The Armour Archive

I'm kinda new to making armor, but have been making knives for quite a while and I have made a German breastplate, and it is kind of lack luster. I was wondering if I could achieve more flexibility if I made the breastplate the same was as I did the back plate. Also I was wondering, where should the plates end, and the skirt begin?? I thought near the waist, but then I began to wonder if it should end a wee bit higher... maybe just below the bellybutton... I'm not too sure and I would greatly appreciate any help.

I think the length is your problem. All of my breastplates from almost any period, reach to my naval at a maximum. Most of them are an inch above my naval.

But how much mobility does that provide for you? I'm looking toy be able to a sumersault while fully armed...

You can indeed do a sumersault in a cuirass fitted like Dierick describes. I believe the "waist" of a cuirass should be right under the ribcage, pushing in at the sides and leaving a bit of space at the front. This also gives it a bit of a foward angle as seen on originals. The fauld should extend no further then (modern) waist level. This goes for an italian cuirass, I expect it goes for a german breastplate of whatever type as wel.

I can do a somersault in my cuirass, which looks like this:

http://www.mediumaevum.com/josh/mycuirassfront1.jpg

As Dierick recommends, the breastplate stops around my navel.

well then that's probably the bulk of my problem. Mine ends at my waist and, while I built it like a tank well.... in that case, does anyone know any giants.... I've gotten burned by similar problems since using the German Gothic design notes by Darvis, very useful, but well... yeah dimensions would be nice, oh well. One more question, how would I go about fitting the back and front plates together? I've tryied a locking mechanism, but it got real bent up in a fight a few times and I didn't quite feel like making another four gazillion. My idea is to make something that would lock the two top plates, front and back, so that there would be no danger of being crushed.... I had some bad experiences being tackled with only leather holding things together And thanks a bunch for all the advice that you're giving me!

You have a waist and a waist. The natural waist is your 'natural waist' which is about the navel and where people now a day wear their trousers/belts. Your natural waist is where you bend sot he breastplate need stop there.

Just cut the lower half down and you can still use it. I use the navel as a good point. Length goes from the neck bones lowest point to the navel of thereabouts. If you taper the sides up at the bottom makes them more comfy as well.

RPM

Dierick wrote:I think the length is your problem. All of my breastplates from almost any period, reach to my naval at a maximum. Most of them are an inch above my naval.

Er... you have a little anchor there, center front? Does Randall?

I used to live in Annapolis, Maryland -- home of the Naval Academy. And once, I saw "Naval Oranges" advertised in a grocery store. Even for Annapolis, that's too much. Wasn't a one of them had a little anchor printed on it anywhere... farbing razza frazzin' untruth in advertising...

Anyway, what Dierick said. The rigid portions must quit about at the navel or short ribs, and the articulated fauld start there, if present.

Breastplates and backplates, from the globoses of the fifteenth century onwards, could fasten with a permanent hinge, no larger than a furniture hinge, on the left side, particularly paired with another hinge, same axis, down among the fauld parts somewhere. They close with straps and buckles, and sixteenth-century breast and backs had straps over each shoulder joining the tops. Hinges were impractical up there.

They didn't use locking mechanisms per se. One can always build the breast and back so the edge of the backplate grounds out within the breastplate, just inside its edges. Add a few sixteenth-century sneck-hooks to this edge, locking in eyes, and there's your rigid lock, and redundancy of design in case a hook fails.

Hi there, If your BP is too long you can cut it shorter and rivit the 2 pieces back together with the lower piece inside the upper one to shorten it, OR you can cut it and re flare the bottom edge, then you could add a fauld if you wanted or just leave it flared, you could also pound a solid fauld in it at that time if you wanted.

Merry Christmas

Andy

Less a fauld than a flare or a flange, but yeah. You can revise.

If you can't sit on a horse wearing it, it probably isn't made right.

On locking mechanisms:

My cuirass has a locking pin on the right side right below the arm opening.

basically it's a big rivet with a cylindrical head about 5/16" diameter and about as high. It's set in the backplate and the head goes through the front plate. It has a hole parallel to the sheet it is rivited in for a thinner pin prevent the breastplate slipping off.

I think it cost me about 15 minutes to make and install.
If you these on both sides of the cuirass rather than a hinge on one side, the breast and backplate can fit inside eachother, which is a lot more compact in transport.

could I possibly have some pictures of a lock like your talking about, I think I know what you mean, but I would like to be sure!

View from above. Red is the pin, yellow the backplate and green the breastplate

Ckanite wrote:well then that's probably the bulk of my problem. Mine ends at my waist and, while I built it like a tank well.... in that case, does anyone know any giants....

Does 6'7 count?

indeed it does, I'm 6'2" and it comes down to my actual waist... so....