The Armour Archive

Does 10-12 oz leather count as "heavy leather" for kidney protection? I'm putting together a simple leather cuirass to go under some Icefalcon riveted maille for my new kit, and I need to know if I have to harden the leather for it to count as legal kidney protection. The marshal's handbook isn't very specific.

If the answer is "no," will the answer change if I decide to drop the maille? I'll probably take the maille off for long res battles at Pennsic.


If it matters, I need to be legal in Trimaris, Atlantia, Aethelmearc, and the East.

From the Trimaris Marshal's Handbook.

"E. Body, Shoulder, and Groin Armor
1. The kidney area and the floating ribs shall be covered with a minimum of heavy leather worn over 1⁄4 inch
(6mm) of closed-cell foam or equivalent padding."

I read that, but the trick is the phrase "heavy leather." The handbook has no problem specifying gauge for helmets, but never mentions thickness for leather.

10-12 oz would have to be hardened. 14-16 oz could be worn without any hardening.

Awesome, thanks. I'm glad I thought to ask before I strapped everything.

XVIV. GLOSSARY

A. Armor Materials

Heavy leather: Heavy Leather: stiff, oak-tanned leather nominally 11/64 inch (4.4mm) thick. Often referred to as 11oz. leather.


It's in the back of the handbook.

Ah. So much for being thorough.

Honestly I would sugest adding splints, over time leather can become much more flexable and wearout expecialy if exposed to salt or water and stashed in a dark warm place.

So sweat+armour bag= shorter life for leather armour.

Sewing in splints like torvaldr's kidney belt can be fairly easy with a little time. Rivits are faster but I find they wearout if the leather gets abused through lack of upkeep.

ya could have asked one of us Uly

Ya, but the archive is so close and so easy. You can't beat an answer in 10 minutes.

Ezarc wrote:10-12 oz would have to be hardened. 14-16 oz could be worn without any hardening.

Actually, no. 11 oz. is sufficient without treatment, according to the rules. But, 16 ga. (.065?) mild steel is legal for a helm, too.

There are places I consider 11 oz leather quite sufficient, and places where I wouldn't use less than hardened 13-15 oz.

If it is under maille, you will be fine. you can always double the leather over the kidney area to be extra safe.

Uric

Blackoak wrote:If it is under maille, you will be fine. you can always double the leather over the kidney area to be extra safe.

Uric

This is what I'm thinking of doing. I don't want to harden the entire piece, because I want to avoid the "there is something rigid under that maille" look. I'll probably just harden a rectangular piece of extra leather and rivet it directly over the kidneys. If nothing else, it will act as a marshal deflector, and I won't ever have to worry about arguing about it if I choose to fight without the maille on.

Uly, I make kidney belts of 12-14oz with integral padding, if you're interested.



Could make one from 11oz with the padding, it'd be pretty low profile. I could even use 1/4" foam instead of the 1/2" in the pic to make it even smaller.

I would just spend the few bucks on a couple of zoombang pads and use those.