The Armour Archive

Erik Schmidt

It sounds like you managed to find a museum. I'd love to know where you found the arms and armour.
Any 14th century stuff?
Did you find any effigies and the like?

Erik

Erik Schmidt

Don't sew butted rings to the leather as the thread can pull through the gap. Either sew solid rings onto the leather or run the top row of rings through a leather thong and sew it to the leather band. Karl-Magnus, the standard brass vervelles are not always appropriate if portraying someone up to a...

Erik Schmidt

Yes, Rev. George, it is tied to the brow band which is clearly shown on the copy of that picture in AAotMK, unfortunately the above scan is a bit unclear. A similar arrangement is also shown in the Martyrdom of St Thomas Becket, a late 12th c Latin Psalter on page 43 of AAotMK. From the 14th century...

Erik Schmidt

I don't know about earlier periods, but I know of two museum examples of chain tailored to fit the chin and neck. One is a mid 14th century aventail from the DHM, the other being an early(?) 15th century collar from the Churburg collection. The one from Churburg has a single tie off point for a flap...

Erik Schmidt

Great to see the list finally getting put up.

Erik Schmidt

It is period for all the time bascinets were worn to wear a coif under the helm instead of attaching an aventail, although you will find it was limited mostly to Italian soldiers by the later part of the 14th century, and by then the bascinets had developed destinctive looks different from those use...

Erik Schmidt

Yeah, not a bad web collection eh? I found those pages a few months back. So far it seems to be the only museum which shows any great deal of their important pieces on the web.

Erik Schmidt

Hi All, Arthritis is not an incurable disease that will require ongoing medication. It is related to diet and can be aggravated by physical strain. The father of a good friend of mine was eventually bedridden by arthritis in the knees and had to stop work as a Taxi driver. We put him onto this book;...

Erik Schmidt

A simpler version of the displacement method is to simply fill(fill it right to the top) -a container large enough to fit you head into, then stick your head into it, pull it out letting your hair drain for a bit. Then simply measure the amount of water it takes to refill the container. OK Sasha. Wh...

Erik Schmidt

Some of the armour depicted here, especially the helm would be in your period;
http://www.isd.net/cdavis/authentic.html

Erik Schmidt

Good theory SyrRhys. I had also wondered about the height of some helms fitting under a greathelm, and that seems to answer the questions. I have read in at least a couple of very well regarded armour books that visors were not shown on effigies due to the complexity(nearly impossible on stone sculp...

Erik Schmidt

I think you have pulled that shape off very well Matt.
Congrats,
Erik

Erik Schmidt

Looks to me like it slides right into the fantacy period.
IMHO, you can spend your money much better.

Erik Schmidt

Karlsbridge or Charlesbridge.

If you get bored, there are a few nearby castles. Karlstein is great and about 1 hours drive.

Erik Schmidt

I spent a few days there in '97, but don't recall any historic arms or armour.
There's plenty of new stuff for sale though.
Don't miss the statue of St George up at the Prague Castle.

Erik

Erik Schmidt

You're right, it's not a project, but it certainly isn't just a little research. If you want to do it right, it's more like a series of research projects. http://www.armourarchive.org/ubb/smile.gif It sounds less daunting if you break it up into something like; Food and cooking Camp style and organi...

Erik Schmidt

You still left something out. http://www.armourarchive.org/ubb/smile.gif Whether it's Tuesday or Wednesday, you still have to decide on a region. Moreover, you have to decide where you are from and where you are serving. The Milanese where well known for supplying crossbowmen, such as fought with th...

Erik Schmidt

I don't know if wax is period. I recently read of lard being used. I personally use gun wax on my armour, which you apply with a cloth and then rub to a shine. It works well to keep rust off, but will also rust where handled. A friend of mine used a pollishing wax block on his buffing wheel to shine...

Erik Schmidt

Freiman, you're excused. You are in the SCA after all. http://www.armourarchive.org/ubb/smile.gif http://www.armourarchive.org/ubb/smile.gif OK, that was my jab at SCA authenticity for the year. If you want to do good research, it helps if you firstly establish what you want to research. Two importa...

Erik Schmidt

Here's a tip I learnt recently to make any pattern fit your foot perfectly without having to download, print or fiddle with it in any way. Yeah, right! you say? Follow these simple instructions; 1/ Find pattern you want and simply make a note of where the seams run. 2/ Put an old sock on your foot. ...

Erik Schmidt

Do you have, or was there in the past, some heavy industry near you, such as metal refineries? These often use firebricks and renew them periodically. I was lucky enough to be able to get as many as I wanted from a local refinery. They were old but never used and came in many shaped and sizes. I too...

Erik Schmidt

I haven't looked much into rivets yet and I don't know of any surviving examples from the 14th century. I wouldn't like to guess what they were like. The cuisses would either have been leather or heavy cloth, as both are known from writings to have been used for CoP's. The cuisses would not have bee...

Erik Schmidt

For greathelms, go here;
http://www.liebaart.yucom.be/helm/
and here;
http://www.tempus-vivit.net/tempus-vivit/bibliothek/ruestungen/topfhelm/index.html

Erik

Erik Schmidt

Edge and Paddock's book, as Trevor suggested is the first you should get. From then on it very much depends on just what information you are looking for as well as your definition of "insanely expensive". Osprey books can be good. The Wisby book is very good, but not cheap. If you have access to a g...

Erik Schmidt

"Battle Helm"?
Do you mean a great helm?
I don't know much about them, but there's a great page here;
http://www.liebaart.yucom.be/helm/

Erik Schmidt

I haven't come across breaths done like that either Ernst, not in the 14th century anyway. Hal, that was me who sent you that picture, or did I send it to Egfroth and he sent on to you? I don't remember, that was just too long ago. What have you done for a lining? Given your obvious talents, I can't...

Erik Schmidt

That's a great looking finished product Hal.
Congratulations.

Erik

Erik Schmidt

The Wisby book contains two pages of buckles found in the graves.
These finds date from 1361, and of the 70 or so buckles only 6 are about 39mm(1.5"), one is larger, about 50mm(2") and the rest show a good spread of sizes down to about 10mm(0.4").

Erik

Erik Schmidt

Wow, a surviving kettle helm from Italy from the 14th century.

Thanks Doug

Erik Schmidt

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Munz: What is the accepted date for the velvet covered breastplate with fauld that is in the Bavarian National Museum in Munich? I believe that a picture of it is in the AAOMK....

Erik Schmidt

The trigger also looks non-period to me.
Did they say what period it was from?

Erik Schmidt

Faulds riveted to the inside of a covering were already commonly seen on German effigies from around 1370. Covered, single piece, breastplates were also common, but it is not until 1377 that it can be shown to be of iron, and not cuir bouilli, on the effigy of Beringer von Berlichingen (Schonthal an...

Erik Schmidt

I can't help you with the sources as it's before my period of interest. I can tell you that the sloping brim can be made by cutting it out as a horseshoe shape and then bending it until the two ends meet. The slope you get will depend on the how open the horseshoe was. That is the modern way, and po...

Erik Schmidt

HRS stands for Hollow Round Section(pipe), but I know hat you mean. http://www.armourarchive.org/ubb/smile.gif James, what size of dishing hammer are you using? If you are using one of those big balls on a stick and just hitting downwards, you will get a lot of thinning. Also, if you are using a bos...

Erik Schmidt

I use a ball of similar size welded to the front of a claw hammer to dish. It works fine.