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- Tue Apr 17, 2018 8:00 pm
- Forum: Medieval Combat and Weapons
- Topic: So who isn't going to Pennsic and why?
- Replies: 97
- Views: 11329
Re: So who isn't going to Pennsic and why?
Met my future wife at Pennsic X. Don't need a new wife, and it is too far to go.
- Thu Dec 08, 2016 12:47 am
- Forum: Medieval Combat and Weapons
- Topic: Padding the Helm
- Replies: 12
- Views: 2424
Re: Padding the Helm
You want the black foam that is used on air conditioner refrigerant lines. It is sometimes called Arma Flex. The gray foam sold to cover hot water lines is not suitable, it t is not really as good as the old blue camp pad foam. The nice thing about the refrigerant line foam is that you can usually f...
- Sun Jul 20, 2014 8:35 pm
- Forum: Armour - Design and Construction
- Topic: darkening aluminum (shield)
- Replies: 14
- Views: 809
Re: darkening aluminum (shield)
Birchwood-Casey makes a liquid named "Aluminum Black". Findable at Gun shops.
Leather or canvas will look better though, and bring up the weight of the shield to match medieval materials.
Leather or canvas will look better though, and bring up the weight of the shield to match medieval materials.
- Sun Jul 20, 2014 8:34 pm
- Forum: Armour - Design and Construction
- Topic: darkening aluminum (shield)
- Replies: 14
- Views: 809
Re: darkening aluminum (shield)
Birchwood-Casey makes a liquid named "Aluminum Black". Findable at Gun shops.
Leather or canvas will look better though, and bring up the weight of the shield to match medieval materials.
Leather or canvas will look better though, and bring up the weight of the shield to match medieval materials.
- Sun Jul 06, 2014 7:26 pm
- Forum: Historical Research
- Topic: 14th Century German Surnames
- Replies: 14
- Views: 847
Re: 14th Century German Surnames
So I can, for example, use the name "Freiherr Edgar von Speigel von und zu Peckelsheim" with complete confidence as a mid-12C Hessen Baronial family name?
And what does "von und zu" MEAN anyway, as a family name?
And what does "von und zu" MEAN anyway, as a family name?
- Sun Jan 26, 2014 4:23 pm
- Forum: Historical Research
- Topic: Original bascinet thickness/gauge?
- Replies: 22
- Views: 663
Re: Original bascinet thickness/gauge?
Readings I have seen indicate bascinet thicknesses at 14 to 16 gauge, but about twice as thick at the front.
- Wed Dec 25, 2013 5:22 pm
- Forum: Historical Research
- Topic: Earliest date to which we can document kettle helmets?
- Replies: 13
- Views: 799
Re: Earliest date to which we can document kettle helmets?
it seems to me that Carolingian cavalry troopers are often depicted wearing kettle hat/morion-like helmets in period illustrations.
- Fri Nov 15, 2013 11:46 pm
- Forum: Armour - Design and Construction
- Topic: Viking Shield Construction Question
- Replies: 30
- Views: 1601
Re: Viking Shield Construction Question
The Period answer for a cheap metal boss is a bent cone riveted together, and flared to make a lip to nail onto the shield. Cut 16 gauge steel into a 10"-12"diameter disc. Cut just less than a 1/4 wedge from it. Bend it over a pipe or something until you have a cone overlapping less than an inch. Ri...
- Sat Oct 26, 2013 4:00 pm
- Forum: Medieval Combat and Weapons
- Topic: Need help trying to have a sword done - or buying one
- Replies: 6
- Views: 442
Re: Need help trying to have a sword done - or buying one
Your best bet is to save your pennies. Sword forging is a fairly specific skill. If your smith cannot properly heat treat a very long blade, you will have a soft and bendy/ hard and broken blade perhaps in the length of the same blade. The Tinker blades are also shaped to give proper balance, not ju...
- Mon Jul 01, 2013 7:20 pm
- Forum: Historical Research
- Topic: Wooden crossbow prod
- Replies: 24
- Views: 1230
Re: Wooden crossbow prod
[quote][Chef Wrote: Red Oak is specifically prone to splintering or bursting under stress ('brast'). I'd use any wood other than red oak. Ash has a long straight grain, and is readily obtainable, some bowyers use the material for making cheap self-bows for longbow reproductions./quote] Red Oak is re...
- Mon Jul 01, 2013 1:51 am
- Forum: Historical Research
- Topic: Wooden crossbow prod
- Replies: 24
- Views: 1230
Re: Wooden crossbow prod
The Skane notch lock crossbow used yew for the prod. About 36" long, 1.5" wide, and 1" thick , about an 11" draw. Pull weight of replicas about 120lb. http://armborst.forum24.se/armborst-about42.html Gives about all the information for an early simple crossbow you need. You can practice building pro...
- Mon Jul 01, 2013 1:11 am
- Forum: Interpretive Re-creation
- Topic: Recreating the unarmored thigh/ archer's knee look SCA
- Replies: 12
- Views: 956
Re: Recreating the unarmored thigh/ archer's knee look SCA
You don't have to have a full plate leg protection, just the outside of the thigh and knee. Eight inch wide curved metal plate will do, and it supports the knee cop. Easier to cover or integrate into the "unarmored" look. Not full protection, but covers the most likely shots. I once saw a period pai...
- Mon Jul 01, 2013 12:55 am
- Forum: Interpretive Re-creation
- Topic: Metal splints for splinted arms and legs
- Replies: 12
- Views: 867
Re: Metal splints for splinted arms and legs
I used sole leather and the above mentioned 5/8" (or 1/2" for arms) x 1/8" splints for upper and lower limb armor for years, and did not need any padding at all. Very protective, and very colorful when dyed or painted. Do pad your elbows and knees though. For sole leather, roofing nails work just fi...
- Fri Sep 28, 2012 11:12 pm
- Forum: Medieval Combat and Weapons
- Topic: Effectiveness of a rapier
- Replies: 27
- Views: 1284
Re: Effectiveness of a rapier
I remember reading that the Portuguese experience in Japan was that the double-kill was rather common. The 'portagee' died immediately from a deep cut, the samurai died the next day from a thrust thru the heart, lung, liver etc.
- Sun Aug 12, 2012 2:06 am
- Forum: Armour - Design and Construction
- Topic: Cheap Metal/Leather armor
- Replies: 12
- Views: 763
Re: Cheap Metal/Leather armor
When people write about "Pickle barrels", do they mean the 55 or so gallon plastic drums or 5 gallon buckets, or something else? Never quite got that.
- Sun Aug 12, 2012 1:43 am
- Forum: Armour - Design and Construction
- Topic: Luap's Polarbear Forge Brigandine Kit Project
- Replies: 38
- Views: 2000
Re: Luap's Polarbear Forge Brigandine Kit Project
Home Depot sells Copper-plated roofing nails, just a thought.
- Wed Jun 27, 2012 8:27 pm
- Forum: Interpretive Re-creation
- Topic: Finishing tent poles
- Replies: 2
- Views: 415
Re: Finishing tent poles
Just paint them. It isn't that big a decision. They will look much better, and you can color code them by function (tent, awning,etc), or just to look different from the neighbor's. Use milk-paint if you want the authenticity thing (probably want a varnish topcoat), acrylic works fine otherwise. Old...
- Wed Jun 13, 2012 10:11 pm
- Forum: Interpretive Re-creation
- Topic: Finishing a 6 board chest?
- Replies: 18
- Views: 740
Re: Finishing a 6 board chest?
The military rifle collectors try to use the original finishes on their 19th-20thC gunstocks. Apparently the most common European finish besides just dunking the stocks into a hot vat of Boiled Linseed oil (American armoury method) is a mix of 1/3 each Beeswax, Turpentine and Boiled Linseed Oil. It ...
- Wed Apr 11, 2012 8:12 pm
- Forum: Armour - Design and Construction
- Topic: anyone use black oxide ? or a better way to blacken.
- Replies: 9
- Views: 607
Re: anyone use black oxide ? or a better way to blacken.
Try "Belgian Blue" from Brownell's (the Gunsmith supply people). http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=7604/Product/BELGIAN-BLUE One bottle of bluing and a pot big enough to submerge your armour pieces will blue all your armour and a couple friends's too. Takes an afternoon to do a helmet. A very nice ...
- Fri Feb 24, 2012 8:52 pm
- Forum: Armour - Design and Construction
- Topic: Lamellar-divided war skirt
- Replies: 3
- Views: 716
Re: Lamellar-divided war skirt
Making a hip (or shoulder)protection lamellar requires rather more flexibility than torso armor. The age -old way to make lamellar hip armor is to lace horizontal rows together in panels and overlap these rows vertically thru lacing holes set about the center or higher of the plates above. There is ...
- Sun Feb 19, 2012 3:36 pm
- Forum: Historical Research
- Topic: armour lubrication
- Replies: 9
- Views: 562
Re: armour lubrication
I have read that Goat Grease was good. Seriously you only HAVE a choice of Lanolin, Animal fat or vegetable oil in Period. The type is up to what is available in your area. You can mix beeswax and olive oil in various ratios which was a popular pre-industrial all purpose lubricant and skin emolient ...
- Sun Jan 01, 2012 12:32 pm
- Forum: Medieval Combat and Weapons
- Topic: SCA Heavy Combat's Inherent Problem
- Replies: 95
- Views: 4877
Re: SCA Heavy Combat's Inherent Problem
QUOTE; "I have to limit my self because they are not being safe- not that I am being unsafe, but because I feel that their gear doesn't protect their "forearm" right, and I have to throw light because I don't want to hurt them- then of course they don't take it because you hit it too light" Naw, if ...
- Wed Oct 26, 2011 11:19 am
- Forum: Medieval Combat and Weapons
- Topic: Is there a "NO PLASTIC. PERIOD" Movement in the SCA?
- Replies: 363
- Views: 10460
Re: Is there a "NO PLASTIC. PERIOD" Movement in the SCA?
The "Cohesive Persona" direction is to keep people like JMcbrayer from exploring all their garb and equipment interests AT THE SAME TIME. That leads directly to Katana weilding Celts with High Gothic leg armor. In other words incoherent anarchy. Do us all a favor and go "occupy" a downtown area; bri...
- Fri Oct 07, 2011 8:38 pm
- Forum: Medieval Combat and Weapons
- Topic: Elephant rattan
- Replies: 21
- Views: 961
Re: Elephant rattan
So we had to go to rebated steel because of the Great Rattan Shortage of 2014.
And "Armor Counts" in a very real and palpable way.
I'm strangely good with that.
Benefit: It will get the USA competitive in the Battle of the Nations in East Europe.
And "Armor Counts" in a very real and palpable way.
I'm strangely good with that.
Benefit: It will get the USA competitive in the Battle of the Nations in East Europe.
- Sun Jul 24, 2011 7:27 pm
- Forum: Armour - Design and Construction
- Topic: Good helm padding?
- Replies: 67
- Views: 2825
EX
The GOOD pipe insulation for padding is called ARMAFLEX, and is NOT the grey stuff you see for hot water pipes. It is used mostly to insulate Air conditioning refrigerant piping, and is a black foam that is far more resilient than blue foam type padding. You can get it at HVAC supply shops. The bigg...
- Wed Jul 20, 2011 7:31 pm
- Forum: Medieval Combat and Weapons
- Topic: SCA rapier Vs. sports fencing vs. historical fencing
- Replies: 26
- Views: 1047
Re: SCA rapier Vs. sports fencing vs. historical fencing
Learn Foil. Epee may be "freeform" but it does not really teach you to survive the fight. Double kills are still a kill on you. Taking a sliding forearm while your opponent hits you in the lungs loses you the match. Epee actually gives you the reflexes that will get you killed. There is no light to ...
- Wed Jun 22, 2011 10:11 pm
- Forum: Armour - Design and Construction
- Topic: Stripping a galvy hauberk
- Replies: 20
- Views: 698
Re: Stripping a galvy hauberk
Trappers often boil their traps with logwood chips. It sorta browns the metal, and gets smells off it so as not to warn the animals. Not a sealant as we would need.
- Wed Jun 22, 2011 10:02 pm
- Forum: Interpretive Re-creation
- Topic: Fir and Pine for shields
- Replies: 16
- Views: 983
Re: Fir and Pine for shields
That would explain a lot! I shaved down the contour of my shield so it's about 3/4" at the edge, but it's a whopping 1 1/4" in the center!
Plane off another 1/2". yes another 1/2", and you will be down to the thickness of a period shield. Even covered in leather and rawhide rim, it is expendable.
Plane off another 1/2". yes another 1/2", and you will be down to the thickness of a period shield. Even covered in leather and rawhide rim, it is expendable.
- Sat Jun 18, 2011 10:43 pm
- Forum: Armour - Design and Construction
- Topic: Need pattern to do a 13th sword belt and scabbard
- Replies: 5
- Views: 643
Re: Need pattern to do a 13th sword belt and scabbard
Use elk skin for the belt. It is quite a bit heavier than (american) deer skin. ( Don't use splits.) European "Deer" include animals that we americans would consider Elk. Elkskin will make you happy, deerskin will leave you wishing you had used something heavier. You ARE hanging a big sword on this ...
- Sat Jun 18, 2011 9:58 pm
- Forum: Armour - Design and Construction
- Topic: Stripping a galvy hauberk
- Replies: 20
- Views: 698
Re: Stripping a galvy hauberk
Stripping galvanising with vinegar is no big deal, it is cheap and non toxic. Throw the maille in a five gallon plastic bucket. Put it on your back patio. Pour a couple gallons or so of vinegar on it until it is fully submerged. It will bubble a bit. Don't BBQ next to it or throw cigarettes in the b...
- Sat Jun 18, 2011 9:48 pm
- Forum: Armour - Design and Construction
- Topic: Need pattern to do a 13th sword belt and scabbard
- Replies: 5
- Views: 643
Re: Need pattern to do a 13th sword belt and scabbard
This is actually a common question, there should be a sticky. Use your search-fu on the archives and you will find several articles with diagrams.
- Mon May 23, 2011 8:26 pm
- Forum: Armour - Design and Construction
- Topic: Tips on where to find a good all around rivet setter
- Replies: 25
- Views: 841
Re: Tips on where to find a good all around rivet setter
Cut the last couple inches off a railroad spike. Drill a loose-fit rivet diameter hole in center of end of spike. You have a rivet set. Use Dremel grinding head of appropriate diameter and shape to make a rivet=head shaped dimple in center of end of spike.You have a rivet head set. Did I mention san...
- Sun May 15, 2011 12:03 am
- Forum: Armour - Design and Construction
- Topic: Blackening/Blueing Helm
- Replies: 14
- Views: 1449
Re: Blackening/Blueing Helm
Knitebee about covers it. If you want a blue coloring, polish and heat. Easier but nastier is burnt-on oil. A gunsmith can give your POLISHED helmet a very nice gun-metal blue, if he has a tank big enough. Unpolished bluing looks so much like black spraypaint that you might as well use spraypaint. F...
- Sat May 14, 2011 10:15 pm
- Forum: Interpretive Re-creation
- Topic: Bayonet throwing spear
- Replies: 7
- Views: 638
Re: Bayonet throwing spear
http://www.larp.com/legioxx/pilum.html Why not go to the experts in thrown missiles? Legio XX is the Cat's pajamas in Roman recreation. Look at "Cheapy chuckers" down the page a bit. No reason NOT to use a spike bayonet as well, as long as they are cheap. I've made some of these. They work great. Pu...
- Sat Feb 12, 2011 8:38 pm
- Forum: Medieval Combat and Weapons
- Topic: Shields
- Replies: 24
- Views: 1270