The Armour Archive

Chris Gilman

I just found out that Arab boy's glass shop will not be there this year, so I will have more free time. If desired I could be available to share some of my experience. I may have a couple of suits of armour there folks could look at for ideas. BTW: AA members, it would be worth pooling your money an...

Chris Gilman

[img]http://www.acanthusonline.co.uk/Hunt%20of%20Maximilian%20'July'.jpg[/img]

What's with the dog dumping in the middle of this image?
A polital or social comment on the patron or someone in the image?

Chris Gilman

When I said it sucks, I was being a bit facetious, playing to those who have a great dislike for the Dean suit at the Metropolitan Museum, The cuirass of this suit being a copy of the Dean suit, which is considered to be a work of fiction. That being said, I have fought in this suit many times and h...

Chris Gilman

Hey, great job. That looks very nice. The edging is nice and even.

Chris Gilman

Dam Cian, you better not put hair on that thing.

Chris Gilman

That suit sucks, it is all wrong, its 20 years old....however it is done and it does work and yes, it is ABS and Kydex. I was tired of so many people saying that their armour sucked because they could make a nice one, and couldnâ€™t afford to have a nice one made. So I made it to illustrate what cou...

Chris Gilman

Can be done in your oven. Only needs to be 200 f Take the piece out when it feels like new belt leather (just bendable, about 160 to 180 f) form it over sweats. No toxic fumes unless you burn it. (+400 f)

Chris Gilman

During the American Civil war a number of officers had bullet proof armour under their uniforms. I believe all of them were made in New England. Even some Confederate officers had them.
BTW; itâ€™s a flail, not a â€œmorning starâ€

Chris Gilman

(cross post) We have rented a number of things to them and have offered expertise on a number of fighting styles and they have turned us down. I know of three instances when an expert in an area of combat (Viking, Samurai, Knight) where auditioned and didnâ€™t get the part as it seems the production...

Chris Gilman

I would have to disagree on two points. Auto darkening helmet- I'd advise learning the skill of flipping your helmet down. I have had a couple of auto helmets and they have both failed many times when; they were left on and the battery was dead, the battery was low or I thought they were on and they...

Chris Gilman

Splendid!
edit: Banner that is. (Again, I must have missed page 2

)

Chris Gilman

Thank you for the quick and informative responses guys! I have some experience stick welding supports for a viking ship, but we worked with pretty thick stock, so I imagined welding armour plate would be much more difficult. I also thought colour differences would be problematic. I have a decent MI...

Chris Gilman

How would latex hold up? If one made a mold of a crest and filled said mold with liquid latex, would the crest stand up to regular SCA abuse? You can dwell the latex for several hours ,depending on how new (wet) your mold is to get a thickness of 3/32" to 1/8" that will be very durable. D...

Chris Gilman

We have rented a number of things to them and have offered expertise on a number of fighting styles and they have turned us down. I know of three instances when an expert in an area of combat (Viking, Samurai, Knight) where auditioned and didnâ€™t get the part as it seems the production is not inter...

Chris Gilman

Sorry I did respond sooner. Better shaping over all, better fit in the joint of the breast and back. You are getting smooth shapes it's just the shapes are not quite right. Look at real pauldrins from many angles and you will see the radius changes throughout the curve. Your shapes say to me "I...

Chris Gilman

yes that is early 14th C. (I'm not sure why it's named 13th.jpg)also the greaves are leather with steel splints, and only the body and main plates on the gauntlets are plastic. I fixed this. Thanks. (Your stuff is really amazing, btw.) Thanks, but it is not that difficult to do if you know what to ...

Chris Gilman

yes that is early 14th C. (I'm not sure why it's named 13th.jpg)also the greaves are leather with steel splints, and only the body and main plates on the gauntlets are plastic.

Chris Gilman

Chris, do you find the luan holds up better than 2 1/4" pieces of other wood? Is there much weight difference? How long does your standard luan shield hold up to abuse, and what are you rimming it with? Uric I don't really have a comparison. The luan seems to hold up well and I only make it 3/...

Chris Gilman

I would have to agree, you are trying to take a material engineered to resist bending and force it to do something it wonâ€™t and youâ€™re going to spend more money and time than if you just got a 4'x8' sheet of 1/8â€

Chris Gilman

Chris, that looks great. Two questions, though: will the shield then stand up to SCA use, and how far in from the edge of the wood does the rawhide go? The wood is 1/2" thick, and I went so far as to make my own plywood, fer godsake. Four layers of cross-grained arctic birch, so I really don't...

Chris Gilman

The biggest issue I see with people doing rawhide edging is too few rivets (nails) or crude stitching. Do not "lace" your edging on, sew it on. Drill many small holes around your shield and stitch it with synthetic sinew or waxed linen thread. Space your holes 3/8 to 3/4 of an inch apart n...

Chris Gilman

Sorry I didn't get to this sooner. There is a book titled; "The Viking age, The early history manners, and customs of the ancestors of the English-speaking nations" By Paul B. du Chaillu It has a number of "throne chairs" and carved benches from Scandinavia that seem to be what y...

Chris Gilman

Pitbull Armory wrote:Howdy Chris. Thanks for the evaluation there Ill be working on all that. I always put extra wide straps on my cuirasses, it makes them more comfortable. What about the dog though?

Take care

Pitbull

Nice lines, good color, but the toy is to gay for a pitbull.

Chris Gilman

I donâ€™t mean to sound harsh and in the hope for people to improve their form and their ability to â€œseeâ€

Chris Gilman

That's a condottiero popularly known as Pippo Spano, as painted by Andrea del Castagno. He died in 1426, and the fresco shows armour of the sort in use when the fresco was painted, c. 1450. I see you mean Pippo Spano died in 1426, I thought you meant Castagno I was thinking, that was agood trick. I...

Chris Gilman

I thought I would post progress pictures and some "how to" bits. I have decided to make scale vambraces for my 1340's suit. Based on this effigy. http://www.globaleffects.com/Temp/effigy1113.JPG The scales are made from 1075 spring, no reason 1075 over 1050, other than I had some .025"...

Chris Gilman

noproblem gramerspelingandpunkuatonaintimportantjustgoahedandaskedyourtquestion

Chris Gilman

Mines clear.

Chris Gilman

I have made 2 pairs of Viking age shoes in a day with a skiving trick. (I did hand sew the uppers.) If you skive the edge of the thick sole leather down, you can use a standard walking foot sewing machine to sew the upper to the sole, turn them and no gluing is needed. They look very, very close to ...

Chris Gilman

I'm gonna' disagree Chris. I think we are looking at a coat of plates. It's sort of like the ones in the mid 14th c. German art, but with narrower lames. Mac I guess I could see that. It seems odd there are no breaks in the plates (other than were we can't see) because I would think the strips woul...

Chris Gilman

Chris, as I look at the leg more, I find myself wondering... With the cuisse OVER the knee, unless the knee is really tall, won't the knee "eat up" the dangling leather the first time you bend your knee and then straighten it? Effingham The knee cop is fitted to the leg and the top edge o...

Chris Gilman

Then the splinted cuisse is strapped on and pointed at the hip. In my test this seems to work well, as the cuisse and schynbald pivot away from the polyne and back when the leg is bent. Does this leave a gap if you bend your leg in a modern or medieval riding position? -Ken Yes, but so must have th...

Chris Gilman

While a had a few issues with historicity, etc, the armour and in general the military scenes were superb. Perhaps the best I have seen in movies. This is perhaps because of awesome Captain Dale Dye , who advised (and acted!) in Stone's "Platoon" as well as being in charge of the training...

Chris Gilman

I would suggest a quilted gambason, not metal.

Chris Gilman

If this does not happen, then you have to worry.

Re: Hi there