The Armour Archive

Hi Folks

I've been asked to do a course (or two) on armour for an SCA event with lots of new folks attending. I thought I'd ask folks who SCA what course the WISH had been taught when they were starting.

The one that I'm currently planning is "how thick is it really" where I pull out a bunch of pictures of period armour (including the 1480 Tyrol armour) as well as a bunch of SCA "sport" armours and compare weights. Many folks in the SCA estimate 2-3x the actual weight for the Tyrol armour, which is why I anticipate that this will be fun, particularly when compared to SCA leather and pickle-barrel armours.

Parameters are that I can't make too much noise (no hammering workshops) and I won't have a lot of space to play with, so "show and tell" classes are probably more appropriate than "learn to make stuff" classes. Maximum time span is 3 hours, (one 2-hour and 1 3-hour block) and I'm planning on using an hour on the aformentioned topic. This is in ~4 weeks so I don't have huge amounts of prep time. I'd also prefer not to bring $2,000+ of books along

Some other topics that spring to mind are building a Wisby COP (1-2 hours to explain how to pattern the thing, costs, tools and how to build it) and an overview of hinge construction or medieval closure mechanisms.

Any thoughts?

Scott Martin

You need a "show and tell". That is what I do.... No pounding, no noise and real armour.

Unfortunately, bad timing and probably way to far away for me.

Yank some thicknesses and/or weights from my site and compare to what people think something should weigh.

Wade

Show and tell on mail shirts, mail camails, and mail faulds, the two mail pieces where mail really shines for the SCA Heavy game.

Show and tell on Society minimum gear like hidden plastic kidney belt panels. Is there not always some seriously-newb who needs an entry-level kit?

And (typical KtR here) quilted fabric torso armor(s). This includes the vest-pourpoint, considered as both a legs hanger and a place to attach the kidney coverage, all buried deep in concealment.

Raid your scrap bin and have small sample coupons of material.
Often new folk benafit from tactile examples of minimum helm thickness, 14, and 18 Guage.
The same for leather, a lot of people don't know how thick 14oz is untill it shows up.
And being that leather is Usualy "ball parked" it can be hard to understand what to order for your armour or other project.
Types of plastic and how to use it.
Make a quick handout and list the archive, your website, and other sources.
If you have a few basic pieces and patterns for "take home" projects.
Knee & elbow cops, gorgets, and such.

Find someone that can cover "armouring with a sewing machine"
Gambison, coif, coat of plates, doublet, and "how to care for cloth armour so you don't offend"
Or some such.

It helps to plan your class as goal oriented teaching, what do you want them to know or do after takeing your class?

A quick survey of armour showing some coherent examples of what actually goes together for the....

early-mid 14th c, late 14th c, mid-late 15th c. (Italian and German as a basis), early 16th, late 16th?

How does armour fit? specifically where is your waist? How does an arm fit? How does a leg fit?

Basic design principles? "almost nothing is flat".....

Materials that can be used - mild, spring, stainless, leather, plastic (covered it can work like real materials)..... pros and cons of each.

good looking outfits with relatively little required exposed armour vs. "straight from the SCA" type armour?

Each of these could take an hour pretty easily.

Wade

wcallen wrote:<snip>
bad timing and probably way to far away for me.

Yank some thicknesses and/or weights from my site and compare to what people think something should weigh.

Wade

We'll get you and Mac out here at some point, I just need to find the right excuse...

I'll bring the prototype gauntlets to compare with SCA "gauntlets" as well as the 1640's inspired gorget (it should be done by then) to compare with an SCA "dog Collar" to help illustrate that steel often weighs less than "modern" materials. I don't know if I'll have any tempered spring armour by then, but I can bring pieces to compare the materials. It's always a fun demo asking someone to try and bend a 0.7mm piece of (hardened and tempered) spring steel after showing that they can bend 14 Ga mild with their hands

One of my objectives is to get plastic armour off the field, so a "show and tell" contrasting weight and mobility of "SCA NEWB Gear" made of plastic, and a properly constructed (slightly modified to meet SCA regs) Type 1 Wisby with stainless plates is always illuminating - the Wisby is invariably about half the weight of the plastic at about the same cost. (YMMV, I have a local source for cheap "scrap" 20 Ga stainless)

We've been discussing another segment, a "price is right" style contest for whoever guesses closest to the actual weights of historic pieces (without going over).

If I can get an archery range then bringing some metal pieces for the archers to shoot at with Bodkin points should be fun - nothing like watching arrows bounce off "flimsy" steel at close range (20-30 yards to minimize ricochets) for puncturing the "invincible longbow" myths. This could also provide some nice baseline data for penetration (mild steel from 24 Ga - 14 Ga, perhaps stainless and / or 1050 as well)

Losthelm, do you have some sources / patterns / resources for fabric armour - I do articulating plate so "foundation" garments are generally not needed - but sewing machines are much more common than metal shears.

Scott Martin

I would suggest bringing the basic tools needed to get started pounding steel. People will be surprised on how few tools are needed for simple starter armour.

wcallen wrote:A quick survey of armour showing some coherent examples of what actually goes together for the....

early-mid 14th c, late 14th c, mid-late 15th c. (Italian and German as a basis), early 16th...

I'm 100% with Wade on this + earlier periods as well. Too many people in the SCA get a great looking helmet, and a great looking set of arms, and some great looking body armor. The problem is they don't look great as a set because they're individual objects scattered over a few centuries of armor development--too many Vendel helmets with Wisby plates and 16th century arms.

I would suggest taking Dr. Strongs database paired with a few select images from effigiesandbrasses.com and manuscriptminiatures.com. Earlier period stuff might be more reliant on manuscript images, but there is a difference in appearance between 3rd Crusade and Maciejowski Bible. Surcoats don't go with everything, etc.

Bring some poster board, tin foil, scissors and masking tape.
Show them how to make patterns to fit their body.

Best of luck on your quest.

Hal

A really good "introduction" is hard to put together. I did a somewhat slipshod job of it for a presentation I gave recently to a science fiction/steam punk convention. I cheated a little bit because (as usual) I brought along parts of my collection to help illustrate things. This was the slide deck that went with it:

http://www.allenantiques.com/temp/Armou ... uction.pdf

and in a source form (for Open office or equivalent):

http://www.allenantiques.com/temp/Armou ... uction.odp

It is grossly over simplified and requires a lot of talking to, but it is a place to start.

I make no claims to having copyright to the images other than the ones of my armour and my kid. I THINK that as long as everything is used in a teaching context the very limited copying comes under "fair use" but you will have to make your own call on that. I reserve the right to take it down if anyone complains in any way. It also looks like I never put my name on it anywhere.... Oh well, people can "borrow" from me like I borrowed from others.

If someone wants to improve on it, share the result.

Wade

Thanks Wade.

I've been giving some thought on how to do an "introduction" without running afoul of the copyright Nazis, so I may be doing something similar to Dr. Doug and asking for "amateur" photos to use n a presentation like this - the armour itself isn't copyright, but the images are (you can argue about how silly this is, but Carlo makes his living with photos and I'd like him to keep doing so)

Failing that, I'll pull images from Laking and Thordemann, both of which are now out of copyright (thanks to Craig for selling me a first edition) since many of those armours are well characterized. I should also drop Dr. Williams a note and ask about some of his work - it's much easier to get permission from a person than a person's estate for reproduction rights!

I also think that Corey has an excellent idea - the "minimal" tool set for steel is pretty small - I can do gauntlets with a jewelers saw, hand drill, 3-4 hammers a vice and a stump.

Scott Martin

List tree shield painting classes are "make and take" and are quiet.

Steve

There are a handful of patterns that are hand drafted, traced, modified, and then passed on again.
Doublet, jupon, two pannel coif, and draw string pants.
As these are basic garments a lot of people have them or have the ability to draft them.

I often just pickup the $1 patterns when I'm in the raft store as a door prize with notes on how to modify it to look more "living history" and less "Jr high theater".
The butteric African caftan pattern works well for draw string pants, the caftan is a great key hole tunic if you extend the bottom seam and remove the pockets.