The Armour Archive

Adriano

The best news piece I ever saw was filmed at Gulf Wars and was entitled "Weekend Warriors" and was on CBS Sunday Morning about two years ago. One of the Ansteorran Laurels, Modius, is on the PR staff of the Houston CBS afilliate and he stuck to them like glue. H...

Adriano

I understand sometimes the hauberk had a "tail" which was brought forward between the legs and laced to the front. Of course, like mail mittens, that would be authentic but wouldn't meet SCA standards for rigid protection.

For protection, the best thing to have between your legs is a fast horse...

Adriano

Maybe it was a Tuchuk taking potshots at you on the ground! Nothing against the Tuchuks (I have fought with and against them), but they sometimes forget where they are and by who's rules they are fighting under. That sort of thing definitely isn't limited...

Adriano

Love the bastard sword.

Adriano

Nice picture of you, PoD, but next time wear the wig, willya?

Adriano

Nice! Have you tried it out in SCA or other fighting? Looks like it should be pretty lightweight and easy to wield.

Adriano

Nice helmet! But when the Hell did you move to New York? Nobody tells me anything.

Adriano

Okay, that's it. After 20 years of wearing sweatpants in the SCA, it's time I made some woolen hose and linen drawers!

Adriano

Congrats, and glad you had a good time! Wish I could have been there (out of action for this year for medical reasons). Maybe next time...

Adriano

Congrats! I hope you'll give us a pic with the red belt sometime. (For clarity, you should probably model with only the belt, then with the outfit, then the outfit and the belt...) I'm sure you'll hold your position well and honorably. ------------------ "Come, winds! Blow, wrack! At least we'll die...

Adriano

Slaiyd, I can't really add much to the good advice you've been given here, except that I've always found it useful to hang out with as many other fighters as I could, and look at the different armour designs they've used. If there's a style you're interested in, somebody's probably tried it, and wou...

Adriano

I couldn't help enjoying Ladyhawk . A tragic romance, plenty of action, and Rutger Hauer playing a dude so tough that he pulls a crossbow bolt out of himself and uses it to stab the guy who shot him! Now if only they'd bring Flesh and Blood out on DVD... ------------------ "Come, winds! Blow, wrack!...

Adriano

Oh, one more little thing -- Pennsic is the best place to really look at other guys' armour, and talk to them about design and technique. You'll see every type of SCA armour there is, from full Norman mail to perfect Maximillian, to Kevlar Man, to guys wearing mildewed carpeting and mudflaps.

Adriano

My dos centavos: 1) Drink lots of water; I also keep a couple of energy bars in a pouch. 2) Wear a hat when you're walking around, shopping, etc. If you don't have a hat, Pennsic is one of the best places to buy one! 3) When shopping the armourers, keep in mind what you need and how much you're will...

Adriano

Hey, nice website! I haven't been able to download the pattern yet, but that may just as likely be a problem on my end.

Adriano

Enjoy, Dude.

Adriano

I've been using a Dremel with ordinary rotary cutting blades, costing about 20 cents each; one is good for about six inches of 14-gauge coil.

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"Come, winds! Blow, wrack! At least we'll die with harness on our back!"

Adriano

Okay, I broke down and ordered it. Now if they'll bring out "Name of the Rose" on DVD... (why is it every piece of crap Freddy Prinze Jr. does is immediately issued on a $24 DVD, but you can't get some of the great movies?)

Adriano

Thanks for the tip, Effingham. I just found the film on www.videoflicks.com, both VHS and DVD, under the name "Perceval"; about 18 bucks. Can't find any mention of subtitles, though. Of course, we should all be able to read Chretien de Troyes, Boccaccio, Froissart and Petrarch in the originals...

Adriano

Sharp!

Adriano

PoD, I will pound you into the ground! Your bones will lie strewn -- oh, wait a minute. I can't make Pennsic this year. Well... let that be a lesson to you, punk! Seriously, have a great time; I'm sorry I won't get to meet you this year, but there'll be other wars. (Nice thing about the SCA; peace n...

Adriano

I share your feeling, Thomas. Since the gentleman has such a keen appreciation of two-handed technique, I'd love to show him mine -- in the spirit of chivalry, of course.

The young lady sounds admirable.

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"Come, winds! Blow, wrack! At least we'll die with harness on our back!"

Adriano

Normally, the term "Fourth Estate" refers to the press.

Adriano

For some reason I'm reminded of a scene in the movie North Dallas Forty, about a fictional NFL team. The team chaplain leads a prayer before the big game, asking God to grant them peace and mercy. They all say, "Amen", then somebody shouts, "Now let's murder those cocksuckers!"

Adriano

How do you construct your swords? I soak the rattan with baby oil first, and wrap it tightly in strapping tape.

Adriano

Fun stuff! I favor a 6-footer myself, with a butt spike.

Adriano

I haven't read the whole thing yet (reading from screens gives me a headache; I'll print it out at work). But it looks very well done to me, with a lot of information. (You might have to be a lot dryer and harder to read, to be taken seriously academically!) One grammatical note -- beware dangling p...

Adriano

I made a cuirass and found it actually a little too effective for SCA use; I couldn't tell when I got hit on the body unless I saw it. Great in real life, bad when you have to call blows. You might not have that problem, of course, and probably don't get hit in the torso that often anyway. (I've rea...

Adriano

I've been fortunate enough to fight a bit with Duke John the Mad Celt, who is about your height. He typically uses a coffin-shaped shield that covers most of his body, and has brought his defense close to perfection. He lets bigger fighters frustrate themselves trying to lay a stick on him, until th...

Adriano

Well, my persona is a Pagan Elf vampire from Atlantis, so... Seriously, if I were trying to do Living History, I'd stay in persona as much as possible. But in the SCA... well, first my 1300 Venetian would be asking (in a language I don't speak), "Where the hell is this Meridies, and since when am I ...

Adriano

how about 2 counted blows to the legs then you are toast Hanjo, that's a damned good idea. I don't think we'd have much luck trying to get the SCA to shift all the way to a counted-blow system, but taking that step to eliminate fighting from the knees wou...

Adriano

I use blue foam glued inside my greathelm, with a cotton arming cap on my head to absorb sweat. I've experimented with both wool and cotton padding, but found that modern materials are sometimes better for specialized purposes; there's nothing in the natural world with quite the characteristics of e...

Adriano

The custom in Meridies is for a herald to announce, "Victory by death, Sir Bashalot!" It always seemed silly to me; by that logic, a tourney ends with every single contestant except one ending up a corpse; if it's double-elimination, they're all killed twice! I know deaths sometimes occurred in medi...

Adriano

Steve, that is some good-looking mail. At this last Pennsic, I saw more mail in one place than I ever had before -- both on fighters in for sale. Makes me happy.

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"Come, winds! Blow, wrack! At least we'll die with harness on our back!"

Adriano

I miss having long hair. Going bald on top now, so I wear it shorter. I used to get severe helmet hair.

I remember some reference to French knights tying their long hair on top of their heads before putting their helmets on.