The Armour Archive

Maelgwyn

Either can be used to great effect if you train with them. What shield is most common for your personna? I encourage you to study and train with that shield type, whatever it is.

I am currently using a 24x36" center-gripped curved oval and enjoying it immensely.

Maelgwyn

That was a bargain! I have a pair of those that have lasted for years. I took a hard tip shot to the thumb in them Tuesday night and all I said was "ouch". It didn't even bruise.

PS Master Peter is in San Antonio now and armouring part-time...very limited production of some very nice armour.

Maelgwyn

Brian W. Rainey wrote:If anyone is in the area for their Texas grand opening... I suggest checking it out. They are expensive, but a good business for us hobbyists none the less.

Thanks for the tip! I've passed it along to some other Texas armourers as well.

Maelgwyn

Giving specifics or even accurate broad generalizations for all of these times and cultures in a 2-hour class is probably a dream. Discussing the elements of a complete outfit; the importance of consistant time, place, social role and other factors within an outfit; and research methods/sources can ...

Maelgwyn

On the horizontal bars over the eye opening, curving them to match the curve of the helmet will make them more likely to catch hard downwards strikes and bend. Straight bars from each edge of the eye opening to the nasal will actually hold up better. My current helm uses curved stainless 1/4" bars a...

Maelgwyn

My class handout for "Armouring for Your Time and Place" may be of interest. http://www.cox-internet.com/kmarsh/armour.doc

Maelgwyn

If an experienced marshal approves this helm for use in combat, then for padding I suggest you read this article and follow the instructions. Despite many years of SCA tradition, foam padding is evil nasty stuff that should never be placed around your head or next to your skin. It is very effective ...

Maelgwyn

http://www.mcmaster.com/

They ship rivets and chicago screws and many other useful items.

Maelgwyn

I own a set of the "newcastle" lamellar and I find it very protective. I am working on a set of hardened leather to replace it because I want the added authenticity. Aesthetically I find that the darker colors simulate dyed leather so effectively that many people have to touch the plates to determin...

Maelgwyn

There is no "England" in those centuries, but I'll assume you meant Britain. The following is only slightly edited from a previous post. Your interests seem to include a bit more of the Roman occupation period. ------------------------------------------------------ Ok, you're talking about the Roman...

Maelgwyn

Welcome to the Archive! I think you will find the answers to these and many other questions in the rules that are used for your combat. You did not specify but I will guess that you are in the SCA in the Kingdom of Atlantia. If I am correct then your rules are online at m . I suggest that you bookma...

Maelgwyn

Medieval and ancient scale appears to give good protection against light arrows and sword cuts. Using an axe voids the warranty!

Maelgwyn

Beowulf, Y Gododdin, and the battle accounts of Ammianus Marcellinus all make for inspirational reading.

Maelgwyn

Because SCA combatants are not armored to this standard (ours being a mail standard) we will use assumed armor as worn. Both participants will be assumed to be wearing plate mail that covers every portion of their body except: the face, the inner elbow, the armpit, and the groin. These two sentence...

Maelgwyn

Tom, most of what I rely upon is found in published articles/books that cannot be simply posted to a Web site. If you are working on an Arthurian annotated bibliography (what a good idea!) then I can review several sources for you. I also have an extensive collection of "Arthuriana" links. With some...

Maelgwyn

Egfroth, how would you interpret this part of the picture? Overlapping panels? slats? Is the whole thing a quilted cover over some other kind of helm?
[img]http://www.cox-internet.com/kmarsh/biz.jpg[/img]

Maelgwyn

For some DFB adds gritty realism, for others it kills the chivalric spirit. I must admit that personally I find the realism attractive. However, all other things being equal I am inclined to leave it out because we are trying many new things in this battle and most of the participants will come from...

Maelgwyn

I'd still like to hear more opinions on death-from-behind by placing your weapon over their eyes. I like the idea for this battle but I'm worried about over-complicating things. What do you think?

Maelgwyn

If we want this to be sanctioned at an SCA event, hands cannot be targeted. Quite a few of us make our livings with our hands. I'm willing to risk a hit to my hands as an accidental impact but actually targeting the hands makes me nervous. My hands get broke and I can't make armour, if I can't make...

Maelgwyn

...PRETEND THEY'RE NOT THERE. IF someone Smacks your hand with a sword or other weapon ... LOSE THE HAND. I like this idea. In fact, I have proposed it previously as a general change to SCA combat conventions. However, this IS an actual rule change with safety implications unlike the other conventi...

Maelgwyn

So roughly what do you charge for "Regia Quality" tunics and trews? What sorts of woven trimming does Regia accept? I've been looking for woven trim to use for clavi and orbiculi on dalmatic or coptic tunics but have not been able to find bands of wool trim anywhere. Would you consider just stocking...

Maelgwyn

D., I like the loot but I don't want it to get damaged, so I've written it in so that it stays off the field and provides incentive for both taking prisoners and staying alive. The 30 really proved we can do this. I hope to see a dozen variations at events, starting soon. I don't plan to make it to ...

Maelgwyn

Remember that the word "glaive" is also used by various authors and translators to mean a very wide variety of weapons. It is a an extremely imprecise term if used without further clarification, so be cautious.

Maelgwyn

Hardened carbon steel armour weighs even less than you think it will. And it is tougher than you might expect. Wow! Who knew?

Maelgwyn

Connar, nothing is serious until several kinds of approval are obtained. That's why I'm eager to iron things out so far in advance. I've gotten started with that and I'll keep you posted. Even if nothing formal gets approved there will be a substantial number of 6th century warriors in one place and...

Maelgwyn

Who was using symetrical coffin shields or a dacian falx in the 6th century?

I presume you didn't really mean flax!

If flax is your weapon you need to wash your linen tunic more often!

We seem to be reaching some common ground here...see the latest revision above.

Maelgwyn

Ok, now we are getting to some meaty discussion. Asbjorn, I see why you want death to carry a "cost" but I feel that adding money to this is not the right direction. $20 means nothing to some fighters and means no dinner tonight for others. I just don't want to go there. I am very open to other idea...

Maelgwyn

As I understand it the rationale is that a fallen man who is actively engaged could be easily killed or stepped on and then captured, but our rules preclude those actions. The surrender is a next-best approximation. How did this work out for the 30 at Pensic?

Maelgwyn

A reasonable size, if a bit thick. It might come out a bit heavy but the large lames will give less % overlap and help keep the weight down. I seriously doubt whether any paint or stain will be durable on this plastic under combat conditions. If you enjoy this kind of labor-intensive project then go...

Maelgwyn

Connar, are you saying that you would improve your SCA kit just to participate in such a thing? That was one of my goals...right after having a lot of fun. Josh, Gulf War is near Hattiesburg, Mississippi March 14-20, 2005. Close enough? Nothing is guaranteed at this point, I'm just floating a balloo...

Maelgwyn

This topic is spun off from the "I can't believe..." thread about the Battle of the 30 at Pensic, where Jehan stated, "...there is no reason whatsoever that devotees of other periods should not strive in like manner. None whatsoever. " My next thought was "Mons Badonicus. We must do the battle of Mo...

Maelgwyn

How are you fighting these days? Better than I had hoped in armoured combat...my elbow seems to be recovering from tendonitis, I am very happy with my new center-grip oval shield, and I am beginning to hold my own against some of the guys that I couldn't touch before. I've had 4 really fun and prod...

Maelgwyn

"How many SCA'ers would/could have a full kit and would be willing to recreate fights like this on a regular basis? " How many of the participants improved their kit specifically for this combat? How many current SCA fighters would acquire acceptable kits if that were the requirement for high-prest...

Maelgwyn

I have three more projects in my current round of upgrades, and all of them are at least off to a good start: 1. Spring-steel gauntlets - They are cut out and the right hand mostly formed. I need to tweak the articulation a bit more and then assemble them, then dish the articualtion areas of the lef...

Maelgwyn

I agree: this will be just fine. How thick is your plastic and how large are your lames? Your saw-cuts will probably need some sanding and you will want to round the corners a bit. A belt sander is your friend. Is the plastic a dark color that could be achieved with dyed leather? If so you may not n...

6th century battle (SCA)

Re: Rate yourself...