The Armour Archive

Cian of Storvik

I understand. And believe me, if it's one thing I've learned being in the SCA, it's never to say never. "That guy will NEVER be able to drink that entire keg of meade." "That unbelted fighter will NEVER be able to defeat that Knight." "As many layers of strapping tape I've p...

Cian of Storvik

LANTERN INSTRUCTIONS

Cian of Storvik

Any thoughts about what you have in mind for pommels? I'd like to get a matched set by the same person. Because of safety regulations, the pommels that are very narrow will be either fatter then normal or I won't try to do them at all (I will probably never make an Oakeshott O or V). I will do a co...

Cian of Storvik

No. I got what he's saying. If there were no rattan in the hole, I could see it collapsing in on itself if I put enough force on it. For instance: If I welded a quillon end to the middle of my anvil and the middle of the socket was at the edge of the anvil and then I stood on the opposite quillon. I...

Cian of Storvik

The pommels will also be steel and hollow. I really don't know the weight until I make them. These crosshilts should be pretty durable. The seems are perpendicular to the hole. That is to say the hole is drilled through the solid steel. It's actually thicker then 14 ga. It's more like 13 and a half ...

Cian of Storvik

I can't do any welding in the rain, and so there's no rush for payment right now since I can't make them for the next 36 hours (acording to the forecast). Since people are definately interested, I'm going to go to the metal supplier and get some stock for the pommels. Give me until Wednesday and I'l...

Cian of Storvik

Depending on how long, thick and broad you want the tangs. Tell me what your thoughts are and I'll give you a price but... (for $5.00) Initially I'm thinking about a 16 ga tang about 5 or 6" in length that will lay tight to the hilt on both sides. You could then screw through the tip (back near...

Cian of Storvik

$5.60 for Priority 2 day including a tracking #. I think these will fit in a flat rate box. So you can get probably 3 shipped for the same price.

No pommels until I see if people are interested in mild steel cross-hilts first.
If so, then I'll invest in more material.
-Cian

Cian of Storvik

If anyone is interested in a crosshilt, I've made a couple of styles of crosshilt out of mild steel for use in SCA combat (one handed sword). I have enough material to make about 5 or 6 more of these steel cross hilts. They are made of 14 ga plates and are hollow so they don't weigh a ton (in fact t...

Cian of Storvik

I heard that he is spending the summer as a roadie for a Slayer reunion tour... I heard he was in the indian Ocean fighting Somali pirates in a 14' fishing skiff armed with only a glock, some caltrops (?) and a pair of gopher-chucks. He's not just mysterious....He's terribly mysterious. -Cian

Cian of Storvik

Around the 14th century? (You do realize that's a 100 year time span right? One that runs a full gamit from chain mail clad to cap-a-pie plate.) Rather then list all of the various armorers that make 14th century stuff (I also note you didn't put down a location), I'm going to suggest you do a littl...

Cian of Storvik

It'd probably fit my GF, but Cian is synonymous with broke these days. How tall are you? (I think she's like a 10, but women's dress sizes can be funny. One maker's 10 can be what another store calls an 8 or 12). Is it linen? Is it lined? (Once again, I have no $$$ but I like to window shop). -Cian

Cian of Storvik

Sadly unless you have other people who are also into your period and playing a game of barter and monies, they hold little interest or value. Not many people I know of in the SCA are interested in that level of detail in their accessories. I've handed out a few of your 14th cen coins to individuals ...

Cian of Storvik

It's all mine. I'm sort of an adobe paint shop addict. I'm always making doodles and plans on it. Sir Christian, I will pass on your regards to their Excellencies. And thank you again for the kind offer. I'll try to finish up the website shortly (just got a lot of mundane stuff on my plate) so every...

Cian of Storvik

Could be anything. There are probably as many types of foam used in packing, mats and insulation as there are makes and models of cars ever built. If you just want to find out if it's open or closed cell foam. Dunk it in water and see if it absorbs it. If it does, then it's open cell. If not, then i...

Cian of Storvik

The sun broke through the clouds today and I was able to do some welding. This is the cross hilt I mentioned above. It needs to be buffed and polished out, but you get the gist of it from the pics. I was going for the earlier period Oakshott type crossguards for my friend's norman crusader persona r...

Cian of Storvik

Sir Vitus is too kind. The way he stitches his (He does the more durable, and costly, thick leather kind of scabbards), it adds a nice rigid spine to the scabbard so it retains it's shape from heavy SCA combat abuse. He also makes his belts heavy duty so you won't get it ripped off of you in a pile-...

Cian of Storvik

Thank you, Lord Effingham. It's awesome to get recognition from those whom's opinion you respect. I'm honored by your praise. Sir Christian, your invitation is exceptionally kind, but it would be difficult for me to try and schedule something like that at this time. The web page that I'm working on ...

Cian of Storvik

The scabbards themselves are mostly tubes. Some are tapered, but it's just a matter of cutting it wider at one end and taper to the tip. Measure the circumference of your sword and don't forget to alot for the thickness of the leather x 3.14 (pi), plus a little extra so the sword isn't wedged into i...

Cian of Storvik

Leather that's been water formed and glue hardened (gorilla glue) and sanded to shape. Some are as many as 4 individual pieces of leather assembled to make the "cone". The first one is only 2 pieces of leather glued together. -Cian Pattern of the first sword chape above (uses 2 of these): ...

Cian of Storvik

13-15 oz. veg tanned leather for the scabbard, 7-9 oz. leather for the belt. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3609/3363047498_37db44d98c_o.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3003/2941752911_d798fd772b_o.jpg I've also made them out of polycarbonate tubing (for rigidity) with a thinner 7 oz. leather wra...

Cian of Storvik

If it's for the SCA, I just want to point out that I've been in the SCA for 5+ years and the subject of my persona has never come up in detail. The most I ever get asked is "What period/location are you aiming for with your armor/soft kit?" Nothing wrong with it, I just wouldn't invest a w...

Cian of Storvik

Not a cross hilt or pommel exactly, but I've made hardware out of wood: Gladius: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3611/3445547152_98cb81d655.jpg Bollock dagger (maple balls from craft store): http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3068/2911128262_8ecf2c9c58.jpg And out of brass medallions: Rondell http://farm...

Cian of Storvik

Thanks everyone. I'm still skeptical until I see some other source that shows S with a line through it standing for Jesus (our) Savior, but I'm content to believe that's what it probably is, and will be able to sleep tonight.
-Cian

Cian of Storvik

Sasuske from Oak's Armory, makes a very nice set of gauntlets that will ground out on rattan. He also does a FULL GAUNT that looks an awful lot like you are wearing finger gauntlets or your hands are made of steel. I've often thought if I ever did an early persona that wouldn't wear gauntlets, I wou...

Cian of Storvik

I'm not as well versed as James is about fashions, but it would also help to point out a location that you're going for. Italy and France seemed to lead stylstic changes that sometimes didn't become common place England and the other northern European locations for sometimes a decade or more. Case i...

Cian of Storvik

Ernst. When I first saw the image, I thought it was a baton entwined by a serpent, but upon closer inspection, you can definately see serif's on the "S". This is sort of ironic, because "humanist" types (which are characterized by the serif letters with the fat horizontal/thin di...

Cian of Storvik

Is that a guess? If it's a Christogram, I've never seen "IS". I know the English really liked putting "Iesu helpe" on military items, and that IHS ("Iesus hominum salvator" - Jesus savior of men) is a medieval Christogram, but it's mising the "H" and I find it...

Cian of Storvik

I saw this the other day after tracing back some images of period tents/camps. The image is attributed to Giovanni Bettini (Bellini?) c1460. MS Canon. Class. Lat.81 f49v. Bodleian Library, Oxford Primarily in the lower right corner of the illustration, but throughout (on flags, and what appear to be...

Cian of Storvik

more pics of the lantern project... Here are the lantern's faux horn panes (made of acrylic) 9" x 2 3/8". http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3613/3440760070_d40096716b.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3655/3440760092_e48f62ef97.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3374/3440760130_0678381f1a.jp...

Cian of Storvik

And here's a late 15th century hip quiver that is typical of use in eastern europe at the time:

Cian of Storvik

Here's Tim Finkas displaying how it is most often shown for English archers storing their arrows: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3097/2498841739_3f466438f9.jpg Here's an arrow bag. This is what I use when I shoot target. I hang it off of my hip like a modern hip quiver or throw it over my shoulder a...

Cian of Storvik

Just an update on the fluorescent horn paned lantern project. I walked out of the shop yesterday covered cap-a-pie in dust (a good sign that you're making progress on something). I think the worst part of this project so far has been ripping the vertical slats. One day I shall invest in a table saw ...

Cian of Storvik

You pretty much have two options: 1) thick leather which can use thinner (easier to cut and shape) metal splints, or 2) thinner leather using thicker steel splints. Most of what I see is option 2 (like Stonekeep's arms and legs). This tends to be more durable and quicker to fashion. I'd suggest a 16...

Cian of Storvik

If it's being packed away for a period (or not being worn immediately), it goes in a plastic tote. If it's being worn almost immediately when I get there, like a day trip or to a practice, I'll wear the cuisses, greaves, pourpoint and gambeson, and the rest (bascinet, gaunts, sabatons, poleynes, gor...

FS: Steel rattan (SCA) crosshilts & pommels

This symbol is bothering me