The Armour Archive

Don't know if this is the appropriate area, but.....


I'm currently in Drachenwald and surrounded mostly by light fighters. Since I primarily am a "heavy" guy by interest, but am also a fencer, I've decided to get into light.

I remember a couple good websites for doublets etc that were fencing legal, and several that offered rapiers (with the complicated guards, not the standard modern cup hilt). Can't remember what they were at the moment and my "good website list" is somewhere on a ship in the Atlantic at the moment.

Can anybody help? My online time is currently severely limited by work.

I can get a mask and gloves easily...... the sword will take a bit. I know what I want, so spending $200 is no problem, I just need to find the sites again.

http://www.zenwarriorarmory.com/

Should get you what you need.

For swords -- <A HREF="http://www.darkwoodarmory.com">Darkwood Armory</A> is probably my favourite. I have 3 rapiers and 2 daggers from Scott, and his stuff is excellent.

I also like <A HREF="http://www.jamesthejust.com">James the Just</A>, though I really, really prefer the custom stuff to the CAS Iberia with a Hanwei blade (if the finances are there).

In the UK, you can get the mask, etc, from Leon Paul and it might be cheaper than transatlantic shipping (if you're not in the UK, I don't know. I didn't start SCA until I left the UK, but I know the KRM of Drachenwald from when I was in Uni...

-- Charles

Dude!

Where in Drachenwald are you!

You wanna fight? I wanna fight you! If you can make it to southern germany, you can be part of Turmstadt's Visiting Fighter Program. We'll put you up, feed you, and hit you a lot. We like to fight and drink beer.

I mean it. Most Visting fighters go home with little gifts too, like rattan, fibre tape (which is difficult to find on the german economy) and such.

We treat you right. Our hospitality has never been questioned. We like to fight and drink beer, but we can do cultural things too, if we also get to fight and drink beer.

We even took one previous VF to an arthouse cinema because that was what he was interested in doing. Of course, that was after fighting, and in germany, you can drink beer at the theatre.

Hey, if there's something I can do to help, let me know.

freiman
Outgoing KM, Turmstadt and Nebelwald.
(turmstadt fully and enthusiasticly supports the desinated driver program)
(And we fight and drink beer)

I'm in the upper half of the boot, I can see the Alps from my door. To be specific, Stronghold of Infimus Mons Aureus.


Still working on getting my heavy armor, but I'm stuck here for 3 years not counting time in the sandbox, so..... looks like I'll be fencing a lot. I don't mind, I fence better than I fight heavy at the moment.

Another ex-light (injured at the moment) friend from Atenveldt recommended James too.

There's a website for fencing garb, in the US, can't remember it now, I bought some black trigger pants from them for fighting in. Sucks to have my list (and my garb) somewhere else. Made excellent doublets too.

Are the Hanwei rapiers SCA legal as is? Cause I found some good deals on some.

Fulton,

If you need rapier gear, I can help you out. I'm a pusher. >:) Seriously - Try us (zen warrior armory) for blades & masks. This is the person I'd recommend for doublets & such.

http://www.gipsypeddler.com/

She does good work, and she's a hoot as well. Tell her Alejandro sent you.

But even if you don't buy blades & such from me, please don't buy them from Hanwei (aka Broo Gauntret. That's how they answer the phone when you ring them ). Their blades are distinctly inferior to just about anything else you could get.

Alejandro

Hanwei rapiers? Specifically the "Practical Rapier series". There are two lengths available, both use the same hilt style. The blades have a small metal block welded to the tip. Rubber blunts fit over them nicely.

If you want to get moving more quickly you can fairly easily make some rapier "under-armor" out of the appropriate number of layers of fabric, "t-tunic" style (short sleeve, usually) that you can wear a renaissance shirt over. I know some folks who do that and like it. It also makes sure you have proper coverage between you belly button and cut, something the avarage "armor doublet" doesn't necessarily do, especially if you do any high guards where you raise you arm.

Just some suggestions. If you do 'em, think "linen"!

Kevin O'Shaughnessy

For legal blade types, by Kingdom:

http://www.sca.org/officers/marshal/com ... etypes.pdf

It's a little old at this point, I'm afraid. Hanwei's are generally legal, but (in my experience here) they don't last as long as the more expensive blades.

-- Charles

Blackstone wrote:It's a little old at this point, I'm afraid. Hanwei's are generally legal, but (in my experience here) they don't last as long as the more expensive blades.

-- Charles

Hopefully the list will be updated in the next month or so. As to Hanwei's, yeah, you do kind of get what you pay for...

Kevin O'Shaughnessy

Gipsy Peddler's the ones I knew.....just couldn't remember the site. Already have some pants from them.


If hanweis suck, anybody recommend a better brand/price range for a "keeper"?

I'm not looking for your basic cuphilt starter blade. I already know what length/type I want, just not the manufacturer.

Del Tin (though I saw a couple with a tempering issue in the debole)

Darkwood Rapier (what I'm using now)

Both these two seem to last the longest that I've seen, with more evidence on the Del Tins since they've been around longer.

Darkwood prices are a bit steep for me at the moment.. I may just get an epee "starter set" with all the basic stuff to get back in practice while I save up on a good blade. Doublet's no problem, my wife is itching to make one.


I go with epee not foil because I used to fence epee.

This commercial pattern - McCalls M4695 "Men's Rennaisance Doublets" http://www.mccallpattern.com/item/M4695.htm

... is pretty good for turning into a fencing doublet.
For my current one, I had a flap put inside that is sewn to the right side and a zipper on the left side. The vertical trim pieces camouflage the stitching for the flap and zipper. It looks as if the frogs are holding the front closed. The concealed flap goes right down nearly to the tips of the front (ie. beyond the waist), so as to cover the groin area with "puncture-proof" material as per Rapier armour regs.

I opted for long sleeves, and everything from the "V" trim piece on the sleeve above the elbow is "puncture-proof", whereas the sleeve below it is just the shell and the lining material ("abrasion resistant" only. Again, the trim conceals the seam between the two. This way I can wear any old tee shirt under it, and not have to wear a special fencing shirt with an armpit gusset.
The "puncture-proof" areas are a poly-cotton twill shell, a heavy canvas, and a poplin lining. The standing collar and the sleeves from the elbow down have just the twill and the poplin lining, for comfort and flexibility. I can easily unzip it to cool off (try that with a pull-over tunic), and it goes in the washing machine with the rest of the outfit.

I'm the guy in red on the right - http://www.northernelectric.ca/medieval ... p_2005.jpg - but I've since swapped the brown hood for a black one worn inside the mask, and a steel gorget. I don't really need the gorget yet, because I still use just an epee, but it looks cool. (Alan Bauldree's pattern - http://www.armourarchive.org/patterns/gorget_ab/ , with a spring catch.) The standing collar and the neck of the hood suffice for the padding inside the gorget.

Derail!!!



Hew, your opponent is at full extension. WHY are you not stabbing him in the face?

Baron Alejandro wrote:Hew, your opponent is at full extension. WHY are you not stabbing him in the face?

Excuse #1: I was wearing my glasses and they were fogged up.
Excuse #2: I wasn't wearing my glasses or contacts and I was blind.
Excuse #3: It was to "first blood" only for that bout.
Excuse #4: One of the ladies in the audience suffered a "garb failure" and I was momentarily ... distracted.
Excuse #5: I was sucking up to him because he's a regional rapier marshal and I was hoping to authorize in Case of Rapier after the tourney.
Excuse #6: I did stab him in the face immediately after this picture was taken. (Okay, maybe not just then, but I'm pretty sure I did kill him at least once in that tourney.)
Excuse #7: It was raining earlier that day and ...um... his right foot was slipping on the wet grass, so I thought it would be dishonourable and/or unsafe to take the shot.

I can make up a few more if Your Excellency wishes.

Check out the guards and hilts at [url]alcheminc.com[/url]. Gladius does some beautiful work on historical patterns.

His blades are outside my experience, but many of my friends swear by them. (Our local rapier 'posse' is his Friendly Neighborhood Guinea Pig Team for testing purposes.)

"I'm currently in Drachenwald and surrounded mostly by light fighters. Since I primarily am a "heavy" guy by interest, but am also a fencer, I've decided to get into light. "


Welcome to my nightmare

Don't give into the wire wenie side of the farce....

do what i did

punch trees till your hands bleed while the swishies swish as your frustration and anger grow and fester into an fury encrusted alter ego thats just biding it's time until one day .....

ONe DAY!....


OOOONNNEEE DAAYYY!!!!!



AAaaaaaaaawwwww helllll

now i gotta kill all yall too.

I went through Triplette, myself. http://www.triplette.com/

Beweare if you're at work, as the site has sound.