The Armour Archive

Harry Marinakis

Oh, man, I love the woods battles. It don't get no better!

Harry Marinakis

Kenwrec Wulfe wrote:Has there been an article or discussion where all of these have been broken down into what was used when and where?

That's a big bite you're taking there. Complicated topic.

Harry Marinakis

Good Luck!

Glad I picked up one of your gorgets when I did! THANKS!

Harry Marinakis

Okay, I survived my first Pennsic, and I have a question about foot wear. (Actually I didn't survive Pennsic, I was killed 8 times.) Does anyone make comfortable footwear that could pass for period shoes? I am looking for shoes or low boots with good heel and arch support that can be supplemented by...

Harry Marinakis

I live 2 hours north of you
Send me some photos
I'd like something that would make tailoring mail a bit easier

Harry Marinakis

1. Maintain a normal body weight
2. Core strength training (e.g., abdominal workouts)
3. Back stretching exercises
4. Brisk walking uphill with long strides (good for the lower back)
5. Avoid Quack-ro-practors, see a real practitioner (i.e., physical therapist)

Harry Marinakis

LMAO!!!

Sorry, I couldn't resist!.....

Harry Marinakis

Coolest!

Harry Marinakis

I'm looking for a slave-boy for Pennsic to attend to my every need

Harry Marinakis

Great!

A hammer is what I use to fix most anything.

Harry Marinakis

I'm interested in seeing the sword-hilted pointy thing.

Harry Marinakis

...The washers pop-riveted onto the larger piece of leather are kind of odd... Not so odd. It has a historical basis. The Tlingit natives of the Canadian west coast used similar armor during the 19th Century. Obviously they did not use riveted washers, but they did use Chinese coins sewn onto hide ...

Harry Marinakis

Nice work, Christophe.

Care to share some details about your work?

Cap'n Atli wrote:...Yours is a good compromise between security and portability...

...and cost! That iron work is EXPENSIVE stuff!

Harry Marinakis

Push those pins in an 1/8 of an inch from the edge and the question pretty much disappears. Okay, that was my thought, too. I decided that the buckle is too thin to withstand any peening, so I just bent the pins. Even though the holes in the leather are on the edge, I flattened the pins down into t...

Harry Marinakis

I am pretty much convinced that the corner braces seen on so many of these chests are vital to the overall security. In actuality, the iron straps on Medieval strong boxes are extremely long and often extend all the way across the chest. See this photo here: http://www.google.com/imgres?q=medieval+...

Harry Marinakis

Dumb question, sorry..... I have a couple of belt buckles from Raymond's Quiet Press for a 1-inch wide belt (see attached). How do I attach them to the leather belt? What are the tabs for? I assume that I just punch holes in the leather, push the tabs through and bend them back. But the tabs are 1-i...

Harry Marinakis

^^^^
Nice job Munz and IvarH

Harry Marinakis

Did you use a dado join or a simple butted join for the floor of the chest? I am "tool challenged," so it's just a simple butted joint. I did not feel like purchasing the tools for a dado. Actually I cut everything so carefully that the floor slid easily and snugly right into place. I placed wooden...

Harry Marinakis

Thank you Tony (see BlackSmithTony in the post above) for all of the hard work! I used a cherry stain because I like it. The be honest, I didn't research medieval wood or stains at all. Perhaps someone call add more detailed information here. The 12th Century is difficult to research because of the ...

Harry Marinakis

Pennsic is just around the corner, so I decided to make a period 12th Century chest. I also decided to take a few extra steps and make a strong box instead of a simple chest. There is a wealth of information on Medieval chests, but very little information on the 12th Century chests in particular, so...

Harry Marinakis

http://www.todsstuff.co.uk/todsfoundry/index.htm

Harry Marinakis

I just got a couple of belt buckles from Lorifactor, they do some really fine work.

http://www.lorifactor.com/

I know of a few dozen merchants that make period belt buckles, but I'm at work and don't have access to my records. Try Google.

Harry Marinakis

Oakeshott's Archeology of Weapons is a fantastic overview of both history and weapons, and it should be one of your first reads. It is so packed with information that I had to read it several times to glean all of the information that it has to offer. An amazing book. Everyone raves about Blair's Eu...

Harry Marinakis

I am making a gambeson to wear under the mail that is actually a coat of plates - but looks like a gambeson. I haven't finished yet, so I can't tell you how it turned out. I started here: http://www.angelfire.com/oh4/Boris/armor/plasticarmor.htm I made modifications as I saw necessary. For instance,...

Harry Marinakis

Kean de Lacy wrote:Cold-rolled sheets of mild steel are roughly as historical as stainless, which is to say not terribly.

You have a good point......

Harry Marinakis

SS is not historical, mild steel is

Harry Marinakis

I painted my canvas tent with undiluted exterior latex house paint. I tried to use a color that matched historical natural dyes, but that didn't work out so well. I set up the tent in my yard and took photographs of it from different angles. Then I imported the photos into Photoshop and fooled aroun...

Harry Marinakis

Tibbie Croser wrote:What are people's favorite sources for really high-end fabrics, like pure silk damask?

New York Fashion Center fabrics
http://www.nyfashioncenterfabrics.com/

Harry Marinakis

I got my rondel dagger, it's wonderful! Thanks!

In fact, the top dagger shown here looks just like mine
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40421015@N02/8952645854/

Harry Marinakis

Dimensions of the scabbard?

Harry Marinakis

I have tried numerous methods, and by far the easiest method for gross removal of rust is Evaporust. It is an iron chelating agent, so it gets weaker and weaker with every use. I get it by the gallon at the local auto parts store. The methods of rolling the mail around in a bucket of sand are truly ...

Harry Marinakis

what kind of paint did you use? (acrylic, oil, latex, etc.)

Harry Marinakis

Spoons, trenchers, whittle tang knives and fingers - that's what I'm finding in my research.

Ceramic container vessels (e.g., water pitchers).

Some wood bowls/plates in certain parts of Europe.

Harry Marinakis

How about quillon daggers?

Harry Marinakis

Thanks William
Do you have any information of eating utensils of the 12th C besides whittle tang knives?

Re: Wanted: Pennsic War Survivor's Guide

Re: Mail and what is time and region appropriate

Re: Winter Tree Crafts LLC announcement

Comfortable Medieval shoes

Re: Mannequins?

Re: Back injury and fighting question.

Re: Anyone looking to hire manual labor for PENNSIC?

Re: armor sweatshirt sales crash Etsy shop

Re: Anyone looking to hire manual labor for PENNSIC?

Re: How do you cut little rivets???

Re: Stuff in the works...Knives, daggers

Re: FS: Some interesting loaner-type body armor.

Re: Building a 12th C strong box

Re: Q about attaching a belt buckle

Re: Building a 12th C strong box

Q about attaching a belt buckle

Re: Painted tent decoration.

Re: Building a 12th C strong box

Re: Building a 12th C strong box

Building a 12th C strong box

Re: Sources for period buckles

Re: Sources for period buckles

Re: Books

Re: Pattern help for low profile sport armour

Re: Need advice on 14 ga SS helm

Re: Need advice on 14 ga SS helm

Re: Painted tent decoration.

Re: Sources for luxury fabrics online?

Re: Lathe turned rattan daggers FS, Finished Pics!

Re: One Atzinger dagger scabbard for rattan weapon- AUCTION

Re: De-Rusting Maille

Re: Fun with paint.

Re: 12th Century eating kits

Re: Lathe turned rattan daggers FS

Re: 12th Century eating kits