The Armour Archive

Adriano

Very nice! Serious-looking helms.

Adriano

Nice! It looks like the cuisses have straps going up to a belt. Is the arm harness to be pointed to an arming shirt?

Adriano

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Adriano: Please: no flames. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hahaha, that's like saying "Please, don't look for weapons of mass ...

Adriano

"This exact armor was featured on the History Channel in the acclaimed Conquest (2002) series." I saw that episode, about gladiators. Interesting, but I don't know how correct it was. But even if it's 100% authentic 1st century gladiator armor, that wouldn't really make sense for most SCAC personas.

Adriano

My elven 14-gauge galvanized mail shirt lost its mystical elven shine after being mystically rained on at Gulf Wars, and now it's got that mystical gray elven oxidization.

Adriano

Please: no flames. For comfort and efficiency, I recommend a good street hockey elbow. The kind I use has a hard plastic cup protecting the elbow and part of the forearm, and another hard plastic section protecting the lower biceps. It goes on with velcro straps, provides good protection and is very...

Adriano

Probably a glaive. It's versatile, and I've already got one.

Adriano

Apparently the bidding stopped at $86, which I'm thinking would be awfully low for a miraculously-preserved 2000 year old piece of Chinese armour.

I've never dealt with E-bay. Do they have any rules about fraud?

Adriano

Fine; just don't mess with the rocky meteorites; they may be fragments of Martian regolith. Did you ever see the movie The Iron Mistress ? It has a sequence in which a smith makes a knife from an iron meteorite for one James Bowie, who has requested a knife that will "never fail". Don't know if it's...

Adriano

Sweet! I just finished making my butted shirt, but I've got to admit the real deal looks a lot more... real. Just looking at the rivited links, you can picture the shirt standing up to attacks with real weapons (unlike the lightweight butted mail they destroyed on that "Conquest" tv show). Yep, Stev...

Adriano

I recall reading that, around the end of the 14th century, you start seeing rings welded to crosshilts because knights started hooking their index fingers over the crossguard for better control. (This was with estocs, designed for thrusting.) Then early in the 15th century, somebody tried curving on...

Adriano

Back when I used to fight with two swords, and used basket hilts, I developed this pernicious habit. It wasn't from a desire to cheat; the hilt simply lends itself to being used this way. I used to punch-block with the hilts, and fairly successfully. Then somebody reminded me of the milieu we're sup...

Adriano

I happen to have a copy of Pleasures and Pastimes in Medieval England right here. It does mention William Marshall allegedly setting a new record for throwing a stone (a heavy stone, like a shotput), although I don't know if that involved a standardized size and weight. It also describes several kin...

Adriano

Have always (20 years) worn sweatpants for fighting. Your idea for parti-colored hose sounds good; you might try stirrup pants or "sleep pants".

Adriano

Wow, Duke Logan -- I thought you were just using "Under Armor" as an expression, but that's actually the brand name! I wonder if it occurred to them that somebody would actually wear it under armour? I wear a tee-shirt under my gambeson in winter, nothing but manly muscles and back hair in summer. I...

Adriano

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>No, I don't try to do that! Ha! I'd LIKE to be able to do that though, the Landsknecht in me sees NOTHING WRONG WITH IT! (grin)<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Right with you, Bro; I play by the rules, and...

Adriano

Why would the FRENCH want to recreate Agincourt? Well, American Civil War reenactment is popular here in the South. Go figure. The gear in the pictures looks great! ------------------ "Come, winds! Blow, wrack! At least we'll die with harness on our back!"

Adriano

Good piece, Vermin! I differ on some points, but that's individual taste. (For example, I don't use a thrusting tip on my greatsword. That's probably why I prefer a spear in big melees.)

(Also, I hope you don't really try to chop the ends off people's fiberglass spears.)

Fun stuff.

Adriano

Why do you fight? Fun, excitement, camarderie, and romantic notions. Also, fell in love with armour first time I wore it. What group do you fight in? SCA When did you start fighting (age)? 1980, at age of 19. How long have you been fighting? 23 years, with occasional time off for medical reasons. W...

Adriano

Looks great to me. When I read the thread title, I thought somebody had found pictorial evidence of elbow armour in the year 1050...

Adriano

Thanks, King Cuan, and I hope your kingdom and mine (Meridies) have a huge friggin' war sometime soon.

(Nice thing about the SCA is you can say that in a friendly way.)

Adriano

Stephen said it better than I could. Having said that, I'm almost finished making my haubergeon of 14-gauge butted mail. I simply don't have the patience nor the expertise to make a shirt of riveted mail, even though I know it's stronger, lighter and more authentic. (If you do decide to make butted ...

Adriano

Sounds like a good idea. (I wear street hockey elbows, but they're under a tunic and a haubergeon.)

Adriano

I don't like attaching anything to the mail if I can help it (just a personal prejudice). A lot of early 14th century pictures show a vambrace coming out from underneath a 3/4 length mail sleeve, so in that case the arm protection (assuming it included an elbow and rerebrace) would be pointed to the...

Adriano

That person at the far right is either Christ or a saint- he has the 'iconic' type halo around his head and the hand visible is blessing whoever is below. It also looks like he has either an extra finger or a misplaced thumb. Sometimes I think medieval ar...

Adriano

Man, I wish... finally, a chance to get some proper use out of that greatsword. Well, have fun, Dude.

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"Come, winds! Blow, wrack! At least we'll die with harness on our back!"

Adriano

If you see my skin when I'm on the field, it means I've forgotten to put something on. I LOVE armour.

Adriano

Damnit, damnit, I missed it. Do you know if they rebroadcast? Never mind, I'll check the HC website. Carry on.

Adriano

14 gauge wire wound on a 7/16" rod has worked well for me. However -- I cut it with a Dremel, which removes some material and probably brings the rings down to about 3/8"; also the ends but smoothly together, so the rings are less likely to catch on something. I wear it over a gambeson and a leather...

Adriano

Looks great! I've made a hauberk, but haven't attempted leggings yet.

My experience: chicks love mail. Rock on.

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"Come, winds! Blow, wrack! At least we'll die with harness on our back!"

Adriano

I guess that's one of the situations that make me feel the SCA "legging" convention is rather silly. I think I'd just declare myself dead; in real life a leg wound that debilitating would most likely put you out of the fight anyway. Also, when I see somebody in that situation, I like to take pity on...

Adriano

Sharp!

Adriano

Good question. I definitely recommend spending a fighter practice or two just using the left hand; you may be surprised how comfortable you can get with it. I think it makes one a better-rounded fighter to be able to use either hand. Good luck!

Adriano

Sweet! Just don't try it on a frozen lake! (Remember Alexander Nevsky and the Teutonic Knights?)

Adriano

Well bastard swords are usually about four feet long (actually, any sword over 48" is considered a "greatsword" in SCA rules). Mine is 48 inches with a 12 inch grip. (I've always heard they're called bastard swords because they can be used either one-handed or two handed.) Given SCA rules against "e...