SOUPCAN ATTACHMENT theories....

[Andrew Young]

Theres been a lot of neat attempts at doing floating cops in the past few years. I suspect most attempts are probably correct given the variation in the late 13th and 14th century. My own designs, attempting to reflect cops with no apparent rivets along the edge, tend to use internal leather "tabs" on the respective vambrace and upper cannon which then lace into tabs on the inside of the cop, so no lace is exposed.

However Ive been wondering if anyone has actually done a reconstruction with the dozen or so rivets placed in a line along the cops edge....as if to suggest either the cuisse is rivetted completely to the cops edge ....or if those rivets represent a strip of leather rivetted along the edge of the cop ...onto which the cuisse might be sewn; the stitching adding some flexibility. If you have done this, how is the flexibility? ...obviously armour evolved with some respect to flexibility and the integration of hard plates. Just curious to see what the pros and cons are for soupcan with rivets all along the edges approach.