To cut the maille shirt or not to cut?

[Steve S.]

So I am getting very close to having my fighting kit done.

I have sewn tabs with eyelets to the inside of my arming coat, and used them to suspect my gamboised cuisses. It fits very well, and I can raise my arms quite well with the leg harness so pointed.

But, I can't quite reach straight up - the fabric binds up eventually.

This makes it a problem for putting on, and even harder taking off, my maille shirt. I have trimmed it down to be short sleeved - a haubergeon.

I am seriously considering splitting it down the front and adding buckles. This will be largely invisible because I will be wearing a coat of plates and surcoat over it, so the center torso of the shirt will be invisible. Even the neckline will be hidden under the aventail of my helm.

But I so love the look of a maille shirt I hate to cut it and add buckles.

This is for a 1350's era harness. Is such a thing period-appropriate?

What do you all think?

Steve

[Vitus von Atzinger]

You have outgrown it?

[Steve S.]

No, it fits fine. In fact, I just added period gore-tailoring over the shoulder blades in two nice diamond-shaped gores that make it so I can bring my arms together very easily and nicely. The shirt fits fine.

It's just hard to get it off over my head when the arming coat limits the mobility of my arms.

Steve

[Ernst]

As I understand, the problem in donning or removing your mail is caused by the drag created by pointing your cuisses to the arming coat rather than to your braies worn under the tunic. If you point the cuisses to a belted pair of shorts, your problem should be eliminated. (Yeah, I've worn mail for years too, and yeah, my belly's bigger than my hips.)

[Konstantin the Red]

The solution may be as simple as not strapping the legharness closed until after the haburgeon goes on. Let it slide, then buckle into place afterwards.

[Steve S.]

As I understand, the problem in donning or removing your mail is caused by the drag created by pointing your cuisses to the arming coat rather than to your braies worn under the tunic.

I have made a sleeveless vest to which I point my hosen. I have chosen to do this, even though there seems to be no documentation in the 14th century for it, because attaching anything to my braies causes me to have to tighten my braies girdle so tightly that it cuts into me and is very painful. If I do not do this, my braies are falling down all day.

I have made an arming coat also. I have sewn tabs into the inside of it to attach my gamboised cuisses.

This picture shows the prototype sleeveless vest and the arming coat:

http://forth-armoury.com/temp/arming%20coat%201.jpg

The problem is, as you note, when I raise my arms eventually it pulls on the gamboised cuisses and the fabric "locks up". Not enough to impact fighting maneuvers, but enough to make taking my maille shirt on and off a problem.

Now I could untie the gamboised cuisses first, and then I am unrestricted in arm movement and it won't be a problem. Maybe this is what I will do.

I did not do this because I actually tied the cuisses to the arming coat before I put on the cuisses or coat. This is because I cannot reach all three points on each side by myself. So my plan was to tie the cuisses to the arming coat, then put my legs into the cuisses, and then pull on the coat. Removal would be the reverse. This worked fine.

Perhaps what I will have to do is tie the cuisses on to the coat to put it on, but when taking off my armour I will untie the cuisses and thus I can take off the maille shirt without trouble.

I am actually contemplating tying the gamboised cuisses to the same sleeveless vest as my hosen, but I am trying to avoid it since the sleeveless vest is not documentable for my time period, and it seems that the correc thing to do in 1350 is to attach leg harness to the arming coat.

Steve