The Armour Archive

Patrick

For the basics of what you would have known "back then" there is a good article in Cariadoc's Miscellany called "the Little Things." The Poulet Gauche page ahs one set of answers to the questions Cariadoc asks and gives a very good idea of what a fairly-well-developed persona would be like. http://w...

Patrick

When you remake it, try using contact cement to glue the plates to the cloth. They will move less and be less likely to work free of the cloth. Just a thought.

-Patrick

Patrick

For SCA, the eyeslots are generally as wide as is allowable for SCA fighting. Meaning the eyeslots tend to be 7/8" wide. This is actually plenty enough for visibility, no matter what you are told. I fought for several years with eyeslots narrower than this. For the actual Pembridge helm, I can't say...

Patrick

Most hardware stores will have 18 gauge mild steel wire and call it baling wire or fencing wire. The spools are not huge, but will make enough links to know if you want to pursue this hobby far enough to make any more than a trivet. Steven of Forth Castle has some good information he's written. I as...

Patrick

What would I have eaten for breakfast in my period? What is my average annual income? How much does bread cost? How do I start a fire with flint & steel? Who is the reigning monarch of my country? Who were the last 3 or 4 reigning monarchs? Who are my country's enemies? Allies? What is the monetary ...

Patrick

Maybe we could get Mrs W. to post her list of amusing Latin phrases again. I was always torn as to which one would be best on my shield. For a bumper sticker, I like "Cum catapultae proscriptae, erunt tum soli, proscripti catapultas habebunt." When catapults are outlawed, only outlaws will have cata...

Patrick

If you get a chance to try them on, check the range of motion. Hold a sword or spear (or try both). Can you make a comfortable fist around a rattan stick? If you can't try the gauntlets, at least ask some pointed questions of the armorers you are considering. If they actually produce a good product,...

Patrick

Check the pattern library for Thor's finger gauntlets. I have seen a pair of these in use in a tourney. Very nice. Very easy-looking pattern, too. I have used the back half for demi-gauntlets a few times. Never did make the whole thing up into a set of finger gauntlets, though. If you take a look at...

Patrick

Arms and Armor of the Medieval Knight has a picture of one 13th century shield. It was constructed of 3 linden planks, as I recall.

Lots of paintings depict strapping arrangements on the shields. Just look for them in general books about the middle ages and warfare.

-Patrick

Patrick

I have seen one of these in use. It worked very well and the owner (Baron Sir Alphonso d'Strada) was very happy with it. What he did was add a mail collar to a pre-existing leather-and-steel gorget. He put a split in the mail for about 3" and centered that split right where the gorget came together ...

Patrick

"Later, after consultation with brother knights, I apologized to all concerend after it was pointed out to me that they were doing so under direction of the king, and so were not themselves responsible for the unspeakable crime they were committing." _________________ Anyone who says this is casting...

Patrick

Well, I have only done this once, so take that for what it is worth. I used duct tape to hold the cloth tight at the edges and put in the rivets, then put on the edging. When the cloth pulled loose from some of the rivets, it flapped around a bit. If I were going to fight in the SCA any more, I woul...

Patrick

For building a REAL sword, you will need certain skills before you begin. I strongly urge you to make a couple of knives, first. The sword is a lot more work and it is best to learn the basic skills with a smaller project. If you like, you can make a dagger to match the sword you want to make. That ...

Patrick

Raymond- I was responding to what Vitus wrote. He did not say that Brian Price was joking about it, he said the man threatened to cut off his thumbs. To me, even as an "in persona" joke, this is in very poor taste and comes very close to a threat. And it was Vitus who said that he felt like he was "...

Patrick

You know, what bothers me most is the idea that a knight is on the field and doesn't even know the rules of the game he is playing. He didn't know the engineers could not resurrect? Why not? Why is someone fighting in a battle/melee who does not actually know the RULES? More than the rudeness and ca...

Patrick

Frederich, I have all of those posts saved and printed out. Even though I have no intention of ever trying to make money off of armor, I love to read cogent advice. Just dug them out and re-read them a few months ago. I would commend that advice to all would-be armorers. Matt, one thing that comes t...

Patrick

Sorry to tell you this, Joaquin, but those just are not right for your armor. However, in an uncharacteristic display of magnanimity, I am willing to take them off your hands and all you have to do is pay the shipping! E-mail me to find out how...

Actually, those are lovely.

-Patrick

Patrick

Wow! That looks good! Makes me want to start fighting again, just so I can paint up my armor and look really spiffy on the field... But then I'd have to rejoin the SCA.

Well, it sure looks cool to me. What do you wear on your legs?

-Patrick

Patrick

What I was most drawn toward was the inkwell. What can you tell us about that? In particular the stopper interests me. Overall, I am impressed by your projects. That's the general sort of thing that I always wanted to get into making when I was in the SCA - the little things that complete an impress...

Patrick

From the original post: "If you were writing a begginer's guide for your period of choice, what would you put in it? What information do you think would best help a newbie make a decent shot at authenticity, as opposed to fantasy or LARP personas and garb?" Most of us don't do Japanese, so we answer...

Patrick

Check out http://www.jastown.com/knives/knives.htm and scroll down the page until you get to the lance points. These are rough forged and not all shiny, but I would be truly surprised if they won't do the job for you. Townsend sells mostly to re-enactors and everything I have purchased or handled fr...

Patrick

Just to make it clear, I'm talking only about the surface of the break. What was inside the metal and is now exposed. It really does make a difference. And when you heat the next one up to quench, be sure to take your time on the heating. You can bring it up pretty slowly, just don't overheat it. An...

Patrick

If the edges were getting into the orange, you may have overheated them a bit. One method some smiths have used for evening out a coal fire's heat is to put a length of pipe that is a little longer than the blade a bit wider, into the fire and use it as an oven for heating the blade up. I have never...

Patrick

For a beginning knifemaker, I suggest Tim McCreight's book _Custom Knifemaking_. It is not the best book for an experienced knifemaker, but it really is the best I have found for an absolute beginner. After that, I'd go with David Boye's book _Step by Step Knifemaking_. Finally, if you want to use a...

Patrick

Also, are you talking about real swords (steel blades, sharp, etc.) or rattan SCA "swords"? Not everyone here is SCA, but the majority are and we do answer questions from time to time about making a piece of rattan work for our combat system. For the real thing, you will need to ask specific questio...

Patrick

The KWH is a decent collection of articles on many aspects of the SCA, but it is not a very effective beginner's guide. It is not written in a coherent fashion, nor is it aimed at instructing new folks on putting forward a credible impression of any particular time period. I think every SCAdian shou...

Patrick

This isn't meant to put you off, but really the first thing you should do is go to your local fighter practice and use the loaner gear. Lots of folks try SCA combat a couple of times and don't come back. It is different than it looks. Then, what tools and materials do you have? What applicable skill...

Patrick

Choice of materials is right up there at the top of the list for things to put in a beginner's guide. But here's what I'd want to see in a basic booklet about the 14th century common man, organized by sections: 1)The overall look of the outfit - what makes 14th century English costume distinctive an...

Patrick

For a cheap alternative to the knives, try this link for throwing spikes: http://www.sonic.net/~quine/spike.html Also, there are some fun things you can do with fence staples. http://home.earthlink.net/~lenyr/staple.htm In all, thrown weapons can be a lot of fun and don't have to be expensive. I use...

Patrick

Pardon me, but did you actually harden the blade first? L6 is a very good steel and should make a fine sword, but you need to make sure your hardening is done before tempering. Straw color is only about 400 degrees (maybe 450, depending on alloy content and your perception of what "straw" color is)....

Patrick

In my opinion, if I am not wanting to get hit like that again, it was too hard. I don't mind the shots I have taken from knights who definitely fit into the "heavy cruiser" class. But I once got beaten on by a guy with a log for a sword. He hit me in the breastplate and my whole front stung for a wh...

Patrick

Another possibility: something might be funny about your steel. I'm not kidding! You say it is mild steel scrap, but I have run into some funny scraps. I had one piece of 18 gauge that killed two jigsaw blades over about 4". I went to the angle grinder for the rest of that project. Still don't know ...

Patrick

For a first shield, you really don't want to spend a lot of time or money making it perfect. You will change several things about it when you make the second. Maybe on shield number 4 or 5 it would be worth going all out and doing it well. That's not to say you should make an ugly or crappy shield, ...

Patrick

I wish I could say that I knew Drew as well as most everyone here has stated By all accounts, he seems like he was a good guy One can only hope that he has found peace at last and that he's in God As you apply the health and diet system in this book, you may find that the common cold, flus, weeks, y...

Patrick

I have made 4 breastplates, so far. I learned the hard way on the first one to make it a little wider than the guys at fighter practice tell you. My first one was about 1" narrower at the top than the distance between my nipples. I caught a wierd tippy shot to my chest which pinched my nipple betwee...

[25] freya down!