The Armour Archive

Blaine de Navarre

Compared with a couple of other what I'll call "mainstream" hobbies, I'd say ours is actually not that bad. No foolin'. Any competitive hobby can become expensive. Armoured combat is one of the least expensive I've stumbled across. I always compare SCA fighting to golf. Some investment in...

Blaine de Navarre

But going back to the "placing" rule... I don't like it because it's ambigious. A cleaner rule is "no shield to body contact" or even "no non striking surface to body contact" - but this is not the de facto rule most places. That used to be the rule just about everywhe...

Blaine de Navarre

Learn to throw "Bellatrix" style. Unlike many others in the SCA, Duke Paul's shots are mostly thrown without breaking the wrist much.

If you can, try to get with him at Pennsic or some other event. Second best is to get it from his web site.

Blaine de Navarre

Does anyone know where I can find a sewing pattern for a simple monks robe? More specifically for a 12th century knights templar, but most of the habbits of that time are the same style just different colours. The Rule isn't especially helpful in determining exactly what they wore in everyday life....

Blaine de Navarre

Mac,

Any price break if we buy in bulk?

I'm definitely in for somewhere from a handfull to a sackfull.

Blaine de Navarre

More food? As I understand it, coffee became popular in Europe after the Battle of Vienna and the repulsion of the Turks. Story goes that someone (sorry, I forget the name), acting as a spy for the Christian Europeans was given the "recipe" for coffee from the Turks. After the battle, he ...

Blaine de Navarre

Many years ago we had an event in a campground with a nice creek. We weren't planning on fighting in the water, but it was feckin' hot. For those of y'all not familiar with Caidan ecology, right next to the creek is where all the good shade trees grow, since that's the only place they can get enough...

Blaine de Navarre

Whenever people ask me about modern UK food I say that my favourite English food is in fact curry, this gets the right ironic response. Many modern curries, particularly "vindaloo," are English, the recipes having been developed in England by Indian immigrants and their descendants. We ha...

Blaine de Navarre

Mord wrote:The idea of nutrition being a historically important has been rolling about in my mind for some time.

If you haven't already, you should read Kurlansky's Cod.

Blaine de Navarre

Witold Rybczinski has hypothesized that coffee was very important to the industrial revolution, but for the laborers, not for the engineers. One's natural inclination is to rise with the sun; since sunrise times vary seasonally, this means getting up at different times of the clock (o'clock) for dif...

Blaine de Navarre

Add to Nissan's list chronic back pain: Do core strengthening exercises. Don't get fat; the beer gut, in addition to all the other health issues like increased risk of type II diabetes, puts extra stress on your low back just from carrying it around. Be sure you learn the correct body mechanics for ...

Blaine de Navarre

Replacement value of current kit maybe 1500-2k Over the years, not that much more as I wore some damn cheap armour, maybe 3K total, without adjusting for inflation. Bought first great helm in about '81-'82 for $25, so if that 3k were all adjusted for inflation maybe double. My third helmet was $175,...

Blaine de Navarre

Altavia fighter practice is Monday nights at Verdugo Park in Burbank. Show up there and ask THL Thorin about armouring.

Blaine de Navarre

- would bazus fit under maille sleeves without the sleeves being horribly weird looking? No , and wouldn't fit at all under any of the available "off-the-rack" mail. - would bazus look doofy buckled on over maille? Yes , and probably wouldn't move well. - would 3/4 sleeves and bazus be a ...

Blaine de Navarre

Sigifrith Hauknefr wrote:I am also not sure that a weight belt is legal kidney protection, but perhaps I missed something.

Usually not, but lots of people get away with it anyway.

(If it's one of the wider weight belts, and worn up high, it can work, but that's not how most folks wear them.)

Blaine de Navarre

Tin just provides a coating; scratch the coating and the bare metal will rust. Zinc actually chemically reacts with the steel so the coating becomes both thicker and more corrosion resistant over time. It's the chemical reaction, not the original zinc coating, that the word "galvanizing" t...

Blaine de Navarre

Do you curve 'em?

Blaine de Navarre

You will notice a distinctly different feel when wearing it, but no, there is not a significant difference in the damage you will take from a blow. I wear flat-ring mail over a linen shirt without any problems.

Blaine de Navarre

Proxus wrote:What is the geographical location[?]

Pennsic

Blaine de Navarre

I've actually gotten to the point where I'm fighting almost as well as I was in my 20s...it's the several minutes of wheezing after the fight where I feel the old and fat hitting me.

Blaine de Navarre

I am curious though...how did it cut through? Did it shear through the rings? It would seem that it would put a lot of stress on the rings and they would come loose which makes them now useless, but I haven't seen your test results so I can only guess. I didn't see it, he only told me about it. We ...

Blaine de Navarre

I've done only a little bit of test-cutting, so take this FWIW. My experience has been that there are several differences in handling between rattan and steel, but edge orientation isn't one of them. But I do more shaping of my rattan, both blade and grip, than some folks, so I can see how if one we...

Blaine de Navarre

There are many people who are living on budgets that don't allow them to make the "large" capital investment even when it saves money over time. They have the smaller amounts on the schedule needed, but can't put the bigger number together at one time. I hope this doesn't get political, b...

Blaine de Navarre

Blainne and others from here in Kingdom.... Is there an actual convention or rule written in Kingdom that requires deathlike falling? I would hate to be removed from the list for not but man it sucks. (eg only time my legs have broken have come from falling dead) Yes, there actually is a written ru...

Blaine de Navarre

Question 1: Which is the best way to learn and test your knowledge as a Marshal in the SCA?
A) On the internet.
B) On the field with actual, live, SCA fighting, including both participating in and observing/marshalling same.

No further questions. Scoring is Pass/Fail.

Blaine de Navarre

Rust Erasers

Blaine de Navarre

I'd hit Pennsic first, do the full 2 weeks (the best pick-up fighting is the first week before the scheduled events start), then drive across the country hitting as many practices as possible along the way, and end at Sport of Kings in An Tir (Oregon). Sport of Kings only happens every other year, s...

Blaine de Navarre

The Caidan Army is still basically owned by the various warbands that make up Iron Brigade, as it has been for quite some time, including the aforementioned Myrmidons and Orkneys, also: Drafn Corvus and several smaller groups (The Abbey were historically one of the backbone units of Iron Brigade, bu...

Blaine de Navarre

Fictional stories are not documentary evidence, and are not appropriate as such. If it were the case, we must assume there were talking foxes named Reynaud, Dragons, Unicorns and centaurs and the like running about, when clearly there were not. The sociologist training I've had would disagree with ...

Blaine de Navarre

I have never had a red garment that didn't bleed at least a little, including modern "colorfast" stuff. Wash reds together.

Blaine de Navarre

FrauHirsch wrote:Caid did not have a heavy squiring tradition in the early days like some other areas.

In fact, I'd say there was a time in Caid when being a squire was a more of a hindrance than help. You would hear about how you needed to "get out of your knight's shadow."

Blaine de Navarre

just to see what they would have worked with in period.. It seems almost to big for SCA combat. I had the same experience. I looked at all of the period illustrations, effigies, statues, etc. I could find and came up with an average size relative to the height of the person holding it. Then, I made...

Blaine de Navarre

He did not consider it excessive to make a period outfit using real pearls, garnets and gold bullion trim. The fabric he used alone was about 70 a yard I think. Sounds about right to me. I have whole bunch of pearls, garnets, and lapis that were meant for a costume I never finished a while back, an...

Blaine de Navarre

In the SCA, most folks won't batt an eye at cotton; in any of the more carefully accurate groups it would be right out. I would personally try and restrict muslin to things like shirts/undertunics, braies, coifs (i.e. stuff that would be white linen in period). For outerwear, muslin is a little ligh...

Blaine de Navarre

End times are upon us

Re: maille sleeve length and forearm protection

Re: Kite fighters, I need your input !!!!