The Armour Archive

Klaus the Red

I vaguely recall a passage from either Dante or Bocaccio referring to cute young virgins clad in white linen gowns. Coulda been poetic license on the part of a dirty old man, but I'll go look for it.

Klaus

Klaus the Red

Will there be enough space? Maybe you'd better bring a cheap bascinet instead...

Klaus the Red

So he did- I hadn't looked closely at the announcement until after I posted. There remains the challenge of what to do between 5 and 7. I expect I will be the person sitting discreetly in the corner with a beer, sewing my new pourpoint.

Klaus

Klaus the Red

I am also arriving Friday, checking into the Palmer House and then going straight over to the museum. Since the museum closes at 4:30, perhaps we could start to gather in the hotel's lobby/bar/wherever around 5. Short of wearing funny hats and name tags, any creative suggestions as to how to recogni...

Klaus the Red

http://museumreplicas.com/webstore/eCat/Mens%20Clothing/Historical/Shoes%20Boots%20Sandals/Black%20Medieval%20Boots.aspx I thought I'd seen about all the godawful unresearched pseudo-period fantasy renfaire crap these people sell- then I saw this in the new catalog. (Somehow, I'm still on their mai...

Klaus the Red

James, your kit is very pretty but too damn clean for a common soldier...

Klaus

Klaus the Red

That didn't bug me so much as the fact that the Marines of the future had reverted to Vietnam-era jungle boots and steel helmets with camo-painted hockey pads added on...

Klaus the Red

SOT- so what's your point? It's science fiction. Tim already covered what kinds of guns the props were based on, but regardless, I don't imagine the film's designers gave much of a rat's ass about the ballistics involved. If you want to get technical, we could argue how silly it is for characters 50...

Klaus the Red

It's not the body that counts, it's the rate of fire.

Klaus

Klaus the Red

Irish, I've got an airsoft MP5K I'd be willing to part with- it's a spring-powered cock-and-shoot model so not worth much for airsoft games, but it looks the part. It's a little longer than the genuine article because it uses the front pistol grip as the cocking handle, shotgun style. I also have a ...

Klaus the Red

Sir Hilary in the West Kingdom used to fight in a grill just like that, back in the day when I was a Western rookie; she probably still does.

Klaus

Klaus the Red

It's more a Baroque thing, I think.

Klaus the Red

I think you just want to have your cake and wear it too.

Your 13th century linen tunic is done, though I'm still looking for that special wool for the supertunic...

K

Klaus the Red

Now you're doing 15th century? I thought you were trying to simplify!

Klaus

Klaus the Red

Bad Brian. No giving Tasha a heart attack. At least not before the newsletter is distributed.

Klaus

Klaus the Red

Otto, thanks for the offer, but I just discovered that I'm going to get gouged another $200 or so by Travelocity if I change my flight from Saturday night to Sunday morning at this point... so I think I will have to stay with the original plan.

Klaus

Klaus the Red

Gwen, do Jeff's demigreaves fasten over pins in the greaves? I've long had a pet theory that if properly strapped and pinned to full greaves, leg harness should exert very little drag on the arming coat itself since its weight will be distributed amongst all the strapping/attachment points along the...

Klaus the Red

I got a link to a page in Russian with a subsequent link to the image itself. That's a very nice-looking bascinet- is that your work, or just an example of what you'd like to make? Depending on the type and thickness of steel used, and given that it comes with vervelles and camail installed- assumin...

Klaus the Red

There's at least one more besides this one on display at the Royal Armouries, as well as one in the Higgins.

Klaus

Klaus the Red

I'm surprised no one has yet commented on this outfit's "medieval chainmail helm"... see if anyone can tell me what's wrong with that one...

Authentic repro armor is kinda like obscenity. Can't define it, but I sure know it when I see it. (And it has much the same effect on me.

Klaus

Klaus the Red

the Osprey pic suggests the thing hangs from the top of the helm with a hook-like arrangement. I would think that would tend to fall off, especially if one was looking down...? The example in the Swiss museum (Kit's links above) has a turning pin to hold it in place. From what I've observed, many a...

Klaus the Red

My thang.
[img]http://nickfriend.fatcow.com/hammerrack.jpg[/img]

Klaus the Red

Heck, why use thread at all? Just keep the pins in place (pin across seam direction, not parallel to) and use the machine as a "full-auto" awl.

Klaus the Red

To elaborate on Karen's description, here's my take on the mechanics of sewing. In a stab stitch, you are going at right angles to the grain every time you push the needle through the fabric, so the pattern is like a line of crenellations: straight down through, turn, straight back through, turn, et...

Klaus the Red

Thanks for the "one hand above, one below" tip. I was actually looking for opinions in terms of stitch strength: ie, are quilting lines with a single thread more likely to stretch and break if done with running stitches as opposed to stab, or doesn't it much matter either way? I suspect few of us ha...

Klaus the Red

OK, here's a call for opinions. I'm about to start my new arming coat once I get linen thread in a decent weight. For hand-quilting 3 layers of material (12-oz hemp canvas, 1 layer cotton batting, medium wt linen liner) that will see a fair amount of abuse- running stitch, or stab stitch?

Klaus

Klaus the Red

I've adopted a three-level shelf/planter stand thingy, the kind which sits against a corner and has three quarter-circle-shaped shelves made of wood over wire grids. Take away the wood piece from the top shelf and one has a rack to hang all sorts of hammers through- think of it like a grill for a re...

Klaus the Red

Ok, here's what I'm seeing. The doublet appears to be made with a split back and a deep triangular back collar panel- pretty standard 15th century construction. The lining is attached to the main back panels only, and not to the triangular panel. It looks as though the lining material goes right up ...

Klaus the Red

Yeah, this all makes sense. I think this is the other "four quarters" reference I was racking my brains for. I think it's still within the realm of possibility that an interlined and quilted garment could have been assembled in the manner discussed- we can neither prove or disprove the technique. Th...

Klaus the Red

How are the seams turned under for finishing if the pieces are already attached to each other?

Klaus the Red

Tasha, it seems to me that this technique would best apply to really hefty padded garments, such as the jack described in the ordinance above, for which it makes sense to deal with each quarter as a separate unit for ease of assembly and quilting. It also strikes me that it would vastly simplify rep...

Klaus the Red

The helmet of the effigy in the V&A can be seen here:
http://nickfriend.fatcow.com/mischarness/VAeffigy.jpg
http://nickfriend.fatcow.com/mischarness/VAeffigy_sketch.jpg

Klaus the Red

I found it... "And first they must have for the said Jacks, 30, or at least 25 folds of cloth and a stag's skin; those of 30, with the stag's skin, being the best cloth that has been worn and rendered flexible, is best for this purpose, and these Jacks should be made in four quarters." Ordinances of...

Klaus the Red

Is there direct documentation for this as a period technique? I seem to recall a reference in English royal wardrobe accounts to cotes being made in "4 quarters." I'll have to have a look through Fashion in the Age of the Black Prince tonight to see if I can find it. Tim, thanks for the suggestion r...

Klaus the Red

Certainly. I also made a sketch which may help clarify the details. I'll try to get those scanned and uploaded this weekend. It is Venetian and dated 1370-75. I just looked through a couple of books and found some more data. To clarify: in Thordeman, the effigy of Otto von Orlamunde (d. 1340) does N...

Good for a laugh... Museum Replicas boots