The Armour Archive

Tibbie Croser

Halvgrimr, I hope you mean that you won't buy Westland's products from a US distributor, not that you won't buy anything from any merchant who also sells Westland's products in addition to their own (that is, you wouldn't buy Westland products from Reconstructing History but you would still buy RH's...

Tibbie Croser

Brewer, my husband and I were really pleased to buy the Westland high buff boots from your shop at Pennsic in person. We got Westland's good product and RH's good customer service. I do suspect that customers are more willing to give the benefit of the doubt to a business that has built up a long hi...

Tibbie Croser

I was able to see a little bit of the Challenge after I plodded back down from the rapier woods battle to where we regrouped at the Atlantian Royal Pavilion. It looked amazing. For some reason, I find great-weapon combat between people in shining armor to be much more appealing to watch than standar...

Tibbie Croser

Frederich---when was your picture of Acelina taken? I recognize the Storvik practice site, and I think I recognize Alex the Pell with his back to the camera. I can't make out the other folks in the background. Are you still doing armoring? I would like to PM you with an inquiry about getting a rapie...

Tibbie Croser

I, too, thought Duke Avery was talking about the problem of long-lasting, bitter feuds between individuals and groups. The larger the group, or the higher the status of the people involved, the more potential for harm. Sir Richard, I think Duke Logan brings up another problem with trying to hash out...

Tibbie Croser

Equestria, do you joust at the Maryland RenFest?

Tibbie Croser

Duke Andreas, are you bringing samples of your rapier helms? I really hope to see one in person, as I have a hard time judging pictures on the Internet.

Tibbie Croser

I've recently been reading about the 1565 Siege of Malta and have been deeply impressed by the Knights of St. John (Hospitallers) in this period. Does anyone have good books to recommend? I'm especially interested in how they adapted their philosophies of chivalry and their training when they moved ...

Tibbie Croser

Sir Richard, thank you for what you have been trying to do. Thank you also for supporting your friend in his bereavement. However, the Archive, being a public, minimally moderated, Internet forum, seems like one of the least productive places to have a serious dialogue about contentious issues. Dial...

Tibbie Croser

I'm curious. For minor rapier fighters, why was the glove selected rather than the fencing mask? The mask is much more visible than the glove. Sometimes the dominant hand must be put behind the back. Will kingdoms still be allowed to require minors to mark the mask, in addition to the Society requir...

Tibbie Croser

Thanks for the suggestions, but I'm looking for the least work involved (I prefer to spend my time and effort on sewing garb rather than on learning by trial and error how to heat-form plastic ). I did find an XL-size skateboard kneepad for $3 at a local thrift store. It fits the back of my small he...

Tibbie Croser

I've been thinking of ways to convert sports equipment to back-of-the-head protection for SCA Cut and Thrust. It occurred to me that the hard shells of skateboard-type knee pads, if I could find them in a large enough size and in a hard-enough plastic, could fit under the back of the fencing mask. T...

Tibbie Croser

That lacing system reminds me a little of the lacing on some Iron Age shoes, like those found in bogs. I think there are examples in the book Stepping through Time and perhaps on Marc Carlson's early-shoe website. Also, there was a recent thread about the recently discovered prehistoric shoe in Arme...

Tibbie Croser

If you have an interest in rapier, this might be a good time to try it. Bruises will be much smaller and less painful. However, rapier is pretty demanding of your cardiovascular fitness, so you may need to pace yourself if the mono's still causing fatigue. I know of a number of people who have moved...

Tibbie Croser

I wouldn't presume to suggest that any of the jousters in the article were indifferent to the safety of their horses (though some of the humans seem indifferent to their own safety). I just wondered if the European-style jousting ends up being better for the horses in the long run compared to the Am...

Tibbie Croser

I read the article through Lloyd's link. One thing that wasn't mentioned, but I think is important: how safe are the horses in "American" versus "Euro" jousting? Are the rates for injury/illness in the horses comparable between the groups or different? I should hope that the &quo...

Tibbie Croser

If I recall correctly, Duke Logan wrote that he had bodyguard archers at one of the wars.

Tibbie Croser

Johann, *please* don't let anybody on the AA drive you away from SCA fighting. I suspect that the disagreeable people here are a small subset of Archive posters and a microscopic subset of Scadians. After being on the Archive for several years and regularly being appalled at the behavior of some peo...

Tibbie Croser

If something contrary to the current rules still exists, it would be helpful, when discussing it, to specify in what kingdom(s) it exists and where that kingdom is located. I gather that Lochac is "unique" in their CA rules? In discussions of SCA combat archery, it might overall be more pr...

Tibbie Croser

Leo, I believe that the 2008 revision of the Society rules for CA eliminated "light" archers and "unhittable" archers, as some people have posted. I gather that the rules revision also clarified that only the fighter who is hit by an arrow decides whether the arrow hit hard enoug...

Tibbie Croser

Suzerain, on the Royal Armouries website, there's an English basket-hilted sword dated to about 1540. (I didn't post the link because it's too long.)

Tibbie Croser

I've wondered how often chinstraps or other fastenings were used in medieval European helmets. Did spangenhelms, Viking-type helms, simple Norman helms, kettle hats, skullcap-type helms, and open sallets have chinstraps or other fastenings? Or were they kept on by a tight fit and by gravity? (Also, ...

Tibbie Croser

Which blades are the "bwoingy" ones? Do you mean rapier simulator blades that aren't stiff enough, or do you mean epees? (I don't know about the East Kingdom, but epees and foils have become extremely rare in Atlantia.)

Tibbie Croser

Could someone please clarify some of the rules/suggestions mentioned in this thread? Several people have said "full contact archers only." Isn't there now a Society rule that all archers may be struck just like a non-archer (i.e., there are no more "light" archers)? Or is this a ...

Tibbie Croser

Tasha has her Martial Surcotte Tutorial on her website (which I think is cottesimple.com, or it's in the signature line in her posts). What period are you doing?

Tibbie Croser

Aced11, if you can find a copy of George Cameron Stone's book A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor in a library or used bookstore, it's a good resource. It shows photos of swords and other weapons from all over the world. Many of the Asian weapons are exotic looking a...

Tibbie Croser

Is he looking for a modern crossbow or for a historical-style crossbow? Is it for target archery? For hunting? New World Arbalest has often been recommended on here as a maker of historically styled crossbows. Meric Archery also makes historical-looking target crossbows. The preferred poundage sound...

Tibbie Croser

Thanks, Suzerain. Actually, before reading your reply I had tracked down the photos to the Marischal Museum website, which said that the clamshell hilt sword in the photo was dated to about 1600 to 1640. So that's past my period. However, it's interesting to me to see that the shell hilt was used on...

Tibbie Croser

Suzerain, thank you very much, those are fascinating. What's the estimated date on the clamshell hilt weapon? I see those photos are marked University of Aberdeen; do they have an online picture collection of Scottish swords? I'm doing an early- to mid-16th-century Scottish Border persona for SCA ra...

Tibbie Croser

Hi, Simon. This is Tibbie here; I saw you at Storvik Novice Tourney. (I'm a short, thin woman and I was wearing a long-sleeved maroon coat and a gold/tan hood.)

Have you posted your request on Atlantian RapierNet or the Merry Rose? You might get more responses.

Tibbie Croser

Suzerain, I'm intrigued by your mention of the Lowland clamshell hilt. Do you know of any examples I could look up online? Do these hilts look anything like the "shell" hilts of some later rapiers?

Tibbie Croser

I've seen "WMAinSCA" mentioned in a few posts now. Could someone tell me more about it? Are the Pennsic classes being offered through Pennsic University, or are they being run separately?

Tibbie Croser

One of the things I most enjoyed about the foam-weapon game I used to play (Dagorhir) was that it was 90% melee/war fighting. Tactics, strategy, specialized units, archery, units with combined arms, etc., were essential elements of the sport combat. My primary interest is the 16th century. I like mi...

Tibbie Croser

In the seal of Grand Duke Kestutis, the cuirass looks a bit like a representation of lamellar. Norman or Russ Mitchell might know, they're expert on Eastern European armor. Interestingly, the shield looks like the Italian rotella of the Renaissance.

Tibbie Croser

Consistently occurring arguments are not necessarily based on the current rules or practices.

Sources on Knights Hospitaller in C14th-C16th?

Sources for very large, very rigid sports kneepads?

WMAinSCA?