Norse Persona - Full Hand Protection

Magnus Ulfgarsson · Post by **Magnus Ulfgarsson** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 12:32 am

So I've never fought with anything but a sword and shield, part of this is due to the prices for steel hand protection, part of this is due to my refusal to wear plastic mittens or hockey gloves.

Steel Mittens, Plastic Mittens, and Hockey Gloves, are all out of period for me, though obviously the steel mittens come closest.

Has anyone out there done anything unique to help get their full hand protection closer to a norse persona?

I've inquired about the que at Dark Heart so I can investigate the possibility of some stealth gauntlets, but until then I wouldn't mind doing some great weapon stuff and not feel silly with my hand protection.

Any ideas?

Stahlgrim · Post by **Stahlgrim** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 5:39 am

I am working on doing some chainmail covered Egg armor gauntlets. like these
http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/ ... hp?t=79033

Angusm0628 · Post by **Angusm0628** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 5:49 am

Magnus,
Why not make yourself a set of hardened leather full gauntlets then? You obviously have the skills for working leather. And I suspect you have more than enough lying about your place for the task. Use your skills man.. Use your skills.

Ruthardis · Post by **Ruthardis** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 7:51 am

I agree, I am in the same delima. I even tried to make the finger style, Wisby hand and cuff hybrid and PAINT the fingers to match my skin tone to appear ( at the appropriate distance, and if they get too close to tell what they are, then they MAY not live to reveal the secret) like I want wearing any. They looked a bit goofy. BUT, I am not hardening some thich leather gauntlets that are stained and tooled to match my bazubands .( I know Norse didnt wear them, buut they just look like bracers under my long tunic.) I think I'm going tolike them better anyway since there is a little give in the whole structure unlike my clamshells that wont hinder my wrist and hand movements, and will suck up the blows without such direct related shock ofimpact like my metal ones.

I patterned mine off of a few things I liked in other gauntlets, sewed them with double stitch, soaked and baked them after staining, and viola! HAND PROTECTION! plus a bit of blue padding!

Ceadda · Post by **Ceadda** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 8:32 am

http://www.midrealmleather.com/store/in ... ucts_id=44

Draven's work.

I've discussed doing a light or natural color, even adding Woad tattoos and tooling and arm hair to make it look for like an arm.

Hjlmr inn Danski · Post by **Hjlmr inn Danski** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 8:59 am

Greetings,

I love my Thorvald gauntlets.

Affordable and functional.

Hjlmr inn Danski

Chris Gilman · Post by **Chris Gilman** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 9:23 am

Here is something I experimented with a couple of years ago for steel fighting in Europe. Titanium plates sewn to a Kevlar glove. Worn under a leather glove. Pattern needs work, but they worked pretty well.

Luca Sogliano · Post by **Luca Sogliano** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 9:38 am

That is absolutely incredible work, in it's skill, and it's simplicity. I would not trust my hands to them in SCA combat, nor do I believe they would be legal.

Kilkenny · Post by **Kilkenny** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 10:25 am

Lucius Marius Scaevola wrote:That is absolutely incredible work, in it's skill, and it's simplicity. I would not trust my hands to them in SCA combat, nor do I believe they would be legal.

The fingers and thumb on Sir Gaston's "gloves" are significantly better, imo, than many of the finger gauntlets available on the market and purportedly "legal" for SCA use. I would trust my fingers to those gauntlets.

However... I'm not as comfortable with the metacarpal plate - while the fingers look to ground out pretty well, the metacarpal plate does not.

In any case, they're excellent work, highly creative and innovative, and at the very least a really cool idea that I'm glad he had and shared with the rest of us

Luca Sogliano · Post by **Luca Sogliano** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 10:39 am

Maybe they would be safe, I guess I don't know. I fear that even if they were, many marshals would fail them because they didn't like the way they look. If I could be sure it was safe, I would love something like this, since I'm not "supposed" to be wearing any at all.

InsaneIrish · Post by **InsaneIrish** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 11:24 am

As mentioned before:

http://www.darkheartarmoury.com/stealth_gauntlets2.htm

Dark Heart Stealth Gauntlets

Now, you could also use Sir Gaston's idea with some modificaiton. Use a finger gauntlet kit and a larger glove that would fit over it. Basically you have legal finger gauntlets with a larger leather glove over them.

Magnus Ulfgarsson · Post by **Magnus Ulfgarsson** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 12:09 pm

I guess I could make some mittens until I wander up the stealth gauntlet que.

Always been uneasy about leather full mittens, can't hurt to give her a whirl.

raito · Post by **raito** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 3:01 pm

Actually, I'm working on a pair similar to Gaston's (where I got the inspiration). His I wouldn't trust to SCA, due to the flexiness of titanium, and the non-paddedness of the metacarpal. But they weren't made for that purpose anyway.

Mine have a single-piece padded metacarpal, and are (will be...) hardened stainless.

I have a slight advantage in that, with my current kit, I need no cuff on my gauntlets. I'll be hopefully finishing them for the Samurai Battle at Pennsic. They're only for my hi-res kit. I'll probably wear my aluminim gaunts the rest of the time.