Sir Gaston, my suggestion would be that you either take the horsewhip to that supplier or use your in house casting facilities, unless of course you can obtain better quality and pass along the savings to the consumer by outsourcing, in which case delivery times should be adjusted if necessary.
Below is my review of my belt, which you can see here:
http://tinyurl.com/7vogj
My wife Lorelei is also wearing one.
These belts rock like Captain Spock.
I selected a belt of 41 inches length, with 20 plaques, gold plated. This would mean a 1/20" space between plaques. The studs I chose were the four square studs, one in each corner, to create a "cross of St. George" effect. The studs were to be silver plated, and the background was to be paint.
During the assembly, as I am told by Hugh (Sir Rhys), it was discovered that it was difficult to get the paint that they had decided on to stick to the plaque, and that the studs tended to move a little, resulting in paint chipping. As this was felt to be unsatisfactory, a decision was made to go with a semi-translucent red epoxy, which solved both problems by securing the studs. However, there are some bubbles in the epoxy of one of the plaques, and the epoxy is a modern material. In retrospect perhaps the leather would have been a superior material from the accuracy standpoint. Some cad will at some point possibly ask how Jehan de Pelham, paladin of accuracy and authenticity (
), came to have a plaque belt with EDIT: High quality venetian glassite (
), and I will smile indulgently and ply them with beer, or ask them if they wish to see how authentic my rattan sword is.
The epoxy virtually guarantees that none of the eighty studs installed will come loose, which is a great thing.
The interior dimensions of the belt are 39.25 inches, probably brought down from the 41 inches specified by addition of the suede backing. This turned out to be fortuitous, as a belt made to 41 inches would have been too large. Fortune favors.
The belt weighs in at a substantial 3.5 lbs, not a trinket by any standard.
Each plaque is not exactly two inches square. The actual dimensions are 1 and 7/8" by 1 and 15/16" so you might want to keep this in mind for your design considerations. The plaques were not oriented regularly--some were mounted on the belt with the 1 and 7/8" dimension top and bottom, and some were mounted with the 1 and 15/16" dimension top and bottom. Placement and mounting of the plaques on the belt were slightly irregular, avoiding a machine-stamped perfection. The plaques were mounted by means of posts that were put through washers and then peened, a very sturdy arrangement.
There is some irregularity in the silver studs mounted on the plaques. It appears that some of the studs did not agree to sitting in the epoxy bath as well as others, so some are cocked a little but this is completely un-noticeble at a few feet. I do not find this disagreeable, as it adds variations and avoids a machine-stamped perfection peice to peice. I merely mention it for purposes of completeness. The quality of the castings are good, with a minimum of sprue or slag.
The suede lining is glued to the belt. Because of the washers and posts peened over on the inside of the belt I recommend this option for all persons ordering a belt. Over the course of approximately twenty hours of wear the glue came unfast along the edge in some places. For this reason I plan on sewing it to the belt.
During the course of wearing my belt for about twenty hours it came loose once as I was bending over, but was otherwise secure. The fastening arrangement is simple: two posts on the last plaque are left long, bent over into a slightly hooked position, and holes are cut in the other end of the belt.
The gold and silver plating are sturdy. No scratches have cut through the gold layer on the plaques.
When you first behold your belt, you may find yourself giving an involuntary gasp. Don't worry. This is normal.
Overall, I deem these belts to be a very sumptuous accessory for any late 13th century through early 15th century kit. The square plaques seem to be more appropriate for the early 14th century, but if someone wished to have a custom plaque made there are plenty of variations suggested by the effigies and brasses of the time. The Global Effects plaque belt will add a very authoritative presence to any kit. There is nothing "cheap" or "chintzy" about the article whatsoever. Purchase with confidence.
John McFarlin
Jehan de Pelham, esquire and servant of Sir Vitus
