The Armour Archive

St. George

APD's are a useful tool. The odds of the back of an arrow going through the grill on a helmet are much larger than those of a shield edge finding the correctly aligned path and going in: I have horizontal bars on my helmet, so some really weird circumstances would have to happen for a shield to be a...

St. George

St. George

Does anyone have a two piece knee pattern? I have seen a few floating around over the years, but can't find one right now, and I am tired of experimenting in the shop, I just want to get one with the front angle right!

Thanks,

Alaric

St. George

It is totally legal for a pad to touch the chin. In some places it is even legal for the nose to touch the faceplate.

The key is creating a padding and strap system that does not allow for the helmet to bang up against your face.

Alaric

St. George

Sorry to hear Vitus. I've been dealing with a hand injury fpr the last few years that makes it almost impossible to throw wraps and flat snaps. I can't put any backwards pressure on my thumb without a lot of pain so no starting blows for me. Oddly enough, wraps seem to be just fine I took a year off...

St. George

It is just the idea that a group of guys could continue to either put people on the throne, or keep someone off it, and the corruption that goes along with all that, that makes it a bad idea in my book.

Alaric

St. George

no not too goofy at all!

I would paint the pieces first to avoid rust though.

Alaric

St. George

Matt, The second kit is closer to the price range I am shooting at for newbies, however, I am trying to put a list of things together that will allow them to get on the field, with everything including pads, surcoats, etc for hopefully less than $200 (maybe up to $250)- all while looking good. I do ...

St. George

Budobudo, I am going to offer my help once again for research, and to help putting your stuff together. I have a full shop, plenty of books, and more SCA fighting experience than pretty much anyone else locally except Dagen and Fern, etc etc. Bazubands don't fit in with the rest of the kit you are d...

St. George

No flame war necessary. I met a bunch of Amtgard players while I was out in California. I read over their site's info, as well as the history of Amtgard from various places, including Texas where I believe it started. The social structure within the group, the method of breakdown of the groups, and ...

St. George

NO- It isn't fair to the two people who earned their places to fight it out for the Crown. I won't promote this format. It is bad enough that we allow for the possibility of a cheater to take the throne, but then everyone knows who that person is and can shun him, but under the group battle scenario...

St. George

Let's say SCA "medium" standard (more than minimum, but not necessarily fully armor clad), and with a consistent one period appearance for the suit: proper helemt with proper armor.

Alaric

St. George

Does anyone else remember this game Sabratact from Dragon Magazine? It always seemed to nme like it was created by someone who wasn't happy with the SCA or the method of progression in it (which is sort of my impression of Amtgard as well). http://www.sabratact.com/images/battlefield2.jpg I was wond...

St. George

http://www.allsports.com/olympics/curling/

the olympics are coming up after all

Alaric

St. George

Why don't we put together a list of suggestions for a low cost, low, maintenance rig that has a period look to it. I think that with all of us here throwing in suggestions, we could probably put together a short informational pamphlet on how to look period and be fighting safely for under $300, and ...

St. George

I am considering a power hammer or press setup so I woul dlove any feedback on people's experiences.

When I came across Hydroforming, I thought it might be a practical mass production tool for armoring, I just don't know anyone who works with hydroformers.

Alaric

St. George

If you did it as a yahoo group everyone could update their own entries in the yahoo database

Alaric

St. George

It sounds likely but only in outcome not content. The guy in armor with a sword and shield could take the other guys, but the description of the combat itself isn't very good. I find that most combat descriptions in books aren't very good- comic books not being much better. It seems that people forg...

St. George

I also understand that similarly shaped teardrop shields were used in eastern europe throughout this entire period, but so rarely do I see someone trying to portray someone from that area, or taking the time to note a campaign in Italy, that I mentioned it. My error is in assuming that most people d...

St. George

First let me say it looks great, so my comments are very to the point. The second suit without a solid chestplate under it simply does not appear to have the right shape. It looks too flat and now unlike visual references from the period. I have to agree that the shield also looks misplaced with the...

St. George

Wood and leather would probably be easiest I think. Various leathers can be stamped and tooled to look like feathers, and the wood and leather can give proper structure to the wings.

Alaric

St. George

Fullers are legal (at least in the Middle Kingdom)- provided that at no point do the sides of sword come in below 1 1/4". I was trying some similar design a while back, but never completed my work on it, I drifted into fiberglass laminated shields, then got stuck in my Master's Thesis. My idea was i...

St. George

Gavin, I think you have the right idea here. I know that I am not the hardest hitter in the SCA, but when I am in practice, my swords rarely last a month. Typically, I broom out the last 8" of blade in a matter of weeks, sometimes just a practice or two. Being that the torque and velocity at the end...

St. George

Can dogs go to War Practice? If they could that would significantly increase my chances of going.

Alaric

St. George

It is a good attempt. You still have some work to do, but given that you are making an attempt, you probably know the things that are right and wrong about your own harness, because you researched it, and I am willing to bet consistently working to make it better. By making this attempt you are an a...

St. George

What kind of helmet, and who does them? I'd love to see how they turn out.

Alaric

St. George

Me? I'm a jerk who wants people to put a little effort into their little effort. I do think that you hit at least one nail on the head, Gavin, when you wrote that lots of people in the SCA want to be individuals, and they all make the one unique piece and thn find that everyone else has made it too....

St. George

There was no true lamellar worn by the Romans. The stuff that is called lamellar is actually "locking scale". Scale armour with additional lacing/wire/staples to connect adjacent scales. Earlier stuff, such as that on the Mars of Todi is also scale armour. The first true lamellar in the region wasn...

St. George

A couple of us were talking about exceptions and rare occurences in the Medieval era last night, and how in the SCA we often get many more examples of something that might have been a unique piece or action during the Middle Ages, and how common things often don't get replicated at all. In particula...

St. George

Would hydroforming be a reasonable way to go about mass production of well shaped pieces of armor?

Does anyone have any experiences with it?

I would love to hear your thoughts on hydroforming and its capabilities.

Thanks,

Alaric

St. George

It is interesting to see that this one doesn't have lips around the eye slots.

Alaric

St. George

Vitus,

You are correct.

Alaric, Dux

St. George

With all due respect, Duke Alaric, some also play the opposite way. Most of the attitude I see is from those "offended" by the mercenary.. very little from the mercenary about the "King's man". And I know a couple of mercenary knights/masters. Good people, every one of them. Maeryk Maeryk, You don'...

St. George

If someone portrays a leper, I will avoid them. If someone portrays a mercenary, I as a King's man will offer them scorn. If someone portrays a pirate, then I will not offer them safe haven. If someone portrays a beggar, then I will offer them the scraps from my table. If someone breaks sumptuary la...

St. George

ABS cement will work perfectly well to stick the pieces together- you can usually find it at a hardware store and a good variety of it is made by weld-on.

It essentially welds the two layers of ABS (silo-flex is an abs plastic) together through a chemical process.

Try it out.

Alaric

2 piece knee pattern ?

Sabratact

Low cost, low maintenance, period look

Exceptions and rare occurences

Hydroforming