The Armour Archive

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Hi Dave, Steve, et al, It's true, there are a huge number of variables in balsa jousting, least of which is the actual density of the balsa, armour needs, etc. but they're just challenges that anybody motivated to do so can overcome through persistence and resourcefulness. I've discovered I've reall...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Here are a couple of closer photos-

I'm going to try to put it up on the site tomorrow.

Jeffrey Hedgecock

I'm curious - were sallets used for the joust historically? Well no, not for the joust of peace, anyway. They were used on the battlefield and in judicial duels, both being situations where armour suited to war was used. I'd assume they would be used in an initial cavalry charge in combat (and cert...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Here's Steve:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonathanho ... 256848681/

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Close Sallets....... while they can be an option for jousting, remember sallets are a field helmet...not for jousting. For jousting, these helmets have to be built in a very specific way and special attention needs to be paid to all three catches-- the bevor lock, the bevor lame and the visor. If th...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

That is Toby and Arne, before they both got better helmets. Stuff like this taught us that this crowd has gotten good enough that sallets aren't good enough protection for the jousting we're doing these days.

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Hey Jon, Good seeing you at the market. Looks like you're making good progress on your stuff. Please allow me to make a suggestion...Your cops are a little large. I think your fans are about the right size, but the cops on Italian poleyns are deceptively small. I also wonder if the thigh plates coul...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

The fact is, other people make axe/hammer heads that work just fine for SCA, so I saw no need to make this piece also suitable for SCA. The entire goal of this item was to produce something that would offer a realistic pollaxe combat simulator that would A) be reasonably safe (ie, not lethal like a ...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Thanks for your interest, everybody. Yes, our rules are down currently. My team, the Order of the Crescent, being Dom, Toby and I, are looking at the rules and revising them for next time. In the previous tournaments thrusts to the face were disallowed, and other thrusts to -all- other areas were al...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

It's always been my hope to inspire people with what we do. Some folks say "Oh, I'll never be able to do -that-....it's too hard, too expensive, too...whatever...", but I've always wanted people to think "Oh, if -he- can do -that-, I can do it too! If somebody's done it...it's -possib...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

These are static shots, but this armour is pretty representative for non-Helmschmied German "Gothic". I did it working from a wooden statue of St. Florian, from about 1470. The statue is part of an altarpiece in a church in Germany. m If you use this as a source piece, please send me pics ...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Haha Simon, I looked thru your gallery a bit, and I see Denmark suffers from the 15th C. coif disease also! Did you know it is a wholly treatable condition that requires no prescription drugs to clear up??

Gwen

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Oh sorry, busy being a tourist and missed this. Simon, off the top of my head, the guy in the black chaperone is Edward Grimston by Petrus Christus, a number of them are from Rene's Book of the Tournament and the Thesiade, the rest I'd have to look up. I will try to remember to send them to you when...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

I'm happy to help, and would hope to be the one to make exchange pieces for pieces I've made for you previously The garde brace idea is interesting, but a left garde brace isn't really necessary, at least for jousting since 15th c jousting usually uses a shield. I remove my left garde brace when I p...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

That's just plain weird.

Either the guy's being hit low, or........

Jeffrey Hedgecock

OK, gotta throw this grenade into the room.... maybe it's been brought up already, but truthfully I can't be assed to read through 9 frickin pages... I HATE this crap term "full contact" jousting. Let's face it, ALL JOUSTING IS FULL CONTACT. Jousting is by its nature a full contact sport. ...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Hi, Jeff here, We did a Knight School 3 years in a row, at a farm 20 minutes from Pennsic, during the war. The last one we did was in 2007. We had, and still have 2-3 horses available at that farm, and a permanent tilt on a good piece of ground. The folks that came to it also did Pennsic, but the tw...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Not a problem! We're on for every first Saturday, and for the occasional mid-month additional date so there will be plenty of opportunities next year. I was serious about doing that Cowboy Challenge next summer, so I plan to start doing the skill at arms stuff as soon as possible. Once that happens,...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Here's a tutorial on a Doublet and Pleated coat which you may find useful once you get the shoes sorted.

Gwen (still in England on Jeff's account)

Jeffrey Hedgecock

I'm glad to see you're doing the tacking up as well as riding. [It is my opinion that] You should be able to check your own tack, and doing it regularly gets you into the groove. I start regular lessons the week after we get back, and I can't wait. It's something I've wanted to do for *months*. Enou...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

(Gwen again, still in England on Jeff's account) On the durability of the boiled wool hose, I had a Mr. Pilkington from Birmingham come around at the market to tell me that he's been wearing a pair of BSD hose for 7 years. He does up to 3 school displays a week, in addition to combat and whatnot par...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

(Gwen here, logged in as Jeff) OK, I am installed in our cottage here in England and can come back to this. Woven is the more 'authentic' fabric because knits in this period can't be proven.. However, since the hose are machine woven, dyed with analine dyes and sewn on a machine, I'm not going to pl...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Thanks for all the advice folks. Heading to my friends house tonight. Got a HSS bit I am going to try on his drill press. If that fails I guess I am going to be looking for someone in the central Virginia area with a roper-whitney punch. Depending on the hardness/heat treat of the parts, using a ro...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Mr. Hedgecock, do you use your torch hand held or do you keep them on a support so you don't need to switch tools from your hands? What about a foot operated torch? Could be something to look for? The torch is handheld when I'm using it. The remainder of the time it's on the cradle arm connected to...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

High fronted saddles protect your bits, but they occasionally have their disadvantages. Thanks for teaching Leo "the Moveâ„¢", honey. Muuahhh! I know what I was thinking......."hmm... ground is going by pretty quick. Hmmm....when will he slow down....hmmm.....when will he stop....hmmm...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

I suggest reading Anglo's book and perhaps a decent translation of Duarte and make your own conclusions. Jeff, Have you *got* a good translation of Duarte? I've got the one that Brian published, and it's pretty dubious. I've compared parts of it to a modern Portuguese version, and there are some im...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

You get it. Good.

Jeffrey Hedgecock

For what it's worth, my first reconstructed saddle is the closest contact saddle I've ever ridden in. It has big cutouts in the tree so your leg contacts the horse with only a saddle-pad-thickness seat cushion between. The one I finished earlier this year is the same, and they're both quite typical ...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Hey Andrew, Have you looked at blacksmith's forge burners? They have some characteristics that might help you. You might also look at a propane rosebud tip for a gas welding torch. I use that for raising all the time, along with a "Gas Saver" valve. Very useful. Mac turned me on to one nea...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Glad I could help with a push, John. See you soon.

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Are you? Crap, I am so embarrassed! You just have such a solid build that your width makes you look squat. That's it. John Keep diggin' John! "Squat"?? I've never been described as "squat". Sometimes that's been how people have assessed my knowledge level. Usually preceded by th...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

John here, from Compaignye du Chalis. Yeah, funnel cake. Welcome to America, the land where technology regarding fried food and sugar has reached its zenith. I have to second the poll axe fighting. <snip> On the jousting: The jousters have gotten to the point where hitting is almost a foregone conc...

Jeffrey Hedgecock

Based on the photo in the newspaper article, I'd say those were nonfunctional items used to decorate the grounds. They really don't appear to be proper jousting shields.

Jeffrey Hedgecock

The correct link should be:

http://stores.lulu.com/hughknight

Jeffrey Hedgecock

As far as I know, Icefalcon handles round riveted only, and we handle the wedge riveted only, in the 9mm at least. We do this so we don't step on each other's toes, and because we generally serve different markets. We are also the only vendor I'm aware of that offers burnished (ie cleaned) wedge riv...