The Armour Archive

Mac

Matt's got a good start on it, but I'd like to add a few things, if I might. -Avoid direct sunlight. Choosing a northern exposure will frequently avoid the sun, and use only "sky light". -Choose an overcast day. Even if you avoid the direct sun, the sky light is often much bluer than you r...

Mac

Richard, Places which are difficult to planish from the outside often yield to planishing from the inside. You can probably find a place on your anvil horn that fits the spot. There is nothing wrong with planishing from the inside. You won't find a description of this technique in any of the silvers...

Mac

I've used an epoxy floor paint in the past to simulate urushi. If I recall correctly, it was made by Prat and Lambert (I think I got rid of the cans when I moved). Unlike most other paints I have tried, the epoxy paint has a substantial thickness which helps it to look more like the real thing. I fo...

Mac

Doug,

I think that it would be interesting and informative to perform the same test on some examples of the mail that's coming out of India. I suspect that there will be a very broad range of results, even from the same manufacturer.

Mac

Mac

Buying pages that were cut out of psalters encourages people to cut pages out of psalters. The market is full of pretty pictures that were cut from medieval manuscripts, and libraries are full of medieval manuscripts which have had their pretty pictures cut out. Sure, it's easy to say "the page...

Mac

Someone repairing armour at Pennsic is likely to get a wider survey of the art in a day than they would normally see in a season. You put that so nicely! I sometimes imagine that when I die, that is the sort of thing that I will be obliged to do full time for all eternity.... Snarky pessimism aside...

Mac

Andreas, I'm sorry you thread isn't getting the attention it deserves. I have always wondered about the issue of flexibility and lacquered scales in in haramaki and other earlier types of do, and was hoping that someone had some insights. (are you out there Effingham?) The fundamental problem with s...

Mac

Konstantin, Look again at the charts. Articulated arms start showing up in the '40s and articulated legs do not appear until the '70s. To a man in a war saddle, arms are more vulnerable than legs. As an asides; it has always puzzled me that historians refer to articulated joints as "the Italian...

Mac

Raulin, I had those things on my string when I was a kid. I found that they made the string difficult to grab. It seemed like I had to take a very deep grip to keep the damned things from rolling off of my finger tips. Actual millage may vary, but I hated them and took them off after a couple of wee...

Mac

knitebee. It would be better if the greave began to diverge from the leg a couple of inches above the malleoli ("anklebones"). This would make the flair at the instep less abrupt. It would also allow you to make the ankle bosses arise with more grace and subtlety, as well as allowing them ...

Mac

Alejandro, Heat the bar up to dull red with a torch and it will be easy to straighten it. If you wedge a tool between the two bars, the hot one alone will move. Alternatively, you could rest the center of the hot bar on the anvil horn and tap its ends alternately from above with a hammer. Don't worr...

Mac

Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) is in the magnolia family. In my opinion it is way too brash for handles or shafts. I have used it to build crossbow and hand bow quivers, where strength in not important, and the weird greenish heartwood will be concealed by a leather covering. I have seen hicko...

Mac

Gavin, One of the points of Dr Capwell's thesis and upcoming publication is that the effigies really did reflect the person and the armor of the deceased. (T.C. pers. comm.) In 15th c. England (the scope of his study) the effigy appears to represent the dead man's face accurately; warts and all. Wha...

Mac

Doug, Tasha's got a good point about distinguishing between 3d effigies and flat brasses. The person who gets an effigy made is wealthier than the one who can only spring for a brass. Thus, on average, the effigial guys will be wearing nicer (and probably more up to date) stuff. On the other hand, t...

Mac

Nice! I'm with Sean on points 1 and 2. Keep the same colors from chart to chart for comparable defensive technologies. Keep the earlier styles low in the charts and the later styles high. That will make the transitional technologies form diagonal bands in the charts. The results will be easier to un...

Mac

Christian,

Thank you for that information. I wondered if these dresses were not a modern conceptual art project. They're pretty cool really. I enjoy them better now that I know what they are.

Mac

Mac

Konstantin et Kerry, Thanks guys. I guess my confusion stemmed from the use of the term "dog leg" for what I would call that a "corner" or a "bend". I have always reserved the expression "dog leg" for something where the line first angles one way then angles b...

Mac

jcesarelli,

Thank you! I don't know why I couldn't find that last night.

I wonder if it can be as simple as "steeping their points in the expressed juice". This description sounds so simple as to almost be metaphoric.

Mac

Mac

May I commend to your attention "The Crossbow" by Sir Ralph Walter Payne Gallway which includes withing it a period spanish description of making poision for the arrow of a crossbow for hunting... It will cover most of the questions posited so far; save perhaps, the acadamic rigor of the ...

Mac

Brian, Vis a vis the "up fauld" photo you posted above. If your armor fastens in the center back, you could connect the front fauld with the side faulds. This would make the whole thing behave in a more seemly fashion, while still retaining full flexibility. You could sew the covering toge...

Mac

Romulus,

Let us see a picture of that.

Mac

Mac

Vitus, I think it unlikely that the plaque belt was intended to have a protective function. It may, of course, have occasionally performed that function accidentally. Think of the stories you have heard of soldiers being saved by a coin, a watch or a Bible being in just the right pocket at just the ...

Mac

Bruno, I think I understand now. The information that you are presenting to us is from a modern Italian language booklet which was written by an historian who has access to historical Italian language documents. Is that right? I feel better now, because I feel as though I can challenge the interpret...

Mac

One other vervelle detail I think is useful is counting how many vervelles are located in the doglegs if doglegs are present. I include the vervelle at the dogleg angle in this count to be sure of consistency of method. I'm afraid I am not following you at all here. Could you post a quick sketch? Mac

Mac

Bruno, That's what I thought, but I wanted to make sure that we were talking about the same thing. That said, I feel that the word "stamped" may not be the best one to use in this context. To the English speaking technician, "stamped" implies the presence of one or more shaped &q...

Mac

Bruno,

Is a "maglio" a hammer or a press?

Mac

Mac

Thanks again guys! William- The info you desire will all be in Doug's book. It would take up too much room on the chart. Stalgrim- It looks like we have to start thinking seriously about this poster idea.... Konstantin- I think you are right about vervelles being a sort of secondary thing in classif...

Mac

Cian,

I must admit that mine was an educated wild ass guess.

Mac

Mac

Cian,

How about "IS" as a monogram for Iesus Salvitor?

Mac

Mac

Destichado,

I guess I was writing while you were posting.

Mac

Mac

Galfred, Here is an example of an extant belt plaque of "not so precious" material. It is from the Museum of London's Dress Accessories book. The description and illustrations are on pages 181-4. There are three of these plaques. They are said to be made of a low zinc brass and are silver ...

Mac

Galfrid, I'm with Woodcrafter about the "hollow" thing. I think it's fair to assume that all apparently heavy pieces of medieval goldsmith's work will be found upon examination to be hollow. If the goldsmith *can* make it hollow, he *will* make it hollow. Further, he will make it out of th...

Mac

Thanks for the continued enthusiasm! Dave Rylak (Cet) has just written me to say that he has received an inquiry for a hat based on this typology. I guess we've got to get cracking on the final version. Brian- I hadn't really thought about a poster, but that's a fine idea! Vrin- There are actually a...

Mac

OK Ralph,

It's your turn to show us a sketch.

(When we get bored on Elizabethan, we can pick another time period and do it again).

Mac

Mac

Suzerain,

Do you know anything about that "dress" in Graz? Is it steel (like it looks to be) ? Who made it? When? Why? I have seen that picture (and another one like it) before, but never any info.

Mac