The Armour Archive

Fearghus Macildubh

I've been to lots of local history museums throughout central Europe and while the average man might have been "short" say 68" or so(I'm 76", so that's short to me) there were lots of men that were in the 6 foot or taller range, at least from the warrior class. Most of the skeletons I've seen int th...

Fearghus Macildubh

Crosstrainers/nordic tracks are good for those of us with body problems that the constant pounding of running aggravates. I've got a bad lower back and found that the crosstrainer has saved my career. ------------------ Slainte, Fearghus How long will we fight? We will fight until Hell freezes over;...

Fearghus Macildubh

Animal gets my vote for the plain spoken voice of common sense! I fight with a madu because I enjoy it, the same reason that I fight poleaxe, greatsword and longsword. I find weapon and shield boring, except for in melees, and since I'm playing this game solely for my own selfish reasons, I fight wi...

Fearghus Macildubh

Definately a German thing. Most of the castles I've been too with extant armour have a great helm with leather and gesso horns, wings, or animal heads. those that don't have the real deal usually have 19th century Romantic Reproductions. On the topic, doesn't Valentine Armouries sell suits of that s...

Fearghus Macildubh

Shield edging has always been tricky for me. The best thing I've found in terms of durabilty and kindness to rattan is BMX bicycle tires. Unfortunatly, it looks like ass, so I cover the tire with fabric. The next step is to cover the whole shield in fabric an paint it up. On a side note, how is it t...

Fearghus Macildubh

http://www.geocities.com/gozer87/gallery2.html the loaner kit I wore is on the bottom left and the kit I made is on the bottom right. The monster spangenhelm is still in use as my loaner helm. ------------------ Slainte, Fearghus How long will we fight? We will fight until Hell freezes over; then w...

Fearghus Macildubh

I like my 68" poleaxe. I'm 76" tall, so it's short enough to be maneuverable and I've taken it down on the sides so it's square and not round.

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

Fearghus Macildubh

To use an Army motto "Train like ya fight". Unless your two sets of gear perform exactly the same way, feel exactly the same and weigh exactly the same, your fighting will suffer. Stainless gear might be a good solution, so is powdercoating. Simple things like a purty surcote, retaping weapons, fixi...

Fearghus Macildubh

I start with a plan for the outfit. Where, when and what station is the outfit for? Then I work towards that. I have a long way to go, I need braies, hosen, turnshoes and a good linen shirt to go with my wool cote and hood. I need a belt, a kidney pouch and wool cloak as well. Then it's on to feast ...

Fearghus Macildubh

Barrel plastic baskethilt, T-6 aluminium half gauntlets, leather vambraces with T-6 aluminium splints, steel wingless elbow cop pointed to an elbow pad and another pad on my bicep, covered by my tunic sleave. Light, no armour bites, no binding, nothing worse than a bruise in 10 years. I've ditched t...

Fearghus Macildubh

1275-1330ish in the Mediterranean area. For armour, there is all that cool mail, cuir bollei, splints, scales and surcotes. Clothes range form simple tunics to elaborate robes and cotehardies. For art, Giotto, 'nuff said. You have the end of the Crusades, the Byzantine civil wars, pirates and commer...

Fearghus Macildubh

Mitten gauntlets. I'd love to use a nice pair of "Wisby" style finger gauntlets, sans basket or finger shield. Most everything else I wear because I've found a use for it. ------------------ Slainte, Fearghus How long will we fight? We will fight until Hell freezes over; then we fight on the ice. Fe...

Fearghus Macildubh

Greetings, i don't know of any extant examples of a COP with leather plates. That being said, I beleive that there is evidence from literature, wills, inventories, etc documenting them. I recently replaced the aluminium plates in my loaner COP hardend leather. It protects just as well in our game an...

Fearghus Macildubh

The only style I don't like fighing is.....um I can't think of a one. I know there have been some individuals who used oddball styles that annoyed me, but that was more of a personal thing. I really dislike fighting timid and tentative fighters. Gimme an over aggressive thug any day. We're here to f...

Fearghus Macildubh

I have no idea why the Meridies marshall banned greatsword buttspikes, but here's my two centimes. Greatswords didn't have "buttspikes" barring some illustrations in Codex Wallerstein. Now, according to some of the fechtbuch masters, you could use the pommel to inflict some blunt trauma to the face ...

Fearghus Macildubh

Looks like another serving of tenderized horsemeat coming up So all the manuals showing halfswording and thrusting for the gaps don't count? Dagger to the armpits? Poleaxe spike to the throat? As plate armour evolved, thrusting became more common, since plate protects against swordblows quite well. ...

Fearghus Macildubh

Obviously, it's a noodle/spatzle maker

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

Fearghus Macildubh

If I remember right, the spike handled sword was a translation of the Norse, as in the handle was long and skinny, not spikey like the stuff in Codex Wallerstein. ------------------ Slainte, Fearghus How long will we fight? We will fight until Hell freezes over; then we fight on the ice. Fearghus' H...

Fearghus Macildubh

Greetings all, I know I asked this ages ago, but like a dumbass I forgot to save the information I was given. When does a hand and half/bastard sword show up in Europe? I remember some references to "spike hilted swords" in Scandanavia. Books or links would be appreciated. Thanks! ------------------...

Fearghus Macildubh

To paraphrase Silver, a sword has both edge and point, any of which are suitable for killing. If you don't like using thrusts, don't use them. But arbitrarily deciding that thrusts are cheeze or skill inhibitors smacks of parochialism. Most period manuals and art show thrusts being used extensively....

Fearghus Macildubh

Go for it. It's probably a better simulator than an epee. Don't pay attention to people who whine about one trick ponies and being poked below the shoulders. I use thrusties on all my weapons because they would have had them in period and I poke unmercifully. Oh, if they can't block the cup poke, gi...

Fearghus Macildubh

A great book is "Making a living in the Middle Ages" It shows what each level of society did for economic gain. It would depend on if you were rural or urban, rich or poor, a farming area, a haerding area or a fishing area. Definately fire tending How to put on your era's everyday wear The calender ...

Fearghus Macildubh

If you can get a copy of David Nicolle's "Arms and Armour in the Crusading Era 1050-1350" It's a two volume book, one on Western Europe and the Crusader Staes, the other on Islam, Eastern Europe and Byzantium. Check out the section on Spain and Portugal. ?The book uses line drawings taken from perio...

Fearghus Macildubh

Hmm, I'd say like this one: http://www3.sympatico.ca/tomkaczor/wwa014.htm I'm not up to speed on all the variations of sabres yet, so forgive if I come off as a newb. ------------------ Slainte, Fearghus How long will we fight? We will fight until Hell freezes over; then we fight on the ice. Fearghu...

Fearghus Macildubh

http://www.geocities.com/gozer87/late.html
You mean like the first pic here, right?

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

Fearghus Macildubh

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Russ Mitchell: frankly, some of what the westerners call falchions, I'd call sabres... such as the sabres brought back to Europe from the fourth crusade, thereafter adopted as ...

Fearghus Macildubh

Fergus Lescot (Michael Ekelmann) Kaiserslautern, Germany 33M 1st choice:1322 Scot in France 2nd choice: 537 Dal Riatan in Artorius' warhost 3rd choice: 30YW Scot in Swedish service ------------------ Slainte, Fearghus How long will we fight? We will fight until Hell freezes over; then we fight on th...

Fearghus Macildubh

As a person who had a Roman Twilight personna, I'll say this: read books. There are some good archeology books on Roman and Post Roman Britain that give plenty of information on artefacts found. A good book for armour ideas, if you don't mind extrapolation, is Warriors of Arthur. It is a historical ...

Fearghus Macildubh

Excellent, now I have some places to research.
Thanks!

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

Fearghus Macildubh

Looks like an early 1800s military sword or replica thereof. I only say that because of the eagle head pommel. Have you taken it to an antiques dealer or sword collector to have it appraised? ------------------ Slainte, Fearghus How long will we fight? We will fight until Hell freezes over; then we ...

Fearghus Macildubh

Well, to me at least, Eastern Europe is the old Warsaw Pact countries. I know that the Magyar's brought sabres with them when they settled in Hungary. For a sabre definition, a curved single edged sword. Not a falchion, though, that's heavier than I'm looking for. ------------------ Slainte, Fearghu...

Fearghus Macildubh

Greetings all, I like sabres, I just like the way they feel in the hand. Does anyone know when sabres moved into western Europe? Other than in the hands of raiding tribes that is. I'm thinking it's lateto post period, when armour was passing out of widespread usage and the western armies started all...

Fearghus Macildubh

The German Nat'l Museum in Nurnburg has several pieces of extant armour that are painted. There's a great helm, a sallet and an ugly helm that is somewhere between a sallet and an armet. the great gelm might have been painted again in the 1800s, i think the aventail was added then. Lemme see if i ca...

Fearghus Macildubh

Cut your losses. Tell the student that this is how you train/teach. If they don't like, thy're free to move on. Sounds harsh, but why waste time with someone who doesn't want to follow your group's program? I teach with a combo of drill and free fighting. for the newbies, it's almost all drill and t...

Fearghus Macildubh

The scales in scale armour are usually attached to some sort of foundation garment made out of leather or heavy cloth. The foundation garment can open on the front, sides, back, or not at all, fitting like a mail shirt. What period, if any, are you trying to evoke with your armour? There are some re...

Earliest hand and half swords?

Sabre use in Europe?