The Armour Archive

Cap'n Atli

That should be equivalent to 12 ga. A 3/4" rim should be sufficient, although a 1" rim may do a tad better. I need to pound out some more bosses for the ship shields this winter, I'll try to pay more attention this time. I could, of course, measure a few tomorrow.

Cap'n Atli

Further thoughts: If you build it... they may stay away in droves. The right place and time is important, and there is greater respect for history, especially their own, in France. Over here... eh? Not so much. Also, look at the time line. It's big, it's ambitious, it's taking a long, long, long tim...

Cap'n Atli

... I'm old enough to remember the troubles that several communes faced when they hit the dissolution phase and happy that I was not involved with any of them... Thomas Thomas: Was that the Paris Commune after the Franco-Prussian War or some of the cloth guild communes in the low countries? Getting...

Cap'n Atli

At least in modern archery, the series or patern of colored rings around the arrow shaft used for identification are known as "cresting." If you make your own shafts, or buy plain shafts you use your unique pattern. (You can even add it to an already crested shaft.) In Markland, personal identificat...

Cap'n Atli

Smallships:

Cap'n Atli

Boats and goats! No, better yet, Goats on a Boat! Now there's a cool movie title for you! wellnow, we all know what atli thinks about when's he's lost at sea.... I am never lost; just sometimes I get bewildered for extended periods. Actually, Goats on a Boat might make a good comedy. I'll have to t...

Cap'n Atli

Hmmm, the code...

*Don't ask where it came from.

*Take everything that's not nailed down.

*If you can pry it up, it's not nailed down.

*Don't spit in the mead vat.

At least that's what I think I heard in the mead hall, but it's a little fuzzy now.

Cap'n Atli

Hmmm, some rudimentary water defences would not be amiss, but nothing so elaborate:

http://www.klepsidra.net/klepsidra2/hedeby.jpg

Perhaps a line of stobs about 2' apart would suffice, along with an entrance in bowshot.

Then there's the question as to whether the water defenses were always concurrent with the land defenses.

Cap'n Atli

Boats and goats! No, better yet, Goats on a Boat! Now there's a cool movie title for you! Bascot does make a good point; it would be nice to make provisions for livestock, but live-in livestock really requires both full time and reliable oversight, and a whole higher level of labor. Didn't Hedeby ha...

Cap'n Atli

The pond looks big enough for a faering or the Arby "canoe". There's even a flat-bottomed ferry from the Viking period that you could pole across (looks more like something from the bayous than Bayeux). You really should have some small craft. Will you be able to plant equivalent Viking Age crops? Y...

Cap'n Atli

There is, of course, the argument that can be made about the perishability of organic materials vs. metal (which is pretty perishable, too, depending upon conditions) in an archeological or even an active storage context. However, strips of material pulled through the rings would leave some form of ...

Cap'n Atli

â€œWe think our fathers fools, so wise we grow;
Our wiser sons, no doubt, will think us so.â€

Cap'n Atli

Further Observation:

There is plenty of banded mail available in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, but there it's strung together by magic.

(They must have read Ashdown too.)

Cap'n Atli

Oddly enough, I have seen photographs of 4-in-1 mail that come out looking like banded mail. It isn't how the mail is constructed, but how the eye perceives it. Artistically, mail has been represented by cross hatching, dots, loops (both vertical and horizontal) and just about anything the bored or ...

Cap'n Atli

Hardy holes end up as a regular feature on anvils possibly as early as the 17th century. I don't seem to have seen any earlier yet . Before this bottom tools were frequently mounted directly on stumps. I would also note that very early anvils, back through Anglo-Saxon and into the Roman period had a...

Cap'n Atli

Theo:

Looks on-target to me.

So, shall we stop tossing pinecones at the bear? That's usually good advice in the National Parks! Maybe it's prudent here too, having made (or illustrated) most of the points.

Cap'n Atli

Thomas Powers wrote:My 500# fisher in mint condition cost me $350 about 5 years ago in Columbus OH---He set the price.

...

Thomas

Please Note: Master Thomas has an absolutely unnatural ability to sniff-out incredible bargains in blacksmithing tools. I suspect witchcraft may be involved.

Cap'n Atli

I was under the impression that the subject gentleman never changed his methods or adapted. Actually, after a further reading of his website, it appears that he has adapted his site to flog an organized cadre of professional smiths that operate from several chat rooms and forums. He can't be talking...

Cap'n Atli

From the sword making page: m "Straitening a leaf spring: First separate the rack and cut the springs to the desired lengths with a cutting torch, disk grinder or hack saw. Place the spring on a railroad tie or stump with its convex side up and hit the spring until it does what you want it to do. Us...

Cap'n Atli

Thomas, you know that the true religion of Old Virginny is ancestor worship.

Just shut yo' mouth hangin' out there with those Hispanic heretics!

Cap'n Atli

You and Saverio look great! I'd be happy to have you both on our ship. I'm sure we could find a place for you; since we usually can find room for a few Irish when we return to the north. C'mon aboard? You'll love it! A comfortable ride... Oh, and bring your sisters, too. We'll guarantee you work whe...

Cap'n Atli

Timeline of Shetland Boats from the Viking Age to the Present:

http://www.shetlandtoday.co.uk/Shetland ... ntID=19718

(Pulled from the Norsefolk_2 Yahoogroup.)

Wish we had more details and pictures. I guess I'll have to drop by the Shetlands when next (God{s} willing) I get over there.

Cap'n Atli

But, but, but...

BLACK looks so COOL!!

All the cool guys wear black: Darth Vader, Hopalong Cassidy, Father Mulcahey, Zorro...

Cap'n Atli

Thomas Powers wrote: >>>SNIP<<<
Atli, did this non boat building king come to a good end?
Thomas

Well, he didn't die in bed; but he didn't drown, either!

Cap'n Atli

Fyrdraca and Yrsa with the Calontir Longship Company --Minor correction The Yrsa is privately owned by a Norsa member The Fyrdraca is owned by the Calontir Lonship Company There is also a smaller boat out on the West coast It was the one featured in The Big Build: Longships They built it and gave i...

Cap'n Atli

Also known as "farrier's tongs" or "fire tongs" (some really indefinite terms), they come in a variety of openings. For handling sheet, I'd go with no more than 1/4" (or less if you can find them). Anyway, they come in quite a few varieties, the one pictured here being British. "King Harald HardraÃƒ...

Cap'n Atli

Speaking of tongs, these are some of my favorite non-traditional tongs from Off Center Forge. I actually pay full price for them from Blacksmiths' Depot (Kayne & Sons) when they come tothe Blacksmith's Guild of the Potomac Spring Fling! m They're light, they're good, they're non-medieval. Oh well......

Cap'n Atli

Since weÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve been kicking the idea around with VAV since early spring, the board has tentatively scheduled our Mid-Atlantic Ã¢â‚¬Å“Viking Vessel Flotilla and FolkmootÃ¢â‚¬Â

Cap'n Atli

http://www.anvilfire.com/21centbs/armor ... i-et01.htm

The first of three articles on Eric Thing posted at the Anvilfire Armoury at:

http://www.anvilfire.com/21centbs/armor/index.htm

Cap'n Atli

I think I once read somewhere that one reason chests were made with this type of top was just for that reason... or did I dream that??? Well, I don't know about that early in the chest lineage, but I _DO_ know steamer trunks and sea chests have domed lids because A) they shed water and B) if the to...

Cap'n Atli

So, how do you know it's not the Holy Grail ? You have corroborative evidence from 11th century documents! Cheese and Crackers, man; you could found an entire publishing empire based on this wondrous, undoubtedly ancient, pewter chalice (with its miraculously preserved finish). God bless you, sir, f...

Cap'n Atli

File, punch and other decorative work is not that uncommon on the heads of medieval fasteners. I found three examples just quickly thumbing through Geddes' Medieval Decorative Ironwork in England.

Cap'n Atli

For those wondering she is 28 feet from 'totem' to rail and 6.5 feet at the beam At first I was thinking she was ALOT smaller than her 'older' sister (the Fyrdraca) but not by much:) Fyrdraca Length: 32 ft Width: 9 ft Yrsa Length: 28 ft Width: 6.5 ft The difference isn't much I think that was meant...

Cap'n Atli

Ok, I'll ask the question no one has yet. With two boats in Missouri, another in OKC, and a fourth SE Ohio, why hasn't anyone suggested getting them all together at some time ? Hell, I'd fly over to be there just to see them all all in one place. With a bit of encouragement maybe the small Ansteorr...

Cap'n Atli

Robert: Picture of the Portable Tripod Post Vise (PTPV) below, in use. Some previous owner had welded the "Y" shaped top brace in place. I hammered down 1 1/2" (2"? I'll have to measure) rebar to serve as the legs. The tops were offset from the anvil to provide about 4" of flat surface to drill and ...

Re: Viking Flotilla