The Armour Archive

Russ Mitchell

Not all have integral elbow protection, Kyle -- and this pair doesn't. It shoots out straight past the elbow. I've worn it for plenty of fightng, but would have to get you a pic to see if your marshals would let you use it w/o adding to it.

Russ Mitchell

Dammit. I'll have to hunt in the literature for an *intact* one. The Ancient Hungarians, Hungarian National Museum, 1996, p. 131 shows several arrowheads, a deltoid (kite-shaped), forked, awl, and triblade. But the awl/bodkin arrowhead is broken at the bottom where the socket should be. The length o...

Russ Mitchell

Not a problem. They are beginner's, basic armor. If polished they would look a lot better, without question, but to a discerning eye their geometry is always going to say "munitions gear."

Russ Mitchell

I can make some. They're beaters and distinctly un-pretty, but they'll keep your forearms intact until you can get better (and are sure you want to stay Novgorodian). Haven't the foggiest what they're worth, and own a MUCH nicer set, so if that's good for you, I'll come up with something. If you wan...

Russ Mitchell

I've got an unused set I could send you if you're willing to do a small trade.

Russ Mitchell

No problem, man. Your package ships tonight via FedEx, expect Friday or Monday.

Russ Mitchell

Yeah, there are two just like it shown in the Hungarian National Museum's "The Early Hungarians." I can look up the page reference for you when I get home. The kite-shaped jobs are from "my sphere," too. I'll find a couple references here and there, but if you do an Archive search for "Karacsonyfalv...

Russ Mitchell

I don't need to be killing anybody, but need them for educational purposes, so hardening is a non-issue. I've got files converted to CAD somewhere on my desktop I can send you -- they're rough (I made the bastards in TinkerCAD just for fun), but will let you visualize better than a photo. ::happy da...

Russ Mitchell

Wade, Oh, SNAP! You've got a hungarian bodkin in there! Seventh from the right, bottom row. They were used in warfare (poisoned) and for hunting fur-bearing prey. If you were interested in a swap for any other originals, I'd swap you two or three to one for that, as I don't have one and haven't been...

Russ Mitchell

DUDE.

If you can keep improving, I'd LOVE to throw you some business for stuff from my area. I don't have anybody who makes the kinds of arrowheads I need, and I can 3d-print resin replicas to use as a pattern if you were interested.

::keenly interested, please keep posting as you make progress::

Russ Mitchell

PAGING ZEKE, PAGING ZEKE....

Address in hand! Great!
Last name not included! Not Great!

FedEx won't ship to "Zeke from the AA," PLEASE respond so I can get you your goods!!

Russ Mitchell

Spammers are people, too. We should contact the guy and find out how much Yuan he's being paid to post this on the forum, and then provide him with targets where he might actually get a customer w/o having to register accounts. I can think of several people who might benefit from his valuable commer...

Russ Mitchell

In other words, not a book for beginners.
Maybe a *great* book for folks with experience fencing or fighting in other systems who want to do a transition, however.

Russ Mitchell

Jon: shouldn't be so long as the area where the leather intersects with the steel is well oiled.

"Hungary-Tan" samples should have arrived to Vermillion and Scott by now. I don't *think* either of them was in the Hurricane Sandy Death Zone where there are shipping blackouts going.

Russ Mitchell

Holy shit; haven't seen THAT for a while!! (I made that thing something like five years ago) Yeah, that rig is intended to be worn on the tight side, b/c I'm out of the "we play with steel" euro crowd and even a dulled point hurts like a bitch if it slips under your cuirass: but it's pretty much bom...

Russ Mitchell

Been following this thread; not in the market b/c of funds, but as one of the guys who might benefit down the road, I'd just like to toss in a hearty THANK YOU.

Russ Mitchell

Cool to hear -- none of them are visible on his site, so I didn't know.

Russ Mitchell

Bunch of that stuff in Hungary in the 16th-17th century, too.

Russ Mitchell

It's totally, totally wrong for what Halvy needs. He'd need massive rehilting just to start, followed by quite a bit of grinding.

Russ Mitchell

The Darkwood blades are very narrow, though. While they feel great in the hand, they look nothing like real weapons (unless they've changed radically since the one I held a couple years ago when I came up to MO to meet y'all).

Russ Mitchell

I've held a darkwood and was impressed, too. Can't afford it, but if I were in the market, I'd go to them.

(Saritor: my blades are too realistic; not springy enough for the flex test.)

Russ Mitchell

Well, your Rus will always need at least one Black-Hat.

Russ Mitchell

Halvy, I really wouldn't mind somebody to play with on the LH side, if you want to do up something that'd be somewhat regionally-inclusive. Unfortunately, the CT guys won't accept "random person X's" rebated sabres, and none of the ones I have are from the approved list, so I can't help you directly...

Russ Mitchell

If anybody knows Zeke and can prod him to respond, I've traded him some stuff, but can't hold up my end w/o an addy.

Russ Mitchell

Guy, I teach military sabre and occasionally khevsour privately and have a savate background, but on the assumption that by wma you're looking for the medieval kjnightly stuff, I'd strongly recommend the Schola Saint George folks. I've attended one of their practices and found them to be good, solid...

Russ Mitchell

From what I've read (it's out of my specialty), it was generally tolerance rather than love, and when the Normans used Muslim troops, it was generally as archers. The muslim communities were separate communities from the christian ones, rather than integrated modern-style. One imagines that, commerc...

Russ Mitchell

(not an armourer of any kind except as needed for presentations and experimental work, don't want to be, wouldn't know Jeff if he walked up and french-kissed me, have never had a pleasant experience dealing with HE anyway, am here mostly for the popcorn, no dog in this hunt, in a vacuum, constant gr...

Russ Mitchell

A cuirie or arming coat under the mail works wonders. I can't talk about a lot of SCA-specific armor, but I've worn mail in the field for re-enactment stuff for well over a week on end before (edit: as in, did not come off my body at any point), and the difference a leather doublet or fairly stiff a...

Russ Mitchell

Agreed on the DOCTOR bit, but that said, if you use the head of your weapon to block, axe can be done in a way that would be quite shoulder-friendly.

Russ Mitchell

Oh, wow, and they're *shaped* splints, too!

Russ Mitchell

I was going to send you a couple pieces of scrap, but none of them were full belt length -- I thought you were gonna use it for strapping. Do you need a bigger-sized chunk?

Russ Mitchell

16th-century artwork occasionally depicts some VERY narrow kite-type shields that might suit your fancy. Judging from the depictions, looks like they were operating on a similar idea.

Russ Mitchell

Sorry, folks, the IRS and I had a little discussion regarding 2010 taxes, so I wasn't able to do any shipping last week.
I'll have samples in the mail in the next day or two now that I've the wherewithall to satisfy sauron.

Russ Mitchell

Usually it's not that bad. When I was at Crossroads in Time, I loaned my cuirie to a guy with an archer's portrayal, who was doing the standard "blouse your mail" trick. It was cut in a more or less standard sleeveless cut like you see all the Hungarian cavalrymen wearing, 14th-century lines but not...

Russ Mitchell

Was in a melee during a presentation in Hungary when an opponent came in with your standard "high right cut," and rather than blocked, I swiveled off the line and ran the false edge of my sabre under his belt and across. Made me very happy, because it was spontaneous, and the first sign that I was s...

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