The Armour Archive

Dave Womble

Thats why you come right out and state what you're doing in your initial post. "I need some sort of padded/quilted undergarment for my armour I use in SCA heavy weapons fighting. My persona is based (loosely) on a late 8th, early 9th century Carolingian (Frankish) infantryman. Was there anything aki...

Dave Womble

Funny, I feel that way about the Archive...too many pissing contests and flame wars, and of course its decidedly more SCA oriented. I prefer more historical discussion. One thing I do prefer here over Arador is the "I want to be..." forum...brilliant idea, and I wish we would have done something sim...

Dave Womble

If it was real, it would be a unique find that probably wouldn't be allowed to leave the country. How likely would it be to find the original Coppergate helm on ebay? EXACTLY. I've found a lot of crap on Ebay that people deliberately or ignorantly pass off as antiquities. Or, they label poorly...an...

Dave Womble

You mean King Arthur and Braveheart are not absolutely indicative of ancient Pictish and Celtic practices!!!??? GASP say it aint so! Drustin, if you want to paint yourself, fine, do so and have fun, just dont go around telling everyone that asks you about it that its authentic and common practice. A...

Dave Womble

You shouldnt need any padding. Romans didnt wear any quilted garment under their segmentata. A heavy wool tunic should be fine.

Dave

Dave Womble

Thats a fake...or at least it's not nearly as old as the seller hopes/claims it is....there's no way thats a viking or contemporary helmet. I dont read French, so I have no idea what claims are being made, but I honestly dont believe that to be a Viking Age helmet. Why? I cant give specific reasons....

Dave Womble

All the helms you find on Ebay that come from India or other similar places are hideous, shoddily made, and basically junk for anyone except elementary school kids putting on a fantasy play. The titles they use for some of these are absolutely rediculous...granted, in most cases it's simply to get a...

Dave Womble

Honestly? I think it looks like crap...but what can a person expect for $50-$60? I dont care for Armets in the first place, but #1 I highly doubt its 14-16 gauge, more likely 18-22 (not that it matters unless you're looking for an SCA helm, which that clearly isn't), #2, the lines don't look like th...

Dave Womble

Carolingian arms and armour in the 9th century: m No mention in the entire article about quilted or padded gambesons or use of specialized woolen undertunics. Dan Howard awhile back brooched the topic of quilted leather gambeson like garments used by either the Franks or Normans...I dont recall whic...

Dave Womble

Different folks had different names for them...the Franks, English, Friesians, all of em called them something different, ususally something along the lines of "pagan northmen". As to what they called themselves, we dont know really. I tend to believe they called themselves after the region or homes...

Dave Womble

Dave Womble

I'd like to learn a little more about their shields...from what little you can see, it doesnt look like anything I've ever seen. And yes, they are a fascinating culture...them and the Huns....Imagine if the two groups would have merged? I'm not down with my dates as to when each was in its prime, so...

Dave Womble

They're only worth anything if you have all the accessories that go with them (guns, backpacks, etc). Condition is also key...if theyre worn, loose joints, theyre not worth as much. Cards must be uncreased, bubbles intact, no folds or tears, stains, fading...if theyre punched, that affects value as ...

Dave Womble

Well, here's an update I picked up Hound on Ebay for $28 with shipping....damn near fell outta my chair. I also got a lady at work to contact her son in law down in Florida, they found me a Meister in a Toys R Us, so thats on the way too. I still need Tracks and Dead End, and there are 2 new figures...

Dave Womble

This is a topic thats hotly debated amongst re-enactors and historians. The short answer is no. Splinted arms and legs if they existed (theres fragments, and depending on what scholar you talk to, theyre interpreted differently) would have been 6th-7th century, which predate the Viking Age by a cent...

Dave Womble

I came accross this book at my father-in-laws indoor fleamarket...he has no clue what he has in the big mess he calls a fleamarket. It looked old, so I picked it up and looked at it...it's very old, Preface is dated 1897, there is no copyright. It's pretty beat up, and has a lot of pencil markings i...

Dave Womble

This belongs in the Classifieds section dude.

Dave

Dave Womble

AMEN to that.

Dave Womble

I could if I was fluent in German, or knew he was fluent in English. I suppose I could still send a message and hope for the best.

Dave

Dave Womble

I've read somewhere in one of my reference books regarding the vikings (and Scandinavians in general) that some cults made use of funky helmets for their various rites and rituals, but these would have been more akin to hats than helmets, and as I said before, were not used in warfare. Could a pries...

Dave Womble

I've had this 1916 Belgian 10 cent coin for almost 20 years now, and dont know anything about it. I'm not a coin collector, it just happened to stay with me through all my moves. I dont want it, but I have no idea what it's value is. I tried Googling to find some foreign coin dealers, but theres so ...

Dave Womble

There have been some early Celtic helms found with deer antlers and the like attached to them...these have been interpreted as ceremonial/religious items, and not war gear. There was one from about 100 BCE that was found in the Thames, it has bronze horns coming off of it reminescent of Madonna's ta...

Dave Womble

I'm an axe guy too, but I still keep my sword with me, I just use the axe instead of the sword. My current axe is a crappy generiviking one I bought at a ren faire years ago from La Forge. Trumpet shaped blade, socketed head...not really appropriate, but it's all I have currently. I have a custom ax...

Dave Womble

OHHHHHHHHHHHHh

Decepticon logo....fellow TF fan are you? Or was that done for a client?

Me is a Transformer fanatic.

Dave

Dave Womble

Stainless is a lot more $, but it will never rust, and needs little, if any maintenance. But, as you said, its just way too shiny and fake looking to me (many disagree, but I hate high shine armour). I dont know for sure, but I believe stainless is a bit more dent resistant than mild. I dont know en...

Dave Womble

While this may be good info for future people reading the thread (and I think we should just leave propane tanks alone regardless...plenty of other sources for metal) Deth could care less. He's an imbecile who came here for a laugh and to try and pass himself off as someone remotely interesting, whi...

Dave Womble

So by saying that you're saying I could wear a Gjermundbu spectacle styled helm during the middle to late 10th century, carry a round centre grip shield in one hand and a skeggox in the other without any problem then? That style of helm wouldnt be as common I dont think in the mid to late 900's as ...

Dave Womble

I dont have a definate date for the 1st kites used in viking hands, but they begin to be used around that time, yes. Centergrip rounds hung around for awhile though.

Dave

Dave Womble

No real difference between a 9th century viking and a 10th century viking. A Viking in 793 would be almost identical to one at Stamford bridge...cut of tunic and style of trousers might be a bit different (depending on if he was Norwegian, a Swede, or a Dane and wether or not he was influenced by th...

Dave Womble

I'll have to look further I guess...I've only skimmed the text and diagrams, because it's a HUGE book...pretty intimidating...especially since I'm in the middle of literally a dozen or so historical fiction, reference, fantasy and research books.

Dave

Dave Womble

Precisely why I said if left untreated , and that comment (about infection) was not exclusive to the Battle of Wisby. The point is, regardless of battlefield medicine, you strike where the armour isn't. I dont think they left wounds untreated....all i said was wounds back then, even ones we'd think ...

Dave Womble

I just drove down to the Burlington, Tyngsboro, Natick, and Chelmsford areas of Mass. looking...came up empty handed. I swear none of the figures I'm looking for were shipped to the North East. Every retailer has a number of both Windcharger (Honda S2000 roadster)and Battle Ravage (Chevy Corvette) ...

Dave Womble

We have plenty of evidence for the armour used in Wisby, and there isnt much in the way of limb armour if I recall correctly...mostly head and torso defenses...so as I said previously, you attack where the armour is NOT...the extremeties. Keep in mind, even a small wound to an arm or leg in the midd...

Dave Womble

I can't think of any blunt weapons used in the middle ages clubs were probably rather common, not to mention mauls/mallets, and the shafts of pole weapons...you dont always find yourself attacking with the blade or point of a weapon in the heat of battle. Not to mention pommel smashes, punches with...

Dave Womble

I agree mail and a gambeson is sufficient to keep you from recieving a fatal wound in general, but for rattan fighting (and modern liability issues) you need some rigid protection. When people discuss the pros and cons of mail vs various attack forms, I always sit back and chuckle when people say it...

Xenophon's Cyropaedia..very old copy...interested?

Need info on an antique Belgium coin