The Armour Archive

Trevor

The SCA is trying to recreate a Mayday medieval themed party/tournament held in California, 1966. And for that, it does a great job. Otherwise, I consider it a really fun costume party with some great activities. You can recreate something as a part of that, and that makes a great theme for the part...

Trevor

Not that I'm a knight, but from what I've observed, the following would be applicable: If you want to be a knight: 1) Serve the Crown. 2) Become friends with knights, and ask their advice as to what you should improve on to become considered for knighthood. 3) Fight all the damn time, win graciously...

Trevor

I received a very cool iron axe head, circa 14th c.

Unfortunately, it is extremely brittle and I was wondering if anybody here knew how museums stabilized iron artifacts.

There are also some wood chips in the socket as well, if that has anything to do with it.

Trevor

The wings were worth every penny when Ariel saw them. Her laugh escaped like a belch in Sunday school.

Thomas, I can bring the axe to populace sometime if you'd like.

Trevor

Here's the ultimate cheat.

They make Nu Color spray dyes. They look, and apply, just like spray paint. The surface is pretty durable, too.

I just happen to be making three sets of vanbraces and greaves that are white, myself...

Trevor

I use a non-articulated elbow attached to the vanbrace with a simle leather tab.

I also use two y-shaped straps in the elbow to keep them from riding down. This in turn keeps the vanbrace from riding down in the wrist area.

Trevor

You talk a lot of smack for a guy who wears no cuisses or butt protection, Alcy...

Thanks guys! It was a lot cooler than I thought it would be. I highly recommend it!

Trevor

Very nice!

Is that an authentic method of tying the arm strap? (I'd never looked before...)

Trevor

The thing I've noticed over the years is that people may come in different sizes, but they're still the same model. You could make a mock-up out of poster board to try the patterns out. You could also just cut the pieces a little bigger, then cut off what you don't need. (Which is good advice-it's a...

Trevor

These spaulders look too heavy to rivet them to your shoulder straps. There's a good chance they'll be pulled down-not necessarily that it woudn't work, but it'd be clunky. A better option would to attach them to a padded undergarment such as an arming cote or a pourpoint. Another would be to attach...

Trevor

Aluminum definitely cracks easily. You need to be able to anneal frequently. That being said, if you have to heat treat your work anyway, why are you bothering with aluminum? It will still look like aluminum when you're done. 401 stainless seems like it would be a much better option for rust free, s...

Trevor

Good points, all. Perhaps Alcy was referring to this when he mentioned "techniques" of medicine, but there has been a real improvement in not only medical training, but also logistics. The first hour after trauma is called the "golden hour" because the chance of recovery without serious morbidity is...

Trevor

If you look around, you will see armorers doing carbon steel pieces and charging a lot for it. This goes also for relatively simple poleyns and couters. I would think that if you produced some 14th c. poleyns, couters and gauntlets that were whisper light and accurate looking, you'd have a market. I...

Trevor

One of the nice things about stainless is that you can work thinner guages to get the same strength-therefore it probably isn't harder on most tools-just perhaps cutting tools and drills/punches/etc. Still, if the 410 is delivered annealed (which I would assume it would be) then it may be pretty won...

Trevor

Counter balance is most useful in thrusting swords. In chopping swords, counter balance will tend to slow down the sword, and in my opinion, take some of the force out of the swing. I like my balance point to be about 2" from the hilt. Steel baskets are plenty of counterbalance for me. But if you wa...

Trevor

That is a really nice looking suit! It's great for LARP. If I see it on the SCA battlefield, then I accept your apology.

Trevor

Good to know. Thanks!

(not that I'd recommend it for SCA combat. Not unless you used uber-alloy metal)

Trevor

Very nice!

looks just like the ones in the Landezeughaus. (Big coincidence, huh?)

Trevor

I think that Musashi talked about the "look of the tiger"; which basically was a really scary, off-my-meds kind of look. I've used that in tournament. Go out there and be the nicest, most congenial guy when you meet. When they are about to call lay on, give 'em the look and watch their faces. Doesn'...

Trevor

So, how does the tape keep from being blown apart when the head strikes something? It would seem to me that the rattan striking surface would fulcrum off of the edge of the pole, putting an ungodly amount of torquing force to blow the tape apart. Are there any long-term histories of such weapons bei...

Trevor

A note: I have never seen splinted cuisses in the 14th century. The construction that I have seen is a separate cuisse that comes past the knee, is tubular in shape, and carries the poleyn on the outside of the cuisse. Various materials may have been used for the cuisse such as textiles or leather, ...

Trevor

Irish, Agreed-I didn't say he didn't have a reason-just his reaction was over the top and unjustified.

Question: If they never found out who the guys were that slashed his tent, then how do they know why they did it? And how do they know it was done by fencers?

Just curious...

Trevor

Roadsigns make lousy shields. They dent up something horrible!

Trevor

Note about the stereo:

Either keep it in another room and run wires for speakers into the shop, or keep it in a dust-proof compartment. The grinding dust is hell on a CD player!

Trevor

If you are using gas lines it is a good idea to plan for some ventilation. Natural gas isn't explosive. Lots of natural gas is. As long as you prepare for adequate, regular ventilation (a muffin fan in an exterior wall is sufficient) there should be no issues.

Trevor

For that matter, you could also split the end of the toe and stitch it together using and end-grain stitch. Basically-you stick the two pieces together edge to edge then run your stiching in the top of one side, through the two edges and back out the top of the other side. (A curved needle really he...

Trevor

Not sure what to say there, Animal. I'm having a hard time picturing it. I don't know if I'd attach it to the bottom of my greave, though. There's a lot of movement there. Have you thought about making a cuir-boili type and using straps under the shoe to hold it on? You can use a reverse articulatio...

Trevor

Very cool! And don't worry about the lack of symmetry-it's better than 99% of the extant pieces in museums!

Trevor

Looks very nice! I look forward to seeing it in person.

Trevor

I made a pair of studded 14th c. ankle boots, added a vibram sole and an atheltic shoe insole. They are as comfortable to wear as sneakers, support my ankle, and as long as I'm on my feet there is nothing modern visible about them! If you pay me for shipping I'll ship you a free copy of my Boot Inst...

Trevor

There was an experiment coducted at Pennsic and reported in TI. It involved a bowling ball on top of a post. Strike said bowling ball and measure how far it goes. The author made a chart for different weights of bowling balls and said distances off of a post at a given height, thus allowing people a...

Trevor

I think 2'x3' is a good size. It's big enough for wars, but not a true "war scutum", which in Calontir is 2.5'x4'. There are several different aluminum alloys out there. They are delineated by two numbers. The first number is the alloy type, like 5055, 6061 and 7075. A rough guide is the higher the ...

Trevor

Double plus good, that metric system.

Trevor

I'm sure you'll have a copy needing a good home at Kris Kinder.

Trevor

I'd go with the concrete floor. Dropping small parts in the dirt will make them harder to find. And there is no such thing as too many electrical outlets or lights! Think about the tools that you use the most, and what tools you only use occasionally. this will help you figure out what tools need a ...

Museum preservation of iron artifacts