The Armour Archive

Kel Rekuta

Oh good its not just me. That would be a convenient resource. Glandydd (Mike Snider IIRC) was a local in Ontario a long time ago. (mid 1980's) I recall meeting him at a house party at their flop where everyone was drinking homemade beer from a big garbage can. Ah, fond memories. He was quite the arm...

Kel Rekuta

Gregory, I am not a moderator but I think your post was out of line. Its a bit out of character for you - especially as you admit you haven't read the book. I think you should though - Waterer had a lot to say about early period use of leather for military equipment. Just saying....

Kel Rekuta

I have the book. It is an excellent resource, perhaps the best in English on the topic of animal skins, their preparation for and use in ancient, medieval and early modern warfare. The discussion of body armour relies heavily on speculation and supposition as there is little written evidence of syst...

Kel Rekuta

My only steel combat experience was playing with two unsharpened Del-Tins. Do any of the steel-fighting groups use them? No. Even the old ones are pretty dainty assemblies. That and the narrow edge makes them suitable for shows not for blows. Hang them on the wall or wave them around without hittin...

Kel Rekuta

[quote="Talbot
This morning I found a few more of the blue discs so I have more of both titles. One of each will be $20[/quote]

Sweet! One set for me please. I want another thing off the regular list and they need to be mailed to Canada so how should I proceed?

Thanks!

Kel

Kel Rekuta

Sean, The "S" type chair is often referred to as "curule" and more frequently "Savonarola" as one famous block print of the mad monk has him seated on just such a chair. Infrequently, they are described as "serpentine" chairs. Use a short X chair with a fabric...

Kel Rekuta

Shin bones before the butcher saws them for soup bones. Have them take off the joint for convenience. Boil them up, dry them well and set to it with a saw. Wear a mask if using a power saw, bone dust isn't good for your lungs. Messy but cheap way to make bone handle scales. Or bone folders for leath...

Kel Rekuta

Flesh side in, grain side out. If your leather has a lot of rough fibre on the flesh side, it is helpful to level it. That stuff binds a lot of wax and still ends up lumpy. Makes cleaning the thing properly somewhat problematic.

Kel Rekuta

Just lay out the cot roll. The Roman custom of specific furniture for lounging about seems not to have been common in medieval Europe.

Kel Rekuta

I find the pitch soaks into dry leather very well. As I don't care for the smell of honey in my drinking vessels, I don't use beeswax. If the pitch is hot enough to flow like water, it coats evenly and pours off without excessive build up. A pound of pitch goes a long way.

Kel Rekuta

On the topic about wax and brewers pitch, is there any issue using brewers pitch on a bottle that has been waxed already? I was wondering if the wax would repel brewers pitch and not stick together. Or do they melt together? Yes and yes. The JAS Townsend brewer's pitch will blend with beeswax. If y...

Kel Rekuta

He has me restrapping a modern repro in that configuration. From memory, they were a pair of heavily braided leather handles.

I'll post it here when its done. Mind you, he hasn't sent photos of those artifacts in the collection yet so who knows when that will happen?

Kel Rekuta

I could use some taps and parts. PM me about your situation. Thnx.

Kel Rekuta

Depends on how thick your padding is. You can sew a cluster of eyelets at each ear (good for ventilation also), or stitch around a small oval hold-out area and omit the padding there, so each ear can sit into a non-padded portion. It also makes wearing it a little more comfortable. ++1 on this. I c...

Kel Rekuta

last shield was half inch baltic birch...was so light it was knocked around and affected my defense offense. new shield is 1 inch or so Including rope and rawhide. It don't move when people hit it, but it is slower and is not as easy to move as the above shield. I dont know how guys fight with supe...

Kel Rekuta

Good job there Whonew! Next time just make the front three plates in 16ga and the rest in 18ga. to save weight. Hi, 18g mild is like a beer can. It would not hold up to rattan beatings, dished or not. Parade armor is 18g. Lets take a poll here, if you make em, post what material you use. Id like to ...

Kel Rekuta

Nah, too stretchy.

Good score, Les!

Kel Rekuta

Kel, I'm quite sure that the bear pauldron are way later, their shape closely resemble later pauldron, and the bear as a friend told me is made with a technique used later (it's not etched or chiseled , if I don't remember wrong it's made of dots done with a pointy chisel). Thanks Signo. I believe ...

Kel Rekuta

I've seen one fragment of an effigy or statue that shows a point tied through the toe of the sabaton, but no others showing that method - anyone have additional evidence? An elegantly laced toe plate carved in alabaster from the Philip the Bold effigy at Dijon? The Dauphin armour in Chartres? Those...

Kel Rekuta

Some kind of PHP weirdness - deleted.

Kel Rekuta

Wow - apparently I've gained some internet fame (or at least my harness has ) Kel, that would be awesome. I think Sean Hayes is thinking the same thing. Yeah, I've been researching the CH S-18 a couple years but you beat me to building it. Battle of the Churburg Clones, then? I had hoped to play wi...

Kel Rekuta

Lord Robert Downey wrote:Thank you for the offer, Kel.

I talked to him, he is going to stay with $300 on the price for now...

Can I get a clearer look at how "used" the coat is? The images are too small. I'll meet the ask if its not worn out. The white spots concern me.

Kel Rekuta

Ah, that was enlightening. Loved that style of helmet ever since I visited the Borders in Scotland.

Kel Rekuta

Here you go Audax... My pair of plates popped a strap rivet so I had to put a second belt over it. Ignore that. I wear a belt just under the pair of plates such that the dagger hilt rests outside the plates. If my arming assistant arranges it correctly, the hilt is just behind my right elbow, with t...

Kel Rekuta

Yeah, Luca. Me too.

Once I build it I'm going to fight David Farrell in his.

Kel Rekuta

I will offer your friend $250 USD + shipping with immediate payment. Please PM the reply. I may not have time to scan the AA tomorrow.

Thanks!

Kel Rekuta

One could describe it that way. I think its from 1420-1430. I would say that it's a bit earlier, except maybe the armet that could be of that period. I dare to say end of XIVÂ° - beginning of XVÂ°. We should keep in mind that this is just a composite harness, we can't say if the pieces belong each ...

Kel Rekuta

Sebastian?

Kel Rekuta

If you mean the row of small holes over the eyes? Stitching holes for the liner.

Kel Rekuta

Good to know, looking forward to seeing it.

Kel Rekuta

Kel, Thank you for sharing your review. We will adjust our patterns. Regards, Thank you for commenting here. We got 13 pieces from SM to XL. All were very snug at the elbow. In addition the arms were very long, half way up the hand. All of us have to have them shortened. Perhaps you could shorten t...

Kel Rekuta

Might depend on the type of leather you are going for; I have a dye recipe book and there are many tanning and dying techniques in there that was the simplest. I must say that I question the accuracy of that information or your recall of the details. Tannins aren't used until after dehairing and it...

Kel Rekuta

One could describe it that way. I think its from 1420-1430.

Kel Rekuta

Talbot wrote:I wish I could tell you. We have the issue nearly ready but have hit a wall.

Bugger. Is it just a matter of time?

Kel Rekuta

I am planning on ordering a couple of Westland Gambesons, and he listed the sizes as: SMALL - 38" MEDIUM - 40" LARGE - 46" X-LARGE - 52" XX-LARGE - 54" My chest at the biggest point is 46" (across the nipples), and with a deep breath, more like 47-48. For those that ha...

Re: Steel combat- Del-Tins

Re: Hi

Re: Sizing question for Westland Gambeson