Lamellar harness for sale -- must fund research equipment

Russ Mitchell · Post by **Russ Mitchell** » Sat Mar 19, 2005 10:38 pm

Hi y'all. Never got a response in the other thread... turns out that getting the correct arrowheads I need is going to be more costly than I thought, so I will be selling lamellar harnesses and whatnot.

Here are images of me wearing it... it's the tombstone plate style, with tooled and painted leather straps for the shoulders. The hinges and side strapping is basic... can be used as is or else subbed otu with fancier buckles... leather lacing, done in such a way that the leather buffers the plates in-between the layers. Scissoring should be a total non-issue with the lacing pattern used.

Here are images. Didn't have the buttons for my caftan, so it's over a bathrobe... This stuff is obviously lightweight, as my rather tongue-in-cheek little photo session will show....

http://www.confabulation.com/~sciabola/DSCN0773.jpg
http://www.confabulation.com/~sciabola/DSCN0774.jpg
http://www.confabulation.com/~sciabola/DSCN0775.jpg
http://www.confabulation.com/~sciabola/DSCN0772.jpg

Asking $300, postage paid to CONUS. Elsewhere, ask.

Thanks,

Russ

EDIT -- this thing is flipping huge. If anybody knows the code to resize it, I'd be happy to do so.

Wil · Post by **Wil** » Sat Mar 19, 2005 11:16 pm

resizing the image with code will make it the same size numbers-wise, just appearing smaller. It'll still be murder to download for slower connections. You can resize the pics with 'paint', and re-upload them.

Nice harness, silly pics

~Wil

DELETEMYACCOUNT · Post by **DELETEMYACCOUNT** » Sun Mar 20, 2005 11:59 am

Even though that's not my style of lamellar I still really like it. It's a shame you're selling it really. Nice job.

Russ Mitchell · Post by **Russ Mitchell** » Sun Mar 20, 2005 2:57 pm

Thanks. I've got to sell some harnesses and the like in order to buy research materials....

Dyffid Schabe-McLewis · Mon Mar 21, 2005 2:02 am

Great looking armour and I am more than a bit interested in it, how ever, what size guy will it fit, and how did you get your leg cocked in that position? (ouch)

Russ Mitchell · Post by **Russ Mitchell** » Mon Mar 21, 2005 9:29 am

Hey there. Watch out in the sandbox, amigo...

I am 6' 180. It fits me with a little space left over for a heavy quilted caftan or mail shirt. Of the two schools of armor design, I hew towards having armor fit snugly. Sometimes maing the weapon move the armor is useful for diminishing energy, but when it comes to eating thrusts, I've never much been a fan of being beaten to death by my harness...

The leg wasn't wrenched, merely lifted up into the air...I went up on one foot just to show that the harness is nice and light.

Dyffid Schabe-McLewis · Mon Mar 21, 2005 9:46 am

im 5'9" and 195, very little fat and adding wieght as i can, probobly should pass, damn the luck

Russ Mitchell · Post by **Russ Mitchell** » Mon Mar 21, 2005 10:38 am

Best way to check is to get a chest/gut measurement. A three-inch height difference won't mean a thing in lamellar. (Five would). Iv'e known guys at your size where it was in gym muscles, and they couldn't have worn anything I owned except a few oversized coats. I've also trained with guys where the weight's in the core and supporting muscles where I've got my 18% bodyfat, and we could wear the same stuff.

I'll be making up more of these, though, so I can start making some a bit wider around, no problem. Gotta pay for those arrowheads, or else my research is dead in the water.

Russ Mitchell · Post by **Russ Mitchell** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 10:40 am

::bump::

Kían · Post by **Kían** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 7:27 pm

Maybe I missed it but, what kind of steel did you use (and gauge) and what's the overall weight?

Russ Mitchell · Post by **Russ Mitchell** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 11:20 pm

20-ga. stainless steel plates from GAA armouries in the Birka style. Light enough for me to do weird dances in...

.... okay, back from the bathroom scale. Depending on how well I read it, 8-10 pounds. Plenty light enough to fight in.

Russ Mitchell · Post by **Russ Mitchell** » Thu Mar 24, 2005 10:16 am

Quick query here - this has gotten lots of views, but only one nibble.

Is this a timing issue, given that GW is over, an I-can assemble-msyelf issue, or is the sizing simply not suitable for most of the guys out there?

tnx...

DELETEMYACCOUNT · Post by **DELETEMYACCOUNT** » Thu Mar 24, 2005 10:34 am

Russ, the stuff is beautiful. I have two suits of lamellar myself or else I'd lust after it too.

Mord · Post by **Mord** » Thu Mar 24, 2005 10:44 am

Animal Weretiger wrote:Russ, the stuff is beautiful. I have two suits of lamellar myself or else I'd lust after it too.

I have only one suit of lammellar. I look upon this with serious armor lust, but I have other equipment to buy and still other needs for my money.

Mord.

Kían · Post by **Kían** » Thu Mar 24, 2005 1:26 pm

nibble nibble

Just trying to decide if I can swing the cash without "she who must be obeyed" finding out! :lol:

Russ Mitchell · Post by **Russ Mitchell** » Thu Mar 24, 2005 3:04 pm

Jes' checkin. I intend to make more, so if it was seriously a sizing issue, best to know now...

Sir Thorfinn · Post by **Sir Thorfinn** » Thu Mar 24, 2005 4:53 pm

I have to assume these are the same size and shape as the plates sold by GAA armory?
Are they stainless?
I am trying to get a feel for the weight of the harness...I have seen these in aluminum too...

Call me curious.

Thorfinn

edited for spelling

Russ Mitchell · Post by **Russ Mitchell** » Thu Mar 24, 2005 5:12 pm

They *are* the plates sold by GAA.
8-10 pounds, probably towards the lighter end (bathroom scale).

I don't generally mess with aluminum armor, and I promise, I'd clearly label it if so.

Sir Thorfinn · Post by **Sir Thorfinn** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 9:39 am

Oh, no problem...I have seen them in brass, aluminum, copper...etc...
Mostly curious.
You also mentioned the way you strung it would eliminate string shearing...can you take a better pic of the stringing method you used for me?
I have some friends that the shearing drives them nuts..you may have solved lots of problems for them...

Thanks!

Thorfinn

Russ Mitchell · Post by **Russ Mitchell** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 10:25 am

Look at picture -0775. You'll see the running stitch along the bottom of one plate, and the zigzag underneath from the layer that will sit on the outside of that (you're looking at the inside of the armour).

Notice that when you put 2 and 2 together with those stitches, leather is sitting on leather, cushioning the plates against each other. Thus, no possibility for scissoring. The other method I've seen, where there's the 2-holes-through-1-below, is a near-guarantee that scissoring will occur, because of the tension it puts upon the plates.

It's also important to make sure the plates are laced tightly. There will always be a little give. That's a good thing, and presumably why the Khazars decided to abandon their earlier rivetted-lamellar breastplates. But if you need your lamellar to have extreme mobility, it's got to be laced that way intentionally: loose plates will cut the heck out of your paracord. (I hate paracord, btw... I think it generally looks ass and isn't any more resistant to abrasion-cutting than stout lacing. If the leather lacing barely makes it thorugh the hole, you should be in good shape.

Your friends with the lacing problems should obviously send me their harnesses to be relaced...

Russ Mitchell · Post by **Russ Mitchell** » Mon Mar 28, 2005 9:40 am

This is getting depressing.

Russ Mitchell · Post by **Russ Mitchell** » Wed May 11, 2005 3:59 pm

DWolfhunter · Post by **DWolfhunter** » Fri May 13, 2005 2:07 pm

I could be persuaded to interested, but I am a BIG guy. About size 5x

Russ Mitchell · Post by **Russ Mitchell** » Fri May 13, 2005 4:05 pm

I have extra plates, and in fairly decent quantity. If you were willing, I could take your measurements, and make it so it would fit. That would cost a little more, obviously, as it sounds like there'd be a large increase in labor involved.

Let me know if you're interested.

Elias mac Griogair · Post by **Elias mac Griogair** » Tue May 17, 2005 11:14 pm

have you sold the armor yet?

if not I am interested in it

especially if its possible to add either shoulder/arm segments and thigh protection.

thanks

Elias

Russ Mitchell · Post by **Russ Mitchell** » Tue May 17, 2005 11:55 pm

It has not been sold, and I would be happy to add additional segments to it if desired -- I had debated doing so. Drop me a PM with what you're thinking, and I'll get back to you on construction time.

I am assuming that if I go to the extra construction, you would either make the purchase or else put up a good-faith to cover that time.

tnx,

Russ

Lamellar harness for sale -- must fund research equipment

Lamellar harness for sale -- must fund research equipment

interested in buying it