The Armour Archive

Trevor

Keep in mind what armor was worn for what purpose! There is only one reference that shows bascinets with crests, and that is a early 15th c. German one. Specifically, it shows a panache of peacock feathers sprouting from the point. Remember, crests were almost exclusively worn in tournaments, not in...

Trevor

The best metal is metal that isn't corroded. The finishing that you'd have to do for anything that would be exposed makes buying a new sheet a bargain. For instance, the last timeI bought steel (and it was before the price went up) I paid $30 for a 4X10 sheet. Let's say it's $60 now. For $60 you hav...

Trevor

Man, I wish I had the money to start that great hall right now!

Trevor

It's crap. It may be older crap, but it's crap. And I doubt it's Victorian era.

Other than that, and the fact that it's laughingly overpriced, it's a bargain!

Trevor

Good.

If I have to think about it, I'll give my opponent the benefit of the doubt. If they don't think that it was good-I'll agree with them and let the fight continue.

No victory is worth the loss of honor.

Trevor

Rod,

'Nuff said. I'll strive to make that talk possible one day.

Trevor

Thanks guys-that's reassuring to know.

Trevor

It's message was clear, but I admit that I liked the Anvil of Virtue better. Personally, I am disheartened that I do not see more public outrage against those curs that steal the crown by rhinohiding in the list. I am willing to give anybody the benefit of the doubt. But, in my kingdom, I have seen ...

Trevor

I've never seen/heard of leather being used between articulated plates. I have seen leather used between one piece of armor and another, specifically the "picadils" used on 16th c. armor under pauldrons and neck guards (attached to helmets) to prevent metal-to-metal contact with the breast plate. (I...

Trevor

Very nice craftsmanship!

Interesting chain design-did you get that from the book of Kells?

Trevor

If we were to assume that all armor was from the 12th century (mail shirt, conical helm) then I think that it is fair to assume that weapons were from the 12th century, too (which leads me to think that great swords and pole arms are out of place, but I digress). In the 12th century, archery had not...

Trevor

All of the extant vanbraces I've seen, both in the 14th and 15th century, were slightly dished.

Trevor

You raise an interesting question, and it is very thoughtful of you to think of it! I have previously been of the opinion that as long as they are contemporary, then that is close enough. However, as I started looking at the different armors at the Landzeughaus in Austria, I was struck with the fact...

Trevor

That's very nice craftsmanship!

Is that what leather armor looked like in period?

Trevor

Very nice!

Trevor

Very nice job, as usual!

So, how do these differ from period greaves?

Trevor

the ones that I saw were historical pieces. Pretty famous ones, actually.

And yes, they were mostly from the 16th century

Trevor

No idea, but judging from the hood and sleeves, assumedly mail, and what appears to be a buckle of a reenforced surcoat on the right shoulder, I would guess that the effigy is from the 13th century.

How's that for a wild-assed guess?

Trevor

So, are you saying that if we order before Tuesday at 9:00 am we'll get a present and a cookie with every order?

Merry Christmas!

Trevor

The housing/building market here is going nuts due to our nice run of low-interest rates. There are plenty of laborers around, (many of who can't speak English, let alone Klingon! ) but there are very few who can do specialized labor such as stone masonry, thatched roofs, or timber framed constructi...

Trevor

It's worth $26.95. I'll send you a check, and I'll even pay for shipping.

Good luck, don't let this go to the first bidder. Ask several dealers before you let that puppy go.

Trevor

Forth armory carries both rivetted links and SOLID links. Sure, the riveting takes some time, but by alternating the rows with solid links it goes twice as fast, because in effect, you're making two rows at a time! Plus, since you're not making the links themselves, there is a considerable time savi...

Trevor

It turned out very nice! Great construction details!

I didn't know that Wisby's were that short, though. The ones I've seen had additional fabric hanging down past the crotch, usually with a dagged edge. Where'd you get the documentation for the short style?

Trevor

Thanks Andre!

Trevor

why would you want to move to the US?

Just curious; we have no castles, little history comparatively and our women don't have those cute accents!

Trevor

There are some corazinna kits made by various armorers. Talon Armory has one. The plates are already formed (almost always out of kydex or some other plastic). Covering the plates is pretty straight forward: just make sure your piece of fabric or leather is considerably bigger that the plate, then t...

Trevor

The helm was worth $75. For what you want, with the type of workmanship you're expecting, you're going to pay $500 minimum.

This obviously isn't what you want, but for someone with $115 to spend on a display piece, it's a decent helm.

Trevor

try to sell it on ebay again, but this time sell it as an LARP outfit or a display model. Don't trash it in the description, but emphasize that it is heavy guage and more suitable for display. Probably won't get much money out of it, but it'll be out of your closet. AS to modifying it-I doubt that t...

Trevor

Thomas Powers wrote:Trevor,

Na*Cl* is table salt, NaOH is lye; please don't take this badly but I'm going to skip any feasts you cook at for a long time Thomas said bitterly!

Thomas

Hey, I told you I've forgotten all my four years of chemistry!

Trevor

So, is it Potassium Chloride or Sodium Chloride? Of course, NaOH is table salt. KOH is ice melt, I believe. Three questions: 1) Assuming KOH is what I need, is ice melt pure enough for this process, or should I get some from a scientific supply company? 2) Will the KOH solution damage the wood fragm...

Trevor

So, how do you prevent them taking your pattern, changing the design slightly, and selling it to another seller?

Because I've seen a set of articulated knees that King's lance sells that look eerily similar to yours, save for a different wing...

Trevor

Our Baron specifically grants land in his awards, (yet to award a "castle", tho) taking his scrolls almost verbatim from period land grants, including the right of the Baron to any "tree, twig or leaf" from the land. I don't see why this couldn't be done in the manner described. After all, there ar...

Trevor

I would recommend 14th c. too. Cometitive, pretty easy to make compared to renaissance armors, and better looking than a guy in a T-tunic and hockey pads. Look at some tranistional harnesses. There were a lot of different materials and methods used to make armor then, many of which you can do while ...

Trevor

Why on Earth would you want to do all that hand work, then try to sell your work?

If you really dig using a chisel, fine. But, there are period ways to cut metal without resorting to a chisel.

read the Armorer and his Craft by Charles Ffoulkes. It has a lot of information in it.

Trevor

Hey, it's 40 years old. If you strap it up and it gets destroye, what have you lost?