The Armour Archive

Patrick

Could be worse. I haven't fought in about two years (meaning to get back in real soon, though), and just found out that there is no longer a fighter practice in this barony. For those familiar with the problems in Winter's Gate, this is no surprise, but imagine if the nearest fighter practice was 36...

Patrick

I suggest looking at Jim Hrisoulas' book _The Complete Bladesmith_ for some very good ideas on sword handles. Also, there is quite a bit good in his second book _The Master Bladesmith_. Your local library might have them. If not, you are in the SCA, so there has to be someone in your area with a cop...

Patrick

37 degrees? That IS warm! That's 50 degrees warmer than our current weather, in fact. We used to fight outside in that all the time! (Sadly, politics have all but removed the fighting from our barony - the only two dedicated fighters, as far as I know, are a married couple and they can practice at h...

Patrick

Winterfell- who made that? I have a friend (Sir Alphonso D'Strada KSCA) who has been wanting that sallet for years. You can e-mail me privately if you prefer:
patrick_woolery(AT)hotmail.com

That is beautiful.

-Patrick

Patrick

My best advice was from a man who was knighted a year or so after he told me this. I was still pretty new - a few months past authorization - and he explained to me the danger factors that can result in an unsafe fight. 1. Fighting beyond your endurance level (He used a test that involved holding hi...

Patrick

http://www.arkeodok.com/News1.html

The second item on the page has even the archaeologists stumped. Any ideas?

-Patrick

Patrick

How about, in order: 1. Making Fire 2. Sharpening Knives (I suggest you bring several dull knives so everyone is starting from the same place.) 3. Butchering Bunnies 4. Cooking With Fire (This uses the bunnies you just butchered.) 5. Eating Without a Fork (Use wooden trenchers, allow spoons and the ...

Patrick

Oh, I wanted to make one of those for loaner armor. First time I saw one was the illustrations in Cariadoc's brief fighting manual. I've called it a barbucket ever since then. I have never seen the t-face on any other helmet than a barbute. But then, I have only seen one illustration of a bascinet w...

Patrick

I used to do Tae Kwon Do and the scoring was based on what the judges saw. As I interpreted the scene you are talking about in Knight's Tale, the judges were doing the scoring. The problem is that judges don't see everything. They sometimes seem downright blind. Like the guy throwing a punch that do...

Patrick

Lach- Re-read the last message where Mrs. W said that a meter was about the max. This is not a stairway where folks can walk two abreast, shields before them. She's talking about proportions that are totally alien to most modern folks. Our buildings today are fairly standardized in size. We are requ...

Patrick

So, which heresy in particular are you interested in? Some of them have been around for a long time and flare up repeatedly, others are more isolated in history. The Cathars/Albigensians are an example of gnosticism. The Catholic Church started after them in the second half of the 12th century. Thin...

Patrick

I am no longer in the SCA, so my perspective is why I DON'T play. Too many of the local folks are so hung up on their own little fantasy world and they seem to be dedicated to making sure nobody has any fun at all. That just kills it for a lot of people. Fighting is the one thing I really want to ge...

Patrick

I think it would be great if the average SCA kingdom had a high enough standard of what folks felt meets the SCA-wide requirement of "pre-17th century" appearance that new laws like this would be pointless. However, there are a lot of folks who refuse to make more than a marginal effort. I think thi...

Patrick

Hi, all. Got this e-mail today from Dan Carlsson of Arkeodok. Since I know a few folks here are interested in Viking knives, I thought I'd pass it on. The class announcement is also interesting, but I have a family to be home with, so I won't be going. -Patrick ___________________ Dear Viking friend...

Patrick

Bully, I say, bully for you!

Good man. Let us know what the more entertaining complaints are, please.

-Patrick

Patrick

Okay, dig out your copy of AAotMK and turn to the 14th century section. I am at work and don't have the page number handy, but there is a painting of men with CoPs and one of them is clearly wearing a pair of red bazuband-type armor. I hesitate to base too much one one painting, but it is better tha...

Patrick

Remember that the point is to have fun. Not to win tournaments, not to get a white belt. To have fun. If the other things add to your fun, go for them. I will almost certainly never be a knight. The likelyhood of me being a king is so close to zero that it isn't worth considering. I enjoy the fighti...

Patrick

Yeah, I found out years ago that it pays to get to know your ILL department personally. Send them cards if you send cards out at all. I am not kidding. Long before I even heard of Brian Price, and well before he started working to reprint _Armour From the Battle of Wisby_, I got to read a copy. Thin...

Patrick

I never got all that good on the field, in the sense of winning fights. I always tried to be a good opponent in that I tried to make sure I didn't wreck the fun of it. I hate fighting people who are really intense about winning. Anyway, I was man-at-arms for a while to a gentleman who avoided burnou...

Patrick

Could you be a little more specific? Is he looking to make exact copies of the classic English longbow? Or is he looking to make shootable bows in the general style of the ELB? Or is he just wanting to make bows and figured the longbow would be easiest? Will he have access to the good woods in big b...

Patrick

A few years ago, I learned a lesson along these lines. There was a squire visiting, along with 3 knights. The knights fought the way I expected people to fight. They sort of feel you out a little before they mow you down. Ken did not. He went from "ready" to "adrenaline rush" in about the time it to...

Patrick

When I first started fighting, I tried one suit of loaner armor. Leather on the body. I got hit in the ribs and decided I needed to make better armor than that. I bought a sheet of 16 gauge steel and spent a year figuring out how to do basic armoring. The sort of stuff I can show someone how to do i...

Patrick

Yes. Check with a marshal in your area for details, but the neck needs to be protected by more than the helm's face plate.

And really, do you want to risk it just to save on the effort or expense of a gorget? I don't.

-Patrick

Patrick

Just as an aside, if anyone here knows of a good escrima school in Fairbanks, Alaska, maybe we could get her into that, too. Thing is, Fairbanks is a little off the beaten path for martial arts schools, hence the story above about intimidated women the one time I attempted to go back into tang soo d...

Patrick

Go to a fabric store and buy the cheapest canvas or denim you can get. You will probably be able to find some for under 5 bucks a yard, 60" wide. If it is this wide, get 2 yards so you have plenty. Do a mock-up of the backing. Do not rivet the plates on. Use duct tape on the top edge (the riveted ed...

Patrick

Well, Iron Age is a pretty big time span. There are three basic styles of pilum from Roman finds, as I understand it. One is socketed and the other two are tanged. And they were certainly made of iron.

-Patrick

Patrick

One thing to keep in mind is that whale bone may not always be what we expect. A friend was once doing some research into corset design and kept finding references to whale bone corset stays. When the details were found, at least a couple of the corsets were made with baleen, not bone. Fairly hornli...

Patrick

I have to agree on the cost, especially. SCA fighting is cheap, compared to training in a dojo. What are the investments? SCA armor can be made for less than $100, if you make it all yourself. I know because I have made several complete suits for less than $60 each, not including tools. And that is ...

Patrick

Personal interjection, here. As far as combat effectiveness, there is some validity to SCA combat on two levels I can think of. 1) The ability to take some punishment without fearing the little bruises by which even karate folks seem to get wigged out. I think getting beyond paralyzing terror can go...

Patrick

As I understand Mrs W's question, it isn't a matter of eventually integrating the potential fighter into the Whole Package of the SCA. This is someone who would know about the rest of the SCA but have no interest. I know a couple of knights who I respect highly who would have very different views on...

Patrick

I suspect that the reason you are not getting any more answers is because your question is really along the lines of "tell me in a couple of paragraphs what it took you 5 years to learn." For now, if you have never made a knife (or at least put a handle on a commercial blade), you really are trying ...

Patrick

Well, I don't think you would be happy with the results of a pop can sword. Frankly, the equipment to do what you are suggesting would cost more than making a show sword out of aluminum barstock. Lots of hardware stores have aluminum flat bar. Get a piece 6' long and 1.5" wide by 1/4" thick. Get a b...

Patrick

If you are not able to keep up with the shield destruction, go with the aluminum. Don't leave it shiny, though. Please paint it. Fought a guy once with a bright shiny aluminum shield. It was just wrong. Oh, another thing, if you are buying an aluminum shield, make sure you get exactly what you want....

Patrick

I like those gauntlets. Regarding the historical nature of slotted articulation in the finger lames, who cares? How many historical gauntlets would meet SCA spec, anyway? And those that do often still don't have the flare to the wrist cuff that SCA fighters expect. The simple fact is that historical...

Patrick

Well, I do happen to believe that David killed Goliath with a sling. I also don't think it is outside the scope of shepherds of his time. He used his sling to drive away predators who would have attacked his sheep. Further, we can see evidence of the sling as a viable military weapon in Greece and o...

What is this Viking artifact?

Viking knives and classes