The Armour Archive

Blaine de Navarre

I am a typical pasty-white suburban kid; I've been in maybe half a dozen real fights in my life. I have studied various Eastern MA since childhood (though none to a very high level). In the few real fights I ever got in before SCA fighting, I didn't lose every one, but I was shaking in terror every ...

Blaine de Navarre

Unless they have been picked and chosen by a high level fighter...We are given instructions in the basics and taught to play safe...And for awhile after that you are on your own...People are observed and upper level fighters will start teaching those who are showing promise and gumption... WOW Let ...

Blaine de Navarre

Guesswork and conjecture. I don't even know how to respond to that. Is that supposed to be an insult? It makes more sense if you've read Vitus's recent posts on the other thread. I'm guessing he didn't mean it to be as insulting as you may be taking it, but he certainly wasn't going for warm and fu...

Blaine de Navarre

As I understand from these statements, the heavy combat in the SCA is indeed historical in the narrow context of the behourd. The combat does not accurately or closely depict either harnischfechten or blossfechten because it does not purpose to . Rather than practicing historical marital arts, the ...

Blaine de Navarre

IIRC, there are some pewters that melt at lower temp than most solders, so I'd be a little nervous working on an unknown alloy. Maybe if you used the extremely low temp solder they sell in RC model shops? Another possibility is to try using something like Bronze PMC for the patching, then silver pla...

Blaine de Navarre

Leo Medii wrote:I am still wondering if I would be barred membership in ARMA's ranks.

You should definitely have your SCA membership revoked for bein' too damn purdy to hang out with the rest of us mouth-breathing knuckle-draggers

Blaine de Navarre

Most martial artists today do not live a warrior lifestyle nor do they want to...there are glimpses into the warrior life in all these venues. I agree completely, but this brings us back to the original point of this thread. Some of us, aware that all we are getting are "glimpses into the warr...

Blaine de Navarre

Most of us are not warriors. A few are actually in the military, law enforcement, or other jobs where a "warrior" attitude is directly applicable, like firefighting; these mean and women are deserving of the highest respect from those of us who "play" at being warriors. Most of u...

Blaine de Navarre

Interesting. Most SCA guys I know insist that it's hips, not waist. The two are VERY different. I'm primarily a waist guy, though I will (rarely) generate from the hips. To me, the important point is for the entire torso, hips to shoulders, to move together as a unit. The biggest mistake I see peop...

Blaine de Navarre

I hesitated to jump in on this because I am not a very high level practitioner. But, I think I am a decent analyst/theorist (at least that's what my professors told me). So, take my observations for what they're worth. Most of my early training was in a sort of "generic west Coast" SCA sty...

Blaine de Navarre

We have some folks working with some experimental half-swording rules here in Caid. I am not totally up on it, but here is my understanding: -The swords are built with low-profile thrusting tips on the quillons and equivalent to small mace heads on the pommel. (And, of course, standard blades & ...

Blaine de Navarre

Ceddie wrote:how does mild react with your sweat?

My mail rusts like a sumbich, and apparently I don't fight enough to experience the self-cleaning effect. I have become a devotee of the Way of Evapo-Rust.

Blaine de Navarre

I wear mild and like it just fine. I'm not sure what your threshold for "too heavy" is, but my 23# hauberk doesn't give me any difficulties.

I could see myself eventually going with stainless for the low maintenance.

Blaine de Navarre

Fine silver (0.999) would definitely be too soft for guitar frets. Sterling (0.925) would likely be strong enough but would tarnish and require frequent polishing to keep looking nice. A nickel alloy (sometimes called "nickel silver" or "German silver" but in fact having little o...

Blaine de Navarre

You might want to try googling "monastery schools" and variations. I don't know Spain well, but in other countries it was common for the monasteries to offer education in what were essentially the precursors of the later "grammar school". As the monastery schools cost money, they...

Blaine de Navarre

Somehow, the logic escapes me of encouraging the guy to throw the football around in the middle of a baseball game, in the hopes that he someday decides baseball might be more fun. Wanna play football? Go to a football team. That was precisely the argument against rapier in the SCA 20 years ago. I ...

Blaine de Navarre

I think if a person wanted to be a truly well-rounded fighter he would do both (not to mention escrima, kendo/kenjutsu/iaido, and tai chi sword). Jousting, coursing hounds, and falconry would also be nice. Unfortunately for those of us without trust funds, there are only so many hours in a week, so ...

Blaine de Navarre

Tasha McG wrote:*turns head and stares at Blaine*

Wow. You're smooth.

You're on the opposite coast...if you were in front of me I'd be hard pressed to pronounce my own name correctly

Blaine de Navarre

No, no, no. You're just getting to the good age. All the little Britneys and Katelyns at the mall may be nice to look at in a picturesque landscapy sort of way, but a mature woman is a true work of art. *turns head and stares at Blaine* Wow. You're smooth. (and thanks!) -Tasha Run. Now. Which one o...

Blaine de Navarre

Also, the tunic pictured in Hrolf's post is more characteristic of 19th century paintings than documentable tunics of the period. I don't say this as a bad thing, I wear similar stuff myself, but if you're going to stray from historical accuracy into "Pre-Raphaelite" costuming, you should ...

Blaine de Navarre

Wow, I actually wrote the words "young people", so it's official; I'm OLD. -Tasha No, no, no. You're just getting to the good age. All the little Britneys and Katelyns at the mall may be nice to look at in a picturesque landscapy sort of way, but a mature woman is a true work of art.

Blaine de Navarre

Nookie.

Blaine de Navarre

The piece(s) of armor that will most hamper one's fighting if ill-fitting would definitely be the arm harness. Followed by the helmet.

I've had cups that chafed a bit, but never one that actually hampered movement.

Blaine de Navarre

I would not expect a journeyman craftsman in England to be wearing silk or brocade. A journeyman craftsman in Constantinople, maybe. Your tunics should be wool. For special occasions a brighter color with a touch of card-woven trim; for day-to-day wear unadorned and not overly drab but not too brigh...

Blaine de Navarre

Godefroi D'Woulfe wrote:
Blaine de Navarre wrote:What part do you sing? Do you prefer purple, purple, or purple?

did i miss something?

Apparently so. But, no worries: you will be assimilated.

Blaine de Navarre

What part do you sing? Do you prefer purple, purple, or purple?

Blaine de Navarre

Do as much of your soldering and surface embellishment as possible on the flat metal before you bend it round. The major exception to this is the bezels, which are easy to crush when shaping the band. In terms of design, it varies some from Kingdom to Kingdom. Strawberry leaves are always reserved f...

Blaine de Navarre

I am involved in several other volunteer organizations besides the SCA, and what I see is a general decline in the spirit of volunteerism in our culture, which carries over into all groups. What I saw in the SCA years ago was that most people were really into their "thing" (fighting, fenci...

Blaine de Navarre

I recommend Evapo-Rust(tm), with the caveat that it quite likely will remove the blackening along with the rust. It may be possible to keep the blackening by limiting the time you leave it submerged, but I don't know since I wanted it off my mail and gave it a good long soak.

Blaine de Navarre

if you bring out your 6' anchor against my 4' bastage, you better have some strawberry leaves to go with it. I would be willing to bring a 6 footer out against your little stick . Could be fun, whatever happened. If we ever happen to find ourselves in the same zip code, I'll be happy to take you up...

Blaine de Navarre

Back in the day, "standard" SCA mail (butted) started with 3/8" (OD) x 16ga screen door springs, a pair of nippers, and 2 pairs of pliers. If you were serious, you'd rig the nippers up either in a bench vise or any one of several home made contraptions to hold them in place so you cou...

Blaine de Navarre

50", +/- 2". The size of period bastard swords (meant for fighting single combat, unlike period zweihanders, meant to break up pike formations). For those of us who love it, this form feels the "purest" in SCA combat. I agree, I find a long-, bastard-, or hand-and-a-half-sword t...

Blaine de Navarre

10" of handle? WOW! You really have went on the other side of the bell curve.....Most people try to get away with illegally long grips....18" is the society max and I catch many guys with 24 to 26" all the time....and usually the strawberry leaves allow them their very own unit of me...

Blaine de Navarre

I agree, trapping the haft is acceptable, as is grabbing it with a gauntleted hand. Trapping or grabbing an opponent's blade is forbidden.

Blaine de Navarre

In my experience, scale is pretty damn heavy. If you get decent quality mail, that should lighten you up quite a bit (for reference, I wear an "old style SCA" hauberk at about 40# for practice and a high quality riveted hauberk at about 25# for tourneys, and the light one always feels sort...