14th Century Suit

[Edward de la Pole]

I had left fighting (and the groups I participated with) more than 10 years ago. Got rid of all of my armour and washed my hands of the whole thing. Well, with the nudging of friends, especially our own Frau Hirsch and my good friend Jim Vreeland (James of the Marsh) I decided to get back into it. Jim insisted on building me a suit far better than I should ever own. He did most of the planning, I just nudged him in the direction I thought it should go. Ultimately we ended up with this...

I only have two pics of the finished suit so far, but here they are.






The body is aluminum covered in pig suede, weighs about 10 pounds. The leg uppers are T6-aluminum covered in garment weight leather. Arms, gauntlets, gorget, knees and 1/2 greaves are 16ga mild, the helm is 12ga mild crown with 14ga lower portion. Visor is 14ga mild. The aventail is an inexpensive GDFB butted mail aventail. The helm and gorget to the heavy lifting, the mail is just to make it look more correct and fill any small holes that might open up. There are a few small bugs to work out, but the first time out, zero armour bites, no bruises from fighting. Later plans include sabatons and full greaves.

Now that I have the suit, I realize just how far out of practice (and shape) I am. Off to the pell!

[MJBlazek]

Fantastic! Welcome back to the craziness!

[Thorsteinn Raudskeggr]

Nice!

[Vitus von Atzinger]

Back on the Anvil.

[Broadway]

How do you like the gutter vambs?

I've never been able to wear them cause I find them horribly uncomfortable. Don't have any issues with full vambs...

[Edward de la Pole]

They don't bother me, I might add leather to fully enclose them just to make everything snug and feel more secure there but the gloves from the gauntlets seem to do a pretty good job of it. The gloves go almost 1/2 way up the vambraces. My big issue is when things bounce off my wrist. These sit about 1/2" above my wrists and the gauntlets take up the difference.

[Galvyn Lockhart]

A fine looking kit. I really like some of the decorative rivet elements that you've added. Add a proper gambeson underneath & some greaves & you're there.

[corrwyn]

What sort of protection do you have on the open part of your forearm? Scares me a bit. I hit people there all the time, especially polearm fighters. Anyway, sorry I missed the battle baptism on saturday. I meant to be there but this came up. See you soon.

Corwin

[Broadway]

I've been fighting for about 6 years without vambraces. Course, I could just live in a land of light hitting pansywaist girly fighters.

[Edward de la Pole]

What sort of protection do you have on the open part of your forearm? Scares me a bit. I hit people there all the time, especially polearm fighters. Anyway, sorry I missed the battle baptism on saturday. I meant to be there but this came up. See you soon.

Corwin

With the gauntlets on and my arms are up, the open forearm mostly disappears. When my arms are tucked, the gauntlet and elbow fan make for very good protection. I used to have full vambraces in my old suit years ago, never got hit there. Most likely I will add leather over the forearms before it comes out again.

[PatternWeld]

Gorgeous kit Edward!

I especially like the corazinna & the helmet/aventail but must say I don't care for the style/shape of the Klapvisor.

Greaves & sabbatons will really make the kit pop..... are you going to do gutter greaves or fully enclosed?

[Konstantin the Red]

I've been fighting for about 6 years without vambraces. Course, I could just live in a land of light hitting pansywaist girly fighters.

Somebody's making those floral circlets wayyy too big.

[corrwyn]

Cool, sounds like it's not really an issue. That really is nice looking suit. I especially liker the breast plate.

[EnderPC]

Hello,

I have a question for the armourers out there. I like the suit and I am doing something similar. Brig with plate arms and legs, ect. My question is would it be historically correct to put besegews at the arm pits? I like the look of them and I want to try making a pair as my first dishing project. I just can't remember ever seeing besegews on a CoP.

[Konstantin the Red]

I think you're right to hesitate; besagews are really more called for with 15th-c. harness (breastplate/backplate) than early-mid-fourteenth.

Make your besagews anyway, but expect to keep on making 15th- or 16th-century plate harness until you're alllllll donnnnne.

I've got a teasing memory of, like, 15th-c. brigandine w/spauds, w/besagews. Unless I am recalling a two-piece 15th-c. breast, plackart in the white and breast covered, the whole tricked out with spauds w/besagews as above... not quite as much work in the finishing that an alwyte breast in two pieces calls for; a covered style of breastplate has always seemed to me a good way to dip a toe into breastplate hammering for the first time. Get it planished smooth, a suède covering, and it's ready to go. The radii of curvature aren't frightfully demanding, so access to your work isn't a problem, it's just that you are wrassling a larger expanse of metal than anything you've done before. However, still, the experience of hammering out your besagews and then a set of spauds should put you in good stead for essaying a first breastplate project.