The Armour Archive

Steve S.

Are people really giving you grief about an internal "knee leaf" for SCA combat???

I have never seen this. Yes, the cop needs to protect the joint of the knee, but I cannot see needing any kind of fan to do it. Seems to me like this would catch while walking.

Steve

Steve S.

My concern would be how to make sure that everyone is using the right material - is there anyway to differentiate it from other plastic materials that aren't allowed? This is a valid concern, and I know of no way to address it. Other than to say that I currently use a siloflex sword and, being tape...

Steve S.

Heh. Look at 1:26 on this video to see the final result. This is one way to make newbs leave the SCA en mass. Specifically: 1. vambraces will cut into/abrade/ or at the very least limit his wrist movement 2. Solid "breastplate" will inhibit natural spinal flexion/extension and IN SOME PEO...

Steve S.

Thanks for the update and the effort, Sir Omarand!

Steve

Steve S.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgdhTnNB ... r_embedded

Steve S.

But, Sir Cameric, we are also talking about someone (I assume we are talking about the original poster) who is wearing a maille shirt in an era where he shouldn't have to wear any hidden armour as a concession to SCA rules.

So it should work as well as it did historically.

Steve

Steve S.

My cuisses are sewn shut.

Note that, based on discussions here, the sleeveless-vest "pourpoint" idea for suspending leg harness does not seem to be documentable until the 15th century.

Steve

Steve S.

Love the splinted arm harness!

Steve

Steve S.

Your best bet is to hook up with some local people in your SCA group and see if they can help you make what you need.

You are not far from Charlotte, I would assume there would be lots of SCA people in such a large city.

Steve

Steve S.

Forearm is the only bone I have personally witnessed being broken in SCA combat. I recommend good vambraces.

Steve

Steve S.

Someone posted this on facebook today:

http://www.romancoins.info/MilitaryEqui ... l#Weisenau

Steve

Steve S.

I've found the maile rubs between my bicep and forearm, and between my upper arm and torso. Are there tricks to reduce that? What time period? I assume you are wearing some sort of arming garment? In the 14th century if you were wearing some sort of arming coat or other lightly padded garment under...

Steve S.

Those really big shields are just lame. Lame-o. I feel guilty about my teardrop and it is pretty narrow.

I was just about to quote The Anvil of Virtue about strapping doors to arms.

Steve

Steve S.

I personally like things the way they are. I think anyone, businesses or private people alike, should be able to post that they have things for sale in the classifieds section, so long as they do not spam. I think if businesses want to buy banner ads that is great, and it is beneficial to both the b...

Steve S.

I also currently fight with a rather large heater, and am just finishing up a heater that is probably 60% of the size of my current one. Both are side-strapped. I'm doing this for 2 reasons: First, I feel like my current shield gives a false sense of security. I feel, subconsciously, as if I am invi...

Steve S.

You can do this with a simple hand mandrel also:

http://www.forth-armoury.com/make_tools ... andrel.htm

Steve

Steve S.

My cuisses are pretty much like cowboy chaps.

They ride high on the hips on the outside of the leg, and cut low to go under the crotch on the inside of the leg.

The tube goes down to below my knees.

The entire thing is quilted with cotton batting, except in the area behind the knee.

Steve

Steve S.

http://muckley.us/1386/walter_von_hohenklingen.jpg

There is very little maille visible on this effigy, assuming I have the right one.

You can see the bottom of his maille shirt, and you can see his aventail.

Question:

Is the breast plate on top of the arming coat or under? It looks like it is on top to me.

Steve

Steve S.

Cloth gamboised cuisses are an entirely different animal. They form complete tubes that you put on like a pant leg.

Steve

Steve S.

I started out with a mandrel made with 3/8" steel rod you can buy from Home Depot. I made a wooden stand for it and bent a crank handle into one end using a bench vice. I could thus hand-crank it or I could chuck a drill up on the other end and electrically wind them. Use extreme caution when e...

Steve S.

What time period is this harness? I wear a maille shirt under my coat of plates for my 14th century harness. It has sleeves that don't quite reach my elbows. My vambraces and elbow cops point to my arming coat. I do not have any upper arm protection, other than the maille and the arming coat. This h...

Steve S.

Imagine if the polypropylene sword effort comes through! You could have these molded!

Steve

Steve S.

There's nothing wrong with fantasy, Kel Rekuta.

The armour is clearly billed as "fantasy". Why get upset about it?

The workmanship is absolutely fantastic. Extremely high quality stuff, and very professionally made.

Steve

Steve S.

The only problem I see here is that these helms are not, it seems to me, just wrap-ups of flat sheet metal. Certainly the upper skull pieces seem boughed to me. I have a great helm made by Zanetto (Robert Mazza), one of Robert MacPherson's students, I believe, and the inside is quite dimpled with ha...

Steve S.

The seneschal was reporting to me what he had been told by Society level officers; he had had a similar idea and been told he couldn't do it. The crux of the matter was that you couldn't use Society funds for an event and exclude any members. Period. And, of course, you couldn't have a Society even...

Steve S.

Great video, thanks!

Steve

Steve S.

I have received loud shots to my helm with rattan also. All it takes is a solid shot on the sheet metal just on the other side of your ear. It does seem reasonable to me that the polypropylene rod, being more physically solid than rattan, which is made up of fibrous strands, might make a louder soun...

Steve S.

In Meridies we allow thin fiberglass shafts with larger blunts on the head and enlarged anti-penetration fletchings on the rear.

Steve S.

I received this response from the manufacturer of the McMaster-Carr rods: Steven - As you can see from the MSDS, the polypropylene resin is called Pro-fax 7823. So that is the kind of polypropylene you would specify. Hope this helps. Tom Augustyn Sr. Account Manager Equistar Chemicals, LP Office: 77...

Steve S.

Just heard from McMaster-Carr. They have no plans to change suppliers on this polypropylene rod for the forseeable future, but said that if they changed suppliers they would be happy to quote the rod still obtained from LyondellBasell.

Steve

Steve S.

I have a friend with an aluminum, end-only-flattened, round-riveted maille shirt that needs repairs.

The rings are made from .062" thick aluminum wire, 3/8" ID.

Anyone know a source for buying rings and rivets?

Steve

Steve S.

I agree that loaner armour should not be humiliating, nor otherwise trashy. Now it is often a simple case of economics that loaner gear ends up being other folks' cast-off gear, but other than that, I do not think it should be intentionally sabotaged to look bad. Loaner gear is for new people, and s...

Steve S.

I have contacted someone at LyondellBasell concerning sourcing their polypropylene rod.

Steve

Steve S.

I received the MSDS sheet from McMaster-Carr on their polypropylene rod, part number 8658K56: Manufacturer Basell USA Inc. 912 Appleton Road Elkton, MD 21921-3920 Basell Canada Inc. 339 LaSalle Road Corunna, Ontario N0N 1G0 Product Stewardship: 410-996-1600 I am now going to contact the manufacturer...

Pictures of real Roman helmets

source for aluminum round-riveted rings and rivets