The Armour Archive

Jeffrey Hedgecock

A simple chinstrap. The bevor is put on first, then the sallet is placed on the head, the head tilted back and the chinstrap buckled. A dropping lame on the bevor helps with this. And of course the squire must do up all the straps, as the wearer can't arm himself. But that's the case with nearly all...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

True, usually the bevor is separate from the sallet, but the bevor in that last picture is not worn correctly, as it's shown -inside- the breastplate, which just isn't right. It should move with the helmet and putting it inside the cuirass prevents that. Like Bob said, it just straps around the neck...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

do you know the specific date on this one? That picture is probably a scan from "Tournements" by Barber and Barker. They re-printed many illuminations from from Rene de Anjous book of the tourney which was written ABOUT 1446 (working from memory here). He wrote a number of books around th...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Lorenzo, While you are corrrect about the relationship between the inner cuirass and the plackards, I think what the chap was asking about was why the inner backplate was made up of multiple plates. Perhaps Per J. might have something to offer on this subject, since he's examined more Milanese armou...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Looks pretty good, Stanislav. Often, jousters working with me need armour, but I don't have time in my schedule to build pieces for them soon enough and I like having other armourers to refer them to. For my reference, what is your rough cost and delivery time for a piece like this? I will try my be...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

That's a shocker. and surprising too, that olive oil on an arming doublet would cause that. I know a half a dozen guys in England who all use olive oil to protect their armour, and lots of the oil gets on their arming doublets. At the jousts, the smell was so pungent it nearly knocked me clean over ...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

For insides, I like spray paint. Leaving the scale on will protect for a while, but not forever. For the outside of spring steel, I find oil just beads up on highly polished 1050, so I use green paste Turtle wax. I've tried lots of different things and this seems like the best answer for me on the 1...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Clients usually come to me for strictly historically accurate work, and as such also desire the functionality of original pieces and all that entails. Most of my clients also actually use their armour in a pretty historical context, either in historical interpretation or demonstration. They require ...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Thomas, I'm hoping you didn't think I was referring to you, my apologies if it seemed so. Of course, you are trained and experienced, so you know what to do, 'specially after the rush-rush at Dehaar. I was primarily referring to my recent trip to NZ, where only one person there had ever before helpe...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

I find just the opposite to be true. I have a relatively loose horizontal strap around my left lower arm/gauntlet cuff, which keeps the bottom of the shield close in, and the upper edge out, preventing so many lance strikes from being funneled up the shield into the face. The key is to keep the stra...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

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If you're looking for historically documented reproductions, patterned after archaeological finds, and/or a good value and product, we have a decent range IN STOCK!

http://www.historicenterprises.com/cart ... list&c=101

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Ok, thanks. I haven't done a lot of specific study on cuir boulli (sp?), but is there historical evidence for glue in the process? Having made tons of lasted shoes for myself, friends and of course clients, it seems perfectly reasonable and logical to use lasts in the hardened leather process. I've ...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Maybe this is an unnecessarily obvious question but... Why "glue" for hardening, rather than the hot water and bake drying technique? and another potential silly question... Couldn't you try waxed paper as a release? Some might stick to the leather, but it's unlikely to stick to the last a...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Looks Great, James!

Now we just need to get you out there on a horse, man!

Jeffrey Hedgecock

I didn't see an order page for the catalog. Do you just have to email them and inquire?

Thanks!

Jeffrey Hedgecock

You might save yourself a lot of trouble by purchasing dog chews from PetSmart or your local feed store. When I found out about them I immediately quite processing raw bone and went with the chews, never looking back. What a time and trouble saver! At our local Kahoots they sell quite a few types. T...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Per, There are holes in the effigy's plackard, but no arret any more. I doubt that an arret in that location, as indicated by the placement of the mounting holes on the sculpture quite far from the cuirass' armhole, would function properly. The holes' location may be a function of the sculptor's unf...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

I have visited the Beauchamp effigy a couple of times and have reviewed my photos. The effigy suggests that, as was typical on contemporary Milanese armours, all the fauld lames hang from internal leathers, the top three front and back lames being hinged together on the left, buckled on the right, a...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

For anybody who may have clicked on the link to "The Red Company-1471" that John posted above, and was shocked by what appeared, I'd like to point out that since we shut down the Red Co back in 2004, I let the domain name expire and some scumbag snatched it as a jump-off. So if you wondered, neither...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

I'll try to keep him from seeing this thread, otherwise it's going to be more [sensible business stuff] for me......

Gwen

BUSTED!!

doh!

Jeffrey Hedgecock

The helm pictured is the "Brocas" Stechhelm, and is pretty atypical for Stechhelms. Most of the other survivals have much deeper tops and have sights set at more of an angle. Yes, this particular example is quite tall, as Stechhelms go. I'm not aware of any published dimensions of this piece, but it...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

What you've shown is a relatively typical bouched (notched) "ecranche" tilting shield, offering a rather static defense of the left side of the body when jousting. That the St George has a lance in the frame should be a pretty good clue to what the shield's for. It's not the type of shield that woul...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

When I built my own foundry furnace and sword forge, I bought the burners from my local farrier supply, but they got them from...

https://www.nctoolco.com/index.php

Pretty reasonably priced and if you call them up they'll sell you any individual parts, you don't have to buy an entire assembly.

Jeffrey Hedgecock

A good rule of thumb to follow is...if you get tired in only 3-5 minutes of hammering, it's likely you should try a lighter hammer. In nearly 20 years of armouring, I've always opted for lighter hammers, rather than heavier, and I hot work a good deal of my compound shapes especially in thicker stee...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

I think you might find 400g a bit heavy for planishing thin metal. That's nearly 9/10's of a pound, which is quite heavy for a light planishing hammer, and 18ga SS is pretty light. I'd suggest something lighter, perhaps about 250g. You'll be able to work much longer at a stretch without your arm get...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Also that attacks come mostly from the left (since most peole are right handed), so the left side of the armour needs to be reinforced in an age where shields are largely redundant except in the tilt. Armour manufactured in places other than Italy, and Italian armour made for export, tends to be mor...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Adam H. wrote:I have always wondered, why are the shoulders on this type of armor different sizes?

Are you talking about the Milanese armour?

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Thanks for the nice words, folks. Here's a few more pics of some more of the pieces that are coming together now... http://www.historicenterprises.com/misc/frazierarmour2/besagewsTN.jpg http://www.historicenterprises.com/misc/frazierarmour2/gauntlets01TN.jpg http://www.historicenterprises.com/misc/f...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Thanks. I've had stamps made in the past and they usually cost upwards of $200, which was why the prices you mentioned are really attractive, especially if that's for a pretty deep stamp. I don't use a commercially made stamp directly on my armour, but use it as a counter-stamp to make a negative, a...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

That's a pretty darned good price for a stamp.

How high/deep is the relief? Are yours as deep as they can go?

Thanks for the source!

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Here are a few more pics of the German armour I'm currently working on... click on the thumbnails for bigger versions- http://www.historicenterprises.com/misc/frazierarmour2/sallet01TN.jpg http://www.historicenterprises.com/misc/frazierarmour2/sallet02TN.jpg http://www.historicenterprises.com/misc/f...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

I would recommend against superglue type adhesives (cyanoacrylates) not because of their general setting time (some formulations have plenty of working time for this job), but because by and large cyanoacrylate adhesives tend to be -very- brittle once set. The shock encountered on these lances, even...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

I thought you all might want to know that the new batch of lances is complete and any outstanding orders should be shipped within a week's time. Also, I glued one of my lances together today and found that it's very important to use as thin a coating of glue as possible. Since the joint is -really- ...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Hiya, I don't usually write reviews, but the experience of getting this book was so positive, I felt obligated. I ordered my copy last week, via the HP site and received confirmations right away. Additional emails informed me of the order status and that the book shipped yesterday from Italy. Today ...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Maille sabatons aren't really "booties" per se, but just flaps of maille, with the weave running lengthwise, connected to the lower edge of the greave front with a spiral "stitch" of fine wire passed through small holes just back from the roll. Like this: http://www.historicenterprises.com/misc/fraz...