*Help* Strapping a cherburg segmented breast plate

[Tuomas]

Hey all

I just got a segmented breast plate with kidney protection, how do you strap these for maximum comfort and use, ( I am attaching simple spaulders) any help and or pictures would be great

Thanks in advance.

[Konstantin the Red]

Big X from shoulders to opposite end of short-ribs plates, one or two horizontal straps between the rearmost plates.

The shoulders have two anchor points. Use both, with the end of each shoulder strap cut in a Y shape, the arms of the Y three to four inches long. One arm rivets to the big central plate at its top corners, the other arm to the top end of the narrow plate on either side of the central plate. This helps pull the narrow plate into its proper position again after arm movement has compressed it towards the midline of the chest.

Only one of these X straps needs to unbuckle to put the this BP on -- if that. Some people can get into their Churburg-13 BP's by popping them on over their heads like pullovers and then buckling the lower straps. The other X strap can be adjusted to your liking and just left.

Summing up: Big X, one or two buckles or else adjustable thonging, shoulder ends of straps Y shaped. 1 or 2 horizontal straps across lumbar spine if there is a gap. If not, simply buckle shut. The lower these straps are set the easier it is to buckle them without looking.

With a shoulder strap available, hanging a shoulder cop should present very little problem. I'd recommend thonging it so you can adjust in and out and keep it very flat at the same time -- is this anchorage disappearing under a camail on a bascinet? You'd want to minimize any drag on the turning of your head.

I don't recommend, for reason of authenticity, that this shoulder protection be a separate spaudler with lames at the bottom -- that comes a few decades later, an invention of the fifteenth century, not the late fourteenth. Spaudleroid articulation of the top of the rerebrace was the norm at the time of the segmented breast. I don't see any more problem with pointing plate arms to this shoulder strap unless the weight of it will make it slide down the arm too readily and gang up on the shoulder strap. In that case, the arms should be pointed directly to an arming garment beneath (cotehardie cut), at about midpoint of the shoulder, using as many as two or three pairs of points to spread the load. Still, one pair of points may do it.

[Karl Helweg]

I posted some photos of mine on: http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/ ... highlight=

Basically from the tops of the wrap cross the back to the top of the breast plate and then two longer "belt" straps that buckle in the front. I cut wider pauldron mounts into the shoulder areas and might add a thick leather disc about 6" in diameter with slots cut to stabalize where the back straps cross. I just added one of these to a local fighter's icefalcon wrap and it helped keep his pauldrons in place better.

[Konstantin the Red]

If you don't need a disc on your back, you can slot one X strap and slide the other through the slot.

[Anton]

I strap mine like Karl and it works well.

Anton

[Karl Helweg]

If you don't need a disc on your back, you can slot one X strap and slide the other through the slot.

Slotting is a good idea too.

This fellow already had a bunch of "badges" on discs that he wanted to show off. Apparently he is one of Nissan Maxima's boys. I was thinking about making one with my underused badge on it too.