The Armour Archive

Josh W

lord shadow blade wrote:...whys crakes...

Josh W

Wow. Thanks, Pietro. Very cool.

Josh W

I have no documentation for either feature. I am extrapolating from both the remains of the Brick Lane gauntlet, and a certain statue whose provenance I cannot presently recall.

Josh W

It happens that I am building a pair of 14th century hourglass gauntlets covered in black velvet just now. They're nearly done, awaiting only their cloth covering. The cloth will be held on with brass rivets, to match the brass finger-scales.

I'll post pics when I'm finished.

Josh W

Just so...

http://www.mediumaevum.com/josh/Picture%20021.jpg

Josh W

What about covering them in velvet? That'd be cool and different...

Josh W

Murdock wrote:I think it was 2 kidney plates and a kida "Y" shaped thing that went down the back.

I'm interested. Is there any way at all you can find an illustration of this?

Josh W

Both the Haberkorn and Bickenbach effigies up there date to the early 15th century, 1421 (as it says) and 1403, respectively. I also think it's indisputable that the men depicted with rear faulds in that early 15th century 'Battle of Poitiers' illustration are wearing backplates to support those rea...

Josh W

Based on what Josh? (i know you dig backplates and thats cool) Mostly, I base my supposition that they have backplates on the fact that those pictures all date from the 15th century. I know that breasts without backs were common for infantry, but is there any evidence that a man of sufficient wealt...

Josh W

Quite.

Josh W

I'll bet each one of those guys has a backplate...

Josh W

I seem to recall that weight figures given for at least one cuirass in the Churburg catalogue revealed that the upper backplate was actually a bit heavier than the upper breastplate, which struck me as odd. I don't remember which suit it was, though. Per, were the lower backplates on those suits you...

Josh W

I know that there are more Churburg #13 reproductions on the field than there are repros of #14, Murdock; I wasn't confusing the two pieces. I just think that we're seeing a lot more #14s lately, and it's soon going to be just as done-to-death as the #13. As far as "wearing a breastplate on you...

Josh W

My recommendation is that you ditch the Churburg #14 breastplate, because everyone does that these days, and go with one of the myriad styles of cloth-covered torso defenses popular in the late 14th century--one that includes substantial protection for the back. You could even incorporate the solid ...

Josh W

Is this the piece you're talking about, Tybalt?

http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/ ... =corazzina

I think this thing is neat because, AFAIK, it's the earliest surviving one-piece backplate.

Josh W

William is spot on about "fun guerrillas." I wish I had a dollar for each time I've been discussing putting a reasonably accurate SCA kit together with a newbie, only to have somebody sidle up and say something to the effect of, "Psst! Don't listen to him; only losers fight in real ar...

Josh W

I fight in turnshoes, but I wear sabatons over them.

Josh W

I've got photos taken, and will mail them to you tomorrow (along with notes and source pics), as they're on a buddy's camera.

Josh W

While I usually take about twenty minutes, I can do it in ten if I have a competent assistant.

Josh W

I had the doublet slung over a chair in the kitchen. My wife was going to visit her parents, and at the last minute convinced me to go with her. I left the doublet where it was, and the fire investigator said that was where the blaze started. It was an old doublet, green cotton duck cloth and muslin...

Josh W

Yes, it was my house that burned down after my arming doulbet, which had olive oil on it, spontaneously combusted. I still have the newspaper clipping that describes the fire investigator's findings. I'm much more careful when I polish my harness now. The armour was one of the few things that surviv...

Josh W

Mike is one of my favorite people. Congratulations to him. He's deserved the accolade for a long time. I wouldn't have played in the SCA for so long if not for his influence.

Josh W

Y'all are so mean... It has recently come to my attention that I shouldn't be able to raise my arms above my head in real 15th century Italian pauldrons (and thus shouldn't be able to perform a cartwheel). What am I doing wrong? Apparently, my pauldrons don't restrict me in the fashion they're suppo...

Josh W

Well then, what do you call rear-opening plate defenses in use during the late 14th century, like that on the Lincoln Cathedral misericorde, or on the Prague St. George statue? Or those figures in Flos Duellatorum in the obviously rear-opening armours? m m m m If they're not coats of plates, but not...

Josh W

So coats-of-plates had totally fallen out of use by then? It's either a single-piece breastplate or a corazzina for men-at-arms? What about the style of armour that Master Galeron wears--the one based on that English Misericorde? It's roughly contemporary, isn't it? Would that be a coat-of-plates si...

Josh W

I'd bet it had some sort of late coat-of-pates or corazzina--maybe something like on the St. George statue in Prague. I wish there were surviving examples of such defenses...

Josh W

I wonder what that armour originally had in place of the brig...

Josh W

We used to joust on riding lawnmowers. It didn't work out very well.

Josh W

Wouldn't it be nice if the SCA over here would adopt your rules?

Josh W

I have yet to make up my mind on the Combat Archery issue. I've never played in a scenario that featured it, except at Lilies', and even there, it's never seemed like archers were common enough to cause me any problems. I think Rhys is correct in saying that a behourd tournament is the closest analo...

Josh W

I'll agree that the 14th century mafia is becoming alarmingly influential, but I certainly won't join any movement that drags the SCA's focus earlier. That way lies madness, and it's a path the SCA has walked before: arguably, the organization has been dominated by "the spangen menace" for...

Josh W

Please note that I wasn't dissing early medieval portrayals here--I'm only attacking this guy's approach to and reasons for going "early period." IMO, he suffers from having joined the SCA in the 1970s or '80s, under the influence of a lot of "barbarian" fantasy literature.

Josh W

At our populace meeting last night, a fellow gave a presentation on "how to create your SCA persona." He is a first millennium norseman himself, and seems heavily biased in favor of "early period" personae. He preached passionately about why everyone else should be "early pe...

Josh W

I'll vouch that hanging out at St. Patrick's shop is an awful lot of fun. I have been privileged to indulge myself so on several occasions.

Josh W

If it will help you, here is a video of the armour in use:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm11yAXeegg

If nobody else has been able to provide you with anything better suited to your needs, I will take some more photos this weekend, trying to stay within your parameters.