The Armour Archive

Norman

Hold up here -- Let's step back and examine the initial needs. Don't know much about Gauls 'cepting Asterix and Obelix. Now, as for the Cossacks, that is a multi-regional, multi-period ..complex phenomenon. By no means did all Cossacks wear Mustaches Much more distinctive is the head hair -- sometim...

Norman

-Design with overlapping plates historically relates to Iranian 13 century helmets. I don't have a link but paper source only but I'll scan it for you in several days. Here ya go Not the best pic, but I found this online a couple days ago. I'm wanting to document a late 14th C. turban helm for the ...

Norman

Mikael, Lovely helmet - very well executed. A couple of questions -- - The bowl design with curved overlapping plates. I didn't see that on any helmets of this type. Any particular reason you went with it? - Why the bump in the crown plate? (again, I don't recall seeing that in the originals) - Am I...

Norman

No one answered. I'll give a start -- You're talking 6-7 century The poem itself describes the primary armour -- Maile For helmets and other gear, there are some great finds: Sutton Hoo - the famous full faced helmet, a purse, shield, sword... ValsgÃ¤rde or VallsgÃ¤rde - a mass of wonderful helmets ...

Norman

For leather caftans, there's Matteo Villani, and several chronicles, including the Rheimskronik -- I can hunt them down alter when I'm at home. They refer to Hungarians wearing tight-fitting leather doublets. And at least one of the Cuman babas, generally assumed to have relevance regionally (due t...

Norman

Except I don't belive the lower rivets on the "brickwork" armour necessitate that the plates are inside. (you figure the artist would not have undercut the bands quite so straight if he was trying to show plates on the inside) It could be that the lower rivets attach the plates to each oth...

Norman

That's traditional for the region from folk practices. You turn the fur to the outside during the summer. VERY widespread throughout east-central Europe, documented solidly in the 16c on. Huh? Why would you wear the fur in the summer? This is what I idealy want -- documentability for a leather Kaft...

Norman

Don't hide it -- Flaunt it! Lots of Chinese rawhide lamellar. Most commonly it was laquered in many layers of alternating black and red lacquer with designs (simple circles) achieved by cutting through the layers to get alternating. The plates were also commonly laced in alternating rows or red and ...

Norman

[img]http://images19.fotki.com/v358/photos/6/668789/3655280/ournament2Fgt2Dfight2D0042Ejpg-vi.jpg[/img]
From this thread http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/ ... hp?t=95076
Looks like a pretty spot on Eastern European / Byzantine suit
(probably some errors in the lamellar lacing -- but that's irrelevant to the topic of this thread)

Norman

No, they're completely absent from the archaeological record as I know it. What I meant was -- do folks you know use the brass ball buttons on male gear? I don't have any good sources for clothing remains from graves: if there was a leather lining, it must have been quite a light one. In the Mosche...

Norman

That is quite distinctive. What do you think the helmet is? Could this guy have visited Lithuania? I saw some photos of Lithuanian reeenactors just the other day who supposedly knew what they were doing (and did match drawings in Gorelik's work) who wore a "Laminar" armour -- armour made o...

Norman

[quote="adamstjohn"]Probably the opposite. The occasional black guy on a European battlefield is pretty likely. A whole clan of white people dancing through the ME rather less so.[quote] Huh Most Middle Easterners are white. (there tends to be a far higher proportion of black hair and brow...

Norman

Sorry, I forgot your question on Whitney Punches. (and I'll add a comment on Aviator snips) I bought two Harbour Freight punches when they were on sale for $10 to add to my old punch (theoreticaly a name brand but...) so I basicaly have them each set with a particular size punch so's not to switch o...

Norman

This wasnt an SCA group I think they were from Scandinavia specializing in viking war tactics Didn't think they were -- just saying that if those are ear flaps they are done in a silly way -- unless the intent was to hide them as modern modifications the way they do in the SCA. I gotta say - I come...

Norman

Those are not the best reproductions there. The type of the one you were interested is often called a crested helmet -- the earliest are Persian, they are adapted by the Romans as "Romano-Sassanid" The specific one you are interested in is a generic (not best) take on (as was mentioned) Ve...

Norman

I was just tossing out a random gauge number, mainly the point was I don't need say 12 or 14 gauge steel plates like I saw mentioned in a lot of the posts I looked at. He has 18 and 20 gauge 1050 steel in that particular brigandine I linked to, but you're probably right about 20 gauge aluminum bein...

Norman

All different ways.
Most commonly either rivets or integral posts.
Here's a whole batch of period belts:
http://www.geocities.com/normanjfin/belts/

Norman

Are there any surviving khazaghand or good recreations? I am not aware of any but, based on Usama ibn Munqid's diary, it is realy quite simple -- Put on your coat, put on a hauberk over this, put on another coat on top.. do this as many times as you want layers. Have your friend tack them in place....

Norman

The armour from Sind (India) which normaly comes with a full face maile drape has this drape over a rather thick quilted cloth with holes for the moth and eyes. The quilted drape is also open at the sides of the face (think of it as a quilted coif with a triangular drape attached at the top of the f...

Norman

nfortunately, you are encountering a non-period problem -- and therefore the solution will be ...trickier. In period people eaither wore gorgets on top of the shirt. But you're trying to wear a gorget while pretending not to. I think the first thing to do is examine your entire period look -- maybe ...

Norman

Um... make me one, too? I'm actualy planning to pay a lady out in Georgia waay too much money. Mainly 'cause of another documentation problem -- if I could legitimise using a leather one, I could do it myself, but I just would not do a nice job in fabric. And I'da prefered a leather one anyhow. Unf...

Norman

EDIT: In adition to the original buttons question below, I would also very much like to document a leather coat if such a thing is possible (see last few mwsages between me and Russ) ----------------------------------------------------- I need help / advice on the right buttons to use on a male coa...

Norman

Russ, Write to the Royal Armouries. Stephen Hand is one name that springs to mind. Also Richard... eh, I forgot. Twelve years can do that. Last I tried, the email was on their website. These guys are realy responsive and their collection is great. Do you want me to go to the Met with some specific a...

Norman

Norman, is this what you were referring to? Here we have the staples interlocking vertically and horizontally... "[Below] is a piece of original lamellar or "locking scale" owned by David Michaels. It is made of brass and probably dates to the third century AD..." http://www.lar...

Norman

If youre trying to paint me as the Censorship Gestapo.....keep looking pal, it aint me. I think part of the conflict here comes from the nebulousness of what it is you, Andrew (or we) would like to achieve. Pitbull and some others think you are trying to get him to stop producing "female muscu...

Norman

What shape lamellar would be appropriate for this portrail? Would this type work? m That page seems to have a copy of a very specific lamellar (Wisby) and seems to be missing a hole or two. This is better m I recently saw a store page which has a good batch of styles and it looks like the manufactu...

Norman

Hmn, It seems that this is largely a language issue. http://www.ask-vikingekampgruppe.dk/images/pic1055.jpg This is normally called scale. It is pretty much the same as the common Roman Lorica Squamata. The distinction from lamellar is that while lamellar is attached to more lamellar both verticaly ...

Norman

Another thread here showed the following page m Which unfortunately doesn't allow image links. Hey. is that guy from the Archive? (for some reason he looks familiar) Anyhow - On that page, scroll down to the fifth picture and he shows the inside of his helmet with a suspension system. I am wondering...

Norman

I have seen Belly Dancers at a lot of events wearing just about the same thing Pitbull sells. In fact I am almost positive one of them was a pitbull Steel Bra. No one I was talking with had anything to say about it and Barely even noticed. Hell at one of the Fight practices I got to they have a Bel...

Norman

This is a nice suit. Reminds me of a Mongol-Russian suit I saw once (that one without the wire reinforces) Do you have more details on this? Web page? Writeup? http://www.partsandtechnical.com/chalcis4.JPG Is this the exterior or interior?? But it is irrelevant to this debate - I do indeed say, as y...

Norman

My metal vagina's have failed miserably. I should of been a better student of Georgia O'Keeffe. There is a great exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, I think its called "the Banquet". It is a triangular arranged set of tables with placesettings representing the great women of mythology and his...

Norman

First I just gotta apologise to generichead for hijacking his thread. Hpoefully you're learning something. Andrew! - Dang - you play so fast and loose I'm surprised you don't get whiplash! Are you seriously trying to pass this off as your proof!?!?!: http://www.veranda.com/cm/veranda/images/terra-co...

Norman

I usualy make mine of steel (I think all the period ones were steel) but I don't see why my pattern wouldn't work if you know how to dish leather.

The center of the circles would be the point of your elbow.

Norman

Food recipes -- Mead and Kvas are period ('course wine is a given) Kvas is the original sodapop! It is a brewed product made from bread (but not alcoholic - or so little that no one notices) Referenced by the time of St. Cyril and is still the most popular drink in Russia (Coke has found that they c...

Norman

Oh Boy! Here we go again! The short of it - if you search under lamellar and find Andrew you will find his position about wired lamellar as well as long arguments against it. Very briefly - the latest wired lamellar anyone has mentioned so far is Dura Europos (where it is, if I'm not mistaken, wired...

Hungarian / Russian / Turk Buttons - Coats - I need help !?!

Period Viking Helmet suspension???