The Armour Archive

Kilkenny

Quite beautiful. Mac, perhaps only intended for parade/ceremonial use?

Kilkenny

I forget whether I have seen discussions of this here or on another site. I know people into historic combat and combative sports have been looking at the old exercise manuals and training methods. can't say I've tried it myself, nor have I seen much in the way of reports on effectiveness. But, what...

Kilkenny

Yup. All in the proper mechanics. My second shot typically involves a lot more hip/weight shift, then reversing the action - the sword returns far enough that I can get to speed on the next blow. A lot of your weak "double taps" comes from the guy throwing the blow trying to fire the second shot wi...

Kilkenny

Thanks for th elink. Very interesting and I had not run across them before. The reciprocating drill really got my attention.

Kilkenny

Much of the answer depends on what the target is. Not every target can be repeatedly hit with the same technique. Offside body shots can be hammered repeatedly with almost no arm motion by shoulder and hip rotation. Onside head works better with different technique(s). It also makes a difference how...

Kilkenny

They look a lot like plunger-operated water schpritzers (aka "fire extinguishers") to me. There are accounts of festivals where they used plunger style water guns as weapons for mock battles. Seems to me these are awfully elaborate for the festival purpose, but water sprayers of similar style certa...

Kilkenny

I'm not a leather expert but the shape and design isn't all that difficult. Skip all of the pre-made patterns. Get a cheap/old t-shirt. Pull it snug but not tight at the spine with some safety pins. Cover your chest in alternating rows of horizontal and vertical duct-tape. (Do not pull your body in...

Kilkenny

Your Grace Gavin, the "handstrap" is a nifty little device that Windrose/Mandrake had/has that is basically a strap that goes around the hilt of the sword and then straps attach it to your gauntlet/demi-gauntlet. I've got one around the house new in the package some where...anyway here's a link to ...

Kilkenny

ok. Could someone please give me a formal (as in given by the SCA's Society Marshal) definition of a "handstrap"? I ask because up until this thread I don't believe I have ever run across the term, and I would not have the faintest clue of how to distinguish between one and a "lanyard". As to the ov...

Kilkenny

A couple of things here. First, the picture you linked to shows what I am pretty certain is a two piece breastplate construction, the upper portion being a different section than the band at the waist. This is important in terms of how you need to work your patterns and, subsequently, your leather. ...

Kilkenny

:Wanting to win" does not necessarily mean wanting to use the utmost advantage. Friend of mine many years ago made the finals and lost. Talking with him afterward I opined that he was too nice and that for him to win he would need not to be quite so nice. He allowed that he didn't want to win if he ...

Kilkenny

whonew wrote:buff/clean lengthwise
0r just pay someone local to do it [lot safer!]

Sounds to me like he's looking to get paid for doing it, not have to pay someone else.

I would go with the "make a jig" advice.

Kilkenny

Hogfather wrote:Senior Squishy Face - our fav pell.

That really is the best pell I've ever seen

May have to make some mods on my 4x4 post now

Kilkenny

Outside of the SCA the bulk of the demand is smaller diameter, so currently large rattan is getting harder and harder to find. It is getting harvested before it grows that big. Currently, 2" rattan is a specialty item, 2.25" rattan is rare and 3" rattan is unheard of while in the past 4"-6" diamete...

Kilkenny

Steinolf wrote:
ChristophH wrote:That's not a helm, that's art!
Protective jewelry.

Perfect. That is exactly the right phrase.

Kilkenny

Nope. My first kit was remarkably worse ;) ca. 1975, radial tire for the body harness and left thigh protection (I won't dignify it with the term cuisse ;) ). Freon can helm, with an added faceplate so it wasn't quite so screamingly freon can in form, but certainly did not resemble anything from his...

Kilkenny

Yes, Brewer is right. The SCA has all manner of escapist people who probably should be institutionalized, and for whom pennsic is mecca. I have watched people bankrupt themselves, destroy themselves, live out of dumpsters and other people's garages, yet magically manage to do two weeks at Pennsic E...

Kilkenny

chuckle. A very long time ago, after a tourney bout with HG Cariadoc, he said to me as we were leaving the field "You're making me work". I was full of myself for days

Kilkenny

Not to derail, but care to expand? As you may be aware, at long events like SCA wars people often are forced to make a trip to the nearest town to resupply. These trips are known as "town runs" or "ice runs" if that's what they're after. Many people with too great an attachment to Pennsic will refe...

Kilkenny

A good friend has asked me if I'll be his bodyguard at Pennsic this year, since he'll be one of the principal kings. I hadn't planned to go, but now I am seriously considering it! So, if you Pennsic veterans have some time, please share with me your thoughts and experiences: 1) Are there any good P...

Kilkenny

The knight had legged the unbelted fighter and was corkscrewing him. ( stepping past his center-line and striking repeatedly.) This definition would never come to my mind in response to the term "corkscrewing". Indeed, it seems clearly not an appropriate use of the word, since "corkscrewing" implie...

Kilkenny

For clarity, I did not CALL for a R&D.... I speculated that his actions very well could end up in an R&D. At the very least I'd bet there will be a CoC. By representing the SCA in a poor light, in public media, he has actually violated the directive on media relations. Nope. Not unless you want to ...

Kilkenny

Glaukos, I would recommend removing the metal clips and threading the 550 cord through the loop where the clips used to be. When I was wearing those in the Army, putting a ruck on over the clips made them dig in pretty bad. I would hate to think about getting hit on them. The first thing I did was ...

Kilkenny

Corby de la Flamme wrote:It would be useful if you would discuss specifically how successful you have been with this form.

The proof is in the pudding.

Does using it to convince people you deserve a belt qualify?

Kilkenny

First of all i want to.thank everyone for their help. Second ive come up with my shield and crest. im going with a small heater. with the heater i can use corners and ill make it smaller 24 inches roughly so i can move as much as i want. Thanks again all. I never expected to get so much help. I tho...

Kilkenny

Many people perceive maces as being slow, but fail to recognize the benefits that come from shorter arcs of travel and no need to worry about edge alignment. A properly balanced short mace can deliver a barrage of blows in much less time than a typical sword. While I agree with most of your stateme...

Kilkenny

Similar question: I have two rabbit hides that were tattooed by a native Alaskan artist. Unfortunately, when my mother packed her house up and moved out of Alaska, they were left in a box in a storage shed. The hides are now extremely dry and brittle. I am afraid to completely unfold them for fear ...

Kilkenny

You have to treat mold first if it is there. However, I would ask what you intend to do with it. If it is veg tanned and you're going to tool it or dye it, I wouldn't use oil or conditioners until I was done. The first project I want to do is what the leather was bought for in the first place. I wa...

Kilkenny

I was at an Estrella war years ago when a friend in my house was doing impromptu armor refitting with a cordless drill and impaled himself in the thigh with the drill. That should teach him for drilling on metal while WEARING the legs he was working on.... Oh come on. Everyone in the vicinity could...

Kilkenny

Tracy Justus wrote:To look like a medieval scholar she needs a bookmark with multiple strands and look! Billy and Charlie offers one!

T.

Those are too cool.

And Glaukos, you're a good Dad

Kilkenny

I like Lexol very much. Good stuff. If the leather shows surface mold/mildew, give it a wipe down with vinegar. Remarkably effective fungicide. A bit of neatsfoot generally won't hurt, but I would start with the Lexol (or vinegar, if it's furry).

Kilkenny

As promised, here are the results of my looking for an alternate method of waterproofing leather for an assembly line . A) Method: Dye over Glue (Titebond 3) Cuir Bouilli by immersion Dry Leather Balm Deglaze with alcohol after Balm is absorbed Titebond 3 brushed on. Glue/90%, Water/10% Dye Results...

Kilkenny

Greetings So as a recently authorized fighter I'm looking forward to my first fighting event in afew days. A friendship tourney. I've been practicing for a while now but I always appreciate the value of experience. I wanted to ask the fighting populace here to share any odd advice they might have o...

Kilkenny

" I am going to use my left thumb. The right is much too powerful." As to whether we are "swordsmen" it depends on how one is using the word, who one is speaking to, etc. I once got shot down hard for making a comment that I was "well versed in swordplay" in an environment where I was not known. The...

Kilkenny

Blunt skippy is that a "mace" in SCA combat is hampered by our conventions. Sure there have been a few that have had great success with them, but for the majority that is not the case. I did not know that "blunt skippy" meant "conventional wisdom". I think, quite frankly, that you are wrong in your...

Re: Late 12th cent German - Russian Spaulders

Re: Indian CLub Training for SCA-related exercise?

Re: Hitting the same spot mutliple times

Re: Daegrad tools

Re: Hitting the same spot mutliple times

Re: Fire extingquishers? Incense? What are they? Austria

Re: Leather armour- best way to make something like this?

Re: Conditionally Illegal Crossguards

Re: Conditionally Illegal Crossguards

Re: Leather armour- best way to make something like this?

Re: West Kingdom March Crown Finals 2012

Re: Dangerous polishing

Re: My Pell...

Re: Synthetic sca weapons

Re: Helm for Ajax... 02/04/2012..finished pics

Re: I your first kit as bad as mine?

Re: Talk to me about Pennsic!

Re: Nothing feels better than a good practice.

Re: Talk to me about Pennsic!

Re: Talk to me about Pennsic!

Re: How to deal with corkscrewing

Re: Full Metal Jousting

Re: Adding a suspender to a C belt...

Re: The Mace and SCA combat.

Re: looking for my shield style

Re: The Mace and SCA combat.

Re: Need some advice on working with old leather

Re: Need some advice on working with old leather

Re: Never forget, Grinders are Higher on the food chain than

Re: Need gold string for leather project...

Re: Need some advice on working with old leather

Re: Hardening leather: the finer points (not remaking the wh

Re: First Tourament- Advice and/or Ancedotes

Re: Are we swordsmen?

Re: The Mace and SCA combat.