The Armour Archive

I was thinking of making some splinted armour using two layers of heavy fabric (canvas covered with uphostery fabric) as the outer shell with splints on the inside.

Has anyone tried this? How well did the armour stand up to SCA combat?

I'm hoping that the fabric is strong enough since it's fairly affordable, easy to find and can look pretty spiffy. Leather is a bit more expensive and can be harder to come by in many areas.

This will be a prototype of a do-it-yourself armour kit for newbies. (My fellow newbies aren't as gung-ho about learning how to make armour so I want to help them get into armour.)

I'd be making mild steel polyens, couters, spaulders, a gorget and a helm; then give them patterns and instructions on how to make a coat of plates and splinted limb defences. (I'll probably end out helping them too, but at that point anyone could help them put it together.)

Bartok

How do you intend to keep it clean? Are you going to wash it? if so, then the splints will have to stand up to water. Leather on the other hand will take the abuse better, can be treated to withstand sweat, and cleaned with products that will not hurt a steel finish.

Another problem of leather vs. fabric is the edge finishing. The fabric edge will have to be serged and hemmed or lined so that there are no exposed raw edges to fray. There is no speacial finishing needed on leather. I think that while leather can be slightly more expensive, it is much more durable and easier to work with for newbies.

In the long run, use fabric as a cover. The prolonged use of SCA armour for weekly sporting in an age that prizes hygene and bodily odor control makes fabric a poor choice for the entire foundation.

[This message has been edited by Munz (edited 01-14-2002).]

It should work just fine. Putting the splints on the outside will make it a little more durable though.

But basically the fabric (normally leather) is really just there to hold the splints in place.

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The budding mid 14th century German Transitional guy.
Mad Matt's Armory

you could, In theory, sew the garment, and a liner, then sew channels, and insert the splints into the channels. that way, you could easily remove the splints for washing...

-+G

one of our local fighters uses plastic splints to cover his forarms hidden in pockets. The plates seam to have rubed up aginst the pocket edges but it should work well he has been using the same gambison for years. fighting regularly with florintean and pole arm you tend to get hit there a bit. it makes it very hard to spot them.

I will have to see if I can find a picture later

My old set of legs I made from Sinric archers knee pattern with cuisses made from black denim($1 a yard on sale)with plastic splints.The cuisse I made from two layers sewn together on the outside edge(left open on the bottom edge),then turned them inside out so the seam was on the inside,I then put the splints in between the layers and rivited them with roofing nails(heads to the inside,washers on the outside)thru all three layers.Then sewed up the bottom and rivited to the demi cuisse of the knees.They worked very well,cheap, light,durable,looked good too.Held up to SCA fighting just fine.

Thanks guys. I'd hate to put in the effort and have the armour fall appart in the first practice!

Munz, I'd definitely recommend leather to those who can afford/obtain it, but I want to show that it can be done with easily available materials. For cleaning, I'd brush off the dirt and wipe anything more stubborn with a damp cloth... Just like my coat of plates.

Hopefully I'll be able to post pics in the next month or so. It'll be loaner armour. (Our barony/shire's loaner armour was stolen before I joined.)

Bartok