The Armour Archive

Bob H

The style first appears around 1770. As waistcoat styles get shorter, the narrow-fall (flap covers the center 1/2 of the front) shows up since an exposed fly is considered vulgar (except by the French, who retain the button fly a bit longer). The broadfall (flap goes from hip bone to hip bone) is an...

Bob H

There's a lot of good information, mostly on medieval techniques, at the Yahoo medieval leatherworking group:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/medieval-leather

There's also a shoemaker group, go to Yahoo groups and search for medievalshoemaking

Bob H

"The aim of the Society Authenticity Officers is to get as many people onto the field as we can, not to ban as many people as possible." Not a promising perspective as far as accuracy is concerned ... I've never heard of "Viking sea-boots" either, maybe one of the folks more knowledgeable in that ar...

Bob H

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Brodir: Wearing your pants on your hips is a very new phenomenon, pants were usually worn around the belly or higher, I don't have any reason to suspect Viking pants were w...

Bob H

That was a pleasant surprise, it's the best Conquest I've seen yet. This time, they bothered themselves to go to an instructor from a Ninjutsu dojo, and it appears they listened to what he told them.

I can forgive them the stagehand costumes.

Bob H

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Raibeart Lok De la Haye: But if we have Ninja's in the SCA you won't be able to see them so whats the problem? Ya can't take a blow from a guy who's not there! "Sorry M'lord I ...

Bob H

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by flonzy: I have no idea when Ninjas were used but they were not some special trained troops. They were regular samurai in disguise terrorizing people to keep them in line. </...

Bob H

I can empathize. I portray a frontier scout in 1780, often known in period as "spys". One visitor (one of our guys' wives) complained to me "I can't find your camp!". I replied "Of course you can't, if anyone found our camp we'd be dead." We try to solve the problem by camping in a poorly hidden cam...

Bob H

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by losthelm: its that time of year a gain and they are starting to drop. what can I use them for? how do I process them? storage? what where there alternate uses in period? how...

Bob H

I am not a historian, not by any standards (even Mail Call's). History is my hobby, and I've only been seriously interested for about ten years. Because of that, I ask a tremendous amount of questions even when I'm restraining myself, and I make a continuing effort not to impart any "wisdom" on othe...

Bob H

A little story that I hope will add some additional perspective: When I still had a place for a forge, a ... ahem... Colonial Enthusiast ... friend who portrays an apothecary asked if I would try to make him a pair of forceps. I went to a local 18thC historic site and looked at the forceps in their ...

Bob H

Suzanne Gousse at La Fleur de Lyse http://www3.sympatico.ca/gousse-matte/fdl/fdl.htm has a nice-looking 1750 frock coat pattern. It isn't in her catalog, but she will sell you one. Janice Ryan at J.P.Ryan http://www.jpryan.com/gentspatterns.html has a very good reputation for accurate, good-fitting ...

Bob H

I'd look for books by Tadashi Yamashita. His books are easy to follow and although I haven't seen them I have heard that his videos are good, too. Asian World Martial Arts carry them. www.awma.com A school would be much better, look for an Okinawan dojo - Goju Ryu, or Okinawan Kempo schools usually ...

Bob H

Read a book first. Really, that isn't a smart-aleck remark. Find a book describing an historic tourney, and use as much of that information as possible in arranging yours. You might start with Barber and Barker's "Tournaments" and use it to choose something you'd like to read about more closely. The...

Bob H

Siegel of California: www.siegelofca.com I quit buying from them for a couple of years when they instituted a $25 annual fee (or copy of business license) to get their good prices, but I notice from their website that they've abandoned that bad idea. Everything, and I do mean everything, that I have...

Bob H

Because I'm a weirdo ...

Bob H

Hey, Animal, I like your attitude, you guys got a trainee program for olde farts?

Bob H

I'll agree that you should determine whether your group finds it acceptable. Each has its own rules and customs. When I find something of that nature that I'd like, I ask myself three questions: 1) Is it uncommon in the time and place and circumstance? How uncommon? 2) Is it uncommon for me? When I'...

Bob H

http://www.classactfabrics.com/

Medievalist-friendly, if you tell her what you're trying to make she can help with suggestions of what she has in stock that's appropriate.

Bob H

Bad medieval job #73 - pissboy for pigs.

Bob H

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Dougal Forester: I'd fill it with clean, dry, non-dusty grass hay. Avoid straw, it hurts to lie on. Had a girlfriend who liked hay piles and barns! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Hay...

Bob H

Linen canvas mattress-shaped bag, filled with straw.

Bob H

If you're interested in good quality turned beechwood bowls at a reasonable price, try this site:

http://www.dutchvillage.com/DVShoppingfolder/dvdecbowls/Bowlsindex.htm

Bob H

http://directory.google.com/Top/Recreation/Living_History/By_Historical_Region/Europe/Medieval/Pre-Norman_England/?il=1

especially: www.angelcynn.org.uk

Bob H

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by cheval: I am stung! I have never had a spuntop, worn a kidney belt, or conspired to disguise my plastic armor under a mucking tunic. I did fight in combat boots for awhile, ...

Bob H

We may be looking for something that did not exist, or at least, was not used as we think. I've found some late 17th - early 18thC bedding arrangements; there are references to both the French and English using a "paillase" for the men's beds. There's some often heated debate whether the French knap...

Bob H

Animal, You're spot on. I once subscribed to the "madus are lame" theory, and threw mine away. A while back I realized that the same folks telling me that madus aren't historically accurate were fighting in a bargrill spuntop helm, kidney belt, plastic "armour" under a big mucking tunic, and combat ...

Bob H

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Stephen: ... My suggestion must have seemed passae' LOL ... <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Oh, you're going to Pun Purgatory for that one. http://www.armourarchive.org/ubb/biggrin.gif

Bob H

Lookes like the Billy Badasses have a slight lead over the Jailhouse Lawyers. Has anyone bothered to ask why? I think you'll be humbled by the answer, unless you're an incurable prick. Yes, he didn't hit his mark, and yes, he could have communicated better. It's a pity, and it's disconcerting. What ...

Bob H

You beat me to it, Vladimir. An unusual piece in the time/place a group portrays would be acceptable to me, if it is also unusual within that group. One green car in a group of 100-150, yes. Two green cars? No, not until we have 200-300 members, so the green car is represented in proportion. As to c...

Bob H

Flonzy,

Concerning the eyelets on a spiral-laced doublet, are they directly opposed, or each offset 1/2-holespace from the other side of the closure?

Bob H

Tallow doesn't stink in a proper lamp like it does in candles - the wick only touches the liquid fat that it can consume, so you don't get the smoking and burned meat smell.

Bob H

This is a bit tangental, but I've discovered a better light source - an oil/tallow lamp. I made a simple sheet iron "betty lamp" (17th-18thC, but many earlier examples exist), and with both wicks lit it provides more light that 4 beeswax candles. The fuel? That supposedly smelly, smokey tallow of th...

Bob H

Well, since I did break my recent custom and post here, I should explain myself to those who don't know me. I don't hate the SCA. I don't dislike it, although I'm not fond of a few of its "features". I believe I understand it fairly well, I was a member for seven years. I have very good friends that...

Bob H

Bran, You already have the first book I usually recommend. I'd also have a look at David Nicolle's "Arms and Armour of the Crusading Era, Western Europe and the Crusader States". It's limited to 1050-1350 roughly, but it shows armour from statues, engravings and carvings that won't likely be found i...