(SCA) Evolution: Where you started, where you are and where

[Ringlancer]

Hi all. Warning, long rambling post showing my evolution in the SCA

I started off in the SCA back in 86. I started fighting and collecting "protective equipment"...I won't call it armour...before getting an attempt at garb together.

first attempt..wore this for two years (high school grad through college until I joined the army)

Flat topped barrel helm made by someone in the dreiburgen, al-sahid area of Caid. Cost $40

Dog collar gorget made from a "hippie" purse obtained at the salvation army. cost $1.

Arms were made out of plastic and leather...a set of baseball catchers shin guards with the knee cop used on the elbow. Cut out a piece of plastic to use as a fan. Two belts were cut to make closures for the "vambraces", which laced together....total cost for two arms...$3.

Legs were made out of conveyer belt/mudflap materiel...knees were shoulders from a baseball umpires chest guard...added a cut plastic fan. Cost...$2

Body was protected by a "cuirass" of two layers of carpet covered by ducttape. Cost..free.

Flat plywood heater shield...complete with green garden hose edging. Free.

basket hilt...$10 Rattan stick $5. Old combat boots...$5 at the SA.

No tabard was used.....damn! that was ugly!

So ugly, in fact, that a whole household in Drachenwald was hunting me down! (The person that was fighting my autherization bout was part of this household, and they taped all fights. I don't remember the name of the household, but I do remember gyronny sable and argent with roses gules. Anyway, At a court event, they were providing crash space. Agreat time was had by all, and then they announced that they were going to put on the Kermit tape. The whole household whooped it up, got there drinks and gathered around...I waited in glee but that soon turned to horror as I saw my brightly painted Krylon hunter green suit being the butt of all the jokes. They then announced "Death to Kermit!" I nervously laughed. I did not come forward with the identity of the owner.

I donated this suit in its entirety to the group I was trying to start in Munich. That group never got off the ground, and I don't know where that stuff went.

Joined the Army....San Angelo TX.

Aquired a spangen helm that looked like an observetory. $40.

Aquired Leather arms that were dyed green and lacquered hard. These lasted me a good long time, 4 years. They were durable and comfy, and didn't look bad. $20.

Transfered to Hawaii. 1990

Ordered a bascinet with interchangable visor, half gauntlets and a coat of plate from Red Dragon Armoury.

Borrowed legs and gorget until I acquired 5 piece "archers" knees from Mandrake and a brig gorget from Vorhut Fahnlein, now Historic enterprises, I beleive...This was at my first Estrella.

Made leather cuisses, unhardened (Ouch!)which I fought in for about a year or so. Aquired steel cuisses when a knight was replacing his, I took his cast offs.

At this time I also had a "surcoat" with my device on it. Added an aventail to my bascinet. Only ever used the grill visor. Aventail was held on by cotter pin assembly.

Sold coat of plate. Big mistake, shoulda kept that one.

Sport phase....
Sigh. Aquired Stallari open face barbute with a grill visor. Added an aventail to it.

Aquired EGG plastic corrazina kit, but the way I had it constructed was more like a vest or a brig jack. Covered in green courderouy.

Added a black leather skirt with aluminum plates.

Aquired aluminum heater with basket hilt.

Switched arms to a pattern copied from Alan Bauldree, a lobster tail spaulder attached to a rearbrace (all leather) attached to a single metal cop attached to a leather vambrace. Dyed/painted green. (sigh) "celtic" knotwork carved into design....Why? I dunno..I've always claimed to be English. Deep in the depths of SCA Generic Persona.

But! Fought in first Pas in Hawaii. Sir Derrick of Kent is a guest, impressed with his rig. Remember reading Gallerons articles in TI with interest.

Moved to Baltimore, 1995.

Nothing changed for two years or so.

Gained internet access.

Learned more about Pas from writings of Arval. Learn of Co. of St. Michael. Learn of Armour Archive.

Numerous trades and revisions of armour ensue. Autocrat a Pas in Baltimore. Fight in a few Pas held by St. Michael. Learn of the protective value that Virtue has on Kidneys. Fight in crown and can add baby harp seal to my acting repetoire.

Invited to join St. Micahel.

Where I am now.

Have a bascinet with globose visor and grill plus vervelles on order from Cad.

Have a brig gorget from James River.

Still have EGG corrazina kit, but I upgraded it...I took it apart and rebuilt it, using kinda olive colored leather, backed with canvas. Buckles are from Talbot's fine Acc.
Hope to sell this and acquire a globose breastplate.

Springsteel spaulders and arms with Brass trim are on longtime order from Wise Ogre.

Trying to find someone to make springsteel legs, failing that I have negotiated mild steel legs in the style of 1390 with brass trim from Clang, just need to get him measurements. Including greaves.

Currently have Andy Ward gauntlets...

My lovely wife will be making for me a pourpoint and maybe a lentner.

Reasonably Hope to aquire....
Riveted haubergeon from Forth Castle
Riveted aventail from Forth Castle
Gauntlets from Anshelm

If I hit the Lottery? Hello, Mac?

What a long strange trip its been.

[Murdock]

I started in a spagen helm made by a local guy. Nice helm.

Gorget i made, vambraces i made. Both leather.

Legs from red falcom armoury, pauldrons from RFA, half guantlets RFA, full gunats RFA.

A padded doublet, made by my wife. And a kidney belt.

I looked pretty goofy IMO. But i got better.

Dropped Doublet, got surcoat.

Made a mail shirt

Got articulated arms fro RFA.

Got Greaves from RFA.

Made a brigendine.

Got Bascinet from Cold Steel

Got a coif.

Got A barbute, a curiass and a nasal dress helm from Illusion.

Gothic pauldrons from RFA.

Made lamalar.

Got a Hume from Will Ringlancer.

Got arms from Cold Steel

Got 15th C legs from Cold Steel.

got Italian curiass from Cold steel.

Sabatons,full greaves, finger gunatlets, pointed arms from, Sasuke.

Wife has made 3 progessively better arming coats.

I've also some how acquiered other stuff that i don't know where it came from.

Next up grade, Churburg 14 with visored bascinet, Massligia Barbute and italian export rig all in high carbon or spring steel.
That'll likely take 2 years.

I still wear the gorget i made almost 8 years ago.

[sarnac]

wow....

started with steel legs and 5 piece knees... cast offs from local armour ho'...
leather arm harness accquired at Pennsic.
still have them but dont wear them anymore...one unit of leather pauldrons attached to leather rebraces to simple elbow cop to leather vambrace...
red plastic breastplate and backplate (hidden under caftan)...
spangen helm from Mandrake bought used.

First thing I ditched was the legs.
Went to no thigh protection with leather greaves and hardened leather kneecops...
bad idea... moved to gamboised cuises with pointed kneecops under my pants.

changed the full plastic to a plastic body bracelet.

started caring about how I looked rather then how much I won....

Upgraded to new custom helmet from Crimson Hammer.
then added hardened leather bazubands (made by me) and got rid of european arm harness...added hardened leather half gauntlets made by me... and hardened leather greaves carved with my device

then upgraded to full lamellar harness and ditched the plastic.
It is in the process of being powder coated black to simulate the iron plates of the time period.
Just got stainless bazubands from WMA to upgrade the arm defenses.
All in all its been a pretty cool journey so far....

Here is me now except no steel bazubands..

http://home.cogeco.ca/~onauction/reign/WarPrac01-Sarnac.jpg

[This message has been edited by sarnac (edited 06-19-2002).]

[ironmongermisc]

In 1980 a freon can helm my dad built at his work, baseball legs, elbow pads, leather hockey gloves and carpet,,

sometime shortly an armypot helm, leather body.

Finished a chain shirt(butted) out of coathangers leather arm long vambraces, 16 ga knees w greaves,,,85 I think

16 ga back n breast monsterin 87
same legs arms etc

Spangen, roman lorica of waxed leather 89

92 milanese half finger gaunts, brigandine, leather thighs w 16 ga knees, leather arms w steel cops, same spangen

95 till now coat ot scales ( 18 on 7 oz) leather arms ( 1/2" thick waxed) greaves and a very fancy Lonely Mountain chieftan helm, one of the first.. and very very happy w it all,, but in my old age I think I wil redo the scale in aluminum

[Fearghus Macildubh]

http://www.geocities.com/gozer87/gallery2.html

Okay, here's a selection of pics of me in armour. The very bottom left pic is the loaner suit I fought in during my first year or so. ABS plastic with suede glued on and edged with sinew, plus the judge dredd helmet. Just ask Sir Tore from al-Barran in the Outlands about his first helmet.
Bottom right pic is my first complet suit. 10 oz suede coat of plates lined with scavanged aluminium signs, aluminium spalders, aluminium gorget, 14 ga spangenhem with a grill courtesy of Sir Raymond the Quiet, the grill, not the helm, his stuff looks nicer than that 14 ga knees and elbows, the vambraces and cuisses are Tandy Wonder Bundle specials, lined with more scavenged aluminium, scale skirt made with more wonder bundle leather. I made all this with help from other shire members and Sir Tore when he lived down in White Mountain. Total cost to me in materials, 100 bux.
The current suit i fight in isn't pictured because my scanner went tits up before i could take a picture of it. Same helm, painted black with a horse tail crest, leather scale hauberk,made from a tandy wonder bundle, same vambraces, armour store splinted legs. underneath is a padded tunic.
total cost, 25 bux for the wonder bundle, 15 bux for the lacing, 110 for the legs.
What i plan to "upgrade" to is a classical greek inspired kit. Corinthian style helm with crest, leather body armour in the style of a linothorax, plain leather cuisses and knees, leather elbow and vambraces, decorated with embosing and carving, once i figure out how to do it pretty. why that suit? i like the way it looks, pure and simple.
Slainte,
Fearghus

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"How long will we fight? We will fight until hell freezes
over. Then we fight on the ice."
Fearghus's Homepage

[This message has been edited by Fearghus (edited 06-19-2002).]

[olaf haraldson]

I started out in '97... I was wearing an old Boldo greathelm with a grilled face, a plastic lorica with a t-shirt over it, an armoured kilt, hockey gloves, lacrosse arms, and hockey shins/knees.

In '99, I made a leather lorica. Later that year, I ditched the kilt and went to plastic legs hidden under pants.

In '00, I bought a new helm... a chiv sports conical... lasted about 3 months till I got my phrygian.

In '01, I replaced the lorica with leather lammelar, plastic legs with leather, started wearing leather boots, splinted greaves(Al), leather hidden arms. Also got a riveted maille hauberk. I fight with axe and scramseax with my shield now, spear for some melee's.

In the works is a period styled gambeson, linen fighting clothes, leather knees, non-hockey glove hand protection, suit of steel lammelar, and wooden shields. Other projects too, but...

[Tom Knighton]

I started out in a half-ass attempt at a copergate with a leather bazuband on my sword arm (nothing was required for shield arm at the time) with a kidney belt and two pieces of conveyer belt rubber covering my ribs, some mild steel knee cops with conveyer belt rubber cuisses.

Then I tried the plate thing with an aluminum breastplate that left nasty armorbites every time I fought. It didn't fit right and I know that now. It looked horrible with my nasty copergate

I then went on to a set of "mirrors" (middle eastern armor but I can't remember the correct term for them) and wasn't based on anything except I really liked the look. The helm was a bascinet from Illusion and a set of aluminum legs. My arms were some steel elbow cops with leather vambraces.

I then got into the minimal phase and had a leather body belt with aluminum plates riveted to it. I also was the proud owner of cool looking sallet. It wasn't close to any sallet I had seen before, but it was cool

I then had all my armor disappear from my truck and got to start over. I still had some of my old stuff and some newer stuff that hadn't hit the field yet. I made a set of brigandine for my 15th century persona. I still had my bascinet and it looked ok with the new legs I had already made but hadn't hit the field in yet. I made some new arms and started fighting again.

I then took some time off from the SCA and found that armor shrinks. My wife swears me gaining 70 lbs was why it didn't fit anymore, but I know better. I also decided to change my persona to an era that interests me more. So I decided on early period Ireland and began working on a new kit. I traded my bascinet with a guy in the shire for his spangenhelm (we each had the helm that the other needed for his persona ). I am currently working on getting some maille and making a good gambeson to go under garb. My arms work under garb and I'm just about done with my leg armor which should also work under garb as well.

Who knows what is next. After the 14th century harness I want for pas'

Bran

[Josh W]

I strarted in a full set (minus greaves and sabatons) of plate from Mandrake in 1995. I had saved up several hundred dollars for about a year in order to buy it.

I eventually bought greaves, sabatons, and a better helm.

In the last year or so I began selling the old harness off piece by piece in order to afford something more period. The Mandrake harness was good, but looked like nothing from any specific time, and I wanted greater accuracy. I found Tom Justus and Patrick Thaden, and am currently waiting various pieces from them. I still need to send Patrick some more money. When it all gets here, the new harness should look really, really nice...

In the meantime, I have a brigandine I made myself, a set of light plate arms, and a nice barbute. I wear only a pair of light steel knee cops under a pair of thigh-high riding boots on my legs.

I'm seriously dissatisfied with the brigandine. It was my first attempt, and I think I can do better now, especially after seeing chef's brig on the armour forum.

[Lienhart Fischer]

I stared in september 98
Super early gundo spangen helm
horrible tank weight plastic body armor
arms and legs to match
the armor was so bad it bit me everywhere, it was like wearing a coat full of rabid monkeys
That Spring I bought some simple elbow cops and leather and made my first arms
got a trueheart open face great helm
a steel gorget, half gauntlets, borrowed a pair of 15th century legs in steel and build plastic lorica out of 1/8 kydex.

in 2000 i built a pair of rondel elbows and spaulders and sold my old ones for 10$

in 2001 i sold my rondel elbows for 15$ and made a set of articulating arms using a pattern from here

over this winter i purchased a coat of plates, a coat of brig, a center point bascinet from CLANG, rebuilt the arms and am im waiting for new legs and gauntlets
this week my sheet of steel arrives and hopefully this weekend i build myself some new spaulders too
-T

[Clifford Galbraith]

I started SCA in 1979...started with very badly made brig and a not so pretty basinet. Played with oop combo for bout 6 years then decided to try period/authentic wear due to a kind gentleman by the name of Carriodoc of the Bow who's gentle prodding for me to try finally won thru.

I now wear a full maille coat and every other SCA required saftey piece is either hidden or painted in such a way as to not show so that I actually look pretty close to what I should look like.

When my back gives out as is wont sometimes to do at my age (48), I just take off the coat and use the SCA required kidney protection still trying my damndest to look as close as I can.

Seems to work for me. At least it did at Lilies war at the Ladies of the Rose tourney...sure enjoyed that one.

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An oath, like an arrow, can not be recalled once loosed....think well before uttering such bindings and then stand fast to them.

[Brodir]

Wow, lets see.

We started our SCA group from scratch, and had very little outside input for the first two years. My first fighting kit was an unhardened 12 oz. leather tabard tied together rather than stitched, no gambeson, a rattan sword with cup, no demi, galvanized steel cuisses, no knees, no arms, a borrowed spangen, and an enormous flat heater spray painted red. I fought exactly twice in this kit against a guy who was armoured worse than me (!), then decided to forget about it until my armour arrived. If any SCA marshall had ever attended one of those insanely dangerous backyard practices he would have kicked our asses.

I had ordered a gorget, demi gaunts, and splinted legs from the Armourstore, sold the legs cause they didn't fit. Then I bought a barrel helm from Boldo, arms & legs from Lonely Mountain Forge (When LMF used to make SCA armour, they sold full arms for $55 and full legs for $65. Incredible). Now in the leather tabard (which I had riveted a flat breastplate & backplate into), a barrel helm, full steel arms and full steel legs, I actually looked kinda like a knight. I attended one tournament and one war in this kit.

Next generation; I couldn't wear my specs under my barrel helm, so I sold it. I bought a Thornbird bascinet used on-the-cheap, but it was too small. It was at this time I realized I have a big ol' head, and most helmets won't fit me. So I bought one of those crappy spun-top sallets from Ashcraft-Baker. Scrapped the leather & steel monstrosity for a plastic breast & back covered in cloth. Made a round strapped shield and started reading Duke Paul. This kit looked OK, but not great.

Then I decided on a Viking portrayal. My persona had always been Viking, but I just fought in whatever I liked the look of. I built a wooden 26" centergripped round, got a pair of leather arms, wore a maille shirt over the plastic breastplate, and poofy pants over the LMF steel legs. I loaned the A/B helm to the other guy who was fighting in our group, and bought a Vendel helm from LMF. Didn't like the fit, so I got a spangen with goggles from Westlig Stjerne (now Armourworks). Fought in this helm for a while, then replaced it with an awesome Viking helm from White Mountain Armoury.

Next generation Viking; Not happy with the maille & bulky plastic, I switched to stainless lamellar. The stainless plates were awesome, but I found they got beaten out of shape too quickly, so I switched to aluminum plates instead, which I still use. I tossed the round for a big centergripped oval, sort of modelled off the shields in the Oseberg Tapestry & the one oval shield in the Bayeux tapestry. I really loved this style, I don't know why I stopped using that shield. Authenticity I guess, the evidence is too scarce. I replaced the oval with a centergripped kite, which was fun when doing pellwork, but didn't work for me on the field. I replaced that with a centergripped domed round, which I still use. Replaced the steel legs with Alchemy plastic legs, after a brief and painful stint with hockey pants & steel knees. All under pants, of course.

In my opinion, this was a pretty good looking kit. I sold the WMA helm to buy a new one that fits better, and I have gone back to that crappy spuntop while I'm waiting for my new WMA helm to arrive. With the new helm, I should be pretty happy with my armour, and will probably quit pissing around with it for a while. I may switch back to the centergripped oval, and I'm debating taking another try at the maille & hidden armour thing.

Wow, scary when you look back on it all...

~Wil

[freiman the minstrel]

Guys,

I think my newbie armor is going to really take the prize on this one.

first, I had a (literally) thrown away helm in a sort of barrel helm style. It was huge, easily over eighteen inches tall. I was unsure of how to stick the blue foam into it, so I tied a bunch of scrap cloth around the chin (below the face grille) and left the bits hanging down. I thought it looked kinda like a green beard. Everybody else thought it looked like hell.

For body armor I had a couple of brigandine panels about eight inches by twelve inches. to keep these on, I stuck them to a piece of bright pink carpet and wore it as a belly barrel. It was held closed with bootlaces through ungrommetted holes punched in the front edges with a kitchen knife.

For legs, I had a pair of "floating coppes" made from 14 cold rolled 14 guage mild steel I banged out on an old stump in the back yard. These were duck taped directly to either my gi pants or directly to my legs (tape to skin is not really so bad). I wore these over white football knee pads.

As for arms, I had a single floating coppe taped directly to my right arm, as no protection was required under a sheild.

I had a huge blue heater I bent around a tree, covered with slot machine heraldry.

I had a priest's collar gorget padded with blue foam.

But the gauntlets... I had an idiot swap me a set of AB gauntlets for a set of LAX gloves that somebody had given me. I still wear the gauntlets. Every time Alan sees the gaunts, he is amazed that anything of his from that time is still on the field. I'm not, they're great gaunts.

I had a forty seven inch long sword, and a really bad attitude. I honestly believed that I was on par with the best fighters in the world. The odd thing was, I won a whole bunch.

I now have a set of lovely transition legs that were made By Master Sinclaire in Meridies. they were made for him, but My friend Raven in Tupelo cut the greaves down for me and they fit fine. Apparantly Sinclaire has long shins.

I now have a Generic slat back helm with vaguely roman cheekplates, and I am still with the priest's collar.

My next project is going to be a generic arming cap. I had a Tuchux Warrior look at me and say "when are you going to get a real arming cap and rip that blue sh*t out of your helm", and I could not answer him.

My fantasy is to have good cloth. You know, a nice gambeson, arming cap and proper tabards. I am holding off unitl I have some firm idea of what period I want to reinact, but I think I am leaning toward late hundred years war.