The Armour Archive

Alex Baird

Swete wrote:I am inclined to agree. Rapier fighters do need a peerage all their own.

Separate, but equal. That always works great.

Alex Baird

Annealing in lead is an old process as is quenching in mercury for a very strong quench indeed! (More of the expendable apprentice techniques---like fire gilding...) Quenching in mercury!?!?! And what's fire gilding? Basically making a mercury/gold amalgam paste to apply, and then heating it to vap...

Alex Baird

From the SCA Rapier/C&T rules, relevant parts bolded (your Kingdom may be more stringent): Protective Gear 1D. Rigid Material: puncture-resistant material that will not significantly flex, spread apart, or deform under pressure of 12 Kg applied by a standard mask tester, repeatedly to any single poi...

Alex Baird

coreythompsonhm wrote:Heh, I keep dreaming that I will move and find a 15th cen German suit of armour in the attic.

Don't be silly.

You put the heavy old stuff in the cellar. The Rembrandts are in the attic.

Alex Baird

More likely a result of having comic books define what human musculature should look like. And women think Barbie has an unrealistic physique...

Alex Baird

Mac, Making a small square mortise in a round steel pin by hand seems tricky and finicky. How would the slots in the pins have been made in period? Would one make a round pin, and drill and file in the mortise, or fold a flat plate into a C-channel and round the outside to a cylinder, or what? Also,...

Alex Baird

Hmm. How well does that 1/8" luan or similar do for a compound curvature in a specialized shield press intended to deliver a dome? Does it work better with such wood soaked in water? My instinct would to be to go even thinner, and start with veneer. If one were to use a cheap snow disc as a base an...

Alex Baird

Mac:

May I say that not only do I admire your tagline and the philosophy it encompasses, but also this thread which is a concrete example of living it. It is a real pleasure not only seeing a craftsman's work, but the thought process behind it. You pass on a legacy beyond the steel you form.

Alex Baird

Aaryq wrote:I never really thought of leather...interesting...It does open up a whole new set of doors.

There is a banner on this page that shows a leather burgonet with a fencing mask face.

Alex Baird

You could try a high calorie diet.... That shrinks gambesons all the time.

Alex Baird

Is that leaf gilded?

Alex Baird

Hope you are keeping safe there in HK... The news is not cheerful lately.

Alex Baird

Smilingotter wrote:I'm just going to choose to believe that the penny is HUGE.

For those not familiar with US coin size, a penny is .75 in., or just over 19mm.

Alex Baird

I think a vacuum press would be overdoing it. The trick is to apply as little glue as possible as evenly as possible. Once I get a consistent recipe I think the broad paint brush from Home Depot will do a good job of applying. For a thinner, even coat, you might try a rubber roller rather than a br...

Alex Baird

Have you considered a vacuum press? The type you would use to apply wood veneer would work well to eliminate wrinkling.

Alex Baird

Methyl Ethyl Ketone can do savage enough things to your cells and innards, leaving you with chronic solvent sensitivities, that I doubt you'd be wanting to mess with it. Thus the spray booth, respirator and safety gear. That gear includes bunny suit and really good gloves ('cause it will eat the ch...

Alex Baird

All the paints that actually work on plastic are pretty much banned anymore, because the way they worked was by using a strong solvent for the carrier. They literally softened the surface of the plastic substrate and bonded the color on. No paint that just adheres to the surface is going to stay on....

Alex Baird

In Caid, you need to be an authorized armored fighter to be a combat archer. This means passing the written and oral quiz on the rules and conventions and having a sparring test to make sure you and your armor are safe, both for you and others. On top of that, you will need your combat archer auth. ...

Alex Baird

I know that this may be more of a personal perspective question but what are some good shot combos to learn as a newbie? Frankly, as a newbie, I would have you concentrate on other basics, such as footwork, stance, distance, timing and balance that will allow you throw one good shot. You can get a ...

Alex Baird

Breathing. I tense my core when I throw my first shot, and then don't relax my diaphragm and breathe deeply. This make me breathe shallowly until I get to a reset point in the fight. When I do it right, not only do I get the oxygen I need, but I'm more relaxed overall and can react quicker. Strangel...

Alex Baird

There was one person that had such repute for, um, misbehavior in pursuit of victory, that the lady whose favor I carried instructed me to yield if I were to draw him in the lists. I would have honored that instruction. Fortunately, that situation didn't arise, and he stopped playing after a while.

Alex Baird

The design is an altered version of Hans Holbein's Death and the Merchant. Vientene a me mefchin is "come with me wrech" in Italian. You can see it in the original picture. That's actually that old-fashioned "s" in "meschin". It's correct on the shield you painted. Vientene a me meschin, che carco ...

Alex Baird

Thorgar Wulfson wrote: As for the word "kata" i just meant for combat patterns and techniques, i don't know the European word for it lol. As to no remembered or currently extant martial styles for the maul that will be corrected by me lol.

Drills?

Alex Baird

Spray adhesives don't offer the bond I need for longevity in shields. The DAP however might be the trick. Well, I would guess that you do not want to saturate the canvas with it, but only apply to one side. I doubt you could get paint to adhere well to the dried rubber cement. I've used Sir Niccolo...

Alex Baird

do you just coat the canvas or do you soak it through with the DAP? DAP is a contact adhesive, such as is used to apply laminate to countertops. Once it tacks up, it will bond very firmly with another surface coated in it as soon as it touches. Be careful of putting the canvas down smooth, because ...

Alex Baird

Top flute.jpg As to weirdness, the pictures seem to have three lames from the front, but only two at the back. That's it! I have a couple of sketches of how this could work, but for the sake of simplicity I am assuming that the sculptor just lost track. Mac Could it be that what appears as an edge ...

Alex Baird

Sean Powell wrote:Fabrise?

If you have mold and mildew in your Fabris armor... you need to shower more.

Alex Baird

When I saw the subject line, my first thought was:

Alfred, Charles, Akbar, Peter, Catherine, Darius... and Alexander, of course!

Alex Baird

Another variation of the round robin is a "Hold the Field". Fighter 1 takes the field and fights 2 thru X in his pool consecutively. This is his win/loss record. Then #2 takes the field and fights all the rest in the pool, etc. Every fighter ends up fighting 2 fights against everyone in the pool, bu...

Alex Baird

Neat! I know a couple people who use curved weapons. They said one part of the learning curve is to making the shot "cut/slide" less on hits - takes the power out when it does. Which is kinda the opposite of what you want to do with a real sabre. You want the natural cutting/slicing action that a c...

Alex Baird

Would using magnets eventually magnetize the files? Dunno. Probably not a good idea with tiny filings adhering to your files. I've got an old roll-up canvas chisel holder with a series of pockets, that has large grommets at the corners for ties. You can also hang the unrolled holder up on a couple o...

Alex Baird

Belemrys wrote:So am i mathematically challenged or does 3/16th of an inch translate into 4oz?

3/16 = 6/32 = 12/64

If 1/64 = 1 oz. then that is 12 oz leather.

Alex Baird

Harry Marinakis wrote:Cian what do you think of pointy metal chapes on the battlefield? Legal?

Doesn't look any more pointy or metallic than a lot of armor pieces already on the field. As long as you are not intentionally beating on people with it and it didn't fit thru an eyeslot, what would be the problem?

Alex Baird

jester wrote:I've done the five of polo-sticks (above)...

So, what distinguishes this as a five? Is that a stylized numeral?

Alex Baird

There's only one thing for you to do. Attack Gyldenholdt. They'll never see it coming.

Re: 5th peerage, a letter from a White Scarf

Re: repoussed shield boss

Re: Is 20/22G hardened steel enough for SCA C&T, and Fencing

Re: Mysetry armour found

Re: Met pics UP!

Re: spring loaded pin help needed

Re: Greek shield

Re: Dusting off the cobwebs

Re: How to convert a rapier helm?

Re: Shrinking a Gambeson

Re: Dusting off the cobwebs

Re: Sparring with Johannes Pelzer from learn-sword-fighting.

Re: Check out the micro-mail

Re: Making Playing Cards

Re: Making Playing Cards

Re: ways to keep paints on armor from chipping

Re: ways to keep paints on armor from chipping

Re: What authorization is needed for combat archery at a war

Re: Favorite SCA sword and board shot combos for new fighter

Re: If folks wouldn't mind providing some feedback...

Re: Fighting someone you do not like

Re: What kind of canvas for shields?

Re: Help with a design

Re: What kind of canvas for shields?

Re: What kind of canvas for shields?

Re: Dusting off the cobwebs

Re: Mold in sallet liner and straps - cleaning methods? Stin

Re: Who are The Greats?

Re: What is your favorite Tourney style/format?

Re: Rattan saber

Re: Clever ideas for storing files?

Re: How thick?

Re: SCA sword/dagger scabbard designs

Re: Playing card

Re: Tips to Surviving a Landed Baronage