The Armour Archive

raito

Wulf wrote:I suppose you could wave the inspection process and the stickers for Kings/Queens on thier helms since they are supposed to be honorable people.

And the rest of us aren't?

raito

Best advice is to know what material you're using. If you don't know, don't use it. Plastics can be mean mothers, chemically.

raito

If I might venture an opinion here... The tatami-do in the book looks like a too-good example -- it has kohire! (the hexagonal brigandine around the neck and on the shoulder. Yes, you'd need some fairly stout padding to make it workable as SCA armour, though. Maybe a manju-wa? I would venture to say...

raito

Not to argue whose web minister is superior, but Northshield does have this:

http://northshield.org/Branches/TerritoryMap.aspx?Groups

raito

Thanks for catching that Kenwrec, it probably happened when I split the pages up. As for the shitagi, I seem to be missing some pictures, don't I? (I'm pretty sure I took them. I'll have to go looking. It's quite possible that they're on my permanent copy of the site.) (Actually, I KNOW I took the p...

raito

More steps on the hakama.

raito

Mykaru is right, most of us do have it. And chances are, if you have the question, others have it too.

raito

I hate stickers. I have a painted helmet. The stickers cannot be removed without removing paint. Read that carefully. I must have the sticker to fight. I cannot remove the sticker without subsequent maintenance on my helmet. I am forced to do maintenance on my helmet because of something that fighti...

raito

And there's always: http://www.j-armour.com/method (which fills out as I get to it, but is not complete) Really, Japanese armour is no more difficult than European. Different, yes, but no harder. As for Japanese mail, it mostly used round links for the ones parallel to the surface, and elongated one...

raito

Thanks Uryen, that's a good idea with the dumbell, but wouldn't that prove awkward as a dishing hammer? Also is 3lbs (1.5 kg?) good for a dishing hammer. I know I started a post on lathing a dishing hammer last year, before everything got deleted, I never got round to it. If possible I'd appreciate...

raito

My experiences are with Kydex, ABS, and HDPE. Kydex and ABS thermoform easily. HDPE forms less easily, and seems to want to return to its previous shape. Kydex and ABS want to crack in the cold. HDPE wants to do so less. Kydex seems to last much better than ABS. I had a Kydex piece that I gave away ...

raito

Theoderic wrote:I finally hit my 1st Estrella. To start it was more muddy and wet then any Pennsic I have been to.

You obviously didn't go last year.

raito

Master Cadwallen has used them several times. I've seen them mounted on helms he's made. They look just fine.

raito

Personally I don't see how a laminated rattan weapon is more or less safe then a stick carved out of 2 1/2" rattan Back in the days when rocks were soft, the people doubling up on their rattan had a tendency to do it in such a way as to make the joint inflexible. This resulted in rattan rocks ...

raito

Actually, my first intention was a Mogami-do for that reason - heat. I couldn't find a pattern I could use for one, and my attempt at one turned into a disaster... I still have a bunch on beautifully laced plates that don't fit each other. If you have a pattern, I'd love to make one. I still think ...

raito

Konnichi Y'all, As some have seen, I normally play a samurai in black ABS plastic armor. This is pretty hot for Ansteorran summers, hotter than I like anyways. I am thinking of creating a summer kit and persona, non-Japanese, with much lighter armor and weapons - sword and shield probably. I'm thin...

raito

You could look up one step and three step sparring (often done in tae kwon do) as see what it has to offer. Looking at the online descriptions, though, it's certainly not what I did (long ago) when I was doing TKD. Our one-step was not just to have the attacker attack and the defender defend, but to...

raito

But ultimately the tourney is for fighters above everyone else. At least that's how I feel about it. Add that's not how I feel about it. The SCA tournament is where fighters show the rest of the SCA what they do. Cooks cook, people eat the meals and know what a cook does. Tailors make clothes, peop...

raito

Bump. Restructured to give each garment its own page (they were getting long). Also added the first steps for the hakama.

raito

Yes, the standard Japanese multi-plate bowl is made up of may smaller plates, running from the edge of the bowl to the top of the bowl. But with strips like that, you could do a dandy ultra-early Japanese helmet, the kind where the sides of the bowl are made of strips running front to back, with a c...

raito

Showing up Sunday, staying through the fort battle (it's a long way home). Staying in Northshield Royal, which I guess is York cabin again this year.

raito

If you're going to try using a dryer circuit, also check the amperage (usually on the breaker at the panel, unless your domicile is old enough to still sue fuses -- then it's still at the panel).

I know my 240 circuit is 50A, but it's not for a dryer (had it put in when the place was built).

raito

Another variation is to just line everyone up. First in line fights 3rd in line. When you're done with your fight, get back into line. If you've already fought the person you're supposed to fight, go down the line until you find someone you haven't fought. Drop out when you lose 2. This works well i...

raito

Screw the mousepads. Too squishy. I use polyethylene closed cell foam. Stiff and comfy. Then again, I don't glue my padding down to anytthing. It just stays in place. I just stuff it in between the glove and gauntlete and it stays there.

raito

this is how i was going to space the plates. and each plate has round edges. and are dished out. That part's fine. I'd do that much myself. But look at the silhouette, compared to your drawing. Irish, that set also has a folding helmet. While I'd love to do one, I wouldn't fight in it (well, I'd do...

raito

There are tons of colors and variations for armor clothing and lacings (ito), however early on certain patterns of weave with certain colors were used for specific bits of lacing, pretty much regardless of the other color combinations. Not quite how it became so ridgid, but it caught on and was the...

raito

Yes, I use 1/8" holes for every hole where only 1 3/8" athletic shoelace passes. I use 5/32" holes where 2 laces pass, which is certain holes on an end where both a regular lace and an edge lace go through the same hole. That's a bit of a pain, but they won't quite pass a 1/8" ho...

raito

Well my image is a mixed Japanese samurai and European style for boffer fighting. Yes, it is. How its put on is clothing then a vest or Manchira that is padded and covered with chain mail. The manchira is really not necessary. Then the arms are chain mail kote with padding and a leather European va...

raito

Any Japanese prior to 1550. I think I know 2. I only know 1 Bohemian mafioso (Count Semjaka). Not too many from that area at any time. Only know 1 Portugese (calling Mateo a Portugee to annoy him doesn't count). I think that part of it is that people either go for as feudal as possible (which explai...

raito

My current kit is a modified churburg 13 made out of pickle barrel plastic and I have decided that it is time for an upgrade. If it's anything like others I've seen, 'modified' is and understatement - What would be the best thickness of stainless to make it out of. I was thinking 16 gauge, I made s...

raito

For LARPing, it'll be fine (assuming standard boffer weapons). For SCA use, it'll be as much protection as some mail, so you'll probably want somethng more than just the tatami-do. Your idea of canvas -leather-canvas is a decent way to add protection, assuming that the leather is fairly stout. I'm n...

raito

is he going to make plaid hakama? Sir Raito, didn't you once mention plaid was period? muahahahahaha Oh, dear God, the colors!.... Did I not warn you in the tousando post, Sunglasses were to be worn when looking at the pictures? *passes blame unto Sir Raito for omitting that warning* Yes, and I sai...

raito

it looks like I am going to go with the 20ga. stainless steel. I'll put a slight curve to it, not a dish right, just a curve? and I'll lace it up and throw a gambesome under it. I might go ahead and do the spine in like 14ga steel, bit beefier. If you can, put a very slight dish into it from top to...

raito

Yes, he does get it. So today I sawed one of the domes in half and work on it for a bit. I learned that you're not going to move it with a hammer. That was to be expected as the things are close to 1/8" thick. I also learned that there's not much that won't move under 36 tons or so. I like my p...

raito

Yes, the colors are hideous -- that's to annoy me, mostly. He also has a bit of color-blindness (probably saved his vision working on this stuff

)

No, he didn't do all the lacing, just the multicolored part. The rest is shoelace.

And I'm trying to get him to do me some in the right colors.

Re: So um, yeah Estrella

Re: Summer Kit

Re: Summer Kit

Re: Making my first set out of stainless, need a little help