The Armour Archive

Konstantin the Red

A leather covered face and a canvas covered back were also done.

Konstantin the Red

Armourcake indeed, Adam; and the hi-tech earholes are simply too precious! An example of the really good kind of "SCA engineered" school of armor design.

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"The Minstrel Boy to the war is gone..."

Konstantin the Red

I'll letcha in on a li'l SCA secret, Melee: you will use ALL these weapon forms, probably two or three in a single fighter practice. Some kingdoms mandate that you start on sword and shield before you are eligible to authorize on anything else. Ride with that. You will find it helpful to have a shie...

Konstantin the Red

Will, bendable round stock is not VERY hard -- it's soft mild steel. The "special technique" is very straightforward: take file or hacksaw and cut an X where you want the hole to be, drill the hole at the center of the X. 1/16" to 3/32" should do it. Then chuck in either a chamfering/countersinking ...

Konstantin the Red

The size of your winding jig is going to be determined by how much of your rod is taken up by the handle and the crank arm. These are likely to amount to about four inches for the crank arm and five for the handle part, plus an inch or so for the bends, which will soak up a bit of the length. Powerw...

Konstantin the Red

Bex, that's the most armourcake piece you've done yet. I've got some catching up to do -- still smacking out links for my riveted mail these days...

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"The Minstrel Boy to the war is gone..."

Konstantin the Red

Gothic-style armours. So we're talking 15th-16th centuries.

Konstantin the Red

Crotch to ground is another convenient measure to use. It should yield about the same measurements as chin to crotch. Your shield is tall enough for you if you can rest it point down on the ground and straddle it with your feet flat on the ground.

Konstantin the Red

Eg, the text came through on the Byz Helmet link, but the pics are all red-X'd.

Konstantin the Red

Go ahead and describe the helm -- round on top/square on top/shaped like a bucket? Shape of eyeslots, open face or closed in, breaths in faceplate? Spangen construction like a Viking hat, or is it plates riveted together in whatever shape, and how many plates? Does any part of it resemble one of the...

Konstantin the Red

Their fencing training would screw up their understanding of distance, if they are trying heavy fighting. Previous fencing experience had me launching attacks in sword and shield from about twice as far out as I should have. That reversed stance and no scope for a fencing "lunge" attack makes a very...

Konstantin the Red

Where and what exactly is the difficulty? You should take a macro sort of approach: shape the cuisse in cardboard/tagboard to your satisfaction, and cut the splints to fit that. Then cut leather per the tagboard pattern and assemble the splints, alternating inside and outside. They won't need to be ...

Konstantin the Red

Oak would be more expensive, and I doubt it would last any better. The way to make a plywood shield look good is to finish and paint it. "Good-one-side" plywood is all you'd ever need. As for glue, your options are wide open: anything from Elmer's school glue on up. The important thing is to get the...

Konstantin the Red

Pav, you say they "don't lie down correctly." Well, what are they doing then? Are the perimeter links flipping back and forth? Or are the perimeters just fine but the center is humping up? Can you do a pic, or scan in a sketch? Certainly everything should be in rows, and there should be enough expan...

Konstantin the Red

Pics of all-around cuisse? Try Henry VIII's "butt suit" for foot combat with Emperor Charles V.

Konstantin the Red

Found pics that might be useful over in Arador:

http://www.armourarchive.org/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/postings.cgi?action=reply&forum=Armour+-+Design+and+Construction&number=1&topic=008078.cgi&TopicSubject=making+face+sheild

Konstantin the Red

Melee, trade 14-ga. for some lighter metal for those applications -- your limbs will thank you. So will your fighting. Trading a 14-ga. helm for some 16/18 arms or legs should be about an even swap. Get creative, laddie; find ways around things. ------------------ "The Minstrel Boy to the war is gon...

Konstantin the Red

Torum, I doubt that varied oil quenches will yield varied colors at all. Oil-hardening or water-hardening steels (containing carbon of .40% or more by weight) will harden under such treatment to their fullest hardness, which is then drawn down by reheating the metal to various temperatures depending...

Konstantin the Red

Definitely 18. Perhaps 20, if you go for higher performance metal like HC or SS. In the SCA game, greaves' function is to guard you against the other fellow having an oops, like tripping just as he launches a shot at your thigh or something. Also, the heavier you armor the more distal extremities of...

Konstantin the Red

Atlantia wants kidney belts that are pretty much rigid all the way around the torso; West is moving to knee cops extended on the medial side -- not fans/butterflies, but more coverage to the inside rear of the knee than period cop designs give.

Konstantin the Red

While a welded bargrill is pretty, welding is not absolutely necessary to grill a helm. Use a closed face design like a 13th-c. helm and put round- or square-stock bars to bar the ocularia. Round stock needs to be flattened at the ends for drilling and riveting, and you might consider some decorativ...

Konstantin the Red

Vincent, the SCA will require a minimum of 1/2 inch of resilient padding, all round. So, 1/2 inch one side, 1/2 the other = 1 more inch of diameter. That means 3.1 inches and change more circumference, and you may desire more room yet. Sallets and barbutes seem generally to have had a couple of choi...

Konstantin the Red

The heaviest bootlace you can find, and they come already agletted -- though, of course, a modern plastic aglet looks exactly like a modern plastic aglet. However, for prettying the points up, putting small bolo-tie ends on the lace ends will do nicely -- "pointed as poyntis."

Konstantin the Red

Then later came the monkey-faced visors on great bascinets with their mid-point skulls.

Konstantin the Red

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Alcyoneus: Depending on the size of the stake you are using, you can mount either the hardy hole or the pritchell hole. Somebody hit me, I deserve it. http://www.armourarchi...

Konstantin the Red

Or for a dollar or less a foot, heater hose off the reel from Pep Boys, Trak Auto, Kragen, or the like. I covered my aluminum shield with my device, pieced together and appliquÃ©ed, in appropriately-colored leather.

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"The Minstrel Boy to the war is gone..."

Konstantin the Red

Build your anvil stand as a narrow pyramid of 2x4s, laid horizontally, nailed or screwed together as desired. It's basically a hollow-centered stack of 2x4s. For rot resistance, use pressure-treated wood at least on the base. Don't burn pressure-treated wood scraps, incidentally. Breathing metallic ...

Konstantin the Red

Then it's too late to suggest a roof rack for the awkward long bits 'n' stuff.

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"The Minstrel Boy to the war is gone..."

Konstantin the Red

Yeah, those galley-paddle great swords were quite the abomination, weren't they? But great things for moving a dinghy around. I'm glad to see at least some kingdoms kept greatswords looking like swords and not like oars.

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"The Minstrel Boy to the war is gone..."

Konstantin the Red

And I'm quite married myself -- to one who thinks I'm cute.

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Konstantin the Mildly Flirtatious, Occasional Handkisser

Konstantin the Red

This is probably screamingly obvious, but my method generates the mail fabric row-wise, column by column, while Brodir's generates it column-wise, row by row. Either works well.

Konstantin the Red

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by ENGENULF: You guys are sooo naughty!! you are all going to heck and will spend a lukewarm eternity with Senior Diablo for your naughtyness!!! http://www.armourarchive.org/u...

Konstantin the Red

Why, Becky! you're cute!

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"The Minstrel Boy to the war is gone..."

Konstantin the Red

Armourcake, n., photographs of armor of an especially gorgeous, revelatory, or even titillating nature; applicable either to the armor depicted, or the photography.

Konstantin the Red

Just one hammer hanger. Clattering about the shop with more than one hammer in the belt seems a dubious enterprise, but a place to park a single hammer or similar long tool might have its uses. A measuring tape holder. Your supply of rivets in various types and sizes should go in nail pockets. I lik...