The Armour Archive

chef de chambre

Hi Vitus, Interesting question. Personally, I do not - you can hardly get emotionaly wrapped up in a country that never quite was a state, and doesn't existed anymore (I suppose you can have sympathy for 'gallant little Belgium though'). I am philosophicaly a diehard Yorkist in reviewing English pol...

chef de chambre

Hi Bexter, I believe I have seen a portait of her commemorating her reviewing the trained bands during the Armarda scare. She is wearing no armour other than a standard late 16th century breastplate that appears to be of high quality, and engraved on the normal lines. Given her 'figure', if survivin...

chef de chambre

Hi Steve, I went back and looked at Karls work. I don't know how much mid 16th century armour you have seen Steve, but his work isn't very close copies in form of any I have seen. He may well indeed be a better plattener than 90% of the armourers posting to this board, which isn't the point I am mak...

chef de chambre

Hi Jeff J, While I know Eric loves a big camp, when you stop and considerr the future of the hobby, it is far better Jim start a local company. The more companies there are, the more spread out they are, the better it is for new recruits who are geographicaly challenged, the more recruits there will...

chef de chambre

Hi Bascot, Not to speak for Gwen, but she has to be talking about the MRL shirt, which as you point out isn't a part of your normal kit. I can document the mail shirt being worn with a fussknechtbrust........ One of my eventual goals is to have a haubergorn - probably one of Steves as I can't afford...

chef de chambre

Hi Hushgirl, I probably just ought to have ignored this entirely.... <font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Because no sensible person with real-world responsibilities want to spend $500+ on gear until he knows if he likes it or not. </font> So then every reenactor outside of the SCA is not a sensible...

chef de chambre

Hi Sasuke, Can you compare this fellows stuff in any way, shape, or form with Negroli's? I don't see a lot of embossing or repousse work here. Perhaps you should do some side-by-side comparisons for your own edification. ------------------ Bob R. [This message has been edited by chef de chambre (edi...

chef de chambre

Hi All, It all depends on what you are looking for. To some, the quality consists in having hundreds (and potentialy thousands) of playmates at an event, and this can be a definite quality of it's own. To others, a high level of accuracy is the quality they strivve for. I am sure you all know what m...

chef de chambre

....The Walter Suckert chap on the other hand seems to be very impressive indeed.

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Bob R.

chef de chambre

Hi All, I usually make no commentary unless I have something nice to say about someones work. That said, I don't see what you find particularly compelling about this chaps work. On the nice side, his etching. gilding and such seems to be proficient. When it comes to capturing the shape of the origin...

chef de chambre

Hi Vitus,

If you wish to present it in persona name, it's Stephen Philpot. A nice sentiment, I'll try to send down a bottle of Belgian Cassis Ale with Sinric, to give to you to give to them on my behalf in the same sentiment. comes in a bloody wine bottle - cork & all.

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Bob R.

chef de chambre

I think the problem is with the way Hugh writes. In my reading of his posts, he seems to imply that anyone who does not do SCA combat is a posuer, because anyone who does not fight competitvely is a posuer - and by implicatiuon this only applies to the SCA, and in many previous posts Hugh has stated...

chef de chambre

Hi Jason,

Sadly, to the best of my knowledge that is the only extant Kastenbrust - which just goes to show that some harness one quite common may be rare or non-existant today.

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Bob R.

chef de chambre

Hi Bascot,

I can do a shoulder roll. The banderole post kind of hinders with a sommersault

. I always sucked at them anyhow. And you know I can ride in mine, jump, run, what have you.

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Bob R.

chef de chambre

Hi Joaquin, Stop and consider - there are more members like this clan in the SCA than members like you. There are more people interested in Medievalized fantasy than in historical accuracy. By attack and riducule, you will only give weight to the argument trotted forth about 'Authenticity Nazi's', a...

chef de chambre

Hi Morgan, Yes, SCA armour is thicker than it's historical counterpart, but you are underrating the thickness of certain componenets of the historical counterpart. For instance, the cuirasse in specific areas could be as thick as 14 guage (toward the center), and thin out toward 18 guage at the edge...

chef de chambre

Hi All, To me, it looks like these people are having a lot of fun doing their thing. Regardless of the historical accuracy of what they do, it is perfectly acceptable under the SCA conventions as they are currently interpreted. Is it any one persons right to spoil their fun? This sort of interpretat...

chef de chambre

Rhys, I would wager my harness functions every bit as well as the original it copies. You have seen the quality of the cuirasse I brought, and none of the harness is any less capable work. It is amazing to me that you cannot concieve that other people outside of the SCA may well have, and use harnes...

chef de chambre

Sorry Rhys, I see you as a significant factor in the increase of heat without much light being produced in these discussions. I've met you, I like you, I respect your knowledge, but you are so set in your mind regarding certain topics that you might as well have a set of blinders on - you cannot acc...

chef de chambre

Hi Mordreth, I think you are confusing Bascot and me. I am not as 'dismissive' of SCA combat as you indicate - I merely point out that the majority of combatants are not doing what is indicated was done in comparison with the primary form of evidence we have. In point of fact, once I have my saddle ...

chef de chambre

Hi Richard, Don't drag me into this - my only retort was at Rhys's silly assertion that reenactors & living historians armour was unfunctional (by implication) or didn't have to function. It stands to reason that if your armour is an accurate copy of the real thing in all aspects of form and articul...

chef de chambre

Hi All, Vitus, what I am getting at is you are making an artificial divide between the two aspects. You have gotten into your head that reenactors primarily put on a show for the public, and are purely visual. This just isn't true, and tells me that you have not experienced reenactment. Many reenact...

chef de chambre

Hi Bascot, OK seeing the harness from that angle, and that close, you can see the staples for lance rest - usually they are in groupings of four. That said, the close up shots of that particular harness show up some of it's flaws, the fit of plackart and breastplate, and shape of plackart make it a ...

chef de chambre

Hi Ryan, Adam hit how it comes apart correctly. There is a pin on the right cheek, and a hole in the overlap on the left. The jugulars themselves act as a spring when it goes together. I have pictures with the visor down, but I don't have any good ones up. It is very much the same general shape as C...

chef de chambre

Hi Galileo and Capn,

Thanks for the responces. The 'light bombard' would be more promising were it twice the size. Then it would be on the order of some of the liughtest 'steinbusch' captured from the Burgundians.

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Bob R.

chef de chambre

Hi Marshal, The point I think you miss is that these smaller groups often interact with each other. The 5th Mass Battery is not the be and end all of ACW reenactment, it combines with hundreds of other companies, batteries and regements at events. Wolfe Argent doesn not just play by itself, it plays...

chef de chambre

Hi Bascot & All, You had asked why I had mentioned that the first two groups kits posted would not have passed muster in Wolfe Argent. Well, where to begin? It really isn't that any of them are particulartly egregious on their own. The captains kit seems to be a very reasonable reproduction of a mid...

chef de chambre

Hi All, The dichotemy is indeed artificial. The assumption is that the only possible means of competitive combat medieval is based soley in SCA fighting. This is utter horse-hockey. Adria, Markland, and the scores of other knock-offs does not exist apparently, Neither does the live steel competition...

chef de chambre

Me too Alcyoneus.

I'll post some more in a constructive vein, on the original topic after I wake up. Third shift is a time killer unfortunately.

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Bob R.

chef de chambre

Hi All, Actually, the age demographics on ACW types is mostly in the late 20's - early 40's. Most people as they get older object to sleeping in tents or on the ground. This runs true for most reenactment eras, it can be physicaly demanding, and it is exremely rare to see recruits past the age of 40...

chef de chambre

As to the idea that armour and artifacts from the middle ages are not available to view in the US, that is a simple misaprehension on your part. Some of the finest collections of Medieval armour, art, and objects are here in the United States. On the East Coast, one needs only to look at the Metropo...

chef de chambre

One last thing to add Steve,

I cut all the plates, sanded all the edges, punched all the holes as well,etc. This is truly my first armouring project. I won't count the buckler as anything other than a dishing and rolling excersise.

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Bob R.

chef de chambre

I forgot the last question steve - You are right, the plates are dipped into a pan of molten tin, the excess shaken off, and then the plate wiped with a cloth. If the coverage isn't good, we sand and dip a second time. Actually Sinric does, as he doesn't want me burning his house and shop down. This...

chef de chambre

Hi All, To answer further questions. Krag, Fustian is a material that has linen threads making up the pattern in one direction, and cotton in the other. It may have well been the material we have seen in the herringbone weave - a fairly course cloth. There is some evidence that the nap was brushed, ...

chef de chambre

Hi All, To answer questions - Cet, the plates are formed before heat treatment. When warpage occurs it is a pain in the ass to reshape the plate properly - I can't imagine the job were you to try shaping it entirely after heat treatment. I rather suspect you would stress and crack a plate if you wer...