The Armour Archive

Posted: **Mon Apr 09, 2001 10:39 pm**

Wasn't someone looking for female armour a while back?
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1130801811
Interesting to say the least!

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Krag von Berghen
KragAxe Armoury

Member's Pics

Posted: **Tue Apr 10, 2001 12:23 am**

now THAT'S the kind of female armour i'm talking about. Not the "sculpted, nippled breasts" and yet compliments the female form. That is SO nice. (saved the pic as an art file for future reference)

--vade

Posted: **Tue Apr 10, 2001 12:36 am**

Very nice.

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Constancius of Lincolnshire
Live and die with honor.

Posted: **Tue Apr 10, 2001 2:12 am**

But it is 32 gauge. Kinda thin for SCA

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I walked throught the darkness and I saw, or rather I saw that I didn't see.

Posted: **Tue Apr 10, 2001 6:43 am**

that is rather cool

Posted: **Tue Apr 10, 2001 7:51 am**

32 Guage? Might as well wrap oneself in aluminum foil. That seller must have made a mistake and measured a thined edge or something, i can hardly imagine making anything out of 32 guage.

Apprentice Falon

[This message has been edited by SwordDancer (edited 04-10-2001).]

Posted: **Tue Apr 10, 2001 10:17 am**

No kidding, if it WERE 32 guage there's no way it would weigh 11 lbs. Getting pretty expensive i see, though if i had that kind of money i would be very tempted to spend it on something like that for my lady. I'd be really pissed if it wasn't list legal though.

--vade

Posted: **Tue Apr 10, 2001 10:24 am**

He didn't say 32 guage, he said 1/32nd of an inch. Don't know what that translates as, but I think it's ok.

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Owen
"Death is but a doorway-
Here, let me hold that for you"

Posted: **Tue Apr 10, 2001 11:56 am**

1/32" is 22ga, WAY too thin for the SCA in mild steel...
Looks good, though.

Posted: **Tue Apr 10, 2001 12:06 pm**

I don't see how they made it from 22 ga without it wrinkling and such ( or at least using our techniques). I guess if you took the time to work it like a silversmith it would do ok. I wonder if the 1/32 wasn't just a guestimation from a couple feet away!

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Krag von Berghen
KragAxe Armoury

Member's Pics

[This message has been edited by Krag (edited 04-10-2001).]

Posted: **Tue Apr 10, 2001 12:40 pm**

It says they measured it with a caliper. Makes me wonder if they know how to read a caliper or if they zeroed it before they used it.

Better not let my lady see this one, or I know what I will be doing in the shop.

Edric

Posted: **Tue Apr 10, 2001 9:17 pm**

Yup, bid on it, but it quickly went beyond my price range :sigh: I just can't justify feeding the animals Ramen noodles for a couple of months :chuckle: Pretty though.

Posted: **Wed Apr 11, 2001 4:25 pm**

Oh my god....that is so not functional!

Isabelle

Posted: **Wed Apr 11, 2001 4:32 pm**

Ha! I don't know....it would intimidate the hell out of me! Or at least make me stop and look and lose concentration long enough to whacked upside the head!

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Krag von Berghen
KragAxe Armoury

Member's Pics

Posted: **Wed Apr 11, 2001 4:33 pm**

Depends on the function

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Guy

Posted: **Wed Apr 11, 2001 6:10 pm**

Isabelle, I'm interested in making armour for women, so tell me, why do you say that's not functional? Would having steel-plated breasts get in the way of your arms? Or are you just referring to the 22ga part? Something else I'm completely missing?

Posted: **Wed Apr 11, 2001 7:29 pm**

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Garridan:
why do you say that's not functional? Would having steel-plated breasts get in the way of your arms? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

YES. The metal on the breast area is too wide. Most women would never be able to move properly. They'd never be able to get their elbows to touch in front of them which is mandatory for decent blows. I've seen women wear that kind of breast plate, but I've never seen a woman be a GOOD fighter wearing a breastplate like that... but I'll admit I've met women who aren't in armor to be good fighters.

Juliana, OL (SCA Rattan since 1978)

Posted: **Wed Apr 11, 2001 8:32 pm**

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by FrauHirsch:
 YES. The metal on the breast area is too wide. Most women would never be able to move properly. They'd never be able to get their elbows to touch in front of them which is mandatory for decent blows. -- snip -- Juliana, OL (SCA Rattan since 1978)

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I can't touch my elbows in front of my chest, and I am pretty sure that I can throw a decent blow.

How do the two facts relate?

Posted: **Wed Apr 11, 2001 11:13 pm**

hmm : :performs the 'elbow' test:: are we talking touching elbows *above* the breasts, or across them? Above, I can do, across is a no-go.. :ponders: I'm very broad-shouldered and -chested for a female (not to mention the squishy bits) would this account for my lack of elbow 'interface'?

gosh, this has gotten me thinking about my blow effectiveness.. I've got the upper body stregnth, but is this particular range of motion critical? I guess I've always just compensated by turning the body a little.
-Honora-
(who is paying more attention to her elbows now)

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-For there you have been, and there you long to return-

[This message has been edited by Av8trix (edited 04-11-2001).]

Posted: **Wed Apr 11, 2001 11:37 pm**

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Av8trix:
hmm :

erforms the 'elbow' test:: are we talking touching elbows *above* the breasts, or across them? Above, I can do, across is a no-go..

onders: I'm very broad-shouldered and -chested for a female (not to mention the squishy bits) would this account for my lack of elbow 'interface'?

gosh, this has gotten me thinking about my blow effectiveness.. I've got the upper body stregnth, but is this particular range of motion critical? I guess I've always just compensated by turning the body a little.
-Honora-
(who is paying more attention to her elbows now)

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The key is they squish out of the way if you need to move... There are some people who will never touch elbows due to large bustline even out of armor (and there is no complete solution for this), but if the breastplate is solid across the front on a large busted or barrel chested woman it will effect what blows you can throw and how hard they will be... That armor shown is for a large busted woman. I've seen women with narrow chests front to back and medium to small busts that can have hard breastplates and still touch elbows.

And guys... when a woman starts fighting or doing active upper body strengthening, her bustline may be in one place, but as she uses her pectorals, they will rise (good thing eh?) and the "form fitted" armor is unlikely to still fit after awhile.

Juliana

Posted: **Wed Apr 11, 2001 11:42 pm**

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Jean Paul de Sens:
[b]I can't touch my elbows in front of my chest, and I am pretty sure that I can throw a decent blow.

How do the two facts relate?[/B]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Depends a lot on how wide your shoulders are and how long your arms are as well.

Many blows require an elbow to move across your chest to gain power or for positioning. I want to be able to do the same basic movements in armor that I do out of armor.

Juliana

Posted: **Thu Apr 12, 2001 1:30 am**

I had the same thought as Juliana. And, the armhole is so wide that it would not protect the arm side area of the breast. THe between the breasts area seems too wide. So, while it is pretty, I don't know that it's very functional. Maybe if it fit perfectly.

Protecting and allowing enough movement seem to be the issues. If the breastplate is wide enough to cover the sides of the breasts, it's difficult to have the proper freedom of arm movement.