The Armour Archive

Steve S.

This is an interesting chart (see page 2)

http://www.mcmaster.com/library/20100713/8747KAC.pdf

I wonder if polycarbonate might be even better?

Steve

Steve S.

Sir Patrick:

The link you are providing is generic and not specific.

This is the actual product I purchased:

part number: 8658K56

Product Catalog Page:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/116/3550/=9k4mw4

Steve

Steve S.

What this probably means is not all polypropylene is created equal. This is not necessarily a show-stopper, because not all stalks of rattan are created equal, either. As long as the failure behaves "nicely", it should not be a problem. Count Jonathan's polypropylene broke pretty cleanly, ...

Steve S.

Are only the 1.5" rods being tested, or would it be possible to purchase one of the 3" diameter rods and shave down the sides for a more sword-like look? Baby steps, my friend. Right now it seems like the Society is open to something made of plastic that is physically nearly the same as r...

Steve S.

I like the idea of synthetic, plastic swords because they are (or should be) of uniform manufacture, making them easy to buy sight-unseen through the mail with no surprises. I suspect they will last longer than rattan. Being manufactured, dimensionally-consistent raw stock means they can be easily s...

Steve S.

if you read through the threads on this very board you will find:

You will also find the points I listed. This topic has been discussed many times, as you know.

Steve

Steve S.

Just wondering.. since it's been stated over and over again, that no nobleman ever manned a siege weapon or carried a bow in war, and since it's been mentioned over and over again that we are all "noblemen", wouldn't the "no blatantly non-medieval blah" rule effectively ban CA a...

Steve S.

I bought myself a 4-foot stick of PP from McMaster-Carr. It came in last week.

Steve

Steve S.

New postPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 8:17 am Post subject: Reply with quote Broadway wrote: Maeryk wrote: Good for you. I've seen 8 people start, build plastic armor, borrow a helm, be gung ho as all get out, and dissapear in under a year. I wonder how many of them would even have tried, had they had t...

Steve S.

By no means am I advocating that we should make the SCA a living history group. But really, all this hand wringing over minimum costume requirements is laughable to anyone who has done living history. Yes, in a significant way they have it much easier, because they usually focus on a specific time p...

Steve S.

Are we losing membership or has our membership changed?

Honestly, I don't know. I have not seen any numbers.

It just feels to me like the same old(er) people are at events, with some going away over time, with fewer new ones taking their places.

Steve

Steve S.

Are my personality and character wholly immutable by experience? Can I build myself, say by learning and study -- the sensible use of the experience of others, on record for my benefit? Will not experience grow me and change me? I have thought about this, Konstantin, and I hope that one can build o...

Steve S.

I read the first 5 pages and then skipped to the end. Firstly, I have no problem with the marshallate being responsible for both safety and appearance on the list field. If we are going to have authenticity requirements on the combat field, then I would want the marshallate to deal with that as part...

Steve S.

It seems most people that have replied fight because of who they are.

I fight because of who I want to be.

This sometimes worries me. What if it's something you either have or you don't? What if I don't have it?

Steve

Steve S.

If they were interested in research and education, they would be in the SCA already. Part of me sympathizes with this statement, but the other part says this is precisely why they SCA is losing membership. We're becoming old and stodgy. Remember, this game wasn't started by old academics. It was st...

Steve S.

Its my understanding that households grew out of widespread kingdoms with small populations, back in the early days. Now, they're all over the place. Outside of the household, fighter practices and events were somewhat lonley affairs, and I could never figure out why. I'm not a wallflower, I'm not ...

Steve S.

I have the teardrop dollies and found them useful for some gauntlet work.

I just chuck them up in my vice.

Steve

Steve S.

If you wear a maille shirt under your coat of plates, as would have been done historically, your armpit and other areas are defended adequately enough for our game.

Steve

Steve S.

Excellent looking coat of plates!

Steve

Steve S.

You can also buy this from McMaster-Carr.

I use it on my shields, but then I cover it with leather. I put the trim-lock on the shield only to blunt the raw edge of the aluminum shield blank.

Steve

Steve S.

I would think that would have to be removed as a rule, it definitely creates an element of you have to pay to play. I'd be curious what the thought process was behind that rule. Without knowing the background, I think that is just plain stupid. I don't know what the thought process was behind the r...

Steve S.

Huh? Is this a kingdom thing? How do they know you own it instead of borrowed it or are using loaner gear? This is probably a kingdom rule, as it is not part of the Society Marshal's Handbook that I can find. From the Meridies Marshal's Handbook: "4. A candidate must own the minimum armor requ...

Steve S.

I agree that loaner gear will never be optimal armour, because good armour needs to be well fitting, and you can't make a one-size-fits-all armour. I disagree with the idea that loaner gear should be purposefully junky. I personally feel that loaner gear should be inspirational . When new people try...

Steve S.

But you're not likely to buy a gaming PC just to play Call of Duty, and not before you know you like to play computer games. You can take scuba lessons and have the school provide all the equipment, plus if you're taking scuba lessons you likely know that at least you like to swim, and perhaps even...

Steve S.

The biggest thing we can offer newcomers is encouragement that the obstacles can be overcome - without belittling their trials because somebody else's tough obstacle was an easy one for us. Well said. Concerning equipment: Yes, there is a price barrier to entry in this hobby, and it has gotten high...

Steve S.

There you have it.

Where? The post above yours was edited...

Steve

Steve S.

If my only measure of success is winning, it's going to be a long hard slog, especially when every one I'm fighting has 5 to 10 times the experience that I do. However, if I redefine my success condition, to something hard but achievable then it makes a real difference. For example: "This time...

Steve S.

I'm loathe to turn this into a thread about me as I was just trying to answer the question about why new fighters quit with my own personal experiences. But I'll respond to a few more things: Do you really feel after an event that you haven't learned? I'm honestly not quite sure how to answer this. ...

Steve S.

You need to get in your head that practice is for practice. There is no "winning" or "losing" in practice. It is at events where you test your skill level. First of all, thank you for your post. I would say, however, that if you're losing at practice you will probably also be lo...

Steve S.

Anybody that wants to get to the point they'll start winning. I'd rather get my butt handed to me 100 times by a top level fighter than beat some newbie's but 100 times. Yeah, the one strokes my ego, but the other will make me a better fighter. Then you are to be commended for your sense of drive a...

Steve S.

You don't need to use sword and shield, or even authorize in it, if you want to fight in the SCA. I do not believe this is true in all Kingdoms. In Meridies, for example, authorizations are to be done with sword and shield, unless there is some physical limitation of the fighter that prevents this....

Steve S.

Steve, the experience fighters should be teaching you and raising your level, not leave you wishing there was someone lower. I'm sure they are teaching me and raising my level. But they still beat me most of the time, which means that I am losing most of my fights, and I probably will for a long, l...

Steve S.

I don't think you can entirely poo-poo cost. Yes, you probably can get on the field for $500, even $300. But that is still a fair chunk of money for a lot of people. And armour standards have increased over the years. A lot of people have $500 tied up in their helms . It could be easy to be intimida...

Steve S.

So I'm want to ask something of all the experienced fighters here. How much do you dumb down your skill level when fighting newbies? And how do you dumb down your skill? I just wanted to say here that I'm not expecting the experienced fighters to do anything special for me or other inexperienced fi...

Steve S.

Small claims court.

Steve