The Armour Archive

Cap'n Atli

After many years at Calvert Marina, we are moving across the creek to the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons, Maryland ( m ) on the lower Patuxent. We will be participating in a number of museum programs and operating out of their boat basin through November of this year. For next year we are conside...

Cap'n Atli

The trouble is that almost everything is useful! There is the bucket of scrap in the forge, the other scrap leaning against the east wall outside the forge, the stuff in the corn crib behind the forge, the scrap pile of water-tower wrought iron and really big stuff back behind the tree line about 1/...

Cap'n Atli

No no! Use flint to strike spark; not copper coated zinc penny!

Actually, there are various types of flints and cherts, some of which seem to work better than others. I picked up some of mine in the parking lot at Battle in England. Such a practical souvenir.

Cap'n Atli

Actually, I have found that style rasp very useful for woodwork over the years. I even purchased an extra one for the woodshop, and well as the one I keep in the household toolbox. Maybe you ended up with a cheap one. I tend to use worn out metalworking files for fire steels; with a good hardening.

Cap'n Atli

The proposed usage, and who uses it, also controls the size and weight. I use everything from a few ounces to about 3.5 pounds, all of them cross peen. *jaw drops* I hope I got that many some time After 28 (mumble) years of poking at blacksmithing, tools tend to accumulate. Please note that the sta...

Cap'n Atli

I find 1 1/2 pounds to 2 pounds handy for light work. Unless you are particularly robust and moving heavy metal on a regular basis, I'd go no heavier than 3 pounds. You can get "blacksmith" cross peen hammers with some effort (the head is more offset towards the face end than the peen end)...

Cap'n Atli

The proposed usage, and who uses it, also controls the size and weight. I use everything from a few ounces to about 3.5 pounds, all of them cross peen.

Cap'n Atli

I'm a little disappointed that it didn't come off. I was curious as to whether Mel would have the evil, effete, over-civilized English as villainous oppressors of the free-ranging Vikings; or whether the evil, barbaric, monk-killing, purely heathen Vikings would inflict themselves upon the free Celt...

Cap'n Atli

Some of our members have used variations of this style, over the years, with some success. Back in the 70s, when there were still a lot of old menâ€™s felt hats around, you could soak them in hot water and pull them down over an old Coke bottle to set the peak. Given the sun factor on the Chesapeake...

Cap'n Atli

It appears to be a home-made blower cobbled together from various bits and pieces lying around the shop. A example (maybe even the inspiration) can be found in M.T. Richardson's Practical Blacksmithing published 1889-1891. Likely no later than the 1930s or after WW-II when demand for farrier work fe...

Cap'n Atli

I'm thinking of giving it a go, but REALLY don't want to rust the hell out of my maille. Maybe if I oil the living shit out of it first... If you have choices: First, avoid salt water. (A little hard for me.) Second, avoid heavily chlorinated pools. Best environment would be fresh water pond or lak...

Cap'n Atli

You could use it to fight the Ice Giants and drive them away from Valhalla!

You could use it to rally an Indian uprising in Sitka Alaska!

Or you could use it to raise and sink cooking pots for the quiet chores of everyday life.

Cap'n Atli

We have experimented with swimming in armor in the Longship Company. It is somewhat a matter of survival in our case. A strong swimmer does okay for about three minutes, and there is a buoyancy factor in that the mail, due to displacement, is relatively lighter once you are in the water. Most of our...

Cap'n Atli

My first thought lokking at the subject line:

What? Again?

Alternate sites I've seen proposed run from Scotland to the Isle of Man!

Cap'n Atli

Good-on-ya for recycling the barn beams! A fine medieval tradition.

Cap'n Atli

Naval Broadheads I have actually given some thought to this over the years. Viking Age rigging would be pretty minimal, but vital; but still a very hard shot. Warships, traditionally, fought under oars for maximum maneuverability, but are sometimes mentioned as escaping under sail. (In one specific ...

Cap'n Atli

Nice work. Your pictures of the gun'l mounted oar racks on the Oseberg ship (3209, 3212, 3214) answered several question that I had regarding their actual form. We're talking about a similar arrangement for the SÃ¦ Hrafn. Were the oar blades forward, towards the bow ("the pointy end") or a...

Cap'n Atli

This album has some Fyrdraca photos from a trip on Wednesday. Most of them are of me, but there are some good pictures of the trip in there as well. m Needs registration; bummer. It's nice to see her under sail again; glad to see that she's holding-up. A little startling to see her with a plain whi...

Cap'n Atli

Any pictures of our old ship, the Fyrdraca?

Cap'n Atli

Seriously, though, think about the long stuff you need to bring, tent poles, spears, &c., and plan for them too. If you're going to consider a trailer, consider your stowage as a whole, heavy stuff goes here, long stuff goes there...

Cap'n Atli

What you really need is an aerodynamic body for on top of the frame.

Cap'n Atli

All combat systems make compromises for safety. Even actual warfare has "conventions" and "rules" regarding behavior, taking prisoners, care of wounded, etc. Some systems work better than others for certain objectives. Some people make and or follow rules better than others. Sme ...

Cap'n Atli

Thomas Powers wrote:Ahh Camp Fenby on Draft! Who could resist!

Thomas

Since we no longer have my Mom's kitchen available, we've cut back on our brewing/cooking activities (except for the spinning chicken). Maybe if I sink a well....

Cap'n Atli

Archaeologists baffled over â€˜bizarreâ€™ Viking discovery: You know, it's interesting that this thread would not have existed if instead of "bizarre" the media headline had used words like "singular" or "unique" or even, perhaps, "puzzling"; all of which woul...

Cap'n Atli

Camp Fenby is our laid-back medieval arts and crafts weekend, with sessions in June (okay; the school year ran late and schedules got crowded) or early July and November. Here are some of the activities that we're looking at on Friday through Sunday, July 9th through 11th, at Oakley Forge in St. Mar...

Cap'n Atli

You know; the chance to create an object like this seems to make the whole bloody hobby worth it somehow.

Now, about my imperial coach...

Cap'n Atli

I trust you have names and dates and makers marks located in visible but unobtrusive places. If that casket ever passes out of your possession, it will probably hit the antiques market (with a little "aging") before they sing the last hymn at the ultimate descendant's memorial service. 'St...

Cap'n Atli

Umm, too pretty. Must-resist-sin-of-envy! (Talent is so irritating in others...) Chef will have many happy hours keeping brightwork clean and polished and waxed.

Umm, pretty. Must-resist...

Cap'n Atli

Sunday, June 6th (D-Day) 1:00- Work Session and Rigging Preparation Saturday, June 12th, 10:00- Uprigging and Shakedown Voyage Saturday, June 26th, Annual Meeting and Proposed Evening Cruise [July 9, 10 & 11, Fri-Sun; Camp Fenby, Sponsored by the Longship Company; a medieval arts and crafts week...

Cap'n Atli

Isabella E wrote:That ham is epic !

But the chicken has poisoned talons!

Cap'n Atli

Glen K wrote:All American medieval-based groups are sp(l)inters from the SCA...

Ahhh, no.

Scadia was a rather rude surprise when they showed up on our shores.

Of which more later.

Cap'n Atli

Nicely done. Just don't put the cresset upwind from anything flamable.

(One of the most dangerous lighting devices conceived by the mind of man. Trust me.)

Cap'n Atli

I forgot to add pictures.

Cap'n Atli

Naw; we'd spend too much bandwidth chewing each others ears off. Groups (tribes, nations, religions...) define themselves not only by what they are, but by what they are not; and we usually end up examining the motes in others' eyes. It might make a good thread, but not a board in itself. On the oth...

Cap'n Atli

i am looking at doing some Viking example's but to what i read on them they can be around 24in Well if you go with a big spearhead, as Destichado and Master Thomas point out, you're going to need a bigger hammer to use swages. I recommend starting small and simple until you find out what your capab...

Longship Company Relocation

Camp Fenby DRAFT Activities 7/9 â€“ 7/11

Longship Company DRAFT Summer Schedule