The Armour Archive

Alex Baird

laevus wrote:
ChristianVE wrote:Dark Apprentice! Dark Apprentice! Dark Apprentice!

Minor note that in the lists Conrad Breakring is also a Sir, but more directly: what is this Dark apprentice thing?

Also, Edward Oakenheart was asked to join the Chivalry at Unbelted. I don't know when his knighting will be.

Alex Baird

I'm sure that some of the knowledgeable here can answer you concerning historical thicknesses, but the reason for a heavy SCA helmet is that the mass absorbs the force of impact before your skull and brains do. Not denting easily is a nice side benefit.

Alex Baird

I did make a copy of this man's work, http://www.mrows.org/isles/gorget/gfigs.html#1 , credit fully due. The guy on that site is Don Angus Todde McDonald, of Caid. He's a great and friendly guy, who teaches occasional leatherworking classes down here. You might want to contact him directly, and see...

Alex Baird

Assuming you are talking rapier, you are mistaken. Per SCA Rapier handbook: vi. For heavy rapier and cut and thrust rapier, additional throat protection is required; it shall consist of rigid material, as noted above, covering the entire throat, and shall be backed by either puncture resistant mate...

Alex Baird

Was the collapsed trachea due to bad armour, or armour failure? I am not aware of a collapsed trachea injury in the SCA. There was a throat injury at Estrella some years ago that resulted in a bruised trachea and a hospital trip, due to the swelling. The guy was back on site the next day. I was pre...

Alex Baird

Uhh, last time I checked, SCA rapiers were not sharp. What risk to fencers have in our modern day sport besides something as strenuous as a pulled muscle or bruise? AFAIK, the standard protection is to be able to stop a broken blade for the core of the body. Not trying to be arguementative, but as ...

Alex Baird

Animal, you got any idea how little force it takes to put a sharp rapier through skin and muscle? According to a trauma doctor who studied this, skin tends to resist about 3-5# of pressure, indenting inward until pierced. It then springs back, with the underlaying tissue offering less resistance. Tr...

Alex Baird

I don't think many people will fight such a duel, if the stakes were to ruin your fun for a year. However, I see no problem with fighting a challenge with some forfeit of consequence at stake, somewhat like the ransoms in the COTT. I once fought (and lost) in a challenge where the forfeit was to wri...

Alex Baird

I threw a few labels on. Please ignore my feeble spelling of Gaelic names.

Alex Baird

Illa, here on the archive, was one of the final 3. The finalists each had one loss, and fought round-robin for the victory. I believe the field was 60 entrants this year. http://zenofjen.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=18415 The victor was a gentle from Starkhavn (Las Vegas area), whom I regret I do...

Alex Baird

James:

If you ever get to L.A., you need to check out the downtown fabric district.

Alex Baird

Latest report: partly sunny on Saturday, field has good drainage. Might be a bit muddy and soggy.

And, Sir Ciaran: the best way to keep warm is to be fighting. You poor Chiv will be Chivvering.

Alex Baird

Jestyr wrote:I'm surprised nobody has commented how incredibly evil this photo is.

Downright sinister.

Alex Baird

personally the idea of using modern fencing foils for pre-17th C techniques is so patently absurd that I assumed that was some sort of strange misuse of a term rather than actual use of foil and epee... They are basically a holdover from when they were all that was commercially available. In Caid (...

Alex Baird

The way I have understood it was that if you are grasping the spear with the same hand you are holding the shield, then you are CONTROLLING the spear and only HOLDING the shield. Making the shield passive armour at that point. I'd say you are controlling both. Let's look at the idea behind the rule...

Alex Baird

Kinda like a shinai out of nylon? I remember back a decade or more ago that there were high end kendo shinais made from carbon fiber, for durability.

Alex Baird

Sound like what you need is strapping tape that's clear with tan fibers. Apply that to a brown fibreglas shaft, and it would simulate a wood grain.

(actually, what's needed is what everyone here has already mentioned: dump the antiquated tape rule for fibreglas shafts.)

Alex Baird

I'm in the area from now 'til next Saturday.

Alex Baird

I'll be up in the SF bay area this week. It looks like the BART practice in Orinda will be closest to where I'll be (Brentwood). Will it be held next Thurs. (New Year's Eve), during the holidays?

I also understand there is a Pleasant Hill practice occasionally on Wed.

Alex Baird

Blaine de Navarre wrote:
IvanIS wrote:Sir Mari Alexander

I hadn't heard they knighted Mari - way cool!

Indeed!

Alex Baird

Sir Gaston:

Is there a seam up the back of those shoes, or are the uppers one piece?

Alex Baird

Jestyr wrote: He's done 4 by my count (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down).

Toss in "The Duellists", a smaller film, but very good.

Alex Baird

Aaron wrote:There, is that enough to discuss with vigor?

You missed the "Fourth Peerage".

Alex Baird

Richard de Scolay wrote:
What you are seeing is a result of the jpeg compression.

Yep. This is what you get when you either oversharpen a picture, or overcompress one. Probably sharpening in this case, since that tries to darken one side of contrasting "edges" and lighten the other.

Alex Baird

Rana wrote:I swear on my hamster's grave I will not wear a ring belt with this (or anything else, for that matter)!

You aren't gonna wear anything else with this helmet? Won't that be a bit chilly for this time of year?

Alex Baird

Baron Alejandro wrote:An ink drawing from Queen Elizabeth's Accession Day Tilts.

That's not for archery. It's because they haven't got lanyards.

Alex Baird

Baron Alcyoneus wrote:You fencing folks are apparently all suffering from "spear envy".

Nah, just using simulators of appropriate historical length. For me, with point on the ground and the quillons about navel height, thats just about 41", so I use a 40" Del Tin.

Alex Baird

Duke Guillaume was running a similar experimental form here in Caid a few years ago, but I don't know the current status. The pommel and quillons had kong dog toys on them. Maybe someone in AEthelmearc might want to contact him and compare notes.

Alex Baird

Suzerain: As a former Kingdom level rapier marshal (KRM), the process for getting a blade on the "approved" list consists of basically getting a sample into the hands of the Society Marshal of Fence (currently, the aforementioned Sir Thomas Logan, a good guy). He will then test it for safe...

Alex Baird

Jon Barber wrote:
Alex - check the new Agrippa translation,

It's on my christmas list....

Alex Baird

One of the best ways to avoid getting hit, while still being able to hit your opponent is to assign the hypotenuse (long leg) of the triangle to your opponent's action. A common example is when your opponent tries to hit your leg, and you reply with a head shot. Imagine a triangle. Point A = Your sh...

Alex Baird

SCA combat rules are simply a set of agreed parameters for fighting in a relatively safe manner. One can use them with a mindset of winning every bout, with minimizing armor, using lightweight composites by preference, high traction shoes, and calling every shot to the limits allowed. Call it "...

Alex Baird

I made a little red suede leather cup that extends about 5" down the rattan.

Alex Baird

As a side note, does anyone know of a current font creation software? I used to have "Fontographer", 12 years ago or so, but it won't run on my current OS, and Macromedia got eaten up by Adobe. I'd love to do some fonts for blocking out scrolls. I used to have a version of lower case celti...

Alex Baird

Oh, the young people of today, with their nevvfangled glyphs...

Try this then:

http://www.urbanfonts.com/fonts/Bastarda-K.htm

Not quite as sweet, but it has a "w".

Re: Leather gorget

x-post: Bay Area FP this week?