The Armour Archive

Maelgwyn

Care to define "combat grade"? After experiments with rabbit-glue-and-baking hardening techniques, I conclude that 10 oz. veg-tanned leather is the thickest I need anywhere. Thicker than that and you are just adding bulk and mass, IMHO. Treated 10 oz is much tougher and more rigid than any sole/armo...

Maelgwyn

Ok, I've just spent the past few hours looking at previous posts about glue hardening leather. I was wondering what advances in knowledge have come about recently in the technology of glue hardening. Has the debate over hide glue and cheese glue been resolved? If so, which one is the better? More p...

Maelgwyn

Maelgwyn is the authority on using rabbit glue for hardening. I have tried the techniques that he has posted and have had very nice results as well. If the piece needs a lot of shaping, I would suggest shaping before glueing it, but Maelgwyn might have some tips on that. (If so, I am eager to hear ...

Maelgwyn

oh oh someone who uses rabbit glue, yes lol. I have found out about rabbit glue here in hardened leather posts, but when i try to search for MORE info i just get post saying "use rabbit glue it great" then thats it please can you post links to what you have writen so far, more then happy to read Yo...

Maelgwyn

Lately I have been soaking the leather in rabbit glue rather than water and getting excellent results. That way I do not have to add glue during baking, just adjust the shape periodically. So long as you keep your oven temperatures low you will not have trouble with the leather getting brittle or cr...

Maelgwyn

I would suggest looking at the shields found at Dura Europos for construction ideas and dimensions. These center-grip ovals are some of the few surviving shields from the late Roman period and I think you will find them very interesting. The book that describes them is "The Excavations at Dura-Europ...

Maelgwyn

Thanks, got it. Similar to the "set a pattern and then break it" I use in rapier, in that you are teaching your opponent what to expect and then dissapointing them. One of these months I have GOT to get together with you to spar. I'm sure I would have loved the symposium but such travel is not in th...

Maelgwyn

http://home.armourarchive.org/members/morgan/docs/ For anyone who's interested in Earl Duncan's outline, which is what he went over in his class, here is a link to the outline for Introduction to Sword Theory and Movement. If any questions pop up (and it IS afterall only an outline) I'll try to poi...

Maelgwyn

I use a 24X36 curved oval with a vertical grip. I can document both horizontal and vertical grips for late Roman center-boss shields.

6', 195 lbs.

Maelgwyn

...Hmmm i'd get certian individuals. Guys like Stephan Von dresden (sp?) Jade, Rhys, Gareth (guys that scare people ) then Brian, Vitus, Talamar, Trelan, Harlad, (guys that inspire people. If i had any room left after pickin al the Dukes and Knights i'd fill in with Calontir shield men and Red co w...

Maelgwyn

The option for 22g stainless and for 1050 or 4130 steel would seem attractive. The heat-treatable steels could be stamped from annealed stock so the user can heat/quench/temper them or you could offer them heat-treated at additional cost.

Maelgwyn

I believe there are some statues or relief carvings of crusaders wearing lamellar armour in Bari, Italy at the church where the remains of St. Nicholas were re-buried in 1087 after they were moved to avoid desecration in the Moslem invasion of his native land which today is part of Turkey. Yes, thes...

Maelgwyn

If I may attempt to re-phrase your question, you seem to be asking: Given the use of silvery-metal lamellar armour, what historic times/places/social roles are possible and what helms go with those settings? How long is your lamellar? What size are the plates? Could we see a picture? Sarmatian, Roma...

Maelgwyn

I would like to see your new arms. Could you post an image?

Maelgwyn

Quoting from another thread: ... a heavy leather cuirie body defense is historical -- for 12th-13th-c. Europe. They wore them over their hauberks and under their surcoats. It was likely cut a lot like a breast-and-back -- deep cutouts in the breast for the arms as leather that heavy (and probably ha...

Maelgwyn

I'd make/buy the coat of plates instead of the splinted kidney belt for your starter kit. It will be relatively easy to do and it will look like armour right away. Use a sturdy cloth like 2 layers of hemp canvas or heavy linen for the coat and for the plates you could use anything hard and light tha...

Maelgwyn

If you ARE going to be hit with significant amounts of force, hardening the skirting leather adds less weight than using thicker leather. I do not know of any armour application that requires more than 8-10 oz saddle skirting leather, hardened with rabbit glue and by hammering during shaping. Becaus...

Maelgwyn

Begin by identifying your goals. You have a good start with I really am looking to get "legal" in my SCA kit before I really have the opportunity or desire to get the authenticity down 100%. Eventually, I want to have a great, period set of armor... Next, identify a target time, place and social rol...

Maelgwyn

It's a shame you don't offer these in 22g. carbon steel. I'd like a commercial source to refer people to when they see how little mine weighs.

Maelgwyn

It's made to a lighter spec that the SCA would allow (more for LH), and you are right, that is canvas over wood, with the wooden splines added after the fabric. ( I've use linen in the past, but it doesn't paint a crisply as canvas) Have you tried using a layer of gesso on the linen before painting...

Maelgwyn

You have already gotten lots of good advice. I've learned a lot from reading Dan's posts. If this is for SCA combat then please consider the costs and benefits of hardening the leather. Leather hardened with rabbit glue and baking can: 1. Improve rigidity and reduce bruising. 2. Reduce weight by off...

Maelgwyn

I still use wood glue to laminate the layers together. Bring a couple pieces of 2'x3'x1/4" birch plywood over and we can make one on my press. I want to try some destructive testing to compare shield edging and facing techniques. Rawhide edges stitched through the linen-covered shield were used on t...

Maelgwyn

Welcome and beware: There is another addiction lurking right behind this one. People who can make their own armour are especially vulnerable to the "Fighting in Armour" addiction which is equally hard to cure. It might be wise to contact your local pusher////// group and make some enquiries, just in...

Maelgwyn

...I for my part believe that the future belongs to firebrands who insist on building the whole thing and gathering groups together for that purpose...This passion is what the prime ingredient is. When all your hobbies and what you love come together, then you will stand on a hill from which you ca...

Maelgwyn

Master Peter (Max) is now doing some very nice work in 4130 spring steel and he lives on the north edge of San Antonio.

Maelgwyn

I am told by women who should know that men tend to like their shield grips roughly perpendicular to the forearm while women tend to like them tilted forward a bit, sometimes almost parallel to the lead edge of the shield. YMMV Sheilds made with birch, linen, rawhide, and hide glue. Add gesso and pa...

Maelgwyn

I really like mine which is 24" wide and 36" long. After curving the shield it is closer to 22" wide. I use a vertical grip.

Maelgwyn

As a 6th century Frank you would have access to Roman crossbows.

Maelgwyn

Sounds fascinating. Several libraries hold it including EMORY UNIV and UNIV OF GEORGIA so it should be easy to get through ILL. OCLC record: 54685456 Title: The place of war in English history, 1066-1214 / Journal: Warfare in history Author: Prestwich, J. O. Publisher: Boydell Press, Woodbridge, Suf...

Maelgwyn

While we don't know everything that was possibly used, we do have extant examples from several cultures. Off the top of my head I recall reading references to lamellar lacing of silk, hemp, leather and staples of copper-alloy wire. I believe silk was used in some Chinese and Sarmatian examples. If y...

Maelgwyn

It took me about 5 months to work up to 100 hindu squats and 50 hindu pushups in a session. I'm finding that the pushups actually aggravate my shoulder so I have cut back on them while doing other exercises with hand weights to strengthen the shoulder muscles. Bridging is just evil but I am starting...

Maelgwyn

Orazio wrote:Um...has halfswording been allowed in the SCA?

Experimentally, in several but not all kingdoms. I don't do greatsword so I haven't checked on whether this is being allowed in Ansteorra.

Maelgwyn

By whom, and when? Would Chinese examples suit your purpose? Byzantine? 19th century Tibetan? Sarmatian?

I settled on about 2" by 3" lames for the leather lamela that I made. That makes it look like the contemporary artwork of 5th or 6th century Sarmatians.

Maelgwyn

For knee padding, historical models include strips of thick wool (blanket weight) wound around the knees of your wool or linen hosen, or a gamboised cuise of quilted padding that extends under the cop and sticks out a bit below it. For hidden knee cops I use felt padding glued to the cop. It is poss...

Maelgwyn

One-on-one fight with hand weapons and no rules? I'll take a 6 foot spear with a leaf-bladed head and a butt spike. Maybe a dagger for close work but I doubt I would use it.

You want a non-lethal fight to submission? That sounds like a rule to me.

Re: Glue Hardening

Cuirie over mail? Cuirie without mail?