The Armour Archive

Warren could you please let me know the status of my order. I have not recieved a reply to my last 2 e-mails. Not sure if they are getting through.

Thanks

Status on my gaunlets would be nice as well if you can't make it to training.

DONT DEAL WITH JOUST!




This makes me so angry!!!!

Search this forum people for dealing others have had with armours!!!

In this day and age you should never be ripped off by a con-man like Joust1

While he has paid me back the money he stole from me for a product he never delivered he is still a liar.

Armours get away this because people don't check up on them and then when they are court out WE let them off because they have ‘Issuesâ€

Hi Kit,

Unfortunately I had paid my cash several weeks before you posted about your bad dealings. Having seen that the situation was rectified I thought that your situation may have been unusual unfortunately it would appear that I was wrong.

I put $250 down with him which was meant to be half the price of the order which was a set of shynbalds and spaulders in spring steel.

Warren hasn't given me any excuses and has been fairly strait with me so far however I have been unable to get an answer to my e-mails over the last couple of weeks.

My understanding is that if you push him hard enough at the moment he will finish your armour, but that its becoming more and more of a struggle to get work out of him.

If you can get him to finish your order Wulfgar, my advice is to check what he's using as a lot of what has left his workshop recently has been zinc anneal and is soft as butter. Don't buy zinc anneal armour

I paid for my gaunts in trade and all work on his trade (its about 50% done) has stopped until I see some sort of progress as I've seen nothing in 2 years.

Warren is meant to be making me spring steel shynbalds and spaulders.

I'm a bit worried if you can't get anything out of him and your in the same group and live raltively close to him.

Dissapointing considering that he seems to be doing some nice work for Andrew

He has been turning out a lot of nice work from what I hear. Unfortunately the only bits of it that I have seen in the last 6 months have been zinc annealed.

That said, if you've ordered spring steel you ought to get spring steel off him, if not just tell him to re-make it. He can turn out gear fairly quickly when he has half a mind to, usually because the client is standing in his workshop forcing him to

I thought I better pipe up on this one. Let's be clear, Warren does great work. I have been dealing with him for about 12 months or more. In that time he has absolutely cranked work out then got snowed with orders and got majorly bogged down. My armour deliveries slowed down as a result.

I had two choices. Get the shits or work with it. I felt for Warren cause he was trying to please everyone but couldn't get of the hole. So my approach was to work with him by calling regularly and checking on progress and making sure he was OK.

Well as a result I got my armour and was very pleased. You can all see the results on another thread. I recommended Warren to other guys looking for armour and unfortunately he had to cancel their orders and return their money.

Now correct me if I am wrong but as far as I am aware Warren has refunded monies paid for armour not produced.

I feel for everyone who feels wronged here, it is most disappointing to be buggarised around when you are hanging to get your armour. Conversely, if you're money has been refunded then commercially that's the end of the problem. Don't order armour from him again if that is your choice.

Andrew McKinnon wrote:I feel for everyone who feels wronged here, it is most disappointing to be buggarised around when you are hanging to get your armour. Conversely, if you're money has been refunded then commercially that's the end of the problem. Don't order armour from him again if that is your choice.

I think most of us with outstanding orders with Warren don't take quite as extreme a standpoint as Kit and as you said he's just worked himself into a bit of a hole at the moment and just needs to sort himself out a bit in terms of back orders.

I might add re: my earlier comments about zinc anneal that last I heard Warren was getting in hot rolled steel, most likely due to feedback on the zinc harness.

Wulfgar wrote:This doesn't bode well if you can't get anything out of him and your in the same group and live raltively close to him.

I don't think I've seen him at training since the Armidale gathering, but he's had a lot of vehicle problems since the lost keys incident at Armidale.

As far as I'm aware the only people who have seen him recently are those who have gone to his workshop in person (But I could be wrong).

I also have no-doubt, based on what I know of him, that he is working his butt off trying to get through his back-log and quite likely running himself into the ground in the process.

Wulfgar,
I have emailed you Warren's number at his request.

Don't get me wrong I'm certainly not on a witch hunt for the man I just want to know what the go is. I've e-mailed him a few times without success, so I thought I would try this avenue.

Last I heard He was going to have my stuff finished 2 weeks ago and I haven't heard anything from him. I'm a pretty reasonable person so long as you keep me informed.

He is very talented and I love Andrews stuff which is why I would really like to get the pieces I have ordered off of him.

Andrew McKinnon wrote:Wulfgar,
I have emailed you Warren's number at his request.

Cheers, I'll keep an eye out for it. I sent him an e-mail today with my number.

Please pass on that I am not here to bag Warren out I'm just after a bit of communication. I'm getting more than a little worried.

Warren is a technophobe with a computer that is essentially made from cardboard, chicken wire and aluminium foil. I have found it near impossible to contact him that way.

Phone is the best!

Good luck.

Hi Andrew,

I think your wrong re the owing people but I will check. Until recently he still owes a few, one person I know of is still owed $4000 (might be coming up to 2 year).

I’m happy to hear you got your stuff with in a reasonable time. You said you have been dealing with him for 12 months, which would mean you ordered, paid and took delivery of your new gear in between other people’s jobs.
Take ES02 post, Warren put your order ahead of his, take the guy down here owed $$$$ in armour (from I think 2 years ago); your order was put ahead of his.

How is that fair to all the others that have been waiting longer than you? Its not but that’s how it happens.

While I got my money back, I don’t see why this means I should not tell people about my experience.
Forums like this, events I go to and the connections and networks I have made over the years become my equaliser.
For every person that read my rants I hope turns into less $$ to the dodgy armour.
For every person that read my rants I hope tell one other person.

Andrew, what’s worse re my situation was his last words to me after he payed me back where “I hope your happy now, because of you I won’t be taking on any more order’sâ€

Ps.... I really hope this all does work out, that you get your products and that they are what your after.

But please be careful of who you send people to.

We had a junior (16 yo) that joined our group with a lot of enthusiasm and talent. After a long battle with an armour (not endorsed by us) here in Victoria (3 years) that cost him a lot of money and goods he got so dishearten that he really doesn't do much with medieval any more.

It’s a shame and might be the underlining reason why I’m so hard of con-men.

Kit

Warren called me today, he said that he should be sending my stuff tomorrow and will send me a tracking number.

He seemed genuine and I'm willing to take him at his word at this point. I'll keep you posted when the items turn up.

Good!, keep on him!

I hope it works out.

Kit

Hey Kit, are you still selling those boots?

Got a registered post number today so hopefully these will turn up early next week and we can finalise everything.

What is zinc annealed steel?

Halberds wrote:What is zinc annealed steel?

Heat softened zinc coated steel. It is often used for things that need to be painted.

Other than a spark test is there any way to tell the difference between mild steel and spring? and is there an easy way to check if what I get is this zinc annealed steel?

I've gotten all nervous now and just want to check I am getting what I have asked for. Warren hasn't given me any reason to doubt that he wouldn't be giving me what I asked for but he is unknown to me except through here.

I recently had a set of spaulders come back where the main plates were mistakenly cut from mild instead of 1050. The mild pieces ( .042" material) I can deform with little effort by squeezing between my palms and they stay deformed when pressure is removed. Properly hardened and tempered spring will barely move by comparison and will spring back to shape once pressure is let off. Its a destructive test but only if you didn't get what you paid for. Galvanized material should be obvious unless he wen to the trouble of removing the zinc with acid or sanding and even if so it will deform like the mild.

Zinc anneal will look slightly bluish and will deform very easily.

Thanks for the replies. Hopefully they arrive today and are all correct.

Wulfgar wrote:Thanks for the replies. Hopefully they arrive today and are all correct.

Did you get your kit?

Hi again,

yes Friday the pieces arrived and they are fantastic. Aus post had them held up for a week, which was a bit average as I have gotten stuff from the US faster. They do appear to be spring steel. Warren did right by me and even though there was some communications issues everything turned out fine.

The Shynbalds are gorgeous, they are custom made to my leg and it shows. The brasswork while just plain came out nicer than I expected as Warren used small pin rivets instead of dome headed rivets.

The spaulders are tough but light and have brasswork on the edges of the lames.

So all in all Warren made me a beautiful product within the time specified, his only downside was poor communication. Having his phone number from the start would have been a little more reassuring.

I'll try and get pics up in the next day or 2.

Great, that's good to hear.

Now we just need to get him to finish and deliver those 3 year old orders etc

I can't speak to those. Best bet is to try and get in contact with Warren and discuss whats happening, he seemed like a reasonable bloke over the phone.

I think there are a few people planning on paying him a visit sometime soon.

Thats not so good. From what I have seen he does excellent work.

I don't disagree there, he does do some excellent work. I think a few people just want to give him a gentle reminder that they are still waiting for gear that is very long overdue.

Spoke to Warren just now, he has reiterated that he is working on clearing his backlog and getting armour out to everyone who is still owed gear.

My issues with him regarding gear have for the most part been resolved, he also defended his use of zinc anneal, I'll have to do some more research as to the relative strengths of mild vs zinc anneal before I either try and rebutt or agree with him on those points.

Wulfgar: When are we going to see those pics?

Tried to post pics the other day, obviously didn't work, will try again shortly.