The Armour Archive

Hi all,

I just received the Ashcraft-Baker conical for my groups first loaner kit and started the tuning process today. While the rust protection paint is drying on the sides and inner part I'm pondering with the key add-on. I'd like to add a cloth camail to cover the sides and to simulate the look of a hood worn under the helm. Now, what's the best way to attach it? I thought about drilling lots of small holes just below the top, use a double layer of fabric on the top edge of the camail and sew the inner layer to the helmet. Any other ideas?

Thanks in advance,

William

Greetings,

Two things come to mind.

1) If you spiffy up loaner armour, it won't stay around for very long before someone forgets to return it. I have seen this a lot of times.

2) If you are going to do some sort of drape with cloth, you might consider using a similar method to fastening a chamail to a bassinet with wire and brass studs(whose name escapes me right now).

Hi!

Lord Ogier, thanks for your comments.

To the technical side: I think you mean verveilles. I could do that (or just use speed rivets ), but I'm looking for a less obvious method.

As to your comment about pretty loaner gear: Maybe I just haven't encountered fate yet, but so far my experiences have been good. There might be several possible reasons for this:

- we are a very inward-focused group. This means that social preassure can be quite hight.

- I think as the KM I can muster some authority if need be (I'm quite a bit older and muuuuch more a "member of the establishment" than most of our fighting community).

- We have clear rules for loaner gear - and I have everybody's address.

- On the other hand the older fighters in the group spend some time and effort to teach and practice the behavioural side to the younger ones. Classes on chivalric virtues and courtesy standards in the SCA have helped a lot in this respect as well as day-to-day talks and "campfire stories".

- As the - by far - weakest point I try to give a proper example through the service as a group officer. I could certainly do much better in this, but my gutt feeling tells me the guys I fight with won't let me down.

On a more theoretical level, I think loaner gear is a crucial part of SCA recruitment. It's something we use to represent ourselves to people who are not yet completely addic... ehm ... involved. Therefore I strongly believe it should (to some degree as there are limitations to function, maintenance etc.) meet what we would like to see as our standard. Therefore all the things I've built for my group as well as individual fighters so far were built to be functional, safe and decent looking. I believe that if you combine this with clear rules (i.e. a maximum usage period) and enforce those that's a more motivating way than trying to convince people to build their own armour by handing out poor stuff in the first place.

Cheers,
William