The Armour Archive

Destichado

I made a point of looking yesterday and this afternoon. I can't find anything to directly contradict that. Point of order, though, there are a great number of complete, cap-a-pie armors, of varying grades of quality, totally absent of lance rests. Surely you're not suggesting they were all intended ...

Destichado

I cannot believe the things I read on the Archive, sometimes.

Destichado

Interesting. I have seen a lot of 15th century breastplates being sold as of late without backplates. Any documentation of that? Anybody? Only footsoldier harness. Mounted men and knights never would have worn them. Churburg had 20 of them dating circa 1480, along with the barbutes or open sallets ...

Destichado

damn your eyes, that's sexy!

Destichado

This is obscure, sorry. I am dredging my memory for one of Durer's sketches. This is almost positively a sketch, but might possibly an etching. It depicts a fair sized group of German soldiers dressed like Landsknechts, with a variety of weapons, hacking at each other in one big violent scrum. It's ...

Destichado

Those 15th century tourney lances were hollow because they were meant to shatter spectacularly. Also, they looked pretty damn dramatic being constructed as they were.

Destichado

What are these sword beads and how were they used? I've not run across them before.

Destichado

Whoo. Tough to answer. I should preface this by saying I'm not an authority on Azerbiajan or on early Muslim Persia, but I have done a fair bit of research on Pre-Muslim Persia. So... take it for what it's worth. Azerbaijan is a place. The people living there associated themselves with their people,...

Destichado

Well, for a start they wouldn't have been calling themselves Azeri at that time. They would have been Oghuz Turks, and right about that time the Oghuz would have started calling themselves Turkoman. The Seljuks conquered the region in the 11th century, and pushed out the native Persians, and the Ogh...

Destichado

Jesus, Mary and Joseph...

More proof of the old adage, just because you can't do it, doesn't mean they couldn't.

Destichado

The western belt buckle of that type is more commonly referred to as a "Rodeo Buckle." I've seen a Roman buckle of that type decorated with a punchwork eagle, but it was rectangular, like an old army buckle. I've also seen a 16th century closure of the same type, on those weird belts cut f...

Destichado

I have some. Excellent shirt. It's would be great for rapier/C&T. It would be worse than having nothing, trying to use it for SCA heavy. I can wear it all day when I'm working and not notice it. My *only* problem with it is the funky collar. It's made identical front to back, so the collar falls...

Destichado

Sure. I'd never thought of doing it, but the "how" is really simple. For an easy metalworking project, it ought to work pretty darn well, too. Be absolutely sure that the planer blade is steel, not carbide. Be sure to wrap the blade of the drawknife with a soaked rag before heating the &qu...

Destichado

Eep! I guess I had better be careful what I ask for.

Writing so tiny. Eyes imploding.

Karen delivers, as always.

Thank you very much!

Destichado

The Ambraser Heldenbuch was, as best I can tell, the next thing to a holy grail from the perspective of us medieval enthusiasts. It was commissioned by Emperor Maximilian to collect Germanic legend, epics, and stories of famous knights all in one book. At least one original is still in Vienna at the...

Destichado

re-reading, I should amend that the pommel was screwed on through the sides. we didn't do that lag-screw into the end-grain business you see on occasion.

Destichado

Oh yeah, the one at the bottom is dead-on what I was driving at. He uses the bevels to draw the eye to the shape of the line -very clean lines, there- and away from the size of the piece.

Very great, thoughtful work on all pieces.

Destichado

WAAAAAANT! =(

Destichado

A quick paint sketch of what we wound up with.

...plus the lacing hole we should have added.

Destichado

I helped, once. We squashed a piece of 1 1/4" pipe into an oval, then welded an oval chunk we cut out of 1/2" plate onto the bottom as the kashira onto the bottom. The pipe fit over the rattan, screwed on like a normal SCA pommel, and was covered up when the grip was wrapped with imitation...

Destichado

something along the lines of

quantus nimis est?

Destichado

Hell's Bells. That's awesome.

It looks like something Garrus would wear. ...when he wasn't in the middle of some calibrations.

Destichado

No no, it's simple. You don't actually make the hilt like that, you just give the impression that it's made like that. Here, I knocked this together in Paint in 5 minutes. The more darkly shaded area is tapered at a 45. The key to any work like this is to make your lines CRISP, and your surfaces fla...

Destichado

Wow, what a kitbash!!! That face is all Hammered Wombat, no question about it. earlier work, circa 02: http://www.hammeredwombat.com/images/ezwebshow/verycrankyvikingdeux/07-08-02-01.jpg I really, really doubt someone would have pulled apart a Wombat helm just to stuff it under a new top. If I had t...

Destichado

You know, if you go with terne-2, the tin-zinc plate, you can still get that and it still lasts fifty years, even unpainted.

Destichado

*cough*

I uh, use a portaband clamped upright in a vice.

Destichado

Please describe a little further what you want to do with it. If this is for a simple brass strip around the borders of armor, almost anything will work. I would strongly recommend against purchasing brass from a supplier for that simple purpose. You will invariably be forced to buy more than you ne...

Destichado

What he said. It's weight (I think they advertise something like 7 lbs?) with zero defensive benefit. For purely presentational purposes, though, it should do very nicely as it's so fine it won't obstruct your movement in the slightest.* I honestly don't even notice it when I'm wearing it. *with the...

Destichado

They're great shirts, and have excellent prices.

If you're looking at this for rapier, it's exactly what you need. For heavy? It's actually *worse* than nothing.

Destichado

Bi-metal manufacture of axes became a fad in the Americas in the early 1800s. It was a way of being decorative, saving materials costs and showing off your skills all at the same time. I do not know when the technique originated, or when it was popular in Europe. If it seems to be an antique, it mor...

Destichado

I've always wondered why nobody sticks a normal, SCA legal cop in the middle of the manica. Or a soupcan elbow!

We take FAR more unsightly and obtrusive liberties with Greco-Roman equipment in the name of "safety" than this. What's the problem, here???

Destichado

There's some fantastic, fantastical pieces out there. Look at the etching on the breastplate. Given the halo, the figure on horseback, and given that it's a Russian suit in the Hermitage, I'd guess that it's St. Demetrius (who was tied for most important Orthodox military saint). The oculars are obv...

Destichado

*cough* *cough*

...just sayin'.

Destichado

hearing protection for hotwork?

*shrug*

Whatever.

Destichado

Fokosbard. No big deal. Fitted with a long, light haft, used in Hungary through the Kievan Rus. Not particularly expensive b/c it's not on the main "collector's track." Seriously??? I'm giving myself a pat on the back here. My first thought on seeing the narrow-bladed back was Kievan or M...

Re: later period breastplates without backplates?

Re: Historical SCA-style bludgeoning

Re: later period breastplates without backplates?

Re: Helm for Ajax...Progress pics... 12/2/11(bottom of pg 2)

"War-Work" -need help!

Re: Hollow Lances: Construction?

Re: History bling Anglo Saxon sword beads

Re: 11-14th century Azerbaijan

Re: 11-14th century Azerbaijan

Re: Some traditional woodworking skills

Re: any documentation for "modern" belt buckles?

Re: Looking for opinions- Ringmesh.com welded maille

Re: Draw Knife Construction Question.

Re: Looking for the Ambraser Heldenbuch

Looking for the Ambraser Heldenbuch

Re: Kashira for rattan Katanas?

Re: Does Anyone machine Aluminum?

Re: Power hammer vids.

Re: Kashira for rattan Katanas?

Re: Kashira for rattan Katanas?

Re: Latin help, please.

Re: Making of: Ocean's Wrath (Maxamillian/Gothic/Fantasy)

Re: Does Anyone machine Aluminum?

Re: I need help identifying this helm (picture supplied)

Re: Keeping brass shiny

Re: Bandsaw for cutting metal?

Re: Query about purchasing Brass for a helmets

Re: Azon maille

Re: Azon maille

Re: any thoughts on this axe?

Re: Does anyone have a manica pattern, or make them?

Re: 16th C Gjermundbu helmet

Re: 16th C Gjermundbu helmet

Re: Video of forged brim German Burgeonet

Re: A 12th Century double-bladed battle axe? Really?