1330's Knight Gaston's sugarloaf & harness progress pict

[Keegan Ingrassia]

So excited to see your project continue! Hope everything goes smoothly, and eagerly await further progress.

[Chris Gilman]

Legs are finally complete.
Here are some images:











Now to assemble the gauntlets

[Bo Harris]

How are you pointing the poleyn to the cuisse? Is it sewn into the edge like it was on the padded cuisse or is there a different system? Thank you.

[Paladin74]

Man...that looks marvelous.

[Chris Gilman]

How are you pointing the poleyn to the cuisse? Is it sewn into the edge like it was on the padded cuisse or is there a different system? Thank you.

I had designed it so the poleyns where to mount to the padded cuisse via a leather strip. But rethinking it, I figured in order to control the gap between the splinted cuisse and the poleyn, it was better to mount the poleyn, via a leather strip, to the splinted cuisse. You don't get as much bending between the two, but they can not gap more than the leather strip will allow. The original way, would mean the gap could get unsightly. The leather is sewn across the entire top of the poleyn, but this means it can not pivot very far up at the corners. I'll try it this way, but I may cut the leather free at the ends, to allow for more flexing if needed.

There are about 400 rivets in these.....

[boris_]

A few questions,
Which are the effigies that you are using for this suit? I see (Sir John de Northwode and Sandwich Knight)

Is there an extent/period art example of the Fluer-de lis rivets?

[Chris Gilman]

It is a mix. Leverick, Sir John de Creke, Sir William de Fitzralph and Northwood (Although, I've decided not to use those vambraces). I don't know if I've seen Sandwich.
I wanted something from the 1330's (Perhaps, I really should refer to this as 1320's) and I liked the Leverrick effigy. I also wanted to figure our how you could make mail, around the ankles, look "smart", since you have to pass you foot through this area of the chausses. I also liked the idea of decorative leather straps. When I looked at a large selection of early 14th C. effigies/ Brasses, I noticed how a majority had some type of decorative border on the poleyn and in the ones that you could see from the side, seemed to show many went all around the leg, hence it being a decorative strap. So, I have been taking clues from many effigies, but artistically inspired by Leverick.

The Fluer-de lis rivets are my choice , again are based on other decorative rivets I have seen, not specifically the same design.

[Jestyr]

It's wonderful. I can't speak to accuracy specifics (but I trust they have been extraordinarily well-researched). Truly lovely.

[Chris Gilman]

I have tried to stay focused on this project. As I get older I realize if I want to enjoy these things, I need to finish them while I can.
A picture I meant to post of the leather trim gold leafed:


And the rivet tool and washer system used on the leather or leather to leather using the solid rivets. As I posted earlier, this was the only way I found to set these small solid rivets in the leather, otherwise they just rolled over.


Now that I have the legs finished, I'm continuing on the gauntlets. Again, these are based on the Leverick gauntlets. Earlier in this thread, you can find the finger tests and making of the various plates, but now, I have to make that all work. Lots of sewing and riveting. I tried to match the construction on the Leverick gauntlet, but some areas I couldn't fully rectify, so I deviated a little here and there. One issue, which in the end was just a mistake, was putting the cuff buckles on the outside of the wrist. When I sewed on the cuff, I was thinking this was the way to go. But after I had the cuff plates riveted on, I looked at the effigy again and of course, this is not where that one closes. I chose not to take everything apart and redo it.

Here are the fingers riveted to strips:


You can see the strips at the top of the frame. As you can see, I put tabs for sewing down the knuckle plate and left the strips longer than the fingers. Also, in this shot, the the upper most plates are about 30% too long, I wasn't sure how long these should be, so I left them long so I could trim them to the correct length once I had the gauntlets partially assembled. I can not imagine trying to do this with the typical leather found here in the States. I'm using some leather I bought from Scott: Feed the Ravens (Viking-U-Like), I think it's goat, but the tanning is what makes it so much better. I cut a lanyard from this leather that was about a 1/16" around and I could not break it! So the stuff is so strong the sewing and rivets do not pull out. If this was the crap you find here in the US, I'd be worried about the durability of many areas.

Here I have the metacarpal plates secured and one set of cuff plates attached:


The leather strips where left long at the top of the fingers because I was hoping I could use them as "rubber bands" to pull the finger plates back when you opened your hand, by securing the ends closer to the wrist. The metacarpal plates are riveted to one large piece of leather and to keep the front plate from lifting at the fingers, I cut slots in the leather, under the front plate and threaded the excess finger leathers through these slots. Then the ends where secured to the middle of the metacarpal plates. (I am part way with the right hand, so I'll try to remember to shoot a photo of this.)

I finished all the sewing on the left gauntlet first because I was not completely sure how this should all come together and thought, if I had to redo something, I'd prefer it to be only one.




For the most part I'm happy with the way this one has worked. I have to shift the cuff lining leather clockwise a bit, but this one fits close to my hand and moves well. One thing I do not like is the upper thumb plate. I think I should have made one more lame for the thumb. (I think I was getting lazy and wanted these to be done ) It gaps a little. I'll secure the top of the plate with stitching an see if this is satisfactory.

[Gerhard von Liebau]

Chris, great to see this project under way again! Hope things are well for you, Pia and the shop monkeys.

[Fearghus Macildubh]

Wow! It's looking really awesome.

[RandallMoffett]

Chris those look amazing!

[Chris Gilman]

Thanks, it has taken long enough.