The Armour Archive

Blaine de Navarre

Clearly not a knighting ceremony there is no white belt Hee Well, I know you're saying that to be funny (because of the SCA's proclivity towards colored belts as recognition and/or associate insignia, which I find to kind of be more inspired by Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts or martial arts rankings, but m...

Blaine de Navarre

Actually, all I did was Google it based on the citation you posted. 1160 was the approximate date the romance was written, but the manuscript must be later with the arm harness and helmet style shown. Further research needed to find the dating and provenance of the MS. Personally, I am more interest...

Blaine de Navarre

http://www.larousse.fr/encyclopedie/image/Adoubement_dun_chevalier/1011610

http://lelivrescolaire.fr/3283/2_L_adoubement_du_chevalier.html#Document=10889

Blaine de Navarre

I don't have thrusting tips on my single-handed swords, but I do on my bastard swords.

I have no problem with other people choosing to thrust. It annoys me that I am not good at blocking them, but that's my problem, not anyone else's.

Blaine de Navarre

I'm very fortunate that so few early pictures of me survived into the digital era.

Blaine de Navarre

James B. wrote:
Finnacan wrote:Sigh - never another run?

Blaine was talking about a different book.

Sorry for the confusion, yes, I was talking about a different book, and have no knowledge of the "Before the Mast" book.

I was trying to make the general point that reprints are not a sure thing.

Blaine de Navarre

First run is sold out. This happens with historical books all the time, they sell out and people ask stupid prices for them and then a second run happens and back to normal price. We've been told by the V & A there will never be a second run of this book . They did come out with a (much diminis...

Blaine de Navarre

There was no time when some knights didn't dismount and fight on foot some of the time, as far as actual battles go. For tournament/joust fighting, early tournaments all started on horseback but could go to the ground; later on there was actual planned foot combat, but I can't tell you exactly when ...

Blaine de Navarre

@Wilhelm - No, you, a brawler?!?!?

Blaine de Navarre

The mail does add some protection to the gloves, so it wouldn't be like fighting in just the lacrosse gloves. Whether the sting factor would be within your personal tolerance I can't say, but I wouldn't think you'd get anything broken. If you absolutely required lower profile, you might consider sta...

Blaine de Navarre

@Pitbull - Not mine, B. Amos's.

Blaine de Navarre

Tom,

I am planning on fighting in that tourney. You're more than welcome to share mine unless/until we meet eachother - at which time I'm sure there will be others you can borrow.

Blaine de Navarre

http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=68308&p=891668&hilit=+muffler#p891668

Blaine de Navarre

Thorfinr is very good, but I don't think Crown caliber quite yet - he will be though. He'll go deep this time, probably final 8, but I think he'd need to have a really good day to make final 4. On the other hand, he's a Calafian, and they have this habit of getting awesome down there while we up nor...

Blaine de Navarre

Fight. A lot.

All the other things everyone has suggested are good, but fighting to win on a regular basis, in addition to being valuable training on its own, will be the only place you find the motivation for all the other training.

Blaine de Navarre

DarkApprentice wrote:I'd even give odds if someone asked...

Alright, bust 'em out.

Blaine de Navarre

... So you're a counter-puncher Doesn't feel like it to me, but it's conceivable that could be what it looks like from the sidelines. My guess is if you saw me fight you'd call me very aggressive (on a good day, anyway; I do have days when I hang back, but I rarely do well that way). My goal is, by...

Blaine de Navarre

I attempt to fight according to the principles elucidated by Col. John Boyd, USAF. When I am really "on," my best ability is to be constantly "reading" the whole fight ("observing" and "orienting") so that I can "decide" and "act" in ways t...

Blaine de Navarre

When I'm putting on my hauberk I take the cuffs of my tunic in my hand and make a fist before I slide my hand down the arms of the hauberk. This keeps the tunic sleeves from getting bunched and keeps my fingernails from getting snagged in the chain. Same here. Also, gravity is your friend both for ...

Blaine de Navarre

But...but...but, how could you body check anyone over one of those?

Blaine de Navarre

I don't like the idea that if something bad happened to me on the field people wouldn't be able to get my armor off of me. Awww, but it's so much fun when you're lying there with broken ribs just trying to breath and you have to keep telling people to stop yanking on your hauberk and making it wors...

Blaine de Navarre

I call Sven, Patrick, and Conrad as (almost) definites for the final 4, with the 4th slot to Ragnar, Mansur, or Jamal, depending on who's having a good day.

Sven has to be the favorite to win, but any of those named could easily pull an upset.

Blaine de Navarre

Padding is not an absolute requirement in a decent mitten gauntlet, but with just a glove you will take some shots that will have more sting to them than they needed to. Something like these would likely obviate the need for any other padding.

Blaine de Navarre

I can't speak for Illusion's personally, but from the pictures on their web sit they look fine to me (and good for the price). The most important thing with gauntlets, assuming they are acceptable quality in the fist place, is padding and strapping them correctly. One of the worst injuries I ever go...

Blaine de Navarre

This is a request that came up on another forum; it seemed like some of the Archive denizens might have some input. Greetings to all, I've been asked to serve on a committee that incorporates English standards into our schools tech ed program. We're finding it very easy to satisfy the writing compon...

Blaine de Navarre

I'm gonna say Spanish (the proto-morion) right around 1500 (the rest of the rig), possibly with a brigandine or (more likely IMHO) a coat over the breastplate. http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4027/4448484817_45962e54d9.jpg Blaine - I really should know this, but where is exactly does that picture co...

Blaine de Navarre

I'd guess you have in mind the Knighton passage someone already gave a link to. I don't think there are any recorded instances of women (or even a woman) participating in the fighting of a tournament. Cliff There is period fiction of women disguised as men in tournaments (e.g. "Silence");...

Blaine de Navarre

How big a shelter are you thinking, and how small do you need it to fold down to? You want a roof to be as close to monolithic as possible - the more pieces you have to put together in the field, the more potential leaks. If you have a truck or trailer big enough to carry them, I would make the whol...

Blaine de Navarre

There is no maximum shield size SCA-wide or in Caid (I have no idea about any other Kingdoms). There have, in the past, been size limitations and minimum size:weight ratios in Caid, but they've been gone for years now. I'm pretty sure there have never been any limits SCA-wide. Interesting...I was j...

Blaine de Navarre

The open work was originally filled with, it looks like, garnets Not accroding to the article deep-blue sapphire and pieces of red glass , all set into the gold. Or atleast the way I read the article -Halbrust Well, that's pretty clear. Good catch. Interesting that they would use a precious gem in ...

Blaine de Navarre

Cool!

Blaine de Navarre

So here's the deal. I'll do some custom work, especially with the people who have already contacted me. After that I think I'll do a custom piece or two a month, five or take, otherwise I'm going to do some "stock" kind of stuff. I'm going to look at a few things as possibilities. Populac...

Blaine de Navarre

And, yes, it is a total SCAism - no historical reference whatsoever.

Blaine de Navarre

Every rattan long-/bastard-sword I've ever owned has been called "Fargin Bastage".

My knight had a mace called "Ballcrusher".

Blaine de Navarre

Ozzie,

HotW used only water and heat to harden their stuff (there should be a tutorial by them on the Archive, unless it was lost in the Great Disappearance) - my guess is it would take dye just fine, but that might cause it to soften up a bit.

Re: help identifying a manuscript miniature

Re: help identifying a manuscript miniature

Re: help identifying a manuscript miniature

Re: Thrusting in tourney.

Re: Then and Now.

Re: "Before the Mast" costs what???

Re: "Before the Mast" costs what???

Re: Knights and Horses

Re: What's your fighting style? Brawler, sniper etc...

Re: Perfect SCA legal Mail mittens

Re: Perfect SCA legal Mail mittens

Re: WTB SCA Bastard Sword

Re: Perfect SCA legal Mail mittens

Re: Caid crown

Re: Got a very interesting question from a newer fighter...

Re: Caid crown

Re: What's your fighting style? Brawler, sniper etc...

Re: What's your fighting style? Brawler, sniper etc...

Re: Chainmail and Claustrophobia

Re: Possible replacement for hay bales

Re: Chainmail and Claustrophobia

Re: Caid crown

Re: Illusion gauntlets

Re: Illusion gauntlets

X-POST: Teacher Wants Advice From Well-Read Shop Monkeys

Re: Where is this specific picture from?

Re: Women in tournaments?

Re: Curious About Portable Roofing Matierials -Not Canvas

Re: SCA shield size

Re: Jewelry Find

Re: Jewelry Find

Re: Gauging interest in hand embroidered items. What do you

Re: Duke Thorin. Rocks. The end.

Re: Named weapons (SCA)

Re: House of the Wolf Armor and Spurs for sale.