The Armour Archive

Fearghus Macildubh

I'd be in. I do research because I love history. I do SCA fighting because I love the cameraderie and the rush of a good fight.

Fearghus Macildubh

Flittie, For documenting common folk: the Luttrell Psalter, Les Tres Riche Hueres de Duc de Berry, Gaston Phobeus' Book of the Hunt are three that i can tink of right off the top of my head. The Palais des Papes in Avignon, France has frescoes of hunting and fishing scenes showing both the nobles an...

Fearghus Macildubh

I think the biggest reason for a lack of "working class" representations in reeactment is a that many of us are working stiffs in our day jobs and don't want to reenact that. By the same token, we don't mind doing the work necessary to set up camp and keep it running, but we do it because we want to...

Fearghus Macildubh

Here in Germany you can get little latterns fairly cheap. Most are brass or zinc and hold a votive candle. I picked up a set of larger latterns w/ hangers that stick into the ground for about 15 bucks from a little roadside store in the Bavarian Forest.

Fearghus Macildubh

Hi all, My wife bought me the DVD of the 60s movie The Vikings, knowing my penchant for old technicolour epics. The DVD had a segement about the making of the movie with the director. He said that he had consulted with experts from the various Scandanavian national museums for costume and set design...

Fearghus Macildubh

I'll agree that SCA fighting is more "sporty" than other martial endeavors, but to say that unless you are locked in mortal combat, you're not doing a martial art is just silly. If what you are doing has applications to the real use of weapons, be fists or knives, you are practicing a martial art. I...

Fearghus Macildubh

If you tossed your opponent back a few feet with the force of a blow, it was probably excessive, unless they were already off balance. Being moderately big myself at 6foot4 220 plus pounds, I'll admit that I use my size to my advantage. I did at first only use size, stregth and aggression to win fig...

Fearghus Macildubh

Many moons ago, my first Estrella as a baby Hun.

Fearghus Macildubh

What about a rondel? I think that is the period solution until the develpment of pauldrons.

Fearghus Macildubh

At many beaches here in Europe you see the youngens running raound in nature's swimsuit, even if the parents are in swimsuits. Add in the fact that the Esso station has porno mags next to the national papers at the checkout stand and you can see that the Germans at least, are a wee bit more relaxed ...

Fearghus Macildubh

I've been told that a period solution is a rope sole. A guy in our shire made some turnshoes with rope soles and really like them. He's since moved to I don't know where, but he was a real stickler for authenticity.

Fearghus Macildubh

Tatsuo, My scale has served me well for almost 10 years of SCA rattan fighting. I've attached a picture. I do have a solid piece of leather laced to the inside covering the kidneys and short ribs, since some marshals get tetchy about the scale being rigid enough to be adequate protection. Alucard, I...

Fearghus Macildubh

I'm the guy on the viewer's left. I had intended to ditch the whole scale suit when I bought a bascinet, but I just never made any armour that felt as good to fight in. I've found a couple 14th century images of scale worn over mail in lieu of a coat of plates, so that's the look I'm aiming for. I n...

Fearghus Macildubh

I used a pattern like this. You start with a row of one scale then two, three, four, etc. until you have your desired width, then your next row has two less scales, the row on top of that is your orginal width. To finish the sides, I laced the scales to a long strip of leather as well as on the top....

Fearghus Macildubh

Well, there is a move in Lichteneaur that seems like a scorpion wrap. The defender stands in pflug, your basic ready stance, like the guy on the right here m Your opponent closes with a straight down the middle cleaving shot, vom Tach, you pass to the rear, while using the long edge of your sword li...

Fearghus Macildubh

Rubber trailer ball hitch covers stuffed with bits of foam. In the Outlands, some folks swore by them. I use a standard big old fashioned pokey tip made out of camp pad.

Fearghus Macildubh

An archer definatley wouldn't have worn the Churburg armour, it's high end man at arms stuff. A western European archer of the HYW period would have worn some sort of open face helmet, a jack or brigandine or aketon, maybe some leg protection.
check out this image
http://www.bnf.fr/enluminures/images/jpeg/i3_0011.jpg

Fearghus Macildubh

I'd say it weighs around 12 oz or so. The paint is some type of German paint/stain that I picked up at the local German hardware store.

Fearghus Macildubh

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- December 14, 2004 With Great Beer, It's All in the Rocks (and That Doesn't Mean Ice) By KENNETH CHANG ENVER - The refreshing bitterness of an English pale ale, the clean light taste of a Pilsener, the dark, almost burnt...

Fearghus Macildubh

m Pics of a buckler I made out of 11oz veg tan. I soaked the leather for the boss in water overnight, then put it between two bowls with a weight on top for 3 days. Then I dried it in a 150 degree oven for 4 hours. The boss is as hard as wood. My orginal plan was to rivet the hardened disk to the bo...

Fearghus Macildubh

David Nicolle's Ãƒâ€žrms and Armour of the Crusading Era" both volumes. While some other experts disagree with his conclusions, the books are an invaluable resource in the fact that they have scads of line drawings of arms and armour. The explainations tell you what manuscript, painting or objet d'a...

Fearghus Macildubh

If you doa search of the AP archives on Yahoo you shouold be able to find the original article, there were a few pictures of astuff fresh from the dig. When i turned on my computer that morning, the headline was on the yahoo page, so I copied the article and posted it here. I googled and only found ...

Fearghus Macildubh

I have very minimal tools for doing leatherworking, punches, scissors, needles and such. I'd like to get into carving and tooling, what tools do i need?
Slainte,
Fearghus

Fearghus Macildubh

Try playing defensive up close. When he opens up, smack him in the head. I do not care for the idea of playing way outside my foes range. I get that from the other end alot, especially from spear and madu fighters. I do not see this as within the spirit of the game. If you are going to swing at me,...

Fearghus Macildubh

Alcyoneus wrote:If you aren't too particular about time/place, here is an idea for you:

Make a French 'trapper' coat (capote???) I was looking at a c1500 painting, and there was one on a guy, virtually identical for all I could tell...

Do you remember where you saw the painting?

Fearghus Macildubh

Gallic war treasure discovered in southern France Sat Nov 27, 2:58 PM ET Science - AFP BORDEAUX, France (AFP) - French archaeologists said this week they had discovered an exceptional Gallic war treasure in the south of the country, including rare war trumpets and ornate helmets. The some 470 object...

Fearghus Macildubh

Thanks for the information. There were some better images in the Manesse Codex, but I couldn't get to them at work. Serves me right for posting on the AA while at work I suppose. Templar Bob sent me a pattern he got from a German reenactor's website, so I'll give it a whirl with the fabric from an o...

Fearghus Macildubh

I'd like to make one these fro some cold weather gear, instead of a cloak.
Here's a pic:
http://pages.infinit.net/folken/medieva ... -corps.gif

Does anyone have a pattern or know of a place to find one?
slainte,
Fearghus

Fearghus Macildubh

I've fought axe and shield quite often in melees. I use a shorter single handed axe, around 23 inches long, with a pokey on top and poll on the reverse side. It worked well for me. The head helps block spear shots when you're in the wall. The extra reach of the axe's head helps get in when things ar...

Fearghus Macildubh

If the USAF could guarantee that I would be stationed at Kirtland AFB in Albuqurque, I'd be back in the Outlands in a minute.
Slainte,
Fearhgus

Fearghus Macildubh

Thomas james hayman wrote:Don't Gambesons have sleeves?

Not always. During the 13th/14th cent, gamebesons were somtimes worn over mail and were sometimes sleeveless.
Slainte,
Fearghus

Fearghus Macildubh

I have to agree with Asbjorn. The more research I do, the more it looks like the SCA "armoured" combat more closely resembles unarmoured combat in period.
Slainte,
Fearghus

Fearghus Macildubh

I don't worry so much about my personna and my kit matching as much as my kit presenting a unified appearance. Because I love the look of late 13th early 14th Italian armour, I'm gearing my kit towards that. I have a long long way to go. I have a bascinet, generic SCA splint arms and legs, an aketon...

Fearghus Macildubh

I for one am in favour of being able to push and control your opponent with the haft of your weapon, your shield as well. So long as you are in control, I don't see a problem. I feel that this can be done without our matches devolving into wrestling matches. Unfortunately it would require a large pa...

Fearghus Macildubh

No worries, a pommel like the pseudo-viking swords would work just as well. I used the waster pic because that's the waster I have.

The movie "The Vikings" accurate?

NYTimes article about beer

Hardened leather buckler

leatherworking tools question

Gallic War Trophies Found in France

Pattern for a garde-corps?