The Armour Archive

Bob H

Steve Sprinkle at http://www.historicalpottery.com/ . While his catalog reflects mostly late 17thC - 18thC items, he's completely capable of making other items.

Bob H

Timothy_D_Finkas wrote:Just ONE cooler for beer? Lightweight!

I just bring one cooler, too, but I leave mine at the truck:

[img]http://www.colonial-enthusiast.com/humour/bev-walkin-display.jpg[/img]

Bob H

Timothy_D_Finkas wrote: But can't you be supportive of somebody that approaches such a thing by steps?

Actually, I'm being very supportive. I'm just trying to help cut out a bunch of expensive intermediary steps in coming to the same point - if you don't have it, you don't have to figure out what to do with it.

Bob H

There's another approach to the problem - don't have things in camp that you need to hide! Most folks will still need a few modern things - eyeglasses/contacts, medicines, etc. - but there isn't much effort involved in hiding them. Leave the cooler in the car; when you need food from it, take a kett...

Bob H

Harvel, you might want to look at Dr. David Nicolle's "Arms and Armour of the Crusading Era: 1050-1350". One half of the book is pen and ink drawings, the other half the descriptions of where the original was found. You may find it as either one or two volumes. Nicolle did a similar work (also print...

Bob H

Now that is dedication. I'm taking the season off from events, but when I go back to Native American living history I'm kinda dreading the haircut and shave. In for a penny, in for a pound!

Bob H

My immediate suspicion is that it is indeed some type of firearm, and that the painting was done much later than the event it depicts.

Bob H

Tim, you might also enjoy http://www.godecookery.com/

Bob H

How do you get them to stay on your face? I can understand using them for reading, but I need glasses for anything more than 4-6" from my nose. They don't. There are one or two pieces of IIRC c1400 art that appear to show laces or ribbons coming from the outside bottom edge of the frames and either...

Bob H

I have a pair, Charlotte, with my reading prescription in them. I had to go to three different oculists before I found one who could/would fill them.

Bob H

Owen, do you really think that bickering over what is appropriate and what people wear is an anachronism? What about sumptuary laws? I submit that the bickering is the most historically correct part of the circumstance (not that I particularly like that part).

Bob H

Duly noted sir, but I do have a question. Say someone in your group developed a medical condition, that required, say, a oxygen device? What happens then? Do they become persona non grata , or are allowances made that don't infringe on that medical need? The older we get, the more likely this is to...

Bob H

To achive "the right look" would you exclude persons of ethnicites that did not have contact with the people in your time of study from participating in your events? A person can take off their glasses to be "more period" but they cannot change their skin color or look European if they are not Euro...

Bob H

A copy of One Million Mercenaries . John McCormack. 1993 ISBN 0-85052-312-5 . It's your new persona-bible Seriously, after you read it, mine the bibliography for other resources. It will help tremendously if you read German. The clothing and armour are very similar to that of the southern German sta...

Bob H

I'm guessing that your period of interest is 12th-13thC medieval. You might look at the images here to help you decide:

http://www.keesn.nl/mac/mac_en.htm

Bob H

sebastian wrote:It was forbidden to strike any christian man. (so much for fighting in most tourneys)

There are at least two mentions in the Rule of the jousting, and they do not indicate it was forbidden. The translation I have is unclear to me as to whether jousting was allowed only between Brothers.

Bob H

Paul von Katzenellenbogen wrote:Bob where was this in VA?

Laurel Bed Lake on Tumbling Creek in the Clinch Mountains. It's near Saltville, VA, about 45 minutes from Abingdon VA.

Bob H

Who wants to plan the "Viking Exploration of the New World Trek" this fall? Maybe we could portray a group of Vikings exploring the New World? Viking Hunting party? I tried to get that organized for around five years, no takers yet. I envision a hunting/fishing camp someplace where license costs ar...

Bob H

This brings us back full circle to the original question - is the group or the individual more important? Is it better to have a near-perfect personal portrayal that isn't a good fit with the group, or to portray a needed position while fighting difficulties in researching?

Bob H

You might get some very good ideas from the Primitive Rule of the Templars, a copy is online here:

http://www.the-orb.net/encyclop/religio ... _rule.html

Bob H

as to making it into a great-bascinet, its gonna be stainless and i dont know where to get that. and yeah....i consulted my all knowing and wise father and he agreed with me and suggested that a leather camail has never been found because leather just doesnt last 700 years, and you might not find a...

Bob H

Brent's post and the resultant replies brought to my mind another issue in selecting a historic impression - how useful is it? As a medieval example, I've long noticed that most groups are extremely heavy on wealthy portrayals. This is fine if your group is centered on a pasttime of the wealthy, suc...

Bob H

Those lanterns are indeed close, especially to documentable 15th century styles, except for all the dang holes. I've been meaning to call them or drop them an email to see if they could get a couple w/o the EXTREME! perforation. I'd suggest you contact a bespoke tin/coppersmit like Bob Bartelme at ...

Bob H

Owen wrote:On the other hand, my hand-stitching looks like it was done by a four-year old, so I use a machine set to 6/inch unless I absolutely must do it by hand.

Open Janet Arnold's "Patterns of Fashion" to any page showing the interior of a garment, even the extra-fancy ones ...

Bob H

Remember that while you're learning to hand sew (and later as well), straight pins are your best friend. Fabric tends to crawl as the stitches tighten (especially on bias edges), and if you don't have things pinned into place then all the extra ends up at the end of the seam where you can't do much ...

Bob H

Here's another, more common scenario: New guy - "I want to make some splinted armour for a 14thC persona" Old guy - "What tools do you have you can use?" New guy - "I don't have any tools. I can't afford to buy it so I thought I'd just make something that's correct" Old guy (sitting with a lap full ...

Bob H

m You'll have to call them, I doubt if 1% of their fabrics are shown on the above site. They sell primarily to hardcore 18thC reenactors and LH folks, and they know fabrics. They're one of the few places that occasionally gets true linsey-woolsey, but I doubt that's of interest to you. Last I checke...

Bob H

- - Mining must have been pretty hazardous, without modern safety regulations. Unless it was mostly open-pit mining. Anybody know about that? I've seen a couple of woodcuts that looked to be from medieval Germany, they were underground mines but I couldn't tell whether they were drift (straight int...

Bob H

While I was puttering around on OCLC this morning, I found this: Hunter, Joesph. "Journal of the mission of Queen Isabella to the Court of France, and of her long residence in that country, A.D. 1325." In "Archaeologia, or, Miscellaneous Tracts relating to antiquity." Vol. XXXVI (36), 1856. I know ...

Bob H

Ean wrote:what??? I am tired. keep it real. and by reak i mean authentic. because if you dont then the stitch nazi's will get you...

What in the hell does that have to do with Sir Mord's question?

Bob H

BUMP! , to give credit where credit is due.

Bob H

Mike, do you know how to do roof thatching? I've seen several shows on TV (History Channel, etc.) and all have mentioned that there are very, very few thatchers working in the U.S. It would be mostly working contract jobs at high wages for rich folks, but you could get accustomed to it. Western Kent...

Bob H

I got a nice surprise in the mail today, it was a money order from Okami / Iron River Armoury for the full amount I paid on a helmet years ago that he didn't deliver.

Thanks, William!

Bob H

I'm not qualified to give you specific M.E. help, but I can give you a tip that will make her job easier - the tighter she targets her persona, the easier her job. I'd pick a year, a town or small region, and a definite social class; it cuts down of the material you need sift through tremendously, a...

Bob H

I believe that you're discovering the old LH axiom, "if you want to properly portray a king, you'd better have a king's budget". If you tone down your portrayal (a lot), I believe you'll find plenty of suitable fabrics at a more affordable cost, and because of that you can do an even better job recr...

Re: leather aventails

Usefulness of a historic impression

Re: YO! 14th Century Fans!

Okami made good!