The Armour Archive

carlyle

Sebastian -- I bought mine from Adam at WMA, and I'm very happy with the product... AoC

carlyle

averril wrote:I am a squire to a western Knight that moved to the East named Sir Artimus Maximus

Yes, that would be an accurate description

All my best to you and your knight... AoC

carlyle

The correction is not to attempt to convert the league to baseball, but to correct those who misrepresent what is being played. I don't believe it is a misrepresentation. One of the most influential people in my early SCA career was Polidor Haroldsson, knight, laurel, pelican, baron of the court, a...

carlyle

You know, Matt, I read you suggestion for a torse and paint, and my first reaction was "pig in a tutu"... 'Course, that's totally not constructive, and then I thought about Alaric's suggestion for a better-looking, inexpensive starter kit. While this is not the "cheap ... period tunic" that swiftbro...

carlyle

One caveat -- I assume from your ID that you are SCA. If you are planning to use this for SCA combat, know that this is not padded like most SCA "gambesons", even those intended to be worn under armor from the same period. While this does not coincide with conventional SCA "sensibilities", I underst...

carlyle

I have one of the HE 15th C. arming cotes. I am very pleased with the overall fit-and-finish. Even though I have not worn it for other than displaying a harness to take photographs, I can say with confidence that it is exceptionally sturdy and well made. As has always been the case with HE, communic...

carlyle

Somewhere in the darkest, foulest recesses I harbored the evil image of some rules-lawyering fighter subverting the good Earl Marshal's intent by laying down and "log-rolling" his way to a new location. You'll have to excuse me -- the nice man in the white coat says it's time to adjust the straps on...

carlyle

WT -- Adding weights to make the technique more difficult/challenging can be a benefit -- especially when done slowly -- since it increases the amount of lateral and stablilizing muscles that have to contribute to the blow. Practicing technique beyond the point of exhaustion, however, (and in readin...

carlyle

Well, if the one arm gets tired, he can just switch and use the other. 'Course, at 2 oz. a swallow, that's 8 swallows per tallboy; and at 300 maximum curls, that comes out to nearly a case-and-a-half in one sitting. So I can only guess that either Matt's pullin' yer leg, or he's soon going to need a...

carlyle

Talbot wrote:Nissan and Einar are two amazingly fun fights.

Dave is fighting again?? That is fantastic!!!

AoC

carlyle

Well, its OK, I guess...

... except that I think my WMA saltshaker is sexier still

!!

Now all Adam has to do is build that M-bible pot and I'll be through collecting (for awhile, at least

).

AoC

carlyle

Logan: "i feel that sca sport combat is a unique and staisfying style of combat that includes fighting from ones knees."

PaulB: "I'll second that opinion."

Two words: strawberry dinosaurs.

carlyle

Vebrand, I feel that we are presenting seperate points of view based largely on our personal experiences. As our backgrounds have little overlap, what we anecdotally recount describes very real differences in what was considered "standard". In effect, I think we are representatitve of the very probl...

carlyle

Vebrand: "most of the things you mentioned above were rules adopted by one Kingdom and spread to others well before the SEM put them in to law." Let's see, where to start... Finger gauntlets -- the famous "must wrap and touch" insanity: In about 1981, I and a few others (four in total) made and use...

carlyle

Radu: "it does take more skill to throw a fast, intentional thrust that gets past a fighter's defenses and stops just as it touches the face without taking his head off. It is much easier just to blast through. Especially with a 9' spear." Not wanting to derail the thread (and I appreciate your exp...

carlyle

Vebrand: "Sometimes rules are changed from the top down but most things are changed from the bottom up." YOWSER!! Your Excellency, with all due respect, this is so wrong on so many levels I don't know where to begin!! Yes, this is often the appearance of how something happens at a kingdom level, bu...

carlyle

SS: "An MD is not likely, IMO, to be more than academically aware of what human beings are capable of immediately following massive trauma." The implication is that a trained MD with extensive SCA experience could have an insight into how our simulation might approximate or deviate from actual prac...

carlyle

Marvin: "I would be stunned if he regarded this rule as creating anything resembling realism" Stunned or not, it is the one-and-only reason for the rule offered "on very good authority" in Bri's post. Logan: "if sir williams intent was not to suggest that a person would be unable to continue a figh...

carlyle

Acted blows are, by their very nature, unrealistic. Tweaking the rules in an effort to make them more "real" is an excercise in speculative fantasy. The best that can be hoped for with a rule change like this is to make playability more balanced. I agree with Odo that, in a melee scenario, "legged" ...

carlyle

jester: "I have never met a Peer who was unwilling to offer advice when asked; even at the cost of losing their own training time." I used to believe the same thing, until I had the opportunity to test this from the perspective of a "newbie". A few years ago I travelled extensively for work. Unfort...

carlyle

Tim is right. I've got a full white harness I am also trying to sell for considerably more; it just takes time. With the Christmas holidays fast approaching, you are at least selling at a time when the market is most active. If you haven't already, you might want to consider putting it up on eBay. I...

carlyle

KtR: "What was worn under armor seems in all eras to be quilted editions of the fashionable menswear of the time." A little late for the time specified by the original poster, but this is not consistent with the M-bible illustrations. Tunics were worn under mail; there is no indication of quilted a...

carlyle

LR: "I was relating a situation that made me mad and I was asking a question." I don't wish to be confrontational, but have you asked yourself just what, exactly, made you mad? Was it because your opponent didn't take your blow? Is this because, in your experience, you feel that many of your previo...

carlyle

Regarding broken weapons: From the day I started fighting, I have always followed the convention that, if a weapon broke in the delivery of a blow, the blow was automatically not counted. I don't have an explanation for this; it was just the way we played, and I have followed this practice ever sinc...

carlyle

Alc: "Damn, they're sold out too..."

That's because I bought it all! All, I tell you!! ALL!!!

I called to check with HT, and he told me he had over 800 yards in inventory -- then I ordered 50 just to be safe

... AoC

carlyle

My data confirms Thaddeus'. From an earlier discussion:

Knuut flat wire full hauberk, long sleeved, mid-calf: 24.5 lbs
Knuut round wire haubergeon, demi-sleeves, mid-thigh: 12.5 lbs

Hope this helps... AoC

carlyle

CF -- Thanks for the info on dyeing. To get the weight I think I'm looking for, I may consider this very approach. Though I am now loathe to post my "finds" (somehow, nearly all of that wonderful, heavy black linen has suddenly disappeared from their inventory ), I found a clearance item on HT that ...

carlyle

Jimena: "I think part of our difference here is in the concept of *telling* the opponent that the shot was not good." I think I'm with you on that point. Certainly, there are nice ways to express your opinion and ways that are much more confrontational. Just because we can tell a person nicely that...

carlyle

MM: "...a darker garment would hide dirt/stains/rust/whatever better..." Believe me, stains and dirt are the least of my worries ... Seriously, my experience has been that, when mail is worn over a very dark garment, it tends to stand out better than when it is worn over a light-colored one. I mean...

carlyle

BdB: "Your Renown = your 'honor'. It's the same thing." To be more precise, honor is the personal measure of the intent that inspires an act of virtue. It is not about the action action itself. Only the performer can truly know the intent. Manifest, it is called "pride". Renown is the public measur...

carlyle

CF -- I've surfed the hemptrader's site before, but couldn't find anything I liked. The 18.5 oz black looks very interesting, but it is very heavy. Does anybody know if this can be softened up with pre-washing? I also wondered if I could use the natural 12oz and dye it (note -- I have a prejudice th...

carlyle

Dave, I understand exactly where you are coming from; I've been there, too. Over time, however, I have come to the realization that we really need to be allowed to determine our own fate completely, and by doing so, advance or diminish our own renown without prejudice. And this means letting our opp...

carlyle

I'm going through the same evaluation. I was unsure how heavy 7-8oz linen really is, so I did a quick search on-line and found that "heavy" denim for jeans is anywhere from 14-16oz. Further, the on-line information at the fabric site indicates that the more common 5 oz is sheer enough to require und...

carlyle

DE: "If I am unsure whether a blow was good or not, I will always take it." And practice will gradually diminish the number of times this happens in tournament. It is one the objectives of a rigorous training discipline. DE: "If my opponent is unsure whether a blow was good, I will always request t...

carlyle

The tourney field is not the place to train calibration. It is the crucible in which we test our honor. We achieve this by our willingness to accept defeat in the face of our own desire to garner the accolades of material victory. Discouraging a fighter from falling down to what you deem is a questi...