The Armour Archive

Strongbow

svonbaden wrote:
chef de chambre wrote:How much would you charge for such a dagger?

me too...

Been looking for a nice rondel....

Strongbow

I thought I was in the friggin' TWILIGHT ZONE!

JT should ban himself for a ridiculous amount of thread necromancy!

Strongbow

Got any close-ups? His cape looks magnificent, I'd love to see a close-up.

Strongbow

Could they be a bit more substantial? John Jehan de Pelham, esquire and servant of Sir Vitus www.mron.org You mean the gold John? Perhaps. But all the surviving sheet brass bezants seem to be quite thin. Some are gilt I think. I've seen quite a few in museums. They resemble the thin sheet brass orn...

Strongbow

"FitAotBP "? Fasion in the Age of the Black Prince... an excellent book! Newton talks about bezants alot. I agree that the patterns on the mold in FitAotBP resemble some of the MoL "spangles", but some are more elaborate, not sticking to the strictly round pattern of the MoL spa...

Strongbow

I'd be very interested in seeing how this looks when worn. Most repro 14th century armours (including my own) don't really look right.

Strongbow

OK, so the consensus is that they were probably used as ornamentation on clothing.

Anyone have any ideas why the MoL finds were all lead or tin-alloy, with none of copper alloy?

Strongbow

Are you saying they are essentially the same as bezants? I was thinking that, but lead doesn't seem to be a good material for that. Also, the "spangles" in DA seem to die out by the mid-14thc, while the use of copper alloy bezants seems to continue on. Also, the form of the spangles is so ...

Strongbow

Just re-reading Dress Accessories and got to the section on "spangles" - small lead or pewter tokens with two small stitching holes at the top of the token. There was some speculation that they served some monetary purpose, as they seem to disappear as lead tokens appear. But then, what is...

Strongbow

Thanks!

Strongbow

Nah, I'm glad you wore the sallet. I like your armet, but that sallet is spiff.

Your kit is, as always, super-cool.

Strongbow

Is anyone producing bronze strap keepers as seen in Dress Accessories? I'd really like one to use on my archer's bracer.

Strongbow

The bit I don;t understand is why you keep harping on the fact that many helmets with holes are flat-backed. I think that all it proves is that flat-backed style is somehow associated with with a higher degree of likleyhood of the hole... whatever it's purpose. In my view, th obvious answer is that ...

Strongbow

Always loved the originals, and yours are a very nice take on them indeed.

Strongbow

Use one of these: m They're not THAT expensive, and you could probably borrow one from someone who has one. WE have one in my shop, but it's not suitable for use on something like a great helm. However, lots of the models listed here would be ideal for that. Not only would weld be obvious, but you'd...

Strongbow

If you post pics in a thread specifically about 15th century armour, then expect folks to poke holes in your kit. A couple ideas for the future: 1) Don't depend on your armourer to do research unless you really trust him. Do your own research and tell the armourer what you want. 2) Just get used to ...

Strongbow

--that there are plenty of examples in a range of historical crafts in which pieces are left 'as-is'....ie, they arent finished to our sense aesthetic completion....armor is no exception...especially munitions grade pieces. Agreed, but you missed my qualifier... I said given the level of finish of ...

Strongbow

I hesitate speaking among such experienced hands, but it strikes me that given the level of finish on the bascinet in the original post, that it seems very unlikely the whole would have been left as is if it were just a by-product of construction technique. The hole could have been easily closed. Wi...

Strongbow

certainly I'm not a "British Museum Expert," but that ain't no 14th-15th century helmet. If genuinie, it looks more mid-17th centuryish. And I'm not suire I've ever seen the tail done that way. The skull construction looks munitions-grade at best.

The oddest things show up on eBay.

Strongbow

Great! Do you still have the inserts as well!

I'd prefer to assemble my own belt anyway.

Should I just call your shop?

Strongbow

<--- another query.

I ran out of money when they first came out and REALLY hope they are available now.

Strongbow

Chuck wrote:Not how it is constructed, but how common ringmail was. Sorry for the confusion.

Chuck

Unless someone can post evidence to the contrary, I 'd say it never existed in Europe during the Middle Ages. None. Not at all.

Strongbow

The Great Warbow, though they kind of skim over that fact being the writers are some of those who pull a monster bow and do bad shooting though armor tests. Where do they do "bad shooting through armour tests." They do refer to tests done by others, but even those tests confirm what is ge...

Strongbow

As to the warbow thing the average bow on the Mary Rose was still only about 80 pounds and the monster bows were mounted on the decks. I am not so sure about all men carrying and pulling those massive bows. Are you sure you're looking at the latest data? According to Hardy, the computer model used ...

Strongbow

Now, if the sword was worn out and neglected when used AND it broke BECAUSE of that neglect, THEN you have an arguement. But simply stating that the sword breaking was the problem is not correct. Agreed. I don;t fight much (at least not yet), but I assume the sword in question would have already be...

Strongbow

The evidence seems fairly clear that arrows generally didn't defeat armor. The question to ask now seems to be: why does archery enjoy the reputation it does? Because it makes lower class people seem like they have power or control. I don't agree James. The bow WAS effective, or it wouldn't have be...

Strongbow

Tell your friend to read up on the battles of Flodden, Patay, and Brouwershaven. The English archers failed to deliver against armoured men on each of those occasions. In the case of Browershaven, it's noted that their oh-so-deadly arrows "...did about as much harm as a shower of rotten apples...

Strongbow

http://www.replications.com/greys/Image%20Gallery/2007/MTA/Full/IMG_0367.jpg http://www.replications.com/greys/Image%20Gallery/2007/MTA/Full/IMG_0368.jpg 20 yards. 16 guage breastplate. 70 lb bow with bodkin arrows broke one arrow and bent a bodkin. breastplate got a small scratch and a lil dent. U...

Strongbow

Leo, that COP looks great!

Now that my back is almost healed form surgery, I need to get my kit on and take some pics....

Strongbow

you can almost SMELL the flagellated deceased equine!

Strongbow

Beathan has a reputation for being reliable... I wouldn't worry. Just be a patient for a week and I bet it all works out.

Strongbow

Good Luck Dan!

Strongbow

Those arms are quite simple. They could have been in use since nearly the beginning of formal western heraldry. If you like them, I would difference them in some way and use them. Add a bordure, change a color, whatever. That way, you could feel a connection to these arms, but not encroach on them. ...

Strongbow

Keep in mind here that we're talkng about an acutal legal claim to specific arms. In the U.S., there is nothing to stop you from adopting your own arms to use for decorative, or even commericial purposes (just register them with the trademark office). After all, many of us here have done just that.

Strongbow

Most such "heraldry" items do include actual arms associated with the name, but unless you have actual data linking your own family to the arms, I would guess it's remote they are actually "yours." As to whether the design itself is more modern or possibly more ancient... impossi...

The purpose of "spangles"

Anyone making strap keepers?