz

Konstantin the Red wrote:
But surely ermine is chocolate-chip! Now for a traditional heraldic jest:

Or, fretty sable; a chief wavy ermine.

Now draw that on a Norman kite shield. Looks edible, doesn't it?

Who says heralds don't know how to have a good time?

Bentz

I'd recommend the fess, though, as any design with chevron/els tends to make the charges in the top a bit smaller and harder to see unless very carefully done. And that can be helped by cheating the chevronels downwards just a touch, to give the uppermost (and secondary, the chevs. being the primar...

Bentz

Ermined with a final -D would be an ermine pattern of any colors other than the four named variants of ermine: Ermine, ermine s , ermin ois , and pean. Any good-contrast Rule of Tincture combo is good -- azure ermined Or, vert ermined argent, argent ermined purpure, etcetera. Gotcha. I was just thi...

Bentz

Thanks for the encouragement, and for the tips on conflict checking. I'll probably switch to PMs after this, as I imagine there aren't too many other folks waiting with baited breath for me to determine my device But before I do, I wanted to share my alternate design (and alternate alternate) for an...

Bentz

Brewer and Konstantin, I appreciate the input and suggestions. Even if some of it confuses me even more How about: "Vairy argent and sable, and on a chief gules a lion passant argent." That would keep the color scheme I like, it's still simple looking, and as far as I can tell, it doesn't ...

Bentz

. Thanks for the suggestion, Konstantin. However, while less tinctually virtuous, I think if I went for this device, I would opt for no ermine. For whatever reason, I'm just not a big fan. I'm debating between this design and another one. But assuming I went with this, I want to touch on my origina...

Bentz

This is tangentially related, so rather than clutter the page with another post, I'll just tack on to this one. Regarding contrast, if I understand right, something like this would be allowed: Gules, a fess checky sable and argent. Given that the fess has half color/half metal, right? Or am I back t...

Bentz

Thanks for clearing that up, Cian.

Bentz

Donal and Eamonn say the chief would be improperly color-on-color with the sable pales on the field. But what rescues the situation is both the very good contrast anyway (conf., the U.S. flag and the U.S. arms) and the argent element, particularly as the field. It skirts a rigid interpretation of t...

Bentz

I was wondering if someone would catch that. *edit* fixed. Thanks Eff. I also wasn't sure how many stripes a "paly" field gets in default. Bendy fields get only 3 by default as I've seen them drawn. (actually, with a name like Bentz, I'm surprised you didn't want some bends). -Cian Ha! Th...

Bentz

UNLESS you can provide period examples of this. I can provide a few examples from armorials. Is there a hard and fast rule for how many would need to be included in a submission to pass? Or is this left to the discretion of the reviewer? I'm not trying to be dense, so please bear with me, but with ...

Bentz

I'm a little confused. I've seen some registered devices that seem to violate this rule. For instance:

Per pale argent and sable, a boar's head erased gules.

(Half of the boar's head is color on color, right?)

What am I missing?

Bentz

Sable three pallets argent, and on a chief gules a lion passant argent. You've got a problem with the chief gules on the sable shield, though. A chief is a charge, not a field division; so it's colour on colour. If you swap the tinctures of the lion and the chief it would work: Sable three pallets ...

Bentz

I'm just trying to get my head around conflict checking. I'll bug a local herald soon, but I thought I would try this one out here first to be sure. I was considering registering: Sable three pallets argent, and on a chief gules a lion passant argent. I checked the SCA Ordinary and Armorial and came...

Bentz

This is a great page put together by Duke Gaston de Vieuxchamps that showcases a lot of shields, including the shots from the Romance of Alexander. . .

http://vieuxchamps.com/persona/shield/shield.php

Isabella E wrote:Got a pic of that setup at all Murdock?

Bentz

Thanks for your interest everyone. The helm found a new head to call home.

Bentz

PM back at ya

Bentz

Selling a pair of hardened leather vambraces, dyed black, made by House of the Wolf a few years back. They are a little too small for me--they fit, but only barely, and without padding. I wore them to a couple of practices, but they never took a hit, so the only wear and tear is age. They have 14th ...

Bentz

Thanks for the tip. I'm hoping for something longer that comes down to the shoulders, but I emailed KWT to see what they could do.

Other suggestions?

Bentz

Looking for a padded/gamboised coif made out of natural materials for use under a greathelm.

I've done a search and found a couple, but I'd be interested in any suggestions. I'm hoping to buy/commission one for under $40.

Bentz

Vitus von Atzinger wrote:New Price

This is the coolest thing I have ever made and not one of the 14th century mafia guys want it? I can hardly believe it.

$140

It is incredibly cool.

Bentz

did u get my post on wanting this helm,? PMed. This might be obvious from the photos, but I should add that the helm has a nice satin finish. So for anyone who likes the low-maintenance of stainless but not the "white" color that comes with mirror finish, this is the hat for you. And for ...

Bentz

A few nibbles, but no deal made yet.

Bentz

Things that go bump in the night. Or the morning.

Sculpted iron/steel

SCA heraldry conflict check

FS: Hardened Leather Vambraces

WTB: padded coif/arming cap

Re: hi!