The Armour Archive

mephit

PolarFleece works for prototyping gloves, too. And, if you find the fit works, you can always reuse the prototype as a lining, should you want to.

mephit

Allow me to add my thanks to everyone else's about this great thread. It's fantastic to get to see in such detail the methods and skills of a master.

mephit

Excellent to hear. I join the others in waiting with baited breath!

mephit

I'm afraid that any paper you'll find that's truly 16th century in style (mould-made from cotton or linen rag) is going to be both expensive as #*11 and probably will not be particularly inkjet compatible. For one thing, mould-made papers tend to have a great deal more in the way of variation in thi...

mephit

I agree with what Master Biblesworth has said but would also like to add an option. In medieval leatherworking, the linen thread was often cered (fancy leatherworking term for waxing) with a mixture called code (coade, coad, cood, etc) that was a sticky wax used to both make the thread water resista...

mephit

Very nice.I'll have to remember that technique for the future. I'd like to see what the scales look like. Any close-up pictures of the wand grip?

mephit

I like it Mac! Especially the wand and hat. The snake head grip is an excellent touch and I like the subtle curve to the hat.

mephit

You do realize that the part of the armour that is being discussed is completely obscured by the elbow cops in the effigy you referenced, right ? ;) Certainly. Got any evidence of anyone wearing bazubands under cops? ;) Consider this - the photos of the surviving pieces show something that pretty c...

mephit

The parts that have disintegrated are mostly the metal ones, not the leather. The edges of the leather are pretty clean and are not uneven, they end at the edge of the metal strips around the elbow. But the original article specifically states there is some loss to the leather at the elbow of at le...

mephit

Plenty of sculpture found in Germany features bazuband-like arm protection. Oh, indeed! I'm not claiming such things didn't exist in Germany. I just don't see it here. Since the reinforcements are iron, it's not surprising to me that the strip visible on the one elbow stops where the leather stops....

mephit

From the link to leather clothing on Marc Carlson's site.... It is good to see that I was on the right track when I made my Halloween costume of Salazar Slitherin as a medieval wizard. I used green metallic fake lizard print to make one of those long sleeved coats that you see on Magi in illustrati...

mephit

And here's an interesting link I just found on the thread "14th Century Seinsheim armor questions?" over in Historical Research. Effigy of Günther von Schwarzburg, died 1349. Check out the arm defenses. Looks almost identical. http://effigiesandbrasses.com/monuments/gunther_von_schwarzburg_a/image/7...

mephit

Personally, I don't think they're bazubands, but it's just my opinion. Remember that the original article mentions fungous and bacterial damage (i.e. rot) at the elbow. Looking at the photo in the PDF, the "heart-shaped" top looks to me to be that rot. It's plausible to me that these wound up almost...

mephit

Yep, definitely going to try making a couple pairs before Gulf Wars. Mac, do you want me make a scalable PDF of the pattern? Oh, and one construction question comes to mind. I see the pattern is about 9" around at the widest part of the hand. How big around is your hand there, Mac? How much ease was...

mephit

That's kind of what I'm proposing to do. I'd set up a 1" x 1" grid in Photoshop and manipulate the photo until the rulers match that grid so I know there's a minimum of distortion, then take the manipulated photo and draw a scalable pattern from it in Illustrator. A 1" x 1" grid on the pieces works ...

mephit

Oh, another thing you can do to minimize distortion in the photo is to lay out the pattern on the floor, keep the camera well up above the pattern pieces (rest your arms on the back of a step-ladder or stand over the pieces with the camera at head-height. That kind of thing), then zoom in on the pat...

mephit

Mac, can you put two rulers in the photo? One horizontal and one vertical? If you do that or even better put one on each of the four sides of the photo and email it to me, I can make it into a scalable line-art PDF in a couple of hours. The rulers on every side would allow me to adjust for any disto...

mephit

I can only report my own personal experiences, but I did find them interesting and perhaps others will as well. The only time I have ever really had traction problems in turn-shoes (I have to say I don't do any fighting in them) was trying to climb a dry, grassy hill. I couldn't do it at all! I woun...

mephit

You are cutting the gores on the bias, yes? Their whole point is to stretch and they can't do it if they aren't on the bias. If the under-arm area is pulling up, the armpit gore isn't stretching enough. You may need to try extending it a bit further along the sleeve. You can try cutting the slit in ...

mephit

I believe you will find that no matter who's pattern you use it is going to require extensive custom fitting. You are going to need an assistant to help pin the pieces onto you for test fitting. The garment is essentially a second skin. Steve This is entirely true and why I wound up making my own. ...

mephit

If you are doing later 14th century kit, I have posted on my Flickr page my blocks for a grande assiette cotte based on the Charles de Blois cotte in France from which I've made both padded and unpadded versions. It's not exactly what you'd call a real pattern (no measurements or full-sized drawings...

mephit

The cuffs are long but work very well if you are wearing vambraces. Put your cote on then put your vambraces on. Roll the cuff over the vambraces and you will have a nice padded cuff to take the rub out of the vambrace. Yep, in fact, you see in period art men with sleeves that hang to their knuckle...

mephit

Damn. I wish I had some money. Those are gorgeous.

mephit

I've got some 19 ga 4130 spring sheet I'd be willing to send you to have parts made from. Would you be willing to do that and if so, how much? I can get them heat-treated once I get them back.

mephit

I can send you a ton of infor Piers sent to me about the Churburg collection if you would like. PM me your email and I'll send the .zip file he sent me. TON'S of good armor info in it. Would you be willing to share with me too? Ooh, ooh! me too! Heh. Seriously, if it won't compromise someone's rese...

mephit

In my copious free time (HA!) I'm trying to convince Dave Rylak (Cet) to take on a project to do a 14th cent globose corazinna style brigandine, laser cut from 18ga 1050, shaped, cut apart, bolted back together and heat-treated as a unit. â€¦ Eventually Cet should be offering the design in S/M/L/XL...

mephit

You might try asking on the Medieval Shoemaker's list on Yahoo. There are several professional cordwainers on that group who might be able to help you.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/medievalshoemaking

mephit

I'm also interested in these sides if you're willing to do some kind of group-buy or the like.

mephit

I wonder if it's feasible to do a variation on the 2-piece tray. Instead of putting the lid resting on the top of the lip, maybe I could stitch straight thru the lip, and do half a butt stitch? Kinda like on a shoe. The lid (in theory) sits flush with the top of the lip. Tunnels thru the lid. I dun...

mephit

I'm far too late in mentioning it, but my wife and I had Mac and Marianne make medieval pilgrim's badges for our wedding last September. We had custom crowned A's done since the that was one of the themes for our wedding (yes, it was a medieval wedding). We asked them to use modern pin backs which w...

mephit

Hello, Galfried posted a drawing of a (German?) effigy that shows some interesting features on the bascinet where one would mount a clap-visor. I'll see if I can re-post the picture here. http://i39.tinypic.com/4kz3ew.jpg I'm curious how you think this closure method is intended to work? Has anyone...

mephit

:? :? :? :? I think you misread the above postings. We all know that the word maille predates d&d and the SCA. :? :? :? Actually, both Armyeric and Kat_H stated that mail used in that context were D&D misnomers. I was pointing out this is also incorrect. The use of the word mail to just mean armour...

mephit

I'm afraid we're perpetuating one of our own myths here. Dungeons and Dragons did not invent the terms platemail, etc. I've looked up "mail" in my Mothers 1960s Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (I'm not at her house, so I can't tell you exactly what year: I think it's '63) and it lists among other ...

mephit

I have in my clutches a artifact of such a hideous nature that it could start a inter kingdom war...LOL! It so ancient in nature that the evil of the wearer still radiates from the eye slotty things????? If a PM with a substantial donation is not made soon..I will release the name of the real owner...

mephit

Just a second, have you done that, I mean make the metal red hot by hammering it, I have seen it done to start a fire!!! By hand? No. By 25Lb Little Giant triphammer? Ho, yesh! My father and I used to do blacksmithing demonstrations at various fairs and the like, as well as for the boy scouts. We h...

Re: bifurcated gloves for a gauntlet

Re: Dusting off the cobwebs

Re: Surviving Examples of Early Plate Armour 1300-1430

Re: 16th century style Paper Source?

Re: bifurcated gloves for a gauntlet

Re: Leather tunics and/or arming caps. No such thing?

Re: Leather tunics and/or arming caps. No such thing?

Re: Leather vambraces found in Estonia AND Lithuania!

Re: Leather vambraces found in Estonia AND Lithuania!

Re: Leather vambraces found in Estonia AND Lithuania!

Re: Leather tunics and/or arming caps. No such thing?

Re: Leather vambraces found in Estonia AND Lithuania!

Re: Leather vambraces found in Estonia AND Lithuania!

Re: bifurcated gloves for a gauntlet

Re: bifurcated gloves for a gauntlet

Re: bifurcated gloves for a gauntlet

Re: bifurcated gloves for a gauntlet

Re: How does this visor attachment work?

Re: Former Earl Marshall of Northshield helm for RANSOM!!!!