I need help with elbows

[Nevelon Escrochart]

Hello Everyone,

I am a SCA heavy combat fighter and I need some real help with protecting my elbows. I have small arms and I have tried many ways of keeping my cops in place. I no longer care if my arms look period. I will get better arms when I can afford it. For now I just want to fight and not worry about stupid cops wanting to float away. I also do not want to deal with tight straps across inside of the elbow that hurt when I bend my arm. I am willing to invest $40 dollars.

Any and all suggestions would be highly helpful.

[Columb]

Point floating elbow cops to your gambeson.

I have found that the best place for these points on my armour was on the sides of my elbow - just below where the centre strap is attached.

Regards,

Columb

[Roland Brokentooth]

Pointing them will definitely solve the problem, but if you don't have a fighting garment you can use a "Y" strap on the inside of the elbow cop.

Instead of a simple straight strap imagine a strap in the shape of a "Y" that will wrap your elbow. Since more leather is in contact with you it is less likely to slip.

[Kilkenny]

Assuming you don't have a gambeson/arming coat to point your elbow cops onto, you can point them to an elbow pad. Get an elbow pad that fits you snugly, take a couple of leather strips about an inch by a half inch (something light is fine) and put a pair of lacing holes through each. These will go on the inside of your elbow pad to prevent your points pulling through the pad. A couple of short shoe laces will make for good points. Just thread them through the reinforcements, then through the elbow pad and then through corresponding holes in your elbow cops. Tie in place.

Now when you armour up, just slide on the elbow pads, with cops already attached.

[Nevelon Escrochart]

I have tried to attach them to a gambison and they moved around more than any other method. I will try what Kilkenny suggested. Thanks alot everyone, you have all been alot of help.

[es02]

What sort of upper arm protection are you using? It may be an option to articulate the elbow off that.

[Nevelon Escrochart]

Great question. I have standard small mettle wingless cops. I have put foam into it and used string and leather straps to hold it down. Then I placed it onto my gambison, and that did not work ether. I will get pics up as soon as I can.

I could articulate it. I feel that would be a lot of work but worth the effort and it would teach me a lot about armouring. My only concern is that I would like to keep the cost of doing this down to $40. US. In fact, I would be happy to scrap the elbows and buy a used pare of articulated elbows. I do not know were to get cheep ones. I thought the cheapest rout was to just fix what I already have.

I do not have the parts needed to articulate them. If anyone could help me find were I can get them, or were to find cheap articulated elbows.

Thanks es02.

[es02]

Your welcome.

I was thinking that if you had steel or leather rerebraces you could either articulate or simply rivet them on.

Good luck sorting what you need.

[Nevelon Escrochart]

I will try to articulate it with leather. If that dose not work then I will resort to what Kilkenny suggested.

Again, thank-you. I hope this puts an end to some horrid frustration.

[es02]

With leather, depending on the thickness I'd just rivet it on to the end with a row of rivets (the same way my knees are attached. If your articulation doesn't work I'd suggest trying that.

[Nevelon Escrochart]

I used thick strong poster board and paper fasteners with duct tape. I was the best method so far. I need to learn a better way to do the articulation. Can you send a pattern so I really know what I'm doing? once I have this all figure out, I will use leather and rivets.

[Louis de Leon]

This is ugly, non period, etc. And I feel dirty for suggesting it. But this is something that worked for me.

Find a set of elbow pads. The cheaper the better. Something like this maybe. Can't be neoprene - it won't last. Has to be cloth-like. Neoprene will tear.

Knock two holes in it at the top, two more at the bottom. Drill two holes in your cop. One pair at the top, one pair at the bottom. Make sure the holes in the pad line up with the holes in the cop.

Then you just tie the cop onto the pad. Here's a picture of the idea. Send a shoelace through each and tie it up.

[Leopold der Wolf]

Rivet them to some sport pads . I put a guide up in the armor making section.

[Nevelon Escrochart]

Well, It can't get any easier then that. For now, I'm going to armour up like that. Some day I will have pretty Armour, but oh well, I just wanna hit some one. Thanks to everyone who responded.

[Columb]

Then you just tie the cop onto the pad. Here's a picture of the idea. Send a shoelace through each and tie it up.

The problem with the way you have described is that those shoelaces will moving a whole lot - loose when the arm is straight, tight when it is bent.

I used to point my elbows cops this way (to my gambeson, not an elbow pad, but same idea), and all I got was broken laces and it still gapped.

I actually suggest that you point (tie) the elbow cop on at a place where the length of the tie won't change as you move your arm - to either side of the elbow, rather than above and below it.

In Louis' picture, that would be one set smack bang in the middle, and one set hidden on the opposite side of the elbow.

My Knight uses an attached pad in this way, but you have to watch out, as the pads will move around as you fight (mainly the sword arm, ending up more on your forearm). That's why pointing to a gambeson works better .

Regards,

Columb

[Sean Powell]

+1 to Columbs comment on string length. If you are using this method of pointing then the strings should pass through the same point where an articulation rivet would pass through. To prevent tear through I would lace the two holes on the body side together and the two holes on the wing side together rather then 2 near the vambrace and 2 near the rearbrace.

YMMV.
Sean

[don]

One idea is to put the straps in an"X" across your elbow, unless the problem is that you don't want anything across your elbow PERIOD.

Another idea is if you attach your arms to your shoulders/breastplate as two whole pieces.

[Milan H]

in my experience, pointing keeps the armour bit in its place vertically, straps keep it from floating away. If you dont do both, you will have problems. No points, and it slides a lot, not straps and it pulls away.


Id suspect both havent been done together. Hope that helps!


Cheers!

[Louis de Leon]

The problem with the way you have described is that those shoelaces will moving a whole lot - loose when the arm is straight, tight when it is bent.

Nah. The elbow pad has elastic in it on the inside. It'll stretch before the shoelaces will. Just tie it down good and tight and she won't budge. When the elastic starts to wear out it'll slide around, but who cares? Whole thing cost five bucks. Replace it.

Hell I even riveted one to an elbow cop's foam pad. I still use it as a floating elbow behind my shield. Until I get my new gambeson up and running, that is. That will (of course) be done correctly.

[Duke Areus]

Sew the cops directly to the elbow pads.

I use cheapo white elbow pads from Wal-Mart. I drill two holes on either side of the cops about where the strap holes would normally be, much like Louis suggested, but instead of drilling top and bottom, my points are on the sides. Then sew the cop to the pad with waxed thread.

I wear them hidden under my tunic. They don't hinder my movement at all, (won three crowns with them)and I have taken hundreds of elbow shots and never been injured.

I have never had them blow out or fail on me in the 7 years I have been using them, although I have changed the pads out about every year and a half or so.

Just a suggestion.

[Columb]

The problem with the way you have described is that those shoelaces will moving a whole lot - loose when the arm is straight, tight when it is bent.

Nah. The elbow pad has elastic in it on the inside. It'll stretch before the shoelaces will.

Ah, I hadn't thought of that! I've only pointed to my gambeson. I can see that working.

Also, +1 on the combination of points and straps. Whenever I forget to tighten my straps, the shoelaces get torn up at about 10 times the normal rate.

Regards,

Columb

[es02]

This btw was how I was suggesting attaching it to your rerebrace