The Armour Archive

carlyle

Axel et al (I'm really enjoying this exchange), I'm writing fast so please excuse any grammatical errors -- As I see it translating this to weapons work, stepping forward with the left foot would transfer the weight to much onto the left foot causing the weight transfer to go beyond the ability to p...

carlyle

Now hook thrusting to the shield side kidney or back of shield side leg might be an option but your opponents movement is likely to rob most of the power. This is the "gumbiness" factor (for lack of a better word) that I referred to. Under all but the most optimal conditions (those that are usually...

carlyle

Bedlam -- Your analogy of the baseball bat swing is exactly what I am talking about. Assuming a right-handed hitter (right hand high), the left foot steps out while the -power- of the swing is generated by the driving -and stationary- right foot. The hip rotation is (looking down at the batter's fee...

carlyle

The natural movement of your stride (legs and hips) cause each end of your weapon to move forward with each step. I can't quite tell if this is what Bedlam is intending to describe, but it is a common misconception among fighters that the power of a blow in motion comes from the side that is moving...

carlyle

As has been mentioned already swing your hips into a blow when you're felling trees, or driving stakes. When you're fighting you should have your body positioned already to strike advance the weapon with your leading hand, guiding it onto your opponent. Now I'm lost. Everything I know about the bes...

carlyle

Ã¢â‚¬Â¦ a weapon like an authentic Bec is covered with points, Hammer head, back spike, top spike, 2 side spikes and a but spike. These pointy bits are not just for decoration. Mine is put together to resemble a historical bec with all its available points. Although I do not use spikes on the side ...

carlyle

The two trusting tips on the axe head can be very useful. The top spike on the haft is sufficient. "Forking" with two points, especially given the already-comprimised dynamics of foam and rubber, only makes the weapon more unwieldy. Once my pollaxe haft is on their weapon / arm, I just drive straig...

carlyle

Unsolicited critique: get rid of the back spike and the two thrusts on the blade. The top thrust is redundant; the bottom is mechanically unsound and exploits an SCA sensibility that will compromise your overall technique (its a "trick"). "Tightening" the blow: Stand more upright; you don't need the...

carlyle

I agree with Kit; the figure Pippin indicates is wearing a backplate is, in most likelihood, wearing a jupon. I have not seen any evidence of a 14th C. backplate used in conjunction with a globose. Despite Alc's references to various armored cotes, does anyone have a reference to anything -- full pl...

carlyle

Aaron -- From what you describe, it sounds like you are using the same body mechanics for your pole weapon that you are using for your single-handed sword. One of the biggest problems with this is that the length of the weapon exponentially increases the amount of force delivered at impact than a co...

carlyle

chef wrote:So what I am seeing is bias - I have no idea what would be the cause of any bias, ... but it seems clear enough to me, at any rate, that a bias is present.

I agree... AoC

carlyle

Active marshalling can be a good thing. Everyone involved has to be open to what the other person expereinced for it to work though. With all due respect, your Excellency, this may be an accepted practice in your kingdom, but it is by no means embraced universally. In fact, the very sense of "activ...

carlyle

Lord Vail and his friend camped with the Ermine Companie (West Kingdom). The slept in a "barracks" tent populated by three Western knights and themselves. I invited him to fight with us during Friday's battles. He appeared to enjoy himself; we were certainly in the thick of it for most of the fighti...

carlyle

...you've doubtless swung a bofferized weapon or two from Markland or Amtgard... Actually, no -- I try to stay away from such heretical deviations from the One True Sport ... Seriously, I am not denying that the mechanics of what we do introduce aspects that are probably inconsistent with historica...

carlyle

Cutting a shallow notch for the base of the thumb is in part for comfort I understand the purpose, but I don't believe a new fighter is in a position to understand when the discomfort is due to poor technique, or because there is a physiological reason why he can't hold a normally-shaped grip. Give...

carlyle

A carpenters' rasp, rounded on one side and flat on the other, is the tool for shaping the grip. Absolutely. Nothing else works as well, not even the very clever Shur-form type rasps. I would only recommend using a Surform rasp for making the flats of the blade. If you don't already have a drawknif...

carlyle

Once you get past the skin, rattan is very soft and works quickly. The teeth on the rasp are fine for roughing the grip to shape, and if you use one of the combination tools, you can just flip it over and use the smaller teeth of the bastard file for finishing work. I would estimate that I spend les...

carlyle

Ok, so I bought my rattan, it's 1.5" diameter... Personally, I buy my rattan at +/-1.25" and leave the blade uncut. Even for the marginal pieces, by the time I've added the tape, It's comfortable over the minimum. So, as far as I can tell, you just wrap the rattan in 1 or 2 layers of tape... As oth...

carlyle

...that short squirt in the middle never had a knight... Seriously? I assume you would know better and will defer to your greater knowledge, but my failing memory had him squired to Thorvald the Golden. It sure helps the story, even if it is now only an embellishment . Of course, I meant no disresp...

carlyle

Greg, May I suggest that you check out the brais and hose that HE carries? They would be the perfect complement for that kit, especially considering the significant investment you have already made in capturing this specific impression. I have several pair of both, and I have never been disappointed...

carlyle

In the "post a reply" page, there are buttons you can use to embed images, URLs, and code into your message. In this case, just click on the button labeled "img" to insert the image start command, paste in your pictures URL (in this case, m), then click the "img" button again to insert the image ter...

carlyle

I was talking to the guy across the street who is a non SCA historical fighting instructer (who will never tell me any leather secrets) and he likes a real heavy belt to prevent curl at the top and bottom. I'd be curious to know what kind of historical fighting he is involved in. This belt and it's...

carlyle

Vondan, The original is a very heavy burgundy latigo. I made this one in 1990, fought with it extensively for over seven years, and continue to use it to this day (though my fighting frequency is now measured in months-per-event, rather than events-per-week). This one is pieced in three to conserve ...

carlyle

Something like this? You see, while a squire, that short squirt in the middle very likely modeled his own coat after his knight -- who's a full foot taller than he is -- and probably used the same patterns. The end result is an angel wing that goes down to his wrist, instead of ending at the elbow ...

carlyle

Unless Brian has changed his pattern, the sleeves are likely modelled after the same "angel wing" tunics we were fighting in in Milwaukee 25 years ago. In those, the sleeves were cut to stop at the elbow (Brian's shorter and of slighter build, so his might reach to mid-forearm). The "tail" might han...

carlyle

Aaron -- You can't go wrong with Knuut at weldedchainmail.com. His product is first rate, his reliability is the highest, and he has amazingly fast turnaround. I've known him for nearly 30 years, have several of his pieces, and have never been disappointed.

Hope this helps... Alfred

carlyle

II -- Those chairs didn't happen to make their way West, did they?

carlyle

Russ -- So, if I'm reading your theory correctly, you are suggesting not two garments, but one garment assembled of two pieces -- effectively, one fitted into the other and stitched down where they meet. This is an interesting idea. It would certainly address one of the most challenging aspects to m...

carlyle

James B. wrote:In the end it could just be the way the artist(s) depicted set in sleeves.

Yes, but would it be too much to ask that they at least use a little consistency

??

carlyle

Murdock -- That toddler is going to need more ducttape to be list legal... (and stop pushing on the counted blows. You're right, of course, but this project is beyond planning and is now in the execution phase. Work with them on next year's format, and let's see what happens with this one) DS: "Unbe...

carlyle

Will, Interesting that you would quilt the arms and not the body of the undercoat. I was leaning the other direction -- quilting the undercoat somewhat, but only lightly quilting the outside edge of the arms, with no quilting on the inside (but having stitching to look like quilting). This is a simi...

carlyle

The problem with the Mac is that there are depictions of the fully sleeved garment: m And no seperate depiction of a sleeveless garment. I'm also frustrated by the consistent depiction of mail worn without padding underneath (contradicting James' idea that a 2-piece garment could be multi-purpose). ...

carlyle

Very nice, Gwen. I see that I'm going to have to start making out my Christmas list early... AoC

carlyle

Not about DVA, but the following caught my attention: To answer your question, laced articulation *is* ineffective, it is little better than pop riviting with a half decent burr. I've been fighting in two sets of 14th C. steel arms from Cadwallon for over fifteen years, and guess what? They are arti...

carlyle

Ok, first off, we are not trying to simulate armoured combat. Yet like the SCA, the context in which you present the construct gives this impression. And like the SCA, the inevitable result is a reputation for placing modern romantic fantasy above applied academics. How is this not just SCA fightin...