The Armour Archive

Josh W

In two hands, I'd imagine.

*scampers off.........*

Josh W

Who in your shire wears steel harness, COnstancius? I'd dearly like to meet any other Calontiri who like real armour, and reject the leather lamellar/kidney belt look.

Josh W

"Period armour was way thinnner" That's not always so. In particular, helmets and breastplates were frequently much thicker than what we often use today. Look up some data on it. Robert Hardy's "Longbow" has some figures in an appendix. Also, Wade Allen, who pops in here now and then, has a collecti...

Josh W

You're in luck. Nampa, Idaho is home to two good armourers. Both Christian Fletcher and D.K. Wickstrom (Darkheart Armoury) are there. Talk to one of them.

Josh W

This cuirass. It's damn nice, but what makes it absolutely the prettiest thing I've ever seen is the fact that it's mine. My pregnant wife already knows she has to sleep on the couch for a week when this thing finally gets completed and shows up here... http://www.armourarchive.org/ubb/wink.gif http...

Josh W

I couldn't say just now which of the above groups/styles is superior. But I *do* know that they're all better than Dagorhir...

Josh W

42"

44" with arming doublet

Josh W

I don't understand how anyone could get hurt in SCA-legal gauntlets. I've never, ever had so much as a jammed thumb in six years as an authorized fighter. During most of my fighting career, I've worn exclusively Mandrake gauntlets, and have never padded them beyond a pair of leather gloves. Is it ju...

Josh W

I spent nearly $4000 on my new harness. Approximate cost breakdown of individual pieces as follows: $750 raised mild steel Armet and Wrapper (forthcoming) $250 Open-face Barbute $1800 Cuirass with Fauld and Tassets (lots of tassets) $65 heavily modified pair of Spaulders $75 pair of 15th century-sty...

Josh W

I ordered a set of Milanese legs from them this summer. They were delivered on time, and exceeded my expectations in all ways. I heartily recommend them. They're not Tom, Jeff, or Mac, but they've got to be the best bang for your buck in the reproduction armouring world...

Josh W

In my kingdom, we do not have light weapons. I've never even seen an SCA light weapons fight. When we were at Tom Justus' place a week and a half ago, he showed us some rubber-band guns. It weirds me out that people use those in the SCA. In my kingdom, our combat archers shoot glof-tube arrows. I ga...

Josh W

Hi Tom!

Is that one made from pieces that we helped cut out while we were there?

Josh W

What would lead you to believe that trapping your opponent's weapon would be dishonorable? There are plenty of references in period manuals that instruct members of the knightly class to do nothing less than use any technique at their disposal to achieve victory over their opponents.

Josh W

Well, it doesn't sting quite so badly for me. Last weekend was almost that cool. All we lacked was Mac. But his presence would have left me in such a state of ecstasy that I wouldn't have noticed how bad the interstate through the Appalachians is... Incidentally, what did Mac have to say about a cer...

Josh W

Otto... The leg harness is a very composite leg harness, comprising upper legs by Illusion (absolutely splendid work for only $230), greaves by Patrick Thaden, who is a phenomenal armourer, especially considering how young he is, and this is the best pair of greaves he's done to date; and sabatons b...

Josh W

Yes. I did split the arms on the doublet (which is crappy, by the way. A new one is in the works). Two years of hard use have almost seen the end of that arming coat.

Thanks for the comments, guys. Bob, I'd be pleased to hear any more thoughts on my kit from you in particular...

Josh W

Yes, Tom is indeed talented. http://www.armourarchive.org/ubb/biggrin.gif No, unfortunately, I couldn't afford the thing in spring steel, but I'm in no way disappointed with it in mild. It's nearly 3mm thick at some points, yet is not at all excessively heavy. Shortly after the photos were taken, we...

Josh W

Yes Halberds, 'twas I who made the duct-tape and sweatshirt dummy and sent it to Tom so my cuirass would fit correctly. It fits me beautifully, so the dummy did its job. I understand that the dummy has a promising future as an archery target... Drake Orion, I am an unemployed college student. This w...

Josh W

It is nearing completion. What do you think? Be warned: the pics are large. http://justus.pair.com/DiscussionPhotos/Josh/PANA0049.JPG http://justus.pair.com/DiscussionPhotos/Josh/PANA0048.JPG http://justus.pair.com/DiscussionPhotos/Josh/PANA0046.JPG http://justus.pair.com/DiscussionPhotos/Josh/PANA0...

Josh W

I call this claim into question: I have difficulty believing that one could 'wrist pop' a little three-tine weeder through even 18 gauge steel. I don't care how strong your forearms are. I have a couple of those little three-tine weeders, and they lack sufficient mass to pierce armour. Moreover, I'd...

Josh W

So the wrap works in an SCA context. So what? I still don't think any wrap thrown with a real sword would manage to penetrate mail or plate armour. A mace might work, but not a sword...

Josh W

My biggest complaint about a lot of fantasy armour one sees in artwork, video games, and films, is that frequently, it wouldn't function adequately in reality. A few examples: Larry Elmore is notorious for butchering depictions of armour in his work. Why does he think that absolutely every surface o...

Josh W

The presence of that hockey glove ruins what is otherwise a pretty good early period impression.

[This message has been edited by Joaquin (edited 11-13-2002).]

Josh W

AAotMK= "Arms and Armour of the Medieval Knight" by David Edge and John Miles Paddock. A fine comprehensive work on the subject. I don't have either of my copies at hand presently, but I could swear that the beginning of the twelfth century section has an illustration from some manuscript depicting ...

Josh W

I kinda like it, die-hard plate armour goob though I am. Now I want some lamellar....

Josh W

I think the term you're casting about for, Depths of Mind, is "Todenkopf". I've seen this term used to refer to certain late sixteenth and/or early seventeenth cenutry burgonets whose visors feature a stylized face. I'll see if I can find a pic somewhere...

Josh W

Can't get up again????!!???? What kind of armour are you wearing, man?!!! If you have trouble merely getting up in your full plate, then I suggest you get armour that fits you better. I can do anything while wearing my own, custom-fitted harness that I can do while not wearing it. Well, almost.... h...

Josh W

Not that this has anything to do with the topic at hand, but why does Xander think that it's hard to turn around in heavy armour? What a crock! I have no trouble merely turning to face in a different direction in my full plate. And the Romans wore substantially less than that. I'm sorry Xander, but ...

Josh W

Isn't there a period manuscript illustration of just such a garment apparently worn over a maille hauberk at the beginning of the twelfth century section of AAotMK?

Josh W

Plate and Mail

or

As Real Men Fought

Josh W

Chev is ten times more eloquent than I am. Well said, sir!

Josh W

What kind of defence for the back of the torso might be worn with one of these breastplates during this period? Surely they wouldn't leave the back's defence to just maille or just a gambeson! All the evidence I've seen points to wearing the breasplate over only a haubergeon, though...

Josh W

"The middle ages as we would have liked it to be"? To heck with that! I would have liked it if plate armour showed up on the scene much earlier. I would have liked it if the middle ages never ended. I would have liked it if Europe had held onto her possessions in Outremer. I could go on... The whole...

Josh W

I remember having taken one of Bob Charron's medieval warfare classes at Armorgeddon '99 which featured him discussing Vegetius at length. I look at my attendance of that class as the turning point in my SCA/re-enactment career. It was Bob who instilled in me the desire to read contemporary accounts...

Josh W

It isn't the effectiveness of the technique (especially in an SCA context) that's in question. It's the historical validity. As supposed researchers and re-creators of the middle ages we owe it to ourselves and to anyone who may witness our combat to perform said combat in as accurate a manner as po...

pics of my Tom Justus cuirass