The Armour Archive

Cap'n Atli

Could they have supported/fastened an "X" belt weapons harness? Pure Hollywood, perhaps, but there may be parallels. It certainly would put it near the sword harness.

Cap'n Atli

The context is ambiguous, leading to a variety of interpretation. I've been too busy at home, working on ironing a sled, to check Martin Carver's book. (Much though I enjoyed meeting him, I disagree with his interpretation of the hammer-axe as a "tool." Wrought iron or even steel makes a lousy haft ...

Cap'n Atli

AElfraed Hawkmoon wrote: ... and it made a handy boat anchor.

Needs flukes to make a good boat anchor, and even then I'll take a Danforth.

As you said, you can back rivets.

Cap'n Atli

If it's not a modern fake (and there are a lot of fakes out there) the shape of the helm and the drape of the cloth appear to be similar to some of the woodcarvings I've seen at the NGA and the Met from the later middle ages- but much simplified. More worrisome are the bands of the "armor" about th...

Cap'n Atli

Martin: The price wasn't half bad, since you had a chance to shop around and compare it to the others. I've also observed that blacksmithing equipment thins out the further west you go. Either they left it in Ohio for Thomas Powers to snap up, or they might have dumped it our on the east slope of th...

Cap'n Atli

Do you have a brand name on the anvil? Markings? That might tell us if it's cast steel or the older, plated type. I've seen several anvils with the horns blunted like that. After you run your thigh or butt into a sharp horn a couple of times, you want to modify it a bit. Not unusual, and usually any...

Cap'n Atli

Felix Wang wrote: ...

As a sidenote, there are a couple of references in Irish literature about fighting with two swords (about the 10th-11th centuries). It seems to have been considered highly unusual then, and extinct thereafter.

"Extinct"

The technique, the practioner, or both?

Cap'n Atli

In Martin Carver's latest work on Sutton Hoo (cite tonight, it's in the bookshelf by the home computer) the shoulder clasps are interpreted as houlding a gathered cloak at the shoulders. Given the relatively thin gold loops on the backs to hold them to the material, I would guess cloth as being more...

Cap'n Atli

From time to time I see mention of Ã¢â‚¬Å“FlorentineÃ¢â‚¬Â

Cap'n Atli

I agree with AB; caution is advised. Check out some of the anvil information in the Anvilfire FAQ: m Some good anvils have been diminished or even ruined by too agressive a "restoration." Older anvils, with a steel plate over a wrought iron body, are especially vulnerable. On the other claw; I have ...

Cap'n Atli

Very nice!

If I may enquire; what's her capacity and what gauge steel did you use?

Cap'n Atli

http://www.wtec.org/loyola/mcc/mems_eu/Pages/up_arrow.jpg This .... This is the kind of silly shit I would change about the SCA. J Don't feel bad for not catching on. I thought to myself: "What? Roadsigns? What could he possibly have against Scadian roadsigns?" (Glad someone explained it to me, too.)

Cap'n Atli

You missed my evening jogs in mail by 28 years!

Cap'n Atli

Cogs and Medieval Shipping:

I just had a chat with our Maritime Historian here at the National Park Service regarding this thread.

Bad news-

YouÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll never see a cog with a Ã¢â‚¬Å“bone in her teeth.Ã¢â‚¬Â

Cap'n Atli

It really helps to set your social level according to your skill level. A goodwife peasant in a mostly competent outfit looks a lot better a Lady in tacked on trim and rabbit-skin furs. Remember the "Museum Factor." A lot of stuff that is on display in museums is there because it is beautiful and ex...

Cap'n Atli

James, ... 3. What is the place of social/economic/political class in all this? ... Mord. Class, status, wealth and the lack of any of, or all three makes a tremendous difference in clothing. One "mistake" in the early medieval period is having tunics that are too short, but a good rule of thumb is...

Cap'n Atli

This has been off-line for a while, but now it's back; a small, simple Viking period boat, suitable for small, simple adventures.

http://www.algonet.se/~gwarner/canoe.htm

Cap'n Atli

I love the ship in The Princess Bride ! Just about right for a crew, but small and handy (and when you have to pay for and maintain it; small is good). It seem to me that there are a few sources for Mediterranean vessels in this period. Now that I have a period, I'll see if I come across anything re...

Cap'n Atli

... Anyone doing small boats from the Med 1100 - 1200? Where would one start researching plans for such a thing? Not much built or in operation on this side of the Atlantic; there's a big gap between longships and a creative career in piracy. The ASTA guide reveals none in operation between the Vik...

Cap'n Atli

Thomas James Hayman wrote:And here's stupid Thomas thinking why would a cog of all things interest you until I came to the part about boats

Well, if you're into late medieval milling technology...

Cap'n Atli

MilleniumLancelot wrote: I'd also ban vikings, cause lets face it no one really likes vikings.

Yesss; I agree!

Send us ALL the Vikings. Come to the Dark Side of the Farce!

Bwahaaahaahaha!

Cap'n Atli

As a commercial venture I have always though it would be neat to have Ã¢â‚¬Å“The Ã¢â‚¬ËœNew Hanseatic LeagueÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ Cog.Ã¢â‚¬Â

Cap'n Atli

"Politics" is simply a method of gathering and directing labor and resources to accomplish a task. It can't be avoided, but it can be controlled. In amateur organizations I divide politics into positive and negative. Positive politics is where the goal is something that's mutually beneficial or wher...

Cap'n Atli

Check out: http://www.anvilfire.com/FAQs/ .

More than you'll ever want to know about anvils, with lots of advice about "field expedient" anvils made from scraps, drops, obsolete industrail machinery, etc.

Enjoy!

Cap'n Atli

A further comment on firewood: When we did our Maldon film in the early '90s, we converted one of our barns into a "mead hall" set, digging a long fire pit down the middle. What we discovered with a longer fire pit is that you don't have to cut the logs as short as we're used to. We're so used to "s...

Cap'n Atli

The Viking period chain trammel is almost identical to the top one of these dated from the 18th c. (from The Olde Tool Shop site at oldetoolshop.com/): [img]http://oldetoolshop.com/olderiver/fptrammelchain_sm.jpg[/img] Like fire steels and other elegantly useful items, once something reaches a certa...

Cap'n Atli

... A good rule of thumb is that if you don't need it and can't document it, why have it? ... Matthew 'Cause it'd be useful, convenient and really neat! Take, for instance, this Roman window grill, found in the wilds of Britain: [img]http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/compass/resources/image/medium/...

Cap'n Atli

Fascinating and creative. I will point out that the moving technique relies on hard flat surfaces, and where the Salisbury plain is flat, it's wasn't all that hard the last time I was there. Still, his erection method was pretty slick, and useful for all of us who are short-handed; and his caveats a...

Cap'n Atli

Frustrating, isn't it? Tripods aren't that sophisticated or difficult to make, but I can't recall any finds or illustrations between the Oseberg find and the American Colonial period. I do have a really nice illustration of a saw tooth trammel, a relatively sophisticated mechanism, hanging in a fire...

Cap'n Atli

If they're the right size, I split them down one side and turn them into pads for the jaws of my post vises.

"Nails of the True Cross; 25 cents apiece or five for a dollar!"

(Old Marklandic Fundraisng technique, accompanied by a shipload of railroad spikes.)

Cap'n Atli

This Just In: "I just got back from the marina. Sae Hrafn is there and in one piece. What a beautiful ship! I took an oar and set it, and dry-rowed it to get the feel. The closest thing I have to compare is the Glad, which some of us had the pleasure of rowing in 2000. The oars are LIGHT. They move ...

Cap'n Atli

Okay; years back Wilhelm Greycloak gave me a bucket. It was more suitable for potting plants than carrying water. When I hang it in the forge, it drys out, and the staves will literally rattle. If I'm not too careful, it could fall apart. But after an overnight soak in another, larger pail, and a da...

Cap'n Atli

Double (Twinned) Bellows:

It would look something like this-

From the Midgard webpage

Primary fuel is rick burned charcoal from our brushpiles, with some commercial wood charcoal (not briquettes) to space it out.

Cap'n Atli

Organize it around specific historic times and places rather than 20th century geography. You'd have specific 13th c. English, 15th c. Swiss, Carolingians, etc. from different parts of the country, formed up in different camps, or cantons, or baronies. At least that would provide some historical co...

Cap'n Atli

Organize it around specific historic times and places rather than 20th century geography. You'd have specific 13th c. English, 15th c. Swiss, Carolingians, etc. from different parts of the country, formed up in different camps, or cantons, or baronies. At least that would provide some historical coh...

Florentine; Any History Behind It?

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