basket hilt question

sedric · Post by **sedric** » Wed Jul 25, 2001 5:35 pm

I'm in midrealm, in SCA, is there any maximum distance between bars on basket hilts, and / or shield baskets?

Malcolm MacLachlan · Post by **Malcolm MacLachlan** » Wed Jul 25, 2001 9:39 pm

1 inch, same as the bars on your helmet.

Chadwick · Post by **Chadwick** » Thu Jul 26, 2001 11:43 am

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">
1 inch, same as the bars on your helmet.
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This is incorrect. The standard from V8 of the Midrealm Marshals Handbook is:

2.1.4 HAND AND WRIST ARMOR
The outer surfaces of the hand and wrist of both arms must be covered by one or a combination of the following:

A. BASKET HILT
A metal basket hilt with enough bars or plates to prevent a blow from striking the fingers or the back of the hand. If a basket hilt is used, a vambrace or partial gauntlet should cover the remaining portions of the hand and wrist.

B. Gauntlets (text deleted...)

C. Shield (text deleted...)

The full text is available from:

http://www.midrealm.org/marshal/handbook/kemhbindex.html

-Keith.

sedric · Post by **sedric** » Thu Jul 26, 2001 5:13 pm

Tanks,
I wasn't sure if there was any 'rule of thumb' that marshals like to see. I'll just keep gaps to well below 1 1/4 and play with my new welder.

atliravensson · Post by **atliravensson** » Thu Jul 26, 2001 9:24 pm

I do not want to sound like I know it all. I am still new. But I have a question. If the smallest diameter a sword (or striking weapon) can be is 1 1/4", does it not stand to reason that a gap bigger than that would not "prevent a blow from striking the fingers or the back of the hand"?

Just a newbie question.

Thanks

Sasha · Post by **Sasha** » Thu Jul 26, 2001 9:39 pm

Yes and no.

It is possible to arrange the bars or plates so that they manage to keep out sword CUTS while still having greater then 1 1/4inch gaps. Because thrusting tips used to be bigger (2inches) this meant that only a thrust (rather unlikely but possible, hey it's your fingers) was not going to get you.

Low profile thrusting tips make all of this even iffier then it used to be. I tend to space mine so that there are no gaps greater then 1 1/4...but that is paranoid old me...

Sasha
still on a borrowed comp at someone elses house

jgalak · Post by **jgalak** » Sun Jul 29, 2001 7:45 pm

I'm not 100% certain on this (I don't play with the SCA all that much anymore), but I heard that there was a ruling that required all basket hilts to be solid - either solid plates, or leather attached to the grillwork. Apparently, someone kept his finger looped through a bargrill basket, and, well, you can guess the results...

This may not be society-wide, but East Kingdom only. Check with your local marshall.

------------------

Yehuda ben Moshe
mka Juliean Galak