The Armour Archive

Gerhard von Liebau

What color has the client requested?

Brown, with white over the tooling and borders...

-Gregory-

Gerhard von Liebau

Matt, in the case that you're on before your questions are answered... I believe most of the dimensions were given in the thread devoted to the development of this project over on the design and construction forum. The thread shouldn't be far from the first page, and probably is on there. Gypsy, I'd...

Gerhard von Liebau

I believe that all of the shoes, no matter which site they're ordered through, go through revival.us, since they stock the leather-goods for Revival... So, try that number first.

-Gregory-

Gerhard von Liebau

PM sent.

Thank you, sir.

-Gregory-

Gerhard von Liebau

Hello folks, I'm looking to purchase a virtually semi-spherical bronze helmet, with NOTHING done to it. It would be made to fit about a 23" head circumference, and probably be perfectly circular (so there would be a flare around the outside edges when on the head, since it wouldn't be mashed to fit ...

Gerhard von Liebau

Oops! I went straight to page two! Sorry Meaddrinker! Thanks for the advice! The wax definitely seems like something to consider. Now, Timothy. You said that you haven't used wax. So, are you suggesting that using the blocks would not necessarily need the wax, and that the seeping isn't bad with tha...

Gerhard von Liebau

Dirk, I accepted your apology. I HONESTLY think we were just looking at the whole school-system deal from two very different angles. If I were thinking like you did, I'm sure I wouldn't have been offended. Don't sweat it. And, you weren't a "prat" after the first post, and maybe a bit of the second....

Gerhard von Liebau

It's okay if we disagree... I just hope you won't jump to conclusions about a person who you don't know, in the future. I just believe that in order for someone to make an accusation as large as knowing someone's disadvantage because of their school-system, they should know about how the system has ...

Gerhard von Liebau

Dirk, I've edited my above post. Also, I will add that my confusion is not profound. What is profound is my pride. Read the edited post, and you may understand my point-of-view on your "insult" a bit more. What I found insulting was not that you find fault with the school-system, but more that you'd...

Gerhard von Liebau

EDIT: My irritation at your seeking relevance in our educational "problems" (which I'm sure you think we have, and I know ALL nations have plenty of) is the fact that education is 90% what a student makes of it. I pay attention in my classes, and I've been blessed with having many teachers who are v...

Gerhard von Liebau

It's insulting because you think it would be relevant. Personally, I'd make a good comparison to that with this kind of a comment: "You must not be informed, because your mother never got her degree." That is irrelevant, but it's insulting that you'd say it with seriousness in the first place. It IS...

Gerhard von Liebau

Dirk, Three of my "disadvantages" were insulting to me. Firstly, being from California has nothing to do with it. US government schools are not up to par with their European counter-parts, but the education system matters little, considering that all that I have learned about the Mycenaeans was outs...

Gerhard von Liebau

Maybe one could blow the holes in it with a hand held plasma torch? I bought a few Korean War era US helmets, and for the life of myself and my dad, we could NOT pound the small brim outta' the front, even with as much heat as our torch would put out. But, the hand-held plasma cutter cut it off lik...

Gerhard von Liebau

I hope you aren't being serious, Dirk. We do NOT know how Mycenaean clothing was constructed, at all. We only have the surrounding evidence of other cultures lucky enough to have surviving artifacts, such as the Egyptians. The use of dyes to color fabric was not likely unheard of, but I don't have a...

Gerhard von Liebau

This is the prologue Sauron we're talking about, at the start of The Fellowship of the Ring. It's the scene where it shows Isildur slice off his hand, and the gauntlet is shown up close as he reachs down for him. It's the battle at the black gate... Here's the actual product over at CBswords.com m -...

Gerhard von Liebau

Not yet, Dave! Right now I'm about half way done putting fabric-paint on my tunic and kilt for the Mycenaean kit. I've got two incomplete swords from Neil Burridge (viewable on my site) that I need to finish and make scabbards for those and my already completed sword. I'm starting a second (and hope...

Gerhard von Liebau

Timothy, Can't wait to see you starting the project! May I ask what you think you'll include in your soft kit? You have one of Grozer's Scythian bows, don't you? That'd work awesome with the kit! You guys make a lot of sense with the whole fabric overlapping argument, so that's definitely what I'll ...

Gerhard von Liebau

Thank you, sir! I think I'm going to wait until I get some white to use. Red and blue don't seem like they'd do as nicely... Also, the white would match the rawhide string at the top, making it more like three different layers.

-Gregory-

Gerhard von Liebau

The different linen qualities being used overlapping seems like it would make sense. I suppose that having the lines applied separately makes sense. My next tunic (which I'll make from linen) will have to have hand-sewn on lines, just so that I can say I did it in different ways;)

-Gregory-

Gerhard von Liebau

Hey Patric,

I'm hoping to get one together, and to remain historically accurate, I would not use cow horns, but boar tusks, as Matthew did with his. I hope to get hold of some horns, because if I do, I definitely would start one!

Timthy, ur men.

-Gregory-

Gerhard von Liebau

Matt, I'd just like you to know that I'm not actually tryin' to present a painted tunic, but as good a job as I can do at making it look "woven" in by not having noticeable lines from sewing, etc... Which is what I'd get if I were to put the lines on as separate fabric.

Cheers!

-Gregory-

Gerhard von Liebau

Hey Meaddrinker, There isn't really much of a pattern. You take a large rectangle of leather (long enough to go around your head and then a bit) and cut lots of lines into it down to about an inch. Then you sew the piece into a circle so the circumference will allow for a little bit of padding and f...

Gerhard von Liebau

Why do you think they would weave in one circumstance, and apply overlying fabric in another? I must say that I'd definitely disagree with that take on it... It seems as though they'd get used to doing it one way or another. Placing lines on the fabric as you see in the images of charioteers, etc, w...

Gerhard von Liebau

Neat, Timothy. But how, how!?!

Rohan, it's already been dyed with linseed oil and then dark brown antique leather stain.

Thanks Chef!

-Gregory-

Gerhard von Liebau

Hey guys, looking at the Warrior Vase, I think it would be cool to add a crest to this. Any idea as to how I'd attach a simple knot of horsehair? I've already got some, I just need to get it on!

-Gregory-

Gerhard von Liebau

Here's an image showing the difference between the fabric-paint and applied fabric edging... I heavily prefer the paint in realism, as far as the dates in question are concerned. I believe that it's more likely that the fabric, as I've mentioned before, was woven into the difference colors as one, a...

Gerhard von Liebau

I'm not going to actually take the time to make another one of these... I'm happy with how this one turned out, and I think that Maeryk makes a good point about a more modern look with that fine-stitching. The Mycenaeans had many delicate crafts, and I'm sure stitching was one. But punching through ...

Gerhard von Liebau

That's just about convinced me to do another one of these... Maybe I will! It's not hard, really... Lol.

-Gregory-

Gerhard von Liebau

I agree, Timothy. Once again, I was lacking resources when I got to the stitching. I did not yet own a sewing awl, or have any way to stitch the leather but with a hole-punch and the waxed thread. I made the holes as far apart as I did because matching them was quite troublesome, and making lots mor...

Gerhard von Liebau

I hate to sound negative, but I think applied woven tape/trim would have been a better and perhaps more accurate way to go. What fabric is that...or should I not ask...? I'd have to say that I would find it likely that as clothing was made, the fabric had the designs woven into them previous to bei...

Gerhard von Liebau

Oh, oh. Making a set would be different, and I do think he referred to doing so. I was thinking about making one to match this one, if someone where to get it, and then using it...

I'd say that would be a no, no.

-Gregory-

Gerhard von Liebau

I already said that you are correct, Mike. There are LOTS of facts that we do not have proof for. But, until we do have proof, they cannot be confirmed, and cannot be put down in the history books...

-Gregory-

Gerhard von Liebau

I was gettin' errors a few minute ago as well, but it's all better (I hope!) Thanks MeadDrinker, I kinda' forgot about that statement, actually! The Egyptian cap is silly, though... :p But hey, it looks right!

The Egyptians were just silly folks...

-Gregory-

(p.s. It's actually felt.)

Gerhard von Liebau

I personally wouldn't use the United Cutlery piece in combat. It's a worldwide-distributed limited edition numbering only 3000, and retailing at about $300 for the single gauntlet... Which, by the way, has a gold-plated ring on that index finger. All of the etching is done with computerized acid-etc...

Gerhard von Liebau

Okay, the conversation just got interesting and civil, so here's my post... Firstly, Jon summed up what I was tryin' to get at (for the most part) much better than I could. Now, Mike, you bring up an interesting point. I DO agree that there are LOTS of facts that we do not know about. But, to us hum...

WTB: Custom-sized Bronze helmet blank