The Armour Archive

Varukh

well the helm is not for me. It is for a friend. i am however getting my funds together to get a new helm of my own though. I will post some pics of the stuff i ordered when the paint gets done drying though.

Varukh

Well today my order from Hjalmr arrived, and what can i say? The helmet was perfect for the price. It was a little scuffed up from the mail but all in all great condition. There were a few little burrs here and there but they were an easy fix. Added a little touch-up paint and it is ready to go. I g...

Varukh

sweet! i will definitely give that a try whenever i put my shield together.

Varukh

the whole rawhide thing sounds interesting to me. got any pics of the final product when using the rawhide dog treats?

Varukh

I am looking for what kind of wood works best for a shield. Best bang for your buck kinda thing. Thickness? Plywood? types of Finishes IE paint, stain, polyurethane? Just trying to get a good wooden round shield that will last me a while and look nice as well. I have seen a lot of plywood shields be...

Varukh

i'll give you $10 and a smile for the SCA ready one.

Varukh

hmmmmm.....if i only had some moeny.

Varukh

wow...that looks very nice. not sure how much i would pay for it since i am super cheap and tend to make my own stuff. I have seen crappier tunics sell on ebay for around 100+.

Varukh

are you planning on selling the helm? or is that just a hypothetical situation?

Varukh

well if you count the cup hilt i guess my sword is around 30in or so. It's also long enough to land a fairly-devastating ass wrap to BOTH cheeks i have unfortunately been on the receiving end of a nasty one of those. It sucks having a bruise under both cheeks so when you sit down, the edge of every ...

Varukh

i'm 5'9" and my sword from hilt to thrusting tip is a whopping 24". I find a shorter sword is good for moving in quick and throwing quick shots. less recovery time after a thrown shot and light weight.

Varukh

that could be where the size difference in the pic is coming from. just my opinion though based on what i can see from the pic. i'm no expert though. Both extremely lovely helms though.

Varukh

also this is the helm i was questioning an armourer about making for me just a few days ago.
http://www.merctailor.com/catalog/popup ... php?pID=78

very similar.

Varukh

does the dress helm have the sides on it like the SCA helm? could be the reason it looks smaller.

Varukh

yea...got to churn out some thigh armor and a gorget before his birthday this weekend.

Varukh

OMG! i was just looking at a helm exactly like this the other day and saying to myself, "that is the helm i want!". Very nice!

Varukh

Sweet! guess i need to get my butt in gear and finish the rest of my buddy's stuff before the helm and knees arrive.

Varukh

going to place this at the top of my "to read" list. looks really handy just from skimming over it really quick.

Varukh

i am going to try my very best to come to Diamond Wars. the buddy that got me into SCA fighting has actually told me "you are going to diamond wars". he didn't really give me an option.

Varukh

your kind words have motivated me to start working on my new shield. I have the paint scheme all drawn up and ready. just have to get the materials to make the shield and i will be all set. here is my design concept. http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a152/jdreadrocker/46023_1378632987168_1272183665_...

Varukh

may have to churn one of those out in the near future. could probably modify the one i have now to make a suitable shield then. thanks!

Varukh

well i have brought him to some fighter practices and some events, but he is at a point in his life that he is really busy with grad school and really does not have time to fight right now. Also he is only really interested in combat archery, not so much into the melee part of fighting. However i ha...

Varukh

none taken Bleddyn De Caldicot. Everyone's posts inspired me to put a little more elbow grease into it instead of just saying, "this will do for now. It passes as armor so I'm OK with it." this total kit improvement cost me only $40. got an outstanding deal on the maille from a buddy of mi...

Varukh

thank you Galfrid!

Varukh

thanks so much for the direction. i'm sure i will find more to improve. There is always some way to improve...

Varukh

not a problem at all.

Varukh

alright....final pic...painted the helm, fixed the belt, changed up the maille on the helm, and added padding to the helm to make it not look like blue foam. not sure there is much more i can do at this point. (other than new shield which i plan on working on asap) Thanks for all the tips and pointe...

Varukh

thanks a lot for the update. I have really been talking you up in my local area and i have a few more people who have said they are interested in one of your helms. can't wait to see your craftsmanship up close and personal

.

Varukh

If money was no object I would jump all over some titanium maille, but i really feel that my checkbook could not support the price.

Varukh

once again, thank you all very much. I know i may still fight somewhat like a new guy, but it is my goal to at least have a respectable looking kit that looks like i put time and effort into it. Dont want to really look like the guy that just grabbed the bargain bin armor and just slapped it all tog...

Varukh

yea the helm is sitting quite high in the pic because i just threw it on for the pic without really gettin my padding shifted into place. i am planning on taking the helm apart in the near future and fixing the fit of it. I have to wait till my buddy's spare helmet comes open for use before i take i...

Varukh

thank you Duke Uther.

Varukh

thanks for the kind words Varyag. i plan on just replacing that helm as soon as i can. it is not in the best of shape but it was what i could afford at the time. it is a solid, sturdy helmet but not very nice to look at.

Varukh

just to check, it looks like some of the stuff i have seen on the interwebs is saying that maille was around in the 16th century in russia but it just was more or less a kinda of low budget armor and was kinda being phased out a bit in exchange for scale or lamellar. the site i found was saying that...

Varukh

thanks a bunch! Trying my best to work to an affordable AND respectable kit. plan on trying to get a new helm later this year to finish out the kit.

Hjalmr's helm and 3-piece cop review.

Best wood to use making a wooden shield.