Is 1/2 inch close cell foam for torso protection

[Scott4Now]

I am a returning scaian I am persuing a gallowglass persona. I am making my own haulbrek of 16g 403 stainless steel id of 3/8 saw cut rings butted. one of the ladies of the barony I reside in is going to tailor a quilted gambeson for me my though is to build a kind of vest of 1/2 close cell foam under the gambeson. I will be attaching a pauldrons to the outside of the gambeson. Is the foam going to be enough enough protection? I know some of the fighters are wearing zoomby shirts or something like that I don't feel like they are protected enough. I am wanting to build my legs and arms with 14g steel knees and elbows with splinted 140z leather for the greaves and cuisses and the vambraces. I can go for many options for torso protection for under or even inside the gambeson. I can insert plastic sheets into pockets in the gambeson. I can use the same leather as my legs or even a coat of plastic or cold rolled 14g steel plates either sewn into the gambeson or attached to the outside I don't think pockets would work for metal plates. Please offer any advice you may have. Just keep in mind that not using the haulbrek or gambeson isn't an option they are both key to my personas armor.

[Konstantin the Red]

Welcome and well come, Scott4Now.

You being strict with coupling your armor with your persona and period, sounds like a reinforced gamby is the thing then -- added splints, maybe plates, of hockey plastic, the 1/8" HDPE stuff. Washable too. You can rig a whole set of kidney plates in pockets in that gambeson about anywhere in the layers you'd like -- perhaps designing interior pockets for total concealment plus being able to remove the plates for laundering. Using that leather in there would be a rather poor use of expensive material that might better go elsewhere, say to your limbs.

The same construction works for your upper legs -- gamboised cuisses with splints to the lateral aspect to help take the leg shots. Cloth for these things breathes and cools better than leather does. Everyone here, without exception, who has used 100% linen in things like this swears by it. Linen rides cool and wicks sweat away, which cotton won't do.

Zoombang(tm) shirts are getting fairly good report. Not quite perfect, but pretty easy to modify.

If you water harden that 14oz saddle skirting you're using, you can do it without the splints. Search-button the term; should bring up about everything on making it we've got. Splint limbs would be in keeping with an early 14th-c. persona, and a later-14th German, where the style hung on for longer. Who would be an unusually foreign warrior even among those of the gallowglass name.

What's your helmet? Some early-sixteenth gallowglasses notably sported the odd-seeming combo of a mailshirt with a burgonet along with their muckin' great sword toted over the shoulder. Most of the rest of their visible clothing was a big-sleeved shirt.

In spelling "hauberk" haulbrek you're hearking back to 13th-century German -- or maybe Gothic! Unless there are a LOT more students of dead languages among the Archivers than I would have believed, I seriously wonder where they keep getting that L in the middle!

Allover closed cell has a significant disadvantage: it'll steam-cook you. At best you'll be heated and running sweat. You might do better for a quick-n-dirty with a kidney belt and four sweatshirts, two of them sleeveless, until your gamby gets made.

[losthelm]

I would look at torvaldr web page.
A splinted kidney belt should cover the important thins and meet sca requirements for hard protection over the kidneys and short ribs.

Avoid the foam it's going to add a lot of insulation and make things extra hot at practice.
Hardened 14oz leather should work for most of your limb armour.
Kilkenny has a good process that uses water and low temp oven with a polymer mix that's easy and nearly fool proof.

[bhaiduk]

I use a thick leather kidney belt under my mail. It is nice to be seperate so I can wash the gambeson frequently. I love this set up.

[Jestyr]

Zoombang is greater protection than the equivalent foam. That said, I did not like mine for a few reasons. I found it very hot, so I gave it to my Vavasseur.

I recently got an EvoShield shirt, which so far I like. I might do this with a light-weight gambeson over it for the look you want and ease.
http://www.evoshield.com/Rib-Protector- ... p/a310.htm

Take a look at what Blackoak did on this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=97177&start=35

What he did could be converted very easily to a full gambeson (or whatever is most appropriate for your persona).

Either way, I would encourage you to save your pennies for a welded or riveted flat-ring hauberk, as butted will get destroyed quicker and is much heavier.

[Konstantin the Red]

They also seem to spread the shock of hits out a little better. There are those who found they preferred getting hit in a flat-ring shirt over a round-wire-ring shirt.