splinted leather arms/gorget

Gwynhwyfar · Post by **Gwynhwyfar** » Thu Mar 01, 2001 1:24 pm

I was getting ready to purchase some leather to construct my coat of plates with, and I also would like to make some splinted arms and a gorget from leather. I am planning on getting 5-7 ounce oil tanned leather to make the coat. Am I mistaken in thinking that this particular weight and finishing process will be inappropriate for the application to splinted leather? Would I need to harden it in some fashion, or would I need a whole different animal for this?

Thanks! You guys are great!!!

Gwynhwyfar

Edric · Post by **Edric** » Thu Mar 01, 2001 1:30 pm

I am making some splinted armour using oil tan in about the same weight as you are. It should work fine. The leather is just a backing, the metal splints will be the actual armour.

Edric

jagatei · Post by **jagatei** » Thu Mar 01, 2001 1:35 pm

For the gorget I dont see a problem. I have a brigandine gorget made with that weight leather and steel plates underneath. You might have a rpoblem making splinted limbs with something that light though

Prince Of Darkmoor · Post by **Prince Of Darkmoor** » Thu Mar 01, 2001 1:43 pm

If I'm not mistaken, the pattern written by Dwarlock in the pattern archive for splinted arms calls for around 8oz leather. He also reinforces the idea that it is just backing and the steel is the protecting part of the operation.

I used 5.5oz vegetable tanned leather for my CoP and mounted my splinted stuff to 10/12oz veg tan leather and it works great. I enjoy the comfort of knowing that my splinted legs are going to take a lot of damage and still stay together, but that's just me

Your leather should work fine. As will probably be echoed later on, just be sure to use washers or rivets with burrs when attaching steel to leather.

Norman · Post by **Norman** » Thu Mar 01, 2001 1:49 pm

Can't help with later European versions of Splinted things,

For the early version of splinted limb defenses which came out of the steppes,
- or if you're going with an eastern style all together,
your steel plates will overlap --
you can attach them to a soft leather base (like a Coat-of-PLates but steel outside)
or you don't even need a full leather base -- just straps at the rivet points (3 straps should do you)
or you can attach the plates like you would lamellar - then all you need is the lacing (eight holes per plate -- one lace towards the top, one towards the bottom).

Here's my article on Arm Defenses, scroll down to heading on Splint Defenses. http://www.geocities.com/normlaw/page10.html

Here's a few reconstruction drawings of warriors wearing them: http://www.geocities.com/normlaw/page2.html#avar
Okay, this anchor didn't work right -- just scrool around to the drawing called "Steppes Warrior with prisoner".

http://www.geocities.com/normlaw/wmnarmor.html#sohrab http://www.geocities.com/jewishwarriors/khazar.html

For the Gorget --
Can't think off-hand of a European Brigandine Gorget that would fit SCA guidelines.
There is a Statue from the Steppes (originally dated to 6th cent but more recently dated to 12th) which shows a collar of standing overlapped plates (single row, overlapped sideways) -- again - you can do them as lamellar or rivet to a leather base.
Then you can do the "mantle" portion of the gorget in the same way you're doing your Coat of Plates.

------------------
Norman J. Finkelshteyn
Armour of the Silk Road - http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/3505
The Silk Road Designs Armoury - http://www.enteract.com/~silkroad
Jewish Warriors - http://www.geocities.com/jewishwarriors
The Red Kaganate - http://www.geocities.com/kaganate
silkroad@spam.operamail.com (remove "spam" from e-mail to make it work)

[This message has been edited by Norman (edited 03-01-2001).]