The Armour Archive

I need some help on a gorget...I have no idea how to attach the gorget so i can actuly put it on and take it off. is it one peice that opens up or is it 2 peices?

Typicly 2 pieces, hinged on the left and buckled on the right for right handed fighters. Some people equip gorgets gorgets with 2 buckles so the neck can be roughly resized for lending between multiple newbies (or after the inevitable increase in neck size from wearing a 10lb mass on your head while excercising).

Gorgets can be buckled or spring pin closure or standing post or even velcro if that suits your need and desire.

happy hammering
Sean

thanks for the help does anyone have any pics they are willing to post so i can get a good picture in my head

No, I don't have a pic, but I'm good at painting word pictures. Put your imagination cap on. No, not the one made of tinfoil -- that's for making cell phone calls with, you know...

A gorget starts with four pieces of metal: a front half and a back half of a neck band, which will basically be two rectangles of metal; and a front and back part of the flange, as it were, which rests upon chest and upper back. Only the collar band hinges together; the flange or cowl/pectoral portions remain separate so the hinge can work, and quite often these bits are made of heavy leather in SCA armor, though metal works just fine too and is truer to historical models.

The back piece of the cowl just follows the shape of the back half of the neckband, making a C shape. The front piece is rather the shape of a spade: deepest down the centerline, curving upwards to meet the other cowl piece at left and right sides.

You can make patterns out of cereal box cardboard with scissors and tape. Remember to leave enough room in the neckband to put some padding in there. Trim and fit the cowl pieces so they lie close upon your body.

Try looking at this link.

Michael hope ypu dont mind me posting the link to your site.


http://www.shop.store.yahoo.com/spiers- ... gonar.html


Max

thanks guys, cant wait to get started on my gorget

Here is a pic of a leather gorget I made. It has a swiveling rivet on the left and and buckle & strap on the right. I used one of the gorget patterns found here on the archive, intended for metal but very adaptable to leather. There are two layers of leather, one is 8oz. (belt wt) and one is 15oz saddle skirting. On the collar there are two layers of 10 oz to allow for a bewtter fit under a fencing mask.
Cait

Here's one I wore before I made one that looks nicer with the same shape.

It's hanging loosely in this picture.

[img]http://mdawson.staticcling.org/images/gorget.jpg[/img]

Simpler to make than the others shown here, but hide it under something. You'll also want to try your pattern in heavy paper first, as the curves can be tricky to get right.

I highly recommend 8 oz exterior leather over a sole bend throat cover that extends around the larynx, and then some padding. Put some padding over the part on your cervical vertebrae too.

I am pretty sure I would have been killed by a spear thrust to the throat if I had been wearing less throat protection than that.

Known World Treasures has 2 leather ones in stock for $50.00 each. They have a rivet on one side and a buckle strap on the other, which works well. (sorry for the plug)

http://www.knownworldt.com/3454.html