The Armour Archive

raito

Currently, I'm not fighting nearly as much as I used to. This year's combination of being Crown, transitioning to (another) heart procedure (I have to tell the medics now that I've already had too much X-ray in my diet) transitioning to a premature birth have left me little time or concentration. I'...

raito

For the back I would think you could actually get away with using leather since it isn't a structural portion of the helmet. My thought is that it might be more durable in the long run since the lames, if made from steel, will cause some sheering and rapid deterioration of the lacework. That's just...

raito

Of course they weren't. They couldn't afford to be. Part of today's problem in that respect is that the Law shields the weasels and cowards as much as it protects the innocent. Happens less when Law is based somewhat on individual force of arms.

raito

Damn you (in the nicest possible way). I wonder if the tip can be made more pleasing (especially with a 2 inch tip). For example. one could att a short, wide cone of foam to the front of the tip, and taper back to shaft size from that, to simulate one of the bull-nose yari tips... (I don't need any ...

raito

I'm not sure if we have any other "weird" fighting customs. Solid vambraces. Can you imagine how amused I was to be standing at my first Bryn Gwlad practice, surrounded by basically shirtless guys who told me I had to get something solid on my forearms? (I had'em, but they were not solid).

raito

And just to up the jewelry bill, coronet styles changed over time, too...

raito

Polyethylene closed cell foam. Light, stiff, and often black (or grey). Not strips, but cuts easily enough. (OK, you can get the white in strips.) 3' X 4' sheet $27.21. http://www1.mscdirect.com/cgi/nnsrhm Search for polyethylene closed cell foam. (There's no direct links. They have something like a...

raito

Not so much going from SCA to other forms, but... What form? Savate when I was 12. Fenced epee through high school. Also wrestled through high school. SCA rattan since 15. Live in a TKD school for a while. And practiced with the PKA guys at the same time. Picked up the usual bits and pieces. Kendo i...

raito

In Northshield, it's pretty much up to the Crown. That said, it's generally double-elim of some sort (with or without semi-final folding in place), and often each bout is best 2 of 3 of some sort. It's also becoming sylish to have the draw done in public when the couples are introduced to the Crown....

raito

I didn't even go. 3 month old in a building with little privacy (due to the number of people, nothing wrong with Ida Noyes itself ) does not go well with the mother.

raito

Mac did one for Countess Ariake. Rumor is that he made the Euro-stuff for her first, then chopped it up to Japan-ize it. That was quite a while ago, though.

raito

A 4-point strap will definitely stop the helm hitting your nose if the problem is that the helm tilts forward when you get hit (it's likely). But if the problem is that the helm is too close to your nose, and the padding is compressing, a 4 point won't help.

raito

16g on the great helm is list legal. It will get dented. Make the brain bucket of as light of a gauge as you can where it will keep its shape. Not any more. B. Helms 1. Helms shall be constructed from steel which has a thickness of no less than .0625 inch (1/16 inch or 1.6mm), or of equivalent mate...

raito

Then I'd better pay more attention, because that means that he fought in mine!

raito

Oh, all right then... (as per Legio, the odds are NOT my assessment of their fighting skill, but my assessment of how the populace would rank these people) (and I'm pretty sure DA doesn't get out to the Dakotas much, or I'd have heard of the grass fires his flaming sword would have caused by now.) 8...

raito

Nissan Maxima wrote:A ruleset that simply protected against reasonable loss of life, limb and function could be much simpler than that which we currently use.

And there's the rub. What is 'reasonable'?

raito

What size? Most of the architectural metal companies stock them, but usually only to 8" or so.

I don't find them to be devilish. They're raw material, not a finished object.

raito

And Cuan, there's the flipside. People are very much more likely to listen to and believe someone who has a good reputation. Having a good reputation lets you get things done that someone with a poor reputation can't get done.

raito

Starting:
Age: 15
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 150 lbs.
Fought everything possible.
No awards.

Current:
Age: 47
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 260 lbs.
Still fight everything possible.
Awards: KSCA, Duke, Viscount, etc.

raito

Leo, which material works best for you? I've always thought the later German and Italian stuff would be best since the earlier stuff relies upon the implicit threat of grappling (and, often enough, actual grappling). For myself, I find the Italian does better than the German for longsword, but that...

raito

Instead of trying to spread the narrow dimension, you might try squeezing the other dimension, assuming there's enough metal in the first place.

raito

Don't do it. The hardie hole is not intended for such use.

raito

SCA Rapier is pointwork with very limited edgeplay, C&T explicitly provides for much more use of the edge and (imo, at least) also allows for more force than is permitted within SCA Rapier. Since I keep blathering on about calibration, here's the quotes. 1.2 A 4 4) Striking an opponent with exc...

raito

I am wondering if the allowed blow strength leads to people winning fights who are extremely quick with the wrist, but land a sword blow that even sharpened would fail miserably. Please read the rules. It is assumed to be unarmoured combat. How hard does a razor need to hit you to be effective? As ...

raito

I'm not sure that's exactly what I said, but if so, that is certainly not I what I meant and I apologize for the confusion. I believe most of my comments were about an mutually agreed armor as worn bout that looked pretty brutal from the outside, but actually was as safe or safe than most rattan co...

raito

Make it non-sexist, and allow both boys and girls to enter either tournament.

Because some girls grow up to wear armour, and some boys grow up to fence.

raito

Have you seen C&T? Lately? Yes, often. Is it permitted in your area? Yes. Under the written rules, it is SCA rapier with the addition of percussive cuts, and additional armour requirements. This also means that the calibration is precisely the same as SCA rapier. If so, is there a requirement fo...

raito

I'm also one of those guys who doesn't hit as hard as I can. First off, I'm gettin' old, and I can only do that so many times a day. Last, I figure I'm hitting between a quarter and a third as hard as I really can to get a good shot in. But there are times when the best lesson is to show the person ...

raito

Awesome lacing job. I never understood why someone would make Samurai armour and put thin laces spaced apart on it. For the same reasons that they did in period. Namely, that it's a lot more weight, especially when wet. It's also slightly harder to maintain. Then again, the reason to use close laci...

raito

About 45 lbs. This was confirmed several years ago. Add maybe 10 lbs. if I wear the hai-date and the spiffy kote. Plastic is not as light as you think it is. Weight is not a reason to wear plastic.

raito

Mine is on a stump. Portable enough, heavy when it counts.

raito

Nothing with rivet backs. You'd have to do some fabrication for that. But lot's of choices. And if you dig enough, you can figure out the sizes.

raito

Try:

http://www.fancifulsinc.com

I've used their stuff several times. Often, I've used one of their stampings riveted to a brass backplate.

raito

Derian le Breton wrote:
The <i>frequency</i> is far more precise (to a few hundred parts per million.)

-Derian.

If that were true, my company could manufacture its products much more cheaply, and not have to put in a whole bunch of frequency-regulatng stuff to deal with crappy mains power.

raito

You could do it. I'd suggest a couple gears to get the fan turning at a higher speed than the crank, though. Most of the hand-crank blowers I've seen are geared like that. but the electric ones like you show alwyas seem to be direct-drive.

Re: Other fighting styles

Re: Northsheild Fall Crown list

Re: Cut and Thrust - Total BS or What?

Re: Cut and Thrust - Total BS or What?