The Armour Archive

Cap'n Atli

Small, but useful (Steve Spies at the forge):

Cap'n Atli

Why no South facing window? Light control (the heat/color scale can be critical in forging and any direct sun can cause problems) and a southern climate. North gives steady light; the light from the east and west can be easily controlled with shutters, and any two sides can give good cross-ventilat...

Cap'n Atli

All I need is more space (and time) to use the tools I have or can make. Right now I have 11Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ X 17Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, or 187 square feet in the old stripping house, with my large powered/hand post-drill, woodworking lathe, and portable forge in the barn. The stripping house is something like a submarin...

Cap'n Atli

I'll check the small craft section of our Chief Maritime Historian's office library.

Nice excuse to visit.

Cap'n Atli

I was about 19, it was 1969, and we were raiding the scrap pile behind a hippie sandal shop in College Park, Maryland for materials.

My first mail byrnie was made when I was first married in 1974 and it still fits.

Sooner or later, my technique will improve...

Cap'n Atli

Okay, the book with the home-made blower plans is Practical Blacksmithing, edited and compiled by M.T. Richardson; LoC 77-94507, Special material copyright 1978 (I guess for anything that wasn't from the original inthe 1890s); Crown Publishers, Inc. It may be out of print, but should be available by...

Cap'n Atli

There's a diagrom in (?) (?) in my library at home. Good turn of the century (19/20) technology, collected from a blacksmithing magazine of the times. (Can picture it, just can't remeber the title or author. ) I can try to post it this weekend unless Thomas can beat me to it. Forgive my befuddlement.

Cap'n Atli

You had dirt and holes in it? And bellows? In the old days, we had to throw hot coals through the air and run alongside with the piece of iron to heat it up! You just have to remember to keep the piece of iron to the leeward side of the coal, or the blast from the wind will cool the iron too much fo...

Cap'n Atli

Unlike some of my books, the position of the objects in the graves are not diagrammed. However, here are the relevant passages: Grave 64, body A, Female Object 5. Copper alloy chain at left thigh, apparently attached to the hilt of a knife, (now missing). Total length about 26 cm. Much broken and ta...

Cap'n Atli

Nothing spectacular (thank God(s)), but I will observe that when I'm doing hot work, such as forging, heat treating, or forge welding, injuries are usually just an "ouch" moment without the need of a bandaid. It's when I'm doing the cold work such as filing, cutting and grinding that I tend to get s...

Cap'n Atli

This was sort of a "gettin' near to midnight" post last night. (I took the option to watch "Dark Kingdom" on the Sci fi channel; mildly amusing in parts...) Note that the riveted rings alternate with solid rings, just as in the common armor pattern. However, these being copper alloy, I don't know ho...

Cap'n Atli

Cap'n Atli

From The Anglo-Saxon Cemetery at Bifrons:

Cap'n Atli

If he's talking about what I think he's talking about, it's classic 4-in-1 pattern mail.

I'll try to scan some drawings tonight.

Cap'n Atli

Actually, one of my books on a migration age Anglo-Saxon cemetery has at least two examples of copper alloy mail used as womenÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s' necklaces. I'll check my home library tonight and post the source. Isn't it ironic, that if someone had shown up in our camp the year before I bought the book, I w...

Cap'n Atli

Meanwhile, watching them closely from across the street...

Cap'n Atli

No! It's my turn!

Cap'n Atli

Lookout! He's got a baby!

Cap'n Atli

Adriano wrote:You guys look great! (So why can't $50 million movies get it right?)

That's the difference between doing it for the love, and doing it for the money!

Cap'n Atli

Cap'n Atli wrote:Tonight (if I can find the time while squaring away my gear for Jamestown MTA) IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll try to post something on longship operations and social hierarchy.

RN we ain't!

I've done a bit of research but run out of time. I'll post here or as a seperate topic when I return from J'town MTA.

Cap'n Atli

This was probably the first full-color photographic publication of it. Since then, the French have a full-length postcards that friends keep bringing me back from any trips to Normandy (so I don't have to cut up old NGs), and my younger son (now 27) made a computer-graphic copy on canvas for me a co...

Cap'n Atli

That was one of the two reasons I wanted to reenact the Battle of Hastings when I was in High School. High impact article, cool illustrations. I had to wait three years for when I was in college, but everybody else had seen the article too, so it formed some of our common ground. One of our group ev...

Cap'n Atli

Tonight (if I can find the time while squaring away my gear for Jamestown MTA) IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll try to post something on longship operations and social hierarchy.

RN we ain't!

Cap'n Atli

Halvgrim wrote:
Cap'n Atli wrote:

What you would not find is a bunch of individual tents sheltering only one or two people each.

--I tend to disagree

What I meant was enough tents to house the entire crew or warband one or two at a time.

I hope this clarifies my thoughts on the subject.

Cap'n Atli

The other portion of the tentage equation is: "How many bodies you can cram in?" I could sleep in a tent, or a goodly number of my crew or warband could sleep in a tent. Given I used to sleep 18 folks on a 32' vessel (we are so looking forward to the relative spaciousness of the 40 footer for sleepi...

Cap'n Atli

Thanks for the information. If it wasn't for my good wif's generous offer I wouldn't have bothered you folks, but her potential generosity spurred me on.

Patrick: That is a very nice axe. Could we interest you in a voyage to England? France? Miklagard? ...the Holy Land? Niiiice axe.

Cap'n Atli

Why are these now known as "shipÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s tents"? These are funeral ships, crammed with all sorts of household goods. Is it a ship's tablet weaving loom? Are they ship's chests? (I think that the hall benches could have been used as rowing thwarts just as easily as the "chest" that was "just the rig...

Cap'n Atli

Ummmm, that should be "MRL" not "MRI"!

Hope I didn't bewilder anybody.

Spearhead:

http://www.museumreplicas.com/webstore/ ... Spear.aspx

Brigandine:

http://www.museumreplicas.com/webstore/ ... ndine.aspx

Sword:

http://www.museumreplicas.com/webstore/ ... Sword.aspx

Cap'n Atli

Musem Replicas? One of my favorite whipping boys, mostly for the copy. I think it's good to list the fantasy and movie stuff separately, but they claim all sorts of hippie footwear and High School Play quality costuming as "Medieval." Drives me nuts. On the other claw, my wif mentioned that I shoul...

Cap'n Atli

So, the trouble with the "reenactor's knot" is that it's become an authenticlone. Far more common in the present day than it may ever have been during the actual period of its use. Peter Ross, former head blacksmith at Williamsburg, contended that there were probably more four candle iron chandelier...

Cap'n Atli

Very well done! I'd certainly be proud of it.

Cap'n Atli

Looks like an excellent event. Wish I could have been there, but between the ship, work, and many familial obligations, it just couldn't happen.

Maybe in the future. Meanwhile, keep up the good work.

Cap'n Atli

My problem as a smith is the overwhelming urge to make at least one of every extant piece of iron kitchen equipment for my period and then show it off while even a high noble may not have had such a well equipped kitchen. >>>SNIP<<< Thomas MTA Judge: "You have an awful lot of iron cookware in your ...

Cap'n Atli

A number of scholars have great respect for reenactors, especially for the insights they can lend to the actual uses and practices involved with otherwise be static artifacts. Some members of the general public, if they see you in gear, think youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re silly or weird. I had a chat with the Marit...

Cap'n Atli

That is a really, really nice job! But will it float? I built a colonial-style one of cherry for my firstborn, then used it for the next three, plus loaned it out to the sisters-in-law. When yours has run the circuit, you can store magazines in it and save it for the grandchildren. A well built crad...

So, is There Anything Anybody WOULD Recommend from MRI?