How do you measure for fitting greaves?

Anradan MacEwan · Post by **Anradan MacEwan** » Sun Apr 21, 2002 11:19 am

What part of my legs do I need to use as a base for fitting greaves to length?

Thanks!

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I grow strong again!
Warcry of the clan Ewan
Ewan of Loch Fynne

losthelm · Post by **losthelm** » Sun Apr 21, 2002 4:06 pm

that depends on how your knees look how far down do the lames go?
http://www.nb.net/~kmeg/kaminari/
the instructions for a pattern are good for that style and for general greaves although if you are planing to run a ridge add an extra half inch or so to the middle

SyrRhys · Post by **SyrRhys** » Sun Apr 21, 2002 6:21 pm

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by losthelm:
that depends on how your knees look how far down do the lames go?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

No, the extent to which his lames extend down his shin isn't really a factor. Greaves go right up almost to the bottom edge of the patella on the center line; they extend farther up on the outside, covering most of the top of the muscle group there.

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Hugh Knight
"Welcome to the Church of the Open Field, let us 'prey': Hunt hard, kill swiftly, waste nothing, make no apologies"

Sasha · Post by **Sasha** » Sun Apr 21, 2002 6:39 pm

I go with the kitchen foil pattern on this one.

Wrap your calf in several scrunched layers of kitchen foil and then cut where necassary.
Cut a bit bigger then required and away you go. I find this lets me do a nice shaped greave instead of a stove-pipe.

Sasha

Fafrnugn · Post by **Fafrnugn** » Sun Apr 21, 2002 11:16 pm

I was about to take some plaster casts of my legs(from the knee to the top of my foor) for making some water hardened leather greaves. More trouble than it's worth? Or should I just find an armourer who can whip off some SS greaves without breaking the bank?

Anradan MacEwan · Post by **Anradan MacEwan** » Mon Apr 22, 2002 9:22 am

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by SyrRhys:
 No, the extent to which his lames extend down his shin isn't really a factor. Greaves go right up almost to the bottom edge of the patella on the center line; they extend farther up on the outside, covering most of the top of the muscle group there.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

So normally greaves would fit from just under the knee cap to the top of the ankle on the centre? Does that sound about right Rhys? Sasha?

Thanks!

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I grow strong again!
Warcry of the clan Ewan
Ewan of Loch Fynne

wcallen · Post by **wcallen** » Mon Apr 22, 2002 9:42 am

Just under the knee is correct. The bottom edge is the hard part.

As with all other things, this depends on the period and style for the exact details of the bottom edge of the greave. 1510 you get a greave that goes all the way to the ground in the back and at the sides. Some later 16th c. ones are built for use with a mail sabaton and they are almost straight across the bottom. Others are somewhere in between.

In all cases it should be short enough so that you can walk and long enough so that there is not a gap between it and your sabaton (I know, not helpful).

Get a picture of the one you want to copy. Blow it up to life size and stare at it. If you are raising the main portions in, the size doesn't change too much from the flat to the finished shape...

Remember - a greave is about the most fitted piece of armour made - and it has to fit right to work correctly.

Mac is constantly coming up with new theories about how they should be made and most would say that he has a lot of experience. We were talking a couple of months ago and he has a new theory that (if it works out) will change the whole way he thinks about them. Admittedly, the difference between this theory and the last is very subtle....

Best we can tell, the top part of a cased greave must fit very well because you want it to hang from our calf and not ride on your instep. The rest just has to fit well enough to look really good.

How's that for a non-answer

Making a plaster form of your leg to work on is always a good start.

Wade

Anradan MacEwan · Post by **Anradan MacEwan** » Mon Apr 22, 2002 9:56 am

Ok,

Here is the deal. Valentine has a set of greaves on his special page. $30 strapped. The measurement I was given was 13". I am 6'0 tall and I don't think they are going to fit. (I know Rhys, they aren't accurate for me anyhow right?

)
At that price I wanted to make sure they either fit or won't fit before ordering them.
Here is a link to the pic:
http://www.varmouries.com/vspecials.html
the greaves are at the bottom of the page.

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I grow strong again!
Warcry of the clan Ewan
Ewan of Loch Fynne

SyrRhys · Post by **SyrRhys** » Mon Apr 22, 2002 12:30 pm

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Anradan MacEwan:
[B]Ok,

Here is the deal. Valentine has a set of greaves on his special page. $30 strapped. The measurement I was given was 13". I am 6'0 tall and I don't think they are going to fit. (I know Rhys, they aren't accurate for me anyhow right?

)

That's right, they aren't. Greaves in your period weren't straight across the top like that; they were higher on the outside. Also, they weren't straight across the ankle, either.

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Hugh Knight
"Welcome to the Church of the Open Field, let us 'prey': Hunt hard, kill swiftly, waste nothing, make no apologies"

Ned Chaney · Post by **Ned Chaney** » Mon Apr 22, 2002 1:59 pm

Have you considered Carlo at TrueHearth? His look like this...
http://webpages.charter.net/nolead/greaves.jpg

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Quid Corone Sum