The Armour Archive

RandallMoffett

I know how you feel. I have been getting my steel sheet from local welders as the big companies seem to be somewhat uninterested in sales to use small guys. I get rivets here; m I wish it were easier. I just moved to Southampton and have to start my connections over..... right now I am looking for s...

RandallMoffett

No thats real good. I thought I recognized the black knights arms, I was into the Black Falcon arms myself.... Nice colors too.

RPM

RandallMoffett

Josh, Unfortunatley as far as published works there are few that list thicknesses. Some kindly give weights but that is it (Wallace Collection for example). What specifically are you looking for? I may have some useful info. You could PM me if you like as well. Williams does give a few thicknesses i...

RandallMoffett

Very nice decoration. Is the dragon the icon from the old black knight legos?

RPM

RandallMoffett

Those are interesting. How are the thumbs working out for you? Looks like a good plan for especially people who are starting or do not want to wear fuller gaunts.
RPM

RandallMoffett

Luke, I jousted for a short time but have not in a few years now and I agree. Better to error on caution in a game like that. I also tend to agree with what CET said. I do not have a heat treated suit but when I do it will be in thicknesses of specific armour (perhaps even ones I have hand measured)...

RandallMoffett

Yeah besides cutting off her ears.... (not serious of course) you could likely add a center strip in the middle. It just need be an inch or so section. Will add you welding but if you are new to pattern making straight lines are easiest as well as it gives you more control. I would just rough form i...

RandallMoffett

Kel, It did. The main problem is there are indications of backplates but nothing blatantly clear that shows a full back plate. In the end I think the discussion aired out most of the pros and cons well. At the very least the century ended with a backplate of large plates if not more. This piece of a...

RandallMoffett

It is not viking but in the Anglo saxon chronicle Harold Godwinson at one point rearmours his men in leather armour to fight the welsh as the mail is wearing them down to much in the mountains. I will see if I cannot find my notes on the AS chron (it maybe in old English as well for those who can re...

RandallMoffett

There are a number of people on the armoury links with decent helmets for under 100 dolllars. I would go with one of them. Look at Truehearth for example.

RPM

RandallMoffett

MAtt,

That turned out very nice. I hope to continue to see suhc cool work!
If you have armour that looks that good why not wear it all the time right?

RPM

RandallMoffett

My first son was just born the 13th of this month and I figured he was a bit to small for armour on halloween, but next year....

Looks good for sure! always good to see what you are working on.

RPM

RandallMoffett

Steve,

That explains Hastings's bayeau tapestry somewhat...... the Mac bible would mke more sense to me as well.

RPM

RandallMoffett

Queen Mary Psalter has a number of men who are wearing gauntlets of the fingered type, 1310-1320ish.

RPM

RandallMoffett

Olsk, Good points. I cannot say one way or the other for sure either. I am glad you found Chaucers use of alliterative because my friend who I knew would know seems to have changed her email or it is full right now and waiting on me right now would be really really slow. Peter, What secondary books ...

RandallMoffett

Olsk, No I remember the Chaucer comment on the alliterative revival... I just think you cannot take it at face value as he has his own agenda and style, I think he did write in the alliterative in some instances but cannot remember where but as I am not a med lit person is forgivable hopefully. I wi...

RandallMoffett

Olsk, Sorry about the delay, I just moved and am w/out internet. I also have all my stuff packed so this is as best I remember. I can dig my stuff out and check later but so you can get a look. The Riverside Chaucer, Richard II and Chaucer's Dream Poetry were the works I remember off the top of my h...

RandallMoffett

Olsk, That is funny considering that many of the people in the academic community writting about authors of the era think they were in similar circles and think it possible that many of the authors were in the more rustic communal places often as did Chaucer, who owned a place in London but often wa...

RandallMoffett

I think it could also be the artist showing antiquity. In the taymouth Hours (1325-35) it shows the picture of Thomas Beckett being killed and all men are armed in mail but no plate (not even helmets) killing him. On the page after there is a man decked out in plate over all his limb, head and possi...

RandallMoffett

Not my period but the British Museum has a Corinth style helmet that in some places was about 1/8, likely in some places thicker I looked at not long ago. As I like medieval armour I did not spend much time looking at it (sorry). I would assume that 70 pounds is much heavier considering it is not fu...

RandallMoffett

Very Nice hat man!

RPm

RandallMoffett

Wow, thats crazy! This is like an instant replay of what happened to me over a decade ago! My Mom did basically the same thing. I started with mail and leather armour in Jr High School and the summer I was 15 I started with my first plate projects. For the next three years my Mother tried to convinc...

RandallMoffett

The only other option is to get a failr deep and small dishing form and a smallish ball pien hammer and continue to form it until it closes. The end of the finger should be round when starting it flat.
Good luck,

RPM

RandallMoffett

There is a round topped bascinet in th Osprey English knights 1300-1400 but I have not seen any other like it but it does exist for precedents. All in all I see no reason why it could not fit fine in 1st half of 14th.

RPM

RandallMoffett

basically it comes from that in many MS's there are pictures of archers wearing no leg armour but articulated knees. Sometimes people in the SCA make the last outer lames bigger for more protection. At least thats why I do it. I don'y think it has anything to do with lighter or thinner metal used. T...

RandallMoffett

I do not think it possible to say one was more common than the other. Equipment of any sort is very difficult to place. Now if artwork is any indictor then you could look there. Many show men in backplates in the 15th as well as some without. From artwork it would seem that backplates would have bee...

RandallMoffett

You probably would like a brigandine. There are a number of brig patterns on the pattern archives. You could make some larger plates for the lung and other torso plates to save on time and increase the protection perhaps (I was working on a brig with almost a full breastplate cut up carefully undern...

RandallMoffett

I really am not sure how common or uncommon the practice was to wear a great helm over a open face bascinet but I do not assume it became dominant over side mounted visors. It possible was used along side, parallal use of both methods perhaps, (or with different uses, one for joust perhaps, one for ...

RandallMoffett

You know CAT I was posting when my printer started to eat my dissertation that same thought but had not gotten back to this since. I wonder if there are not holes on the top of the piece where another part had been attached. I would not think it impossible that it is authentic but I have never seen ...

RandallMoffett

Could 4 in 1 and 6 in 1 have been used together. A segment of 6 in 1 at the chest or soemthign with 4 in 1 elsewhere?

Seems to be possible. I made mail mittens with 6 in 1 backs and fingers and cuff of 4 in1, worked fine.

RPM

RandallMoffett

Michael,

Good to hear the surgery went well. I hope you are back and hammering soon. I had a small accident that laid me up for 2 months little movement, find something productive to do in bed..... TV and movies get boring fast!!!

Hope to hear you are up and armouring again,

RPM

RandallMoffett

is the in stock up dated for recent buys? I am interested in some items (more as a help to Mike than need but interested).

RPM

RandallMoffett

Might as well bring some life to it then. My friends and I had a fairly long section of Rail Road Rail and we were taking home carrying it about 1/4-1/2 a mile (don't ask). So my brother's turn came and he was holding the middle or back and I the front..... Some may see where this is going. So after...

RandallMoffett

If you do not mind a small drive in the valley, on San Fernando Road is IMS metals. That is where I bought all my metals. They had good prices and had (most of the time) what I needed. I lived the opposite direction than you do from them but it only took me 30 minutes to get there on a bad day (1 hr...

RandallMoffett

Matt, Thanks. I was wondering if it was in Bishop. I read some of it before but have not been able to get the copy availible at the library. It would make a good read. once things calm down that is... Thanks I will need all the luck I can. Why is brass/bronze so hard to get ahold of here? In the US ...