The Armour Archive

Animal

Gee, what would blue feathers have to do with male belly dancers? I am but a simple Tuchuk here... ignorant of your ways.

Animal

Because I dont know anything about water hardening. I had cut out the patterns with regards to waxing them and apparently water hardening them distorts them and shrinks them. I had no allowance for that,

Animal

Swords dont hit hard. People with proper technique hit hard. It takes a combination of power generation from the hips, proper rotation of the body through the blow, a looseness and fluidity overall and a focus of attitude and attention that land a shot and make it stick. You can take a heavier weap...

Animal

"then try 1.25" skin-on rattan, and fitting it into 1.25" id siloflex. It should meet the following criteria: At least as heavy as normal rattan " Adding weight is not the point "As rigid as skin-on rattan " Rigidity is not the point. "More hardy than the normal skin of rattan" Yah, but it wont prot...

Animal

Uilleag hi! I am aware of the forming thing, just without a form to dish into. I wanted very much for these to have clean lines like you're talking about but until I can afford to buy a form from Halberds I'm sorta stuck at this level. I very much appreciate the tip though, and welcome all such know...

Animal

The rattan I had with the siloflex cover was only like an inch in diameter. The covering of the siloflex got it up to the minimum diameter required for the sca rules but the weight wasnt there. Seems to me that most of the weight of the sword is in the skin or something because the core didnt weigh ...

Animal

Very cool! I liked your lamellar too btw. Cant wait to see them.

Animal

After seeing all the cool stuff y'all are making I decided to give it a shot. These are waxed leather. Pretty solid. I saw the pattern here on the archive and modified it a bit and it worked out great! Thanks for the pattern, thanks for the inspiration. I might get all froggy and decorate them, I du...

Animal

Theres this dog that goes to the friday night workout I do and he and I will once in a great while grab centerboss sheilds and short spears and go at it. It's a real hoot. I wouldnt try it against anything but another spear and sheild without a LOT more work though.

Animal

Owen I gotta agree but in this circumstance a thrust is a lot more likely to skip than if you had a sharp point which is why I dont use it nearly as much. It's sheer laziness on my part, but I think that's why the thrust isnt a dominant technique.

Animal

I hit helmets mostly. A lot.

Animal

I wrap the handles of my swords with raquetball handle tape. It takes the shock out of the impact of the blow and gives just enough to really make for a good grip. We call it Tuchux squishy grip technology. When I first showed it to one of our dogs he swung it a few times and said "Wow, it's like no...

Animal

oh geeze. I give him the skulls that he's been lusting after for about 12 years and I'm not a paying customer. I'm wounded! Hurt! Cut to the quick!

Besides which, Badman could weld the ss so quit stalling Junior!

Animal

Ya know, I was posting earlier about funny preferences that people seem to have as far as weapons they like and those they dont. I cant imagine a bit of glue at the end of a saber being any worse than a 7 and a half foot unpadded polearm. I mean c'mon. Siloflex sucks ass. It lands too soft and it do...

Animal

No Russ. Bran got it.

Animal

Me? Hmmm, ok. More workouts. I can hit three a week around here if I want to. Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. I've been going to tuesdays and fridays pretty regularly now that Conor is out of the hospital and all, but mondays are pretty tricky because of timing and distance. If I can manage that I de...

Animal

Alaric, Exactly! I focus my blows so they land with the sweet spot but as a result the rattan suffers mightily. I've tried wrapping the tips with leather, that just shredded the leather. I've tried multi-layers of strapping tape but that just screwed with the balance of the sword. Is there anything ...

Animal

Broadway hello! Congratulations on your resolve. In my opinion you have chosen well. If we run across one another on the field I will not only be honoerd to contest with you honorably but I will also take the time to work with you as well, if you like. I will gladly take the opportunity to pass to y...

Animal

I'm sitting here trying to imagine being scared by a man dancing. Or impressed. Maybe it's just me but if I were faced on one hand with a man with a sword in his hand coming towards me with intent, and on the other hand, a man gyrating and pirouetting, I think I'd consider the guy with the sword the...

Animal

I was kinda curious about that myself. Every representation I've ever seen is a one piece thing. Not putting these down, they look cool and all, just wondering.

Animal

Um, no. No it doesnt. But you go right ahead thinking that. heheh

Animal

Fair enough B, no worries. It's just that some of the SCA conventions strike me as pretty odd..
I used to get the 'it touched a sliver of my sheild on the way to ringing my bell and staggering me off my feet so I dont have to take your shot milord' crap all the time. Stuff like that. Figured I'd ask

Animal

Just some observations that might be pertinent to this discussion: As far as calibration of arrows and bolts go, I've noticed that people are real funny about what they wanna get hit with. They dont wanna get hit by a crossbow hard enough to feel it, yet you can blast them with a saber and have them...

Animal

Wow. Belly dancing. on the bright side. If it doesnt improve your fighting at least you're in touch with your feminine side...

Animal

Ok, congrats on the loss. It shoudl help the diabetes as well. Here's hoping for your contiued good health! As for me, when I went from 400+lbs down to where I'm at now, about 280, I didnt notice shots hurting more. What I did notice was that I'm faster now, more agile and therefore harder to hit. M...

Animal

Since I figured out how to make pictures happen here I figured I would get industrious and show y'all the individual plate. This one is the 9 hole plate I used for the skirts and shoulders of my coat. It's aluminum and taken directly from T Bob's pattern. Thanks again T Bob, your research and dilige...

Animal

Ya know, in the rush of a battle I seriously wouldnt expect someone to give me a chance to draw my saber. Doesnt mean I wouldnt try. I've never yeilded and never will. But honestly if he did a corner blitz and got into my backfield in the middle of a battle I'd fully expect him to use the advantage ...

Animal

Sorry to speak for T Bob, but those arent birka plates. He did an amazing essay on lamellar that you can find in the archives patterns section I think. I used that as a basis for my lamellar. As you can see the shape is different as are the holes. If this image works, take a look at mine in progress...

Animal

Heheh thanks T Bob. And if I ever get money again I'll certainly get one. Even with the awesome insurance the Ratty has we're still kinda floored by the expense of her little romp through the hospital and Conor's luxury stay in the 4 star NICU. And with the co-pays of the specialists it's an adventu...

Animal

Richard I do appreciate your suggestion and I think I understand your position even though I dont really agree. I'd really like to find out what kind of armor the guys at the battle of liegnitz (sp) wore though. Knights and such, circa 1241 I think it was. Seems like the Mongols armed primarily with...

Animal

Ya know, I've tried that leather thing but it just shreds the leather. I use two layers of strapping tape and a layer of duct tape over unshaved rattan and it just doesnt last. And the thing is I dont really hit all that hard. I dont understand it.

Animal

Absolutely Junior. Hurry up and finish that stuff so you can make me stainless bazubands. I need to be stylin! Cant let Kodi out do me, can we??

Animal

Lemme know how the rawhide thing works out. I'm not as concerned with the weight, but the rattan just disintegrates after a workout or two.
Thanks,

Animal

I tried that siloflex over rattan thing before. I hated it. I couldnt get people to take shots from it. It was nt their calibration, I trust these people. The sword just didnt have enough ooomph behind it to land right. I dont shave my rattan either and I STILL get brooming. I'd love to know of a wa...

Animal

I agree that fighting from the knees is a bit silly. I mean, long time ago when I first started I got the tip of a finger pinched off in a hockey glove. I stopped fighting right then and there LOL now I realize that fighting for real adrenaline would kick in and all that, but still. A blow to my leg...

Bazubands!