The Armour Archive

Russ Mitchell

Everything I've looked at previously says you're safe with Ottoman armor. I'm not aware of any specifically local trends.

Russ Mitchell

CL isn't worried about the zombies, I see.

Russ Mitchell

Oh.
Wait, I think you're right. That's a composite shot showing each side of each piece.
WELL! That makes more sense....

Russ Mitchell

I'm surprised the uh...enzymes in excrement didn't just disintegrate those pieces. What it would have done is soften them to an extreme. Those enzymes are the primitive version of the modern bating process used to soften hides. The low degree of fungal damage is surprising, but perhaps the degree o...

Russ Mitchell

PM sent back. The one I've got spare is currently a paperweight, so I'm happy to let you have it for shipping plus some random token beer money.

Russ Mitchell

PM me. I got one that fits the bill.

Russ Mitchell

Hivemind is right.
That's nice work, by the way. While I'd like to see a full suit, rather than just the shoulders/skirting, etcetera, that's as nice as a lot of stuff I've seen folks out wearing.

Russ Mitchell

Easy: Finish buff coat, tailor *ridiculously-excessively-large* butted mail shirt (large rings), for plausible 13c rig.
Stretch: get enough access to scales to do a full-scale St. George harness, or equivalent.

Russ Mitchell

These can't be anywhere near that kind of thickness, or else you'd be seeing a lot more visible edges, even if there was notable dishing (which I'm not seeing on them, and certainly none on the larger scales). The edges here are barely visible.

Russ Mitchell

I swear by thick leather or rawhide lacing. I constantly hear about people complaining about having to relace "Scissored" cord, but have never once needed to relace any of my rigs, even after the lacing on the plate's been split with sword blows.

Russ Mitchell

Yep, Tangent here on the AA runs an armor shop called "Tangent Creations", whose web address can be found here: m As soon as I saw your original post, I knew his scales could help you. He has some nice keeled scales which are exactly what you are looking for: m Note: Picture used without ...

Russ Mitchell

The easiest and most efficient way to design small scales would be like these http://www.tforum.info/forum/index.php?autocom=gallery&req=si&img=408 Two holes about a third of the way down to prevent lift up, with a slight side by side overlap. I believe these were laced together. I honestly...

Russ Mitchell

It is about the same as wearing a chain shirt, however I doubled the coverage of the scales by overlapping them vertically and horizontially. I am actualy going to remake the shirt in a year or two where they dont overlap horizontally. The shirt is built like a tank, and the weight can be tiring wh...

Russ Mitchell

I have a full-time job, left-hand tendonitis, and a toddler. Know a teenager who works cheap?

Russ Mitchell

What KW said. I'd be on this like white on rice if I had an affordable source of scales.

Russ Mitchell

Brunner (in the now-dated but MUST-READ* "Land and Lordship") has a *beautiful* declaration of Inimicitiae Capitales between the Emperor Sigismund, and, um, somebody, where they acknowledge their legal rights to settle their disputes by raiding and burning lands and carrying off peasants. ...

Russ Mitchell

What Buster said. Now, another option you could do, which would be more expensive, but look WAY cooler, would be to get over to Inventables and use some of their stone veneer sheets. There's even a flexible sandstone veneer that won't stiffen up until it's treated -- might be a good material to play...

Russ Mitchell

That's not the point, Cedric; it's not a better-worse thing, it's a "they're different" thing. Each has advantages and disadvantages relative to the other. Curved blades tend to resist rolling over at places where a straight blade would go effortlessly, and vice versa. Any sort of moulinet...

Russ Mitchell

Don't have my book with me, but I believe in Merchant of Prato it's mentioned that a lull in fighting during the HYW suddenly put a lot of armor on the market up there, and there was some scrambling to be the one who got to it first and cheapest. That suggests that a least some of the combatants def...

Russ Mitchell

Johann ColdIron wrote:
Cedric the Tall wrote:The blade orientation is always towards the foe. They are performing a quick redirect rollover at the bottom of the loops.

Yep. The curved blade rolls over very well too.

Probably the single greatest reason sabre guys love sabre, and straight-blade guys HATE it....

Russ Mitchell

As opposed to looking at who's who in the heraldry, which is frequently very informative and entertaining.

Russ Mitchell

@PBF: Looks really good. Please keep me in mind for 15c material, or if you offer these in steel.

Russ Mitchell

How many folks attack on the assumption that part two of the fight starts when the opponent throws his counter?

Russ Mitchell

I accidentally let my membership lapse (gotta renew that for the new year), but we sponsor sessions at the medieval conferenct at Kalamazoo MI every year, if anybody's really into it and would like to share a beer and pizza with their lectures.

Russ Mitchell

Was expensive as hell in Renaissance Hungary, and took like three times as long to make as the "regular" mail. Don't have a diameter, though.

Russ Mitchell

Dagon left a trinket.

Russ Mitchell

Finding plenty in the 54-60" range on janitorial sites... any luck with longer stuff?

Russ Mitchell

That's a great idea -- if you find a source, please let me know, as I'm in the same boat.

Russ Mitchell

Get a pair of vice-grips. Hold your stamps and drive punches with the grips, not with your fingers... and then maybe you'll avoid the kind of tendonitis that's keeping me from doing more leatherwork.

Russ Mitchell

I will give it to Gaston on the clothes, though.

Russ Mitchell

Eh... are you forgetting what century the HYW ends in?

And yeah, I'll put Grunwald over Agincourt ANY day of the week for epic.

Russ Mitchell

Let's see... the 14th century has the Neopolitan Succession War and the Anglo-Hungarian "mercenaries' alliance" going on, not to mention the French oh-so-deservedly getting their asses kicked ruining Nicopolis, and that's awesome (yours truly, not a fan of the Cult of Chivalry), the 15th c...

Russ Mitchell

With their ruleset, I've always wondered why one didn't seem more maces, especially for guys who know how to use a shield. It's SO much easier to toss a guy on his butt after his bell's been rung a half-dozen times.

Russ Mitchell

criminalhate wrote:Cogitationes velocius quam facta sunt
The thoughts more swiftly than that have been done

This, far as I can tell. Doesn't roll off the tongue very nicely, though.

How about "Cogito est actus quam celeri, Thought is more rapid than action."

Russ Mitchell

Thanks, guys. I'll give it a shot.

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