The Armour Archive

Kel Rekuta

Has anyone ever tried making scale armor using blank military stainless steel dog tags? Was it successful? I am thinking of making a scale fauld. Back in the mid 90's Bill Fedun (White Tower Armoury) made a vaguely klibanian body harness out of dog tags. He had the Canadian manufacturer of them run...

Kel Rekuta

As said get a punch.. If you are short on cash check Ebay or you can get a chinese knockoff at Harbor Freight ( I got mine there and it works fine ). For driliing stainless the recommend Titanium bits are nice, but what you really need are the Cobalt bits. Like the Ti bits they have a golden color....

Kel Rekuta

Yeah. That is my next project right now: making some decent forms. I wonder if I could make one out of plaster or hydrocal and have some small screw anchors put in so I can somehow clamp or pin the leather in place if that makes sense... Its easier to leave a selvage edge around the piece, and lace...

Kel Rekuta

Chris Dodson made his arm harness using a heat gun, so it can definitely be done. How difficult it is to get temps right, heat evenly/adequately across the entire piece, etc., I can't say. My personal experience trying it involved singed leather, which proves only that I did it wrong ;) I've used t...

Kel Rekuta

I've done it. It works just fine so long as you don't burn the piece. I haven't done "hot immersion," b/c I like my fingers better than that. Canning tongs from the dollar store will sort that out for you. Wide grip area, specifically designed to use in hot water. I prefer to dip the whole piece, w...

Kel Rekuta

Try CLR for the rust stains. A good soak in Oxyclean might take out the black, which is likely oil stain. Neither will mess up the hemp fibre.

Kel Rekuta

Many shoe supply houses (shoe finders/ jobbers) don't sell retail, some do. Maybe half of the North American finders belong to the Shoe Service Institute of America. You might find someone on this list willing to sell to you.

http://www.ssia.info/industry/wholesalers.asp

Kel Rekuta

I find 1.5-2.0 oz (which never is exactly that thin) is easier to mold around the taper of the core. Unless you make the core almost rectangular, there is always some wrinkling from the mid point down to the tip. Leather sources tend to sell this for wallets and such. I would be surprised to find it...

Kel Rekuta

Its a little thick but that's a good price.

Kel Rekuta

Dibs on the breast & back, no questions. Tell me where to send the money including shipping. You just have to package it.

Kel Rekuta

I've got a box full of late 70's RalPartha and other lead cast figures including two of the dragons. Some painted, most not. I'd guess there are 50-75 figures, haven't looked at them for a while, just keep shuffling the box around. (a couple of pounds in a drawer/case for fasteners) I would like to ...

Kel Rekuta

I'm not so big on the whole re-sawing thing, as I don't have a band saw and it sounds like a major PITA. A few minutes on Google later and I found this source for 3/32" soft maple: KenCraft Company . All I saw that thin was Cherry, looks like Soft Maple was 1/8" at the thinnest. I may give them a c...

Kel Rekuta

I am still waiting for the scabbard butts I ordered April last year. The US distributor isn't very helpful. I am not willing to buy them in the UK and pay for shipping from another distributor. Clayton's won't sell direct it seems.
Good luck!

Kel Rekuta

IIRC no shoes from Them Museum off London book showed any signs of being dyed. Almost correct. Leather was dyed by tanners or their curriers. Cordwainers in England were stuck once the Moors had been expelled from England - no more reddish goat hides that were a staple in fine footwear. English tan...

Kel Rekuta

A little north of 70 lbs. I paid for about 80 lbs with sword and soft kit last time I flew with it. Lighter mail and more mid carbon steel than stainless will bring it down to around 55lbs I hope.

Kel Rekuta

I've never heard them called "armada" chests before. :) Strong iron boxes with complex mechanisms seem to be a late 15th-early 16thC phenomenon. The surviving examples are almost always described as pay or treasury chests for the campaign. As Suzerain mentioned, your example is not the most complica...

Kel Rekuta

A Hula Tent Huh.... sounds kinda cool doesn't it. I expect he means to steam the wood and shape it. I have not been able to figure out a good way to steam something that bog yet but a few of my friends have some ideas (some rather scary). I am floating between a try at the hoop or the rope only ten...

Kel Rekuta

Nothing dramatic, which is worse. No glory in filming a TV commercial. I say keep the glory, gimme the coin. No one is handing out land and titles to support ourselves on these days. :wink: BTW, your client with the "over the shoulder" sheathed great sword is going to be very happy, IMHO. I don't n...

Kel Rekuta

I used to devote a lot of effort to Irish and Scottish medieval studies. I have a fair library, I suppose. Glad I could make use of it again.

Kel Rekuta

Northern France, Belgium and Southern Scotland, respectively. But those are Draft breeds, which makes them unrelated to the question you asked in the title. I would offer more, but I don't know what question you're actually asking. I guess I wonder what breeds were used for warhorses (I had assumed...

Kel Rekuta

Ah well. :sad: I'm itching to try a gold plating kit on those rings. Patience.... :wink: Any chance the brass rings came in with that mail shipment? :wink: I've got at least one student hot for an arming coat so we can ship a few things together. Negative. In fact, I sent shirts from my stock to fil...

Kel Rekuta

Kel - I know of Dave, but only through video and stories such as yours. He might be one of those that's too big to be bigger than. He might not ;) It's not just an SCA centric perspective. It's my perspective on fighting sports, generally. Has to do with how I put my mind into the "I've already won...

Kel Rekuta

My take on this is that sharp, properly weighted weapons are much more effective in real combat than the blunt weapons used in BoTN. This makes the BoTN rule set unbalanced in favor of grappling and knocking people over. Just the opposite of the SCA where our rules make weapons too effective and gr...

Kel Rekuta

Thanks, I'm always interested in new books. Whenever you get around to identifying that other book I'd be interested in taking a look at it too. http://books.google.com/books?id=u0YiAQAAIAAJ&q=john+marsden+galloglass&dq=john+marsden+galloglass&hl=en&sa=X&ei=jX6yT_KIJOOZiAKXqNynBA&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAA Th...

Kel Rekuta

Any chance the brass rings came in with that mail shipment?

I've got at least one student hot for an arming coat so we can ship a few things together.

Kel Rekuta

Russ Mitchell wrote:Interesting that me mentions Hungary: is the author aware of the Anglo-Hungarian alliance?

And here I thought that was just a plot line from Black Adder I.

Kel Rekuta

Is it this one: http://books.google.com/books/about/Kingdom_of_the_Isles.html?id=OVmkPwAACAAJ ? If not, if you could post an ISBN# that would be great. Just to clarify, I am talking about cultural influence, not political. Yeah, that's the one. I see its gone through later pressings too. Good for A...

Kel Rekuta

I've never seen any mention in a reliable source that puts gallowglas in anything other than regular mail hauberks over leine croch. The hair thing is interesting because gallowglas are usually described as helmeted or bare headed, with long flowing locks trailing down over their shoulders. This in ...

Kel Rekuta

It looks like our OP took this description from page 24 of Richard Berleth's "The Twilight Lords: An Irish Chronicle." Although an excellent read, it is not footnoted and a "select" bibliography by chapter is the closest the book comes to academic usefulness. Almost all sources listed are in English...

Kel Rekuta

THe earliest Johanes Hall document regarding 'how a man schalle be armed' described a seperate sleeveless (?) pourpoint - presumably for the legs. The document dates to the 1430's. In as complete an armour as you are looking at, a gambeson would be an encumberance - think of gambesons as a seperate...

Kel Rekuta

Actually if you want your investment of time and materials to last longer, use the lightest painters' canvas as a base, leather on top. Use an awl to drive your holes not a punch. Small sheets of canvas are available dirt cheap at most paint stores and even at big box builders' supply. It doesn't ad...

Kel Rekuta

You guys mean you order steel and have it shipped to your house??? OMG how much is it to ship a sheet of steel? I had never considered this but I cant find any 1050 around Olympia Wa , I may try around Seattle but I was just curious about shipping the steel if anyone has any info. Have a good weeke...

Kel Rekuta

And so you should. 8) I've never been a fan of the highly decorated armours of the 16thC because I couldn't wrap my head around the political and social aspects of them. Toby (et al) did a great job of conveying that aspect of these spectacular pieces of art. I get it now. Very cool, very cool indee...

Kel Rekuta

If I do not seek it by creating the environment for it to exist, then I will never find it. And that's what it feels like: Finding it. For me its like slipping off a glove or taking off a cloak. A small adjustment in how I relate to the environment, a moment of release. Its a learned skill like any...

Kel Rekuta

I sure as hell wouldn't attack him from the front. Team work, that's the key. Get a few spear men and maul him as a pack. Unfortunately a few of you will be sacrificed in the process unless you are very, very careful. One on one combat with a giant is poor judgement for a fighting man unless one is...

Re: Crazy idea with military dog tags

Re: God Damn Stainless...

Re: Hardening leather: the finer points (not remaking the wh

Re: Hardening leather: the finer points (not remaking the wh

Re: Hardening leather: the finer points (not remaking the wh

Re: Removing mail stains

Re: Shoemaking supplies

Re: anyone have experience making scabbards?

Re: anyone have experience making scabbards?

Re: battle of the nations weapons, Rough from the hammer BP

Re: WTB Tabletop RPG Miniatures

Re: anyone have experience making scabbards?

Re: Willing to go in on an order of scabbard butt leather...

Re: Shoe Dye question.

Re: How much does you armour weigh?

Re: "armada" chest

Re: Hoop structure round pavilion

Re: Living by my sword is good and all but

Re: Any sources for "leaf mail?"

Re: Rise of Destriers?

Re: Preorder Haubergeon and Hauberk Special!!!

Re: Get a cannon. BotN, or some other group?

Re: Is BotN just armoured wrestling?

Re: Any sources for "leaf mail?"

Re: Preorder Haubergeon and Hauberk Special!!!

Re: Book Review: The Man Who Believed He Was King of France

Re: Any sources for "leaf mail?"

Re: Any sources for "leaf mail?"

Re: Any sources for "leaf mail?"

Re: Arming doublet/gambeson advice & info needed.

Re: Coat of Plates backing -- how's this?

Re: Where can I buy 1050 and 4130 steel sheets?

Re: "BBC Metalworks! - The Knights Tale" Review

Re: No Mind. Do you use it & How?

Re: Get a cannon. BotN, or some other group?