The Armour Archive

Maelgwyn

...Some types of things I've run into are questions involving the hole pattern on late roman lamellar as well as the dimensions of those same plates. C'mon Tom, give me a hard one... According to Dan Shadrake "A cluster of iron lamellar plates were found in Somerset SW Britain & have been dated to ...

Maelgwyn

For a quick overview: Steppes horsemen from 2nd century Sarmatians to 19th century Tibet including Avars and Magyars and Mongols, but Huns seemed to prefer less armour. Seems likely for the Alan tribe of Sarmatians settled from Gaul to North Africa and enduring into the post-Roman period. Roman cava...

Maelgwyn

This is a good question, but I suspect it has been quiet because there are few good answers. One thing I try to do is look for related cultures where the item might have come from. For Romano-British this often means studying what the Romans used for ______, since their physical culture is comparati...

Maelgwyn

You question your own foudation in this matter. Hmm. I thought my foundation was in my opinion that the game worked better if limited to the medieval and renaisance periods without including ancient or classical cultures as well. I only cited the letter of the existing rule in reference to the term...

Maelgwyn

How do you define the time and place you are portraying? Your new helm should not only go with your current gear but hopefully also work with whatever changes you make in the foreseeable future.

Maelgwyn

Are there flyers at the local hotels? Are there flyers at other nearby historical sites? How easy is it to find your Web site? Are all scheduled events promoted there? This page m shows no events since June 2003. This page m makes no mention of Bachmann Publick House. This page m seems to have a mis...

Maelgwyn

So, was Genghis Khan a tourist? How about Mohammed II & SÃƒÂ¼leyman? Nope, those guys were serious players in the politics and warfare of medieval Europe. The Aztecs, Japanese, Scythians, Maori, Lakota and Watusi were not. Sometimes history is that black and white. Sometimes there are grey areas, b...

Maelgwyn

...Which would *you* rather see -a respectable bronzed attempt at the Dendra harness, or another naked warrior in a bargrill spuntop "bascinet"? Ah, but that isn't the choice here. I've seen pictures of Tim's work and his costumes. I'm convinced he will do a "fully baked" portrayal of whatever he s...

Maelgwyn

I like to set up thrusts by throwing a shot and then dragging it partway back before thrusting. Examples: Throw a slot shot and if they block it with their sword basket then drag the tip down below their hand and thrust up into their faceplate. Throw a scorpion wrap and if they block drag your sword...

Maelgwyn

Well, you did ask for feedback. I would prefer that you focused your attention, within the SCA, on medieval and renaisance cultures in Europe. Ancient cultures are fascinating but they fall outside the scope of our game. With 1,200 years and an entire continent to work with there are so many interes...

Maelgwyn

I'm afraid that most of us are the kind of armour fanatics that want the right helm to go with our children's personna or portrayal. If you can dish and rivet or weld 18 gauge you can make your own youth helm. Chin straps are too easy, no need to farm them out. I'd use an existing street hockey gril...

Maelgwyn

See http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/ ... hp?t=34211 . Not much help, but it may explain some of the issues. Good Luck!

Maelgwyn

I checked out Wal-Mart, no grills.... I think maybe some 3/16" steel welding rod would work. I pick 'em up at a used sporting goods place. At about $10 each it would be hard to fabricate one for less. The black grill is not too intrusive. Ps: Funny... but this helm would be in the $225.00 range any...

Maelgwyn

There are soccer shinguards that can be custom-fit using hot water...they might provide a simple "hidden armour" alternative for those of us who don't want plate greaves. I'd go with felt-lined hardened leather greaves myself. Vacu-formed plastic greaves would provide another lightweight hidden armo...

Maelgwyn

Hmmm. Would archeologist's sketches be enough? I'm sure I've seen that helm in A Companion to Medieval Arms and Armour edited by David Nicolle, 2002. I'll have to look for it when I get home.

Maelgwyn

...So why is actively striking the opponents arm encouraged if you don't like the outcome of striking the opponents arm? For myself, I'll take an arm if it is available during a tournament and offer my opponent the chance to yield. If they decline the opportunity and fight single-sword with their o...

Maelgwyn

Ok Jay, my first advice is not to go with a straight linen, better use a mixed linen/rayon. Jehan was subtle, I'll be direct. My first advice is to ignore this advice from Jerry and use 100% linen. Wash it before sewing as you would with any fabric. If you use layers of linen for the padding that w...

Maelgwyn

The bars on the street-hockey masks are quite thin...I'd guess 1/8 inch. I'd seriously suggest using an existing grill, at least for your first attempt. As a youth boffer marshal I'd love to have somewhere I could send parents to buy a decent helm. Halberds, I'm sure yours will sell even if Broinnfi...

Maelgwyn

I like the term "portrayal", affectionately stolen from our LH friends.

I still use "personna" but it does seem to encourage an excess of creative storytelling without sufficient research to back it up.

Maelgwyn

Noe, I usually bake at about 180-200 degrees farenheight. I use an oven thermometer because oven settings are notoriously unreliable. Warren's suggestion of 165 degrees should work just as well. Azommin, if you have made a suede vambrace then you have a soft costume piece and I do not know any effec...

Maelgwyn

Diomedes? Victor effectively countered your answer in his first paragraph. The position you are holding is not defensible...time to fall back and re-group. Fighting from the ground is not unfair or dishonorable, it is merely unrealistic and ahistorical. If the SCA as a whole would like to make our f...

Maelgwyn

We may be getting into some tricky semantics here. I've seen photos of materials from Dura Europos that appear to meet my definition of lamellar - pieces laced to each other rather than to a backing material. I look forward to reading Mr. James report when I can get it through ILL. Right now only th...

Maelgwyn

...many if not most modern helmet constructions seem to rely on welding two halfs together to get the top shape. Is that any more authentically 'in period' as a technique? Depends on what century you are reproducing. Great helms and spangens are not that hard to do authentically, with or without we...

Maelgwyn

My son uses a lightweight roman helm with a street hockey bargrill. It attaches with chicago screws so it could be easily removed. It even has a linen liner stuffed with raw wool for padding. [img]http://www.cox-internet.com/kmarsh/images/PICT0001.JPG[/img] I'd offer to make one for you if I wasn't ...

Maelgwyn

Thanks, Timo! I had a general impression that something like that had happened, but it is good to hear it directly from the source. I look forward to seeing the new rules when they come out. No doubt there will be additional tweaks in the future, but meanwhile I'm glad that you got a conservative ru...

Maelgwyn

Murdock, you are richly blessed. Not just lucky, because that would ignore the work you put in to be at the right place at the right time in the right kit. Blessed.

Maelgwyn

As I recall, the oldest surviving helm of any kind is from that region (helmet of King Meskalamdug, from the Royal Cemetery at Ur, dating circa 2,400 B.C.) and currently (hopefully still) in a museum in Baghdad. It is raised in one piece...out of solid gold. No rust or corrosion! See http://www.baghdadmuseum.org/Photos.htm

Maelgwyn

1) I 'assume' I should dye the leather before baking and impregnating with rabbit glue and not afterwards. Yes. You will get some additional darkening during baking&glueing. You can also paint the leather afterwards if you wish. I plan to try this with some details on a current project. 2) It would...

Maelgwyn

My lady is a youth marshal in the Midrealm, and she has been fighting for that rule to be changed for the past two years. Perhaps she will find the new Ansteorran rules to be a useful example when they are published next month. Rev, if the East kingdom adopt a rule like this and you can get a permi...

Maelgwyn

According to the Mid-realm youth combat rules currently linked from the Marshalate page: 1.2.2 At least one parent/legal guardian must be present at all times while the minor is engaged in Boffer activities. For 6-9 year olds this presence requires the parent to be with in visual and vocal range of ...

Maelgwyn

See http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/ ... hp?t=29104
and
http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/ ... hp?t=33401

My suggestion: do not boil, do not wax, bake with rabbit glue.

Maelgwyn

Post a side view?

From the front this looks very nice. I think the internal-welded grill makes a huge difference by not obscuring the lines of the cheek plates.

Keep up the good work!

Maelgwyn

A)Weapon design. I agree with your goal but I'm dubious about finding a real improvement. I like fighting with swords that cannot enter our helms no matter what bonehead move/fluke happens. B)Fighting from the knees. This is easy...don't do it. You can yield any bout at any time for any reason. I f...

Maelgwyn

Rather than repeat leather hardening advice, I will draw your attention to the "Search" feature near the top of your screen. Terms like "leather hardening" will retrieve lots of advice and explanations.

Welcome to the Archive!

Maelgwyn

Sure! I can help a bit, altough there are others here in town who are more knowledgeable. You would do well to start by coming out to Tuesday night fighter practice at 7:30 PM. Directions are at http://bryn-gwlad.ansteorra.org/whereweare.php

Re: Sewing machines

Re: Spun Top Question

Re: Comments on SCA fighting conventions from formar SCAdian