The Armour Archive

Fearghus Macildubh

14 ga mild mitten gauntlets stitched to welders gloves. heavy as all get out, but I've never gotten hurt worse than bruised knuckles in 9 years of heavy use. I fight mainly sword and spear, or greatsword.

Fearghus Macildubh

Thanks for the references. I'm not trying to perpetuate the plaid=scottish connection, I'd wear plaid if I had an Italian or French personna, since I like plaids.

Fearghus Macildubh

When I first joined the SCA, back in '93, the guy who taught me was Tore av Udvalla, now Sir Tore. Anyhow, his household would fight melee with spear and shield. I'd do best with a center grip oval and a 6 foot double ended spear. In singles, you have to control the range and stab unmercifuly and as...

Fearghus Macildubh

You'll want to cut the scales before hardening them. Done right, water hardened leather has the consistency of wood, so cutting with shears can be a pain.

Fearghus Macildubh

Greetings all, Is there any documentation for plaid hosen in the 13-14th centuries? I have Fashion in the Age of the Black Prince and there is that spiff Catalan plaid cotehardie, but most of the hose is either monochrome or parti-coloured. Since I have Scottish personna, I don't mind the imediate a...

Fearghus Macildubh

If you are going to start lower than maille, go with a heavily padded gambeson, like the foot soldiers in the Macjowski Bible. Underneath you could wear a reinforced body bracelet and low profile limb armour. Then, build your maille coat as time allows and make it big enough to go over the gambeson.

Fearghus Macildubh

This armour in the Dresden Zwingermuseum Rustkammer is from the right time frame m and would be the suit I would have made if money were no object. I tried to get up close pictures, but the glass case screwed with my auto focus. But the gorget is a series of articulated lames and rotatating bands th...

Fearghus Macildubh

Check out David Nicolle's Arms and Armour of the Crusading Era, Western Europe. There is an illustration in the Italian section of a helmet exactly like Sinric's pattern. Also, Osprey, not the most reliable source, has an illustration of a similar helmet as well.

Fearghus Macildubh

I'd have to say that most of the folks here on the Archive are trying to expand their knowledge of arms and armour, both historical and Scadian. This is the first place I come with a question I can't find an answer for. My wife also blames you all for my ever growing wish list of medieval camping ge...

Fearghus Macildubh

Injuries I've seen from being hit are, bad bruises (natch), 2 broken collarbones, some split lips and a sprained neck. All were the result of shoddy equipment combined with over zealous melee fighters. Most of the injuries I've seen have come from falling or tripping over other fighters and stuff du...

Fearghus Macildubh

For melee, a partizan or lugged spear with a 6 foot or so haft. For single combat, a pollaxe or bec de corbin with a 5 foot haft.

Fearghus Macildubh

I've found that an opponent carry a big shield is more of a benefit for me. I usually use it to hide behind and strike over, since I'm 6'4". It could be that I haven't fought a really good big shield fighter that often. I know some of the Ansteorans I've fought were used to getting in close with big...

Fearghus Macildubh

The Times today had an article on catpults. Enjoy. In wars of antiquity, no weapon struck greater terror than the catapult. It was the heavy artillery of that day, the sturdy springboard that shot menacing payloads over fortress walls and into enemy camps â€” flaming missiles, diseased corpses, leth...

Fearghus Macildubh

The most enjoyable melee I've fought in was a Snowball melee at Estrella. Simple premise, the first round is single combat, the victor takes the vanquished on their team, then it's two person teams, then four, then 8, until everyone is one side or the other for a best of three melee. Lots of fightin...

Fearghus Macildubh

AllenJ, I study ARMA as well as fight in the SCA and I have to say that they are by no means mutually exclusive. I do find it amusing that ARMA students get hopping mad about the inauthenticity of SCA combat, while studying period manuals in sneakers, sweat pants and a red t-shirt. Since starting AR...

Fearghus Macildubh

Offhand spear and sword. Followed closely by longsword and greatsword.

Advantages- great visibility, decent parrying, fast long range stabbing attacks.

Disadvantages- vulnerable to thrusts, must stay mobile, not period.

Fearghus Macildubh

Red Wolf was a trendy American faux micro-brew in the mid 1990s There's the whole colour on colour issue with the red on green design as well. I know there is period heraldry that violates that rule. The grey wolf would be pretty straight forward. I'm not sure what significance, if any the colours h...

Fearghus Macildubh

Looks like standard medieval clothing. A linen coif, a wool hood, leather jerkin, wool tunic, one would assume over a linen shirt, linen brais and wool chausses and leather turnshoes. ------------------ Slainte, Fearghus How long will we fight? We will fight until Hell freezes over; then we fight on...

Fearghus Macildubh

Scale mail is a DnD armour term. Most armour afficianados consider scale to be metal scales attacehd to a backing garment and lammelar to be where the scales are laced to each other and not backed by anything. Scale was worn over mail, as was lammelar. ------------------ Slainte, Fearghus How long w...

Fearghus Macildubh

Definately get Nicolle's Big Green Book. Even if you dissagree with his interpretations, the line drawings are invaluable. If you can get images of the Manessa Codex you'd be even better off, because that is a German manuscript. ------------------ Slainte, Fearghus How long will we fight? We will fi...

Fearghus Macildubh

Good first effort. A little crooked, but since you won't catch me posting my first gambeson on here, I won't tease you about it. Most of the recreations I've seen have very deep armholes, too where the gambeson looks like a tank top, then the arms are chicken drumstick shaped. That way there is only...

Fearghus Macildubh

It depends on your goals in SCA combat. What period do you wish to portray? What level of soldier? Are you trying to make the ultimate sport armour with no regards to authenticity in materials or design? First off, you're right that maille alone is not much good against the blunt trauma of SCA fight...

Fearghus Macildubh

http://f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lescot87/detail?.dir=/Garb+photos&.dnm=cote10crop.jpg http://f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lescot87/detail?.dir=/Garb+photos&.dnm=cote8.jpg http://f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lescot87/detail?.dir=/Garb+photos&.dnm=Plaid1.jpg The first two pictures are of a cotte and hood ...

Fearghus Macildubh

Make good, quick armour. It's not any oxymoron. Good looking servicable armour can be made out of leather and steel in a weekend. The hardest part is the helmet. A greathelmish helm can be made fairly, or someone might have a starter helm for cheap. If you can't find a helm, my adivce is to wait. Th...

Fearghus Macildubh

I have loaner gear, it's my old stuff. You borrow it from me and give it back when I ask for it. As marshall I also inheirited a couple sets of crap plastic armour that I only lend out in extremis. I'm in the process of turning the plastic into gamboised and splinted armour, but it's slow going. I t...

Fearghus Macildubh

Angus, The secret to recruiting Amtgarders is to hang out with them and do unofficial group events. When I was in White Mountain, we'd all go to the Robin Hood Days, camp together and have crossover practices. In addition, we taught the Amtgarders to make real armour. Eventually some of the more acc...

Fearghus Macildubh

I've seen some cool torques and arm rings done out of braided copper. Hooks and holders for around the camp would be cool as well.

------------------
Slainte,
Fearghus
How long will we fight? We will fight until Hell freezes over; then we fight on the ice.
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Fearghus Macildubh

My reply to folks like that is usually a nice bland smile and a nod, and then I go about my business of having fun in my leather scale harness. I have no problem with padboys, sport fighters and stickjocks. So long as they don't give me any grief about my game, I'll keep my snide remarks about knigh...

Fearghus Macildubh

Well, AFAIK, the sugarloaf greathelm was on the way out when breastplates came into widespread use. Now, a Pembridge or Black Prince style greathelm would be more appropos. http://www.albionarmorers.com/armor/100yrs/bpgreat.htm http://www.mackenziesmith.com/Our_Products/Plate_Armor/Helmets/Pembridge...

Fearghus Macildubh

Greetings all, I finally got off my duff and scanned some of my pics and uplaoded them here. There are several albumns, ejoy! http://f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lescot87/my_photos ------------------ Slainte, Fearghus How long will we fight? We will fight until Hell freezes over; then we fight on the i...

Fearghus Macildubh

In the Crusader states, knights and men at arms on foot would use a round or oval shield. There are good illustrations of it in Osprey's "Knight of Outremer", where they show the original manuscript. ------------------ Slainte, Fearghus How long will we fight? We will fight until Hell freezes over; ...

Fearghus Macildubh

I'd say that repro claymore is just a bit to long and heavy for a good longsword practice weapon. I second the vote for Lutel. Doesn't Therion sell similar Czeck made rebated swords? I use a 48" longsword I picked up from a German castle souvenier shop. I wouldn't use it for full contact sparring, b...

Fearghus Macildubh

Egfroth, Good lookin' armour! Some questions, where did you find the pattern for that type of lammelar? And, how late would that style of armour been used? Lastly, would a Byzantine warrior of the early 14th century have worn a bascinet with lamellar, or only with more "Western" armours? -----------...

Fearghus Macildubh

You know, I used to be gung ho about CA, thrown weapons, siegecraft, the whole kit and kaboodle. It is cool to see arrows darken the sun, to march through a rain of javelins and to see ballista bolts fly. But it just doesn't add much to my event expiriance nowadays. I'd rather charge a wall of pikem...

Fearghus Macildubh

The biggest threat to SCA heavy fighting is twofold. One, our lack of recruiting in recent years. I'm as much culprit as anyone. I haven't done a demo in years, mostly because no one else oragainzed any. Two, our insular backbitting nature resulting from too much old blood with too much at stake wit...

Plaid chausses/hosen?

NYTimes Catapult article

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