Greetings Y'all!
I'm considering making a jack of plates for Sidesword combat and such. I know quite a while back some info was posted on the archive, and I forgot to personally archive it.
Does anyone have any more info on making one?
Thanks!
Kevin O'Shaughnessy
Looking for info on making a Jack of Plates
-
Pietro da San Tebaldo
- Archive Member
- Posts: 1740
- Joined: Sat Sep 02, 2000 1:01 am
- Location: Cleveland OH USA
- Contact:
You might take a look at the Patterns section of this site. There's a cluster of patterns for Brigandines and Coats of Plates which were copied from the Compleat Anachronist.
A Coat of Plates is (I think) from too early a period for Sidesword - a brigandine would be more appropriate. It's also more difficult because it's a tailored garment - you need to manipulate cloth and metal.
A Coat of Plates is (I think) from too early a period for Sidesword - a brigandine would be more appropriate. It's also more difficult because it's a tailored garment - you need to manipulate cloth and metal.
-
Mark G.
- Rebel
- Posts: 3575
- Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2004 2:01 am
- Location: Bowie, Texas, USA, Planet Earth, Sol System, Sagittarius Arm, Milky Way Galaxy, Local Galactic Group
Yup, that's why I'm looking at doing a jack. It would be based on a doublet pattern. The big thing is what do I make the plates out of and what shape the plates are.
Ideally they would be horn. But that's a freakin' LOT of horn I'd have to use. Sigh. For purposes of practical use I may have to go with plastic.
I don't necessarily want to go with ferrous metal unless I can figure out how to avoid the rust stain issue. I had an idea worked out to use aluminum Mardi Gras doubloons. I could order enough to do the job for around $60-$70. But I'd like to be more period than that.
Same old problem: balancing period style reconstruction with modern lifestyle. I >don't< have servants to do the maintenence for me...darn it.
Kevin O'Shaughnessy
Ideally they would be horn. But that's a freakin' LOT of horn I'd have to use. Sigh. For purposes of practical use I may have to go with plastic.
I don't necessarily want to go with ferrous metal unless I can figure out how to avoid the rust stain issue. I had an idea worked out to use aluminum Mardi Gras doubloons. I could order enough to do the job for around $60-$70. But I'd like to be more period than that.
Same old problem: balancing period style reconstruction with modern lifestyle. I >don't< have servants to do the maintenence for me...darn it.
Kevin O'Shaughnessy
Hi.
In Ffoulkes´ "The Armourer and his Craft" there is a scheme of an extand jack of plates, something between 15th and 16th century. The plates are small sqares of, say, 5 x 5 cm. They have a hole in the center and are laced with the ribbons on the outside.
As to your period problem: Manufactured the right way you would have to tin them. All of them.
Not really much more work than cutting horn plates, actually...
As the come between layers of fabric and padding you could just as well have them zinc-coated or, even easier, simply paint them.
If you think about plastic, I don´t see your problem with aluminium?
But I´d really like to learn more about this kind of defense, too. I only know of the jack Ffoulkes mentions in his volume, but I wonder whether this is the only surviving specimen.
From pictorial evidence I´d speculate on constructions like lozenge- shaped quilting on a padded garment with an additional plate in each field, secured by a cetral rivet, but so far couldn´t find any evidence, i.e. surviving specimen or description auf something like it.
Any Ideas?
Regards
Ivo
In Ffoulkes´ "The Armourer and his Craft" there is a scheme of an extand jack of plates, something between 15th and 16th century. The plates are small sqares of, say, 5 x 5 cm. They have a hole in the center and are laced with the ribbons on the outside.
As to your period problem: Manufactured the right way you would have to tin them. All of them.
Not really much more work than cutting horn plates, actually...
As the come between layers of fabric and padding you could just as well have them zinc-coated or, even easier, simply paint them.
If you think about plastic, I don´t see your problem with aluminium?
But I´d really like to learn more about this kind of defense, too. I only know of the jack Ffoulkes mentions in his volume, but I wonder whether this is the only surviving specimen.
From pictorial evidence I´d speculate on constructions like lozenge- shaped quilting on a padded garment with an additional plate in each field, secured by a cetral rivet, but so far couldn´t find any evidence, i.e. surviving specimen or description auf something like it.
Any Ideas?
Regards
Ivo
There are several additional resources:
In the video Arms in Action, Plate and Mail, available from the History Channel, and produced with help from the RA there is a short close up clip of an existing specimen that is deteriorated enough that you can see the construction.
In Blairs European Armour there are pics of two peascod shaped specimen, also from tthe RA.
The best, and most difficult to find is an Article by Ean Ives. The title escapes me at the moment, something like "Beaston Castle Jack of Plates" in the Arms and Armour Journal? Its about an archeological excavation and details plate sizes, hole sizes, arrangement etc.
If you can get hold of the above resources you can certainly make a jack of plates that is historically accurate, documentable and usable for actual combat. Good luck in your endevor.
In the video Arms in Action, Plate and Mail, available from the History Channel, and produced with help from the RA there is a short close up clip of an existing specimen that is deteriorated enough that you can see the construction.
In Blairs European Armour there are pics of two peascod shaped specimen, also from tthe RA.
The best, and most difficult to find is an Article by Ean Ives. The title escapes me at the moment, something like "Beaston Castle Jack of Plates" in the Arms and Armour Journal? Its about an archeological excavation and details plate sizes, hole sizes, arrangement etc.
If you can get hold of the above resources you can certainly make a jack of plates that is historically accurate, documentable and usable for actual combat. Good luck in your endevor.
-
Brian W. Rainey
- Archive Member
- Posts: 2646
- Joined: Thu Jun 26, 2003 1:01 am
- Location: McHenry, IL USA
- Contact:
Kevin O'Shaughnessy wrote:I >don't< have servants to do the maintenence for me...darn it.
Kevin O'Shaughnessy
However... you DO have children. Make them pay you back for the lap of luxury you have provided for them all these years.
Teach them how to use shears and have them spend the countless hours of what would have been TV time.. making YOUR armour.