The Armour Archive

I'm tweaking my suit a bit, and I wanted some experienced opinions...

So you guys that fight in full plate... these questions are you...

So... how do you get around your vambrace eating into the top of your wrist?

Mine is rolled, and fits well... the only problem I have, is that after an hour or so of holding my shield, the vambrace pressing against the bone on my wrist starts to bug the ever-living-shit out of me.

I was contemplating putting a small rectangle of "ack" blue foam there as a temporary fix...

I know I can just shuck the vam on the shield side, but I like the look of having matching plate arms...

The vam on my sword arm doesn't bother me at all, cause its constantly on the move and the whole arm cannon is pointed to my gambeson sleeve at the top of rere-brace, so it never sinks down on my wrist....

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General helm question... how do you stop your helm from sinking down in front and covering you eyes? I've never had this happen before, but my current helm wants to make me fight blindfolded...

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On the arms and legs... which straps do you tighten all the way, and which do you leave loose? How does this affect your movement?

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Thats it for now...

Thanks in advance for any comments or advice.

Matthew,

If your helm is moving on your head then you have a padding and/or a strapping problem. Your helm should be tight to your head (espically to the temples) to avoid injury. Get someone to look at that thing stat...

mb: "how do you get around your vambrace eating into the top of your wrist?"

Full-sleeved gambeson with the harness pointed near the shoulder. The coat sleeves extend beyond the cuff of the harness. At one time, I even rolled the sleeve cuff up and over the harness cuff for added protection (hard on the gambeson, though).

mb: "how do you stop your helm from sinking down in front and covering you eyes?"

I use dense foam at four points above the temple line -- front, back, and both sides -- to "lock" the helmet in place. I then fill in the gaps with a combination of soft-over-dense to make it comfortably snug.

mb: "which straps do you tighten all the way, and which do you leave loose?"

All of the closing straps should be comfortable-to loose. They are only meant to keep the harness close to the body, not to actually hold it in place. Placement is best managed from properly installed arming points; trying to use the straps alone will invariably lead to constriction (too tight when muscles contract) or slippage (too loose to hold it up when muscles relax -- and you thought your wrist was sore now !).

Hope this helps... AoC

Thanks BdeB,

I will have Sir Dagonet look at it on Saturday and see what can be done.

Carlyle,

That makes sense... The left sleeve of my gambeson shrunk when washed and doesn't go past the end of my vambrace like my right arm does. (the seamstress pre-washed one color fabric, and forgot the other, and my gambeson is parti-colored, so...)
I will see what about getting a longer sleeve made.

As to the 'properly installed arming points'... I have the arms pointed at the top of the rere-brace at the moment. Do you suggest any other points?

Thanks Chev!

Matt,

The sleeve thing is the trick. I tried about 100 different ways of keeping my elbows up, (everything except pointing them to a coat cos.. well.. no coat) and finaly found that the only way I could do it was to make vams long enough that they held the elbows in place. Right now, all I have is a muslin shirt sleeve (blousy shirt tho) between my wrist and the vams. Works good. Previously, had leather vams, again, long enough to push my elbows into place. The leather bit holes into my skin first time I wore them. Put a sheepskin cuff in, no problems. Again, whatever it is needs to be long enough to roll around the edge of your vams.

I wear a neophryene wrist brace that I put on after I slip my vambrace on. It's mainly for my bum wrist to keep it from hyperextending, but as a secondary function, it snugs up the vambrace and keeps it from sliding. I sometimes wear one on my left wrist as well when I fight spear or greatsword (and wear the other vambrace.)

As to the sleeve issue, I make my arming coats and my civilian clothing sleeves long and have them button at the wrist. That way when you flex your arm the wrist stays covered by the sleeve.

Also Jeff J's 1450s harness the vambrace seems to stop before the wrist bone and his gauntlet covers that area. Not sure is that is how arms were worn historically or not but if Jeff Hedgecock made it that way I will guess its right, it would solve your issue.

James

hi there

vambraces: they ar e light so bounce up out of the way. they are padded with synthetic velvet and the padding extends 1/4 past the end of the vambrace. I fight full plate arms but no gambeson sleeves just the syn velvet covered 1/4 padding.

legs: your legs move through a range of motion as you fight. they need to be able to slip up and down as you knee bends and unbends... the distance the knee travels changes.w(meaning when you bend you knee the length of your leg look slonger to the knee armour)

tightly strapping them down usually results in your leg harness(belt) being pulled down when you goto your knees(sca).

"So... how do you get around your vambrace eating into the top of your wrist? "


Sounds like you need a gambeson that is a little longer, then you can roll the cuff over the vam a little.

OOOooooooor your vam is too long.

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"General helm question... how do you stop your helm from sinking down in front and covering you eyes? I've never had this happen before, but my current helm wants to make me fight blindfolded... "


Dunno, sounds like your helm is too bit or you strap is in the wrong place.

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"On the arms and legs... which straps do you tighten all the way, and which do you leave loose? How does this affect your movement? "

I don't tighten anything "all the way" I wear my vams tight, elbow's not as tight. Legs pretty loose. Greaves as tight as they go.

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Quick fix before you get the gamb. sleeves longer is to go to a tennis section of a sporting goods store and buy a package of terry cloth wrist bands. They work fairly well on my wrist problem.

a permanent fix is to have leather cuffs sewn to your gambeson- flip them over the ends of your vambraces, and the rubbing issue will bet at an end.

Alaric

I make sure my vambraces have rolled eges and end about an inch from the "bump" (whatever that bone is called) on the outside edge of your wrist. I also make sure my gambeson is extra long to cover up that area.