The Armour Archive

James B.

I know it’s not a sock, but here is a photo I shot of the surviving 14th C. hose on display in Copenhagen if anyone is interested in footed hose. (I have another shot of the top if wanted, also of the hood and coat. The light level is extremely low on these pieces, but I rested the camera on the gl...

James B.

Thanks, always love having images of the originals to go with drawings in my books.

I am going to get back to my Mary Rose outfit and make a pinked leather jerkin

James B.

Randall I don't disagree it has to do with the increasing prevalence of two handed weapons; cant really use a shield with a pole arm or a long sword. I also do not mean to make it sound as if they simply go away. Clearly they are seen in sedge scenes through out even the 16th century. No doubt men o...

James B.

So, as someone who has limited experience with such things - what would be a recommended thread to sew these together? Waxed linen thread. Just like other leather projects there are stress points on gloves that could blow out. Waxed linen will break instead of the leather, artificial sinew or polye...

James B.

What do you mean by foot combat, are you talking combat or tourney stuff? Heaters are the shield through out the 14th century but you see less of them the more armor improves through out the century.

James B.

Thickness can make a difference if we are talking about tropical wool vs coat wool but that is 5oz vs 16oz. I don't find a minor difference in 3-5 to make much of any difference especially in linen as far as heat goes. I have shirts in both and never felt a major difference from one shirt to the nex...

James B.

It is shear if it is the only layer you have on; I have seen women wear linen dresses where I can see their legs through the material when it is sunny and the sun is behind them. The upper body had a chemise so you cannot see through that. Frankly I don't see how 3.5oz linen is going to really be an...

James B.

Looking at the image here you can blow it up: http://en.wahooart.com/A55A04/w.nsf/Opra/BRUE-7YMRZY Looks like to me the boy has broaches on the hosen like the MoL extant example has. The point or cord ties the broach to the girdle. In the MoL example there is a leather cord. Going back to the exampl...

James B.

Spain also uses cotton thanks to its Muslim citizens, Spain is weird (as my Spanish laurel friend likes to say) and does a number of things the rest of Europe did not do. I am not saying there is no knitting in Europe just saying Spain alone does not make the case for the rest of Europe

James B.

Yes there is plenty of evidence that Middle Eastern cultures has knit socks through out the middle ages. The question is did the Europeans have them, knitting did not really take off as a major industry in England until the 16th century from what I read though there is clearly build up in late 15th ...

James B.

Soft kit get used for clothing vs armor; it can mean your clothing under armor or your normal clothing. Many people use it to mean a non fighting kit.

James B.

Thomas Powers wrote:Dark age socks were not knitted per say but made using sprang or nalbinding techniques.

Examples start during the Roman era and go through at least the 11th century in Scandinavian finds.

I am unsure of medieval examples but I don't know much about those sort of fiber arts.

James B.

Scalamandre fabric makes wool velvet (pile and backing are wool) and it shows up on Ebay often. It is sold for furniture use.

James B.

I have heard that cotton velvet was plausible at the vary end of the 16th century according to some textile research, plausibly as a cheap alternative to silk velvet, but have never read the evidence myself so I cannot do more than report the rumor. There is so little in the way of cotton textile us...

James B.

That works basically in the same fashion but with more modesty in mind.

James B.

My aketon definitely gets bunched in the arms and shoulders once the mail goes on. What I end up doing is having someone put their hand up the sleeve of the mail to pull out the sleeve of the aketon while I have my hand planted in their chest. After that, jump a couple of times and I'm good to go. ...

James B.

I liked the jester outfit. http://www.3owls.org/sca/costume/jester.htm Thanks Karen! -Aaron I cannot agree with the interpretation of the hood on that page. Why cut it in a way totally unknown in medieval finds when there is a more likely solution. Simply cut the hood like you would a particolored ...

James B.

The Roman fondoshi

James B.

It might be a bit small for what you are trying to pull it over. Pulling maille over any form of armor, even historical reconstructions, is a pain in my experience. Maille over a padded garment is only slightly better, the garment has give and bunches up and so does the maille so it does not simply ...

James B.

It is cool but not one thing about it is right for a renaissance piece.

James B.

Wow and I thought the gold washed brass on Tom's hour glass gauntlets you made was impressive; nice work Jeff.

James B.

Boots that come up to modern combat boots length do exist in finds from much earlier than the late 14th century. There are a number from the later 14thc through the early 15th c. Earliest image of riding boots I have ever seen is the Gaston Phebous around 1405. Here are is a reconstruction of a 14th...

James B.

Character from a manga/anime called berserk; a good show that starts out quite medievalish but is a fantasy horror.

James B.

James B.

wcallen wrote:I assume that is a nice mid-15th c illustration.

King Rene's Book of Tournament. Yes mid 15th c.

James B.

Cool vid.

James B.

I have never tried using leather cord, it seems to me it would be hard to do and less strong than linen.

James B.

One thing that page fails to note is what direction to orient your pattern when cutting. Leathers have stretch side to side so your finger tips must point either towards the neck or the rump of the hide to get the proper stretch when wearing a glove. Also it should be noted the round hole for the th...

James B.

Witus Historically speaking some Anglo Saxon finds used wool thread as well as leather strips to attach the uppers to the sole but the rest tends to be waxes linen. Linens down side is over time it will rot in damp conditions and break. The upside is that the leather remains intact and you can turn ...

James B.

Sounds like a must have for reenactors.

James B.

It is hard to say; to me it looks as if the shape was molded on a form into that shape and if that is the case there would be no need to cut the elbow area and sew it to shape. There is a huge chunk missing there on both pieces so it is hard to say wither way and it clearly states the whole thing wa...

James B.

I was going to mention the Dailson example as well as William, 5th Baron Willoughby d'Eresby

James B.

But then why would anyone wear padded armour over plate? I can understand using fabric for decoration but the addition of padding strikes me as unnecessary. Padding over maille is well established. Padding alone is well established. But padding over plate? :? Some armors at the time are a breast pl...

James B.

That is early 15th century, it was common to have an outer cloth armor over the metal armor. It is seen in a number of manuscripts from that time frame. Sleeves vary.

Most fashionable gentlemen are wearing a doublet as the body layer in this era that would be shorter than the garment seen.

James B.

Full view of the disk http://leatherworkingreverend.files.wor ... c07928.jpg

Re: C14th socks? - Of bare toes and turnshoes

Re: Pinked Leather Jerkin

Re: Historical Foot Combat 14th Century Shields?

Re: bifurcated gloves for a gauntlet

Re: Historical Foot Combat 14th Century Shields?

Re: Linen Fabric Weight

Re: Linen Fabric Weight

Re: braies question

Re: C14th socks? - Of bare toes and turnshoes

Re: C14th socks? - Of bare toes and turnshoes

Re: Just what IS "Soft Kit"?

Re: C14th socks? - Of bare toes and turnshoes

Re: 100% cotton velvet... how period for late clothing?

Re: 100% cotton velvet... how period for late clothing?

Re: Roman Belts - Not Balteus

Re: Maille issues

Re: Patchwork clothing?

Re: Roman Belts - Not Balteus

Re: Maille issues

Re: 16th C purse

Re: Blued and gilt Morion

Re: Late 14th century boots

Re: building a kit around this helmet

Re: building a kit around this helmet

Re: Rondels on late 14th century articulated poleyns?

Re: Champlevé Enamelling video demo from V&A

Re: Thread for sewing turnshoes

Re: Gloving

Re: Thread for sewing turnshoes

Re: _Kleidung im Mittelalter_ possibly published in English

Re: Leather vambraces found in Estonia AND Lithuania!

Re: Saint George effigy, France 1399 question

Re: Aketon or jupon in this pick

Re: Aketon or jupon in this pick

Re: Arrow Bag Construction