The Armour Archive

Gaston de Clermont

As Saranac said, it is up to individual tastes to some degree. You'll find for thrusting, a pommel heavy sword works pretty well- the center of mass is close to your hand, so you can move the point quickly. For a percussive swing putting the balance point closer to the tip gives you more power. It c...

Gaston de Clermont

Engraving was very common throughout the Middle Ages. I have several pieces of Medieval engraved metal work in my collection, since it's pretty neat, and so common that it's inexpensive to own for study. I haven't seen examples of etched decoration before the 15th century, though by the 16th century...

Gaston de Clermont

Cai,
What kind of pieces were you doing? Did you try nitric on stainless steel?
I'm trying to figure out why your experience with this was so different from mine.
Gaston

Gaston de Clermont

I've dabbled a bit with nitric on steel, and found it to give an uneven etch, and undercut pretty quickly before I got anywhere near the depth you propose. It certainly does work, but you might be disapointed with the resolution. Making sure the surface is completely clean of oils, using a good resi...

Gaston de Clermont

So flails. Does anyone have any idea who used them, where, and when? I know a few have survived, but were they really a knightly weapon? Does anyone have any images or references to their use?
Regards,
Gaston de Clermont

Gaston de Clermont

I've been taking a course on Fiore's longsword techniques, and really enjoying it. I'd like to get the sentiment de fer of a better sword, and I'd like to be able to do some armored sparing with it. I've played with wasters, and most of my experience is with rattan, but sometimes they feel like tryi...

Gaston de Clermont

The sound is very cool. Some of those scouts sounded pretty blood thirsty too. What were your rules regarding what blows could be thrown?
Gaston de Clermont

Gaston de Clermont

5 is a fairly high number for folks to keep track of when they're under such pressure. You might consider 3, or have judges help. If you're really ambitious, and have a fairly advanced group, you might want to scap everything you think you know about tournaments and start from scratch. Forget about ...

Gaston de Clermont

I've fought in a bascinet lined with linen and stuffed with tow, which are the flax fibers linen is made from, for a year and a half. I feel my helm is dramatically safer, more comfortable, and it wicks away sweat. The flax fiber's natural job is to move water from a plant's roots to the leaves, so ...

Gaston de Clermont

The various texts have strengths and weaknesses, and it's worth while to understand them and explore them. I33 is useful, since it walks though various exchanges in a fair amount of detail, but unfortunately the translated text hasn't been published yet. The text in Talhoffer is useful- and applies ...

Gaston de Clermont

Fiore has a variety of false edge cuts, and there's a falchion section in the Codex Wallerstein that might explain how that edge was used. That's not to say a wrap with a falchion wouldn't be effective, but just because a wrench can pound in nails doesn't mean that was what it was designed to do. Ga...

Gaston de Clermont

What about weaving a section of maile, and heating it in a forge. Then hammer it to forge weld the links to each other.
I don't do a lot of hot work, so I don't know if this would be practical at all. Any thoughts?
Gaston de Clermont

Gaston de Clermont

I'll be darned. Here I was thinking I was all hip to the rules, and I was almost two years behind the times. So how does something like this get changed? It seems uncharacteristic for the marshallate to remove something that might have made things look safer. Excessive force, like calibration, is so...

Gaston de Clermont

I just looked through the marshallate handbook on line, and the West Kingdom version, and didn't find a reference to the old prohibition of powerful swings greater than 90 degrees with a two handed weapon anywhere. Did I just miss it, or did the rule get removed? When? How did that happen? I think i...

Gaston de Clermont

Matt,
I agree that roofing nails are pretty tough, but the ones I get pein pretty easily, leading me to believe they're soft. Are all of them really hardened high carbon? Wouldn't hardened high carbon imply properties more like tool steel?
Gaston de Clermont

Gaston de Clermont

Kyle,
That's a fascinating idea. You'd probably want some padding between your hand and the maile, since it's less likely to be finger shaped than plate steel. The thumb would be tricky. It could work...
Gaston de Clermont

Gaston de Clermont

Is this in Sweedish, and if so can you translate it?
Gaston

Gaston de Clermont

I'm certianly interested, particularly in what their sources were for any of these conclusions. I'm also curious if their ideas have any relevance to I33.
Gaston de Clermont

Gaston de Clermont

Gwen makes some garb based on some of that research. You can see and buy the finished product at historicenterprises.com There is some related background information in Bengt Thordeman's book "Armour from the Battle of Wisby" which took place on Gotland in the 1360s. "Fasion in the Age of the Black ...

Gaston de Clermont

Chef,
Where would one find Henry's ordinances? I'm curious if there's any information about the banners they carried.
Regards,
Gaston de Clermont

Gaston de Clermont

You should be able to find some in effigies which a web search would pull up. Go to google.com and try all the related combinations you can think of. There are a lot of great examples in Armour from the Battle of Wisby by Bengt Thordeman, but it's a bit of an expensive book, and potentially hard to ...

Gaston de Clermont

Bohamand, Welcome to the group! That idea might look pretty good. You could texture a lighter guage sheet, and rivet it over a stouter skirt, or try a maile drape over that sheet skirt. Either one might have some maintanance issues, but they could be a substantial step toward a better early period l...

Gaston de Clermont

Sasuke- that really is very cool. What did you put behind the metal when you punched it? Thomas- Though they're at least half a century later than you want, the gauntlets found at Wisby might be a decent model to work with for scale gauntlets. In Bengt Thordeman's book (any edition), there are some ...

Gaston de Clermont

Make sure your armour fits well- large pieces that float away from your body, or bridge like tassets do between your torso and legs can make it very tough to gauge blows. Talk with your opponents, and err on the side of generosity. Particularly in practice, most opponents won't have much trouble tel...

Gaston de Clermont

I can confirm the practicality of Jeff's conjecture that tow was used to stuff the helm liner. I've stuffed my bascinet with tow, and it's proven to be remarkably comfortable and protective. Tow would probably have been inexpensive, fairly abundant, and it seems to serve for this purpose, so it may ...

Gaston de Clermont

David, In the Musee D'Armee, the hall just to the right of the entrance to the armour exhibit has a great display of a pig face, a hauburgeon, and a lung plate from a corazzina. They keep it dim enough that I wasn't able to get a decent shot of it with my cheap camera. Is there a chance you could tr...

Gaston de Clermont

Lion- very nice work!
David- The von Goch pictures were amazing! I can see why you recommend checking them out in person.
Gaston de Clermont

Gaston de Clermont

You could probably spend three straight days in the Louvre and still be discovering new stuff. Musee de l'Armee is quite cool. Chartres Cathedral (near Paris) is very nice. I managed to miss it, but there should be some nice armour in the Musee de Beux Arts in Chartres. Have fun! Gaston de Clermont

Gaston de Clermont

Some of the pieces at the Met (NYC) have brass only attached to the outer surface, and not curled around to the inside. It looks like the edges of the Churburg #13 harness have the brass wrapping around from the outside to the inside on the bottom edge, but only on the surface of certain parts of th...

Gaston de Clermont

Thanks for sharing the pics! There's certainly some neat armour there, particularly a few stunning helms.
Gaston de Clermont

Gaston de Clermont

I used to have D rings near the attachment point of the chin strap, on the sides of my head. I had to be really careful putting the helm on, since the rings would rotate out and poke me. I switched over to having a single pair of D rings near the chin and I don't have the problem any more. Gaston de...

Gaston de Clermont

Sir Alexander,
You've done some beautiful work, your harness is inspirational, and you're helping your local folks get into armour.
You're an asset to your oder, and your group.
Sir Gaston de Clermont (West Kingdom)

Gaston de Clermont

I haven't seen a period knee with an interior wing, but I confess my search wasn't extensive. Many armour wearers had to ride horses, and the inner fan would probably get in the way, or get caught on something- honestly they do even if there's no horse between your legs. I started in the East, where...

Gaston de Clermont

The Schola St. George class running right now is an introduction to Italian long sword. It's been a great class so far. It's over a two hour drive from you, but you might find it's worth it. I'm still very much a student of this stuff myself, but I'll be traveling to Sacramento periodically to work ...

Gaston de Clermont

Tim,
Did you make that jupon too? It's very pretty. How much padding does it have?
Gaston de Clermont

Flails

Recommended weapons for WMA

SCA 90 Degree rule gone?