looking for some pointers on some new armour

Stoffel · Post by **Stoffel** » Wed Jul 17, 2002 2:57 pm

I'm planning on making my g/f a suit of heavy combat sca armour over the year that she will be gone out of state for school. She doesnt have a specific period or anything, so I am making it the same period and location as mine, which would be mid 15th century, located somewhere in middle europe(I'm specifically from holland, living in Prague, but anywhere in the vicinity will work for her). I'm trying to keep this somewhat lighter than what I have(I wear full everything except greeves), but I dont want to use leather, and she wont go for maille at all.

I am trying to figure out a way to make a full breast plate for her that will be comfortable, period, but not too heavy. I'd like to do a plackart, but that doesnt cover everthing, so I'm guessing I will go with a full breast plate unless someone else has any other idea. I want everything to look like they would be up to lesser noble standards, rather than a peasant off the farm armour. I'd like to go with a sallet for a helm, but she probably wont like the ventalation in it, so I'm thinking of going with a barbute. (I wont put a bar grill on a helmet anymore) How well does a barbute type helm protect in sca, especially with the face being so close to the helm, and how is the vision out of one? Any other ideas for well ventalated and well sited helmets in the period?

Thanks alot for any help. I'm used to just picking a set of armour out from a picture, making it, and not worrying about how much it weighs, but making this I actually have to worry about trivial things like weight and movement and stuff.

Sasuke · Post by **Sasuke** » Wed Jul 17, 2002 10:55 pm

Go with an anime.

The helmet would be a burgonet with a falling buffe. Could put lots of fancy punch and file work in the buff for vision and ventilation.

Sasuke

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www.oaksarmoury.com

Alexi · Post by **Alexi** » Thu Jul 18, 2002 12:34 pm

Sasuke,
your about a century later then what the gentleman is talking about...

mavrikii · Post by **mavrikii** » Thu Jul 18, 2002 1:06 pm

It is a little early, but my lady fights in a brig. She hated the full breastplate that she had before because to cover everything legally, she could not move her arms adequately for her liking.

Just some thoughts, talk to the GF about what she wants (movement wise etc) and then make the rig, even if it is not 15thc

Mavrikii

Ulsted · Post by **Ulsted** » Thu Jul 18, 2002 3:09 pm

Stoffel,

For a light breastplate, use hardened and tempered steel. You might think about a segmented breastplate, too. If you can make it over to Alexis' (S. Houston) sometime, either he or I can help you out.

Barbutes work fine for SCA. Because the slot is fairly close to the face, you get better vision and breath. Make sure you pad the cheeks, and it will take face shots fine.

Ulsted

Cet · Post by **Cet** » Thu Jul 18, 2002 3:29 pm

Hi Stoffel. I second Ulsted on the breastplate idea, in fact if you start with a medium carbon steel you may find that something around 18ga will be tough enough from cold woking not to need heat treating- but if you have tha facilities to heat treat go for it.
I have to disagree with the suitability of Barbutes though ( assuming we're talking T-faces). If you want to use no bars at all you'll have to make the vetical opening much smaller than on a period helmet to meet SCA requirements, and even then you'll most likely need some kind of bar where the vetical and horizontal openings meet. I built one for the same reasons you're considering (I don't like bargrills either) and found the visibility to be unacceptible.

Gaston de Clermont · Post by **Gaston de Clermont** » Thu Jul 18, 2002 8:05 pm

A given helmet style isn't going to work for everyone, but I wouldn't rule out a barbute. I know a few knights who fight pretty well in them. It is more challenging than a bar grilled bascinet, but with a little extra effort you can learn to fight in one.

For a body harness you might consider a plackart over a coat of plates. You could also try a Churburg #14 (the solid breast plate).
Gaston de Clermont

Stoffel · Post by **Stoffel** » Fri Jul 19, 2002 12:58 pm

The anime doesnt sound like a bad idea, but I dont want to go too far out in making her armour if she fights once and decides she doesnt like it at all. She did have an interest in a burgonet with a buff, from one of my books she was looking at. What is the earliest these were around?

I might take you up on that offer Ulsted. I have no way at all of heat treating anything here. I'm trying to go as light, but protective as possible, as her dad(Reymond) fights in plastic and I dont want her to start using that. I know, I'm trying to convert her at least a bit to the evil plate monger as I'm well known by in our shire.

Does Alexis have the equipment to treat a full breastplate?

I want to get her into something pretty and noticable like what I wear, something that will make people stop and stare for a moment and wish they had that. I may go for a velvet covered corazanilla and its fitting acoutraments if she is interested.