The Armour Archive

Hello all!

As one can tell by the number of posts I've made, I'm new to these boards. Fittingly enough, I have several newbie questions. The most important of these is, what kind of armor would be best for someone who plans to join the SCA in a few months with the intent to participate in heavy weapons combat and to have a persona best approximated as a Renaissance Italian from the city of Viterbo in Lazio, Italy. Bear in mind, however, that I am a poor student with very limited funds, but nonwithstanding, I would prefer that my armor be steel (and not plastic) because I participate in another fighting system in which armor must be of period materials (or stainless steel), but is not required for safety (since the weapons are padded--but it's not a LARP). What would you all recommend? I was thinking of getting a cuirass now, and the rest of the harness over the next year or so, and with this in mind, what would be the best way to go about putting a suit of armor together? What styles work well together? Should I go go for a Gothic or Milanese look, or a more 16th-century look (like the amrored figures in all those great Raphael paintings with which my persona would be very familiar)? Or something comepletely different?

Thanks in advance for your input!

Well, the advice I am about to give you is going to mainly circle around your SCA fighting, if the other society your in requires the real deal then your gonna have to buy alot of armour, but this will help you get by in the SCA. Buy a helm, simple knees, simple elbows, a kidney belt, and a gorget, this will meet your basic requirments and if you do your shopping shouldn't cost you much. If your a student then check out and see if the sports team coaches have any old gear they need to dispose of, right about this time of year hockey and lacrosse coaches are going through all their junk gear, act fast and you'll maybe luck out, thats what I did years ago when I first started and I got a TON of old gear for free. Once you have all this stuff, work the gear so it covers your body and protects you well. It will be very ugly, so try to make some period garb to go over it. This will get you by for awhile so you can start fighting. Don't forget your rattan, shield, and I recommend a decent pair of steel toe boots.

Why not try making the armour yourself - see the project at www.armourdesign.dial.pipex.com
Mike

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by armourdesign:
<B>Why not try making the armour yourself - see the project at www.armourdesign.dial.pipex.com
Mike</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Mike, some of the link son your page dont work. are you working on them currently ?

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Wolf
"She barks like a she-ass, but has that stare of a woman thats perminantly moist between the hams"-- the Advocate

http://home.armourarchive.org/members/wolf/

For Body armour, I have to suggest a good 15th Century Brigandine. You can get steel banding material at places like Home Depot and Lowe's and cut it in the appropriate lengths and then rivet it to a doublet. Not overly difficult, except the sewing part

then you can concentrate on the other bits that you will need

Hope this helps some.

Bran

I *really* like your choice of place/time!

The brigandine idea is a great idea, it was a common armour of the period. Think about the social class you're portraying, the Italian states often had almost super-heavy cavalry and lighter infantry although the brigandine was often common to both. The richer portrayal would gravitate towards cavalry, it had a large social bonus and allowed you to flee a stricken field quickly.
Cavalry would probably have an Italianate sallet or close helm/armet, heavy pauldrons (shoulder pieces) and complete articulated steel limb armour. The 'light cavalry' would have an identical rig except for either no pauldrons or lighter spaulders, they'd count as heavy cavalry anywhere else! The barbute lingered in use in Italy longer and may be found. Later cav would have 'lobster' articulated cuirasses with a burgonet, possible with a falling buffe.
Infantry are of a poorer spectrum of society (often, but not always) and you'd tend towards a brig, a large ovoid shield used in conjunction with a spear backed up by a sword. Metal armour was not so critical on the legs, 'condottiere' style combat that emphasises manouevre meant that infantry had to be capable of moving fast and often, long stout boots covering the calf would be sufficient for shin armour. Later armour dispenses with pretty much everything apart from maybe a burgonet or morion.

Now, for a poor reenactor to make his armour, you've made a hard choice! My first rig is late 15th c. gothic, it took me pretty much years to build and it's only just finished!

First off, you need to meet a mate who *is* an armourer. Trade work for steel and skill. Learning your skill from scratch leaves you in a sea of indecision, but learning under someone who knows allows you to tap their skill when you're lost. If you learn to make spangenhelms and churn out a few, you and your armourer can sell them to finance your other projects.

The Italianante and Germanic armour styles aren't that hard to make for the full body armour though, the breastplate/fauld part is suprisingly uncomplicated if you have access to the right tools, pointed elbows are very difficult to build without an anvil beak as well. Look at Darius' "Gothic Armour Notes", that whole rig (I didn't do the sabatons or greaves) is possible by a beginner with supervision!

For working steel, especially a cuirass, you need to start off with the textile undergarment first. An armouring doublet is not cheap to make but a well made one provides all your padding requirements while your shoulder rigs hang from it (I don't think you need one with a brig though). Before you can really start steel work though . . .

Do you have access to:
Power tools?
A workspace, undercover with power supply, where you can make noise?

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"Pas d' argent, pas de Suisses"

Well, I would make the armor myself, and I'd probably find a way to adapt my dad's antiquated (think 1950s) power tools to buff and cut steel, and I've probably got enough cash for the material and any additional tools (shears, planishing and peening hammers, chisels, what have you) and I've probably got enough ability not to mess up too badly (at least I hope my stonecarving experience would translate to provide some skil), but I am missing 2 things, namely a.) time and b.) a place to work. My neighbors, not to mention my parents and siblings, would most likely kill me if I started hammering metal in the garage or basement, and that's a risk I'm not willing to take at my tender age. So making Plate armor is more or less out of the question at this point. So should I just buy a few pieces of armor in steel now, and use plastic or sports equipment for the other parts with the intent to upgrade later, or get cheap stuff now and gradually upgrade everything?

Thanks again!

Definitely get yourself armour now and progress, it's far too easy to suffer an enthusiasm failure while everyone else is out playing the game and enjoying themselves.

Want to start quiet? The 15th c. Padded Jack pattern on the pattern archive can be made out of an old woollen blanket, some cheap, heavy cloth (You could chop up an old curtain or skin an old lounge for heavy material) and provides brilliant protection for SCA heavy.

A Brigandine would be a fine beginner project, and fits in neatly with your chosen period and culture. Ignore the guy who recommended that you get a kidney belt. Nobody in Renaissance Italy wore anything remotely like that.