The Armour Archive

Cian of Storvik

I'm running up to King Architectural metals next week. Let me know if there's something you need up there.

I'm going to get a few things including a solid brass rosette for a rondel dagger.

-Cian

Cian of Storvik

I like Matt's stuff, but a little bit cheaper is Iron Monger Armory's munitions grade bascinet. I think it's actually painted silver because the finish is so crappy on it. But most importantly, you want a helm that fits your coconut. I would try to stay away from Ashcrap-baker. I saw a helm of their...

Cian of Storvik

1 oz. of leather is 1/64" in thickness. So an 8 oz leather is 1/8" thick.

Tandy Leather Factory sells 8 oz. leather in single and double shoulders.

Sounds kind of light for SCA combat unless you're adding splints.
-Cian

Cian of Storvik

In the first engagement of the open field battle, the Tuchux came running down the hill, full speed, and one of them did a flying leap into me. It was very uncool (Someone needs to read the rules about charging). My shield holding shoulder is still messed-up. I can't hold my shield or reach across t...

Cian of Storvik

I'll take that $45 kit if it's still available.
-Cian of Storvik

Cian of Storvik

Elsing brass of Roger Grey died 1340, he appears to have a standard of mail. And Edward III brass, same date. It appears to be a collar with a finished edge of some sort. But I sometimes wonder if the artist is trying to illustrate a mail coif that has been pulled back off the head, thus you're only...

Cian of Storvik

I've heard good things about Rosetta Stone. But the only Gaelic languages they have are Welsh and Irish. They also have versions you can use with your Ipod/MP3 player. I think short of taking a university course, there's not much you can do to learn ancient versions. And then who would you talk to w...

Cian of Storvik

Eastern and middle eastern tangs were intended sometimes to mount into bamboo or hollow reeds.
Some nordic, like native american arrow heads, had a notch cut out and the head lashed into place or pinned with a small nail.
Some medieval socket heads also show evidence of pinning.
-Cian

Cian of Storvik

RBG's are "rubber band guns". I'd be interested in a cross-bow stock. It should be a pretty simple task if you have a band saw (which I don't have). And routing out a channel in the end of a 2-by-4 or other doweled piece of wood the dimensions of a 2x4. The holes for pins and levers I can ...

Cian of Storvik

Thanks for understanding, Chef. As you noted the weight of the bow is a consideration. Even 40# bows are tricky to get arrows with a nice constant taper without having a tiny nock. My plan right now is to order an extra dozen light spine ash, and try it out with a constant taper but with a slightly ...

Cian of Storvik

Cian, Them is some sweet lookin flying pokey sticks. You're not charging enough for them. And at the that very moment the pot began accusing the kettle of being too black. By the way the beautiful knees you sold to me protected me well at Pennsic, but they are now showing the abuse I've been puttin...

Cian of Storvik

Sorry for not getting back to you yet, Chef. I'm still contemplating your bow's needs. One hurdle was easily overted, but the other is another problem that I may have to do some experimentation with. It basically has to do with the draw weight, optimal diameter and chesting the shafts. Close. But at...

Cian of Storvik

Well, people do it though! I have spaghetti arms, and if someone had told me I'd be drawing a 65# bow back 30" after shooting intermittantly for 4 years, I would have told them they were nuts. Howard hill was a tiny guy and he held the record for pulling a 172# bow for years. The elephants he k...

Cian of Storvik

For kids, I'd get the fiberglass bows (Sentry 20# or Titan 30#). They're much more forgiving to abuse which kids are inadvertantly prone to apply. Also, for the short height of children, stick bows are problematic. Without boring you with the mathematical calculation of spring efficiency, simply put...

Cian of Storvik

Kilkenny, those shafts would be $150.50 (I assume by "you don't care for the shaftment" means you don't want the fletches bound. If you don't care either way if it's linen or silk, then linen is cheaper and adds another $13.20) to that. That excludes shipping cost (of about $7.50). Note it...

Cian of Storvik

I've had intermittant success with the poly coatings. Using the arrows in cold weather, the poly can chip off. I think this is because it has a tendancy to sit on the wood, where as the tung oil sinks in like a stain. The trick is to sand it with a medium grit (600-400) sand paper prior to applicati...

Cian of Storvik

THE RING LORD sells scales of aluminum and steel. Some of them appear to be annodized gold.
Could be more durable then brass if you're going to use them for combat.
-Cian

Cian of Storvik

Though "The Longbow; a social and military history" by hardy does have explanation of English longbow (livery bow) construction with photos and illustrations/studies of extant mary rose bows. Bow manufacture is not the main emphasis of the book, and would not be the best selection for some...

Cian of Storvik

Assortment of bracers:

Arrow bag (shown with Jehan de Pelham's arrows):

Cian of Storvik

In order to finance some new arrow building tools, I've come up with the plan that I might be able to defer some cost of spending $ by selling some arrows. Seems like a fair trade-off. Normally, I don't sell arrows except to close friends (i'm not saying any of you aren't my friends, but making medi...

Cian of Storvik

For literature nothing beats: The Bowyer's Bible (vols 1-3). (about $15/ea in paperback from Amazon).

For direct advice and help: Paleoplanet.net

Scroll down the forums until you see "Archery: Primitive bows". Many skilled bowyers there.
-Cian

Cian of Storvik

I use very sharp leather shears. But as you notate, you can only cut in a single direction and you have one shot, so no corrective cuts. I also use something called a "Chopper" that you nest an arrow into, and then the top folds down, you smack it with a mallet and it cleanly produces a fl...

Cian of Storvik

I think the genral rule is that the thumb needs to be covered with rigid protection. I know many guys that fight with field hockey gloves with a large piece of rigid plastic (maybe 7" x 3") duct taped over the thumb. As everyone says, the marshal is the final word on it. But most of them, ...

Cian of Storvik

First off let me say as a fellow fletcher and nocker (archer), great job on the arrows. It's really this attitude to do things as they would have in period that is the life blood in the SCA and living history. As you do more you'll get more even with the wraps. And other things will come into line f...

Cian of Storvik

Forwarded info to the northern Atlantia combat archers list. A few of them were looking at upgrading helms a few months ago and were partial to my WMA kettle.
-Cian

Cian of Storvik

I think the triangle shapes are seen much earlier then the late 14th/early 15th century. If you look at the manesse codex (early to mid 14th) and codex buranas (13th cen), there are images of what appear to be "framed" boards with triangular shaped stripes. Look at the Wikipedia entry for ...

Cian of Storvik

No body peed in my wheaties. And I'm not saying that anyone needs to be punished or to go out of one's way to ostricize them. I didn't call anyone inferior. Thousands of people go to Pennsic just to live their medieval dream. Only a fraction of Pennsic attendees ever step on the combat field, and I ...

Cian of Storvik

I wouldn't spend a lot of time trying to make it "easier" for these certain fellows to get into the mix. Although more bodies does make for a more intense battle and we're always afraid of being outnumbered/flanked etc, I'm not so sure I would want to fight next to people that aren't serio...

Cian of Storvik

If you still have it at the end of the month, I'll take it off of your hands, Murdock.

BTW, saw you at Pennsic! You looked busy on your way somewhere, so I didn't go running up and introduce myself.
-Cian

Cian of Storvik

Did anyone get a picture of the guy with the all-white pickle barrel armor? (Even his helmet was spray painted white). I pointed him out to someone in the houshold I was fighting with, and the person said "Should I take him out?" and I think my response was "No. I think he's on our si...

Cian of Storvik

Jinx! You owe me a coke!
-Cian

Cian of Storvik

A warrior from the Bayeux Tapestry?

Tapestry Pic

Just a guess.
-Cian

Cian of Storvik

Thank you for the consideration, Chef. I do have a couple of pairs of joined wool hosen. And I may buy another 1 or 2 this month. (I'm more comfortable in joined hosen then in chausses, and you can't really tell if leggings are joined or not under the longer 14th century garments). I have linen shir...

Cian of Storvik

I can see the bascinet as passing, but cotehardies and bocksten style tunics would be like wearing a revolutionary war regimental jacket to a civil war reenactment

-Cian

Cian of Storvik

Has there been any thought amongst Labelle company about doing something similar for the 1380's? I'm still working on 14th century, and not interested in starting another wardrobe esp 15th cen, but would be interested in a similar event for 14th. I have a yew livery bow, sheaves of horn nocked arrow...

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