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Post by Friederich on Sept 11, 2008 20:05:01 GMT -5
I am currently in the process of working out a way to get myself into some armor by the time Badon Hill rolls around. However, I don't have the monetary security to go ahead and buy some and I don't have the materials, at this point, to work it out of leather--something I might try, eventually, but the aesthetics of which are actually not entirely in line with what I'm shooting for. So my question is this: could I use heavy canvas and steel washers for a torso/arm covering? Let me expand: after the sentiment of brigandine armor, I plan to sandwich the washers in between two layers of heavy canvas. I plan to use one-inch washers and space them out into a 1.5 inch grid so that each washer has .5 inches between the surrounding washers, as dictated by the official rules on armor. Assuming that I can count the washers as "rings" (which they are) then I see no problem with this, so long as the fabric is heavy enough and it is not painfully obvious that I just sewed 350 washers inside of a tunic. Any thoughts? The two cuirasses on the right are my inspiration: www.sengokudaimyo.com/katchu/graphics/06graphs/ugly.jpg...and it would be historically accurate to use cloth, although silk would have been the material...if that matters...
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Mao Hiroto
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Post by Mao Hiroto on Sept 14, 2008 12:25:43 GMT -5
I'm not an expert on the rules, however it's visibly armor, and it's using metal. Provided the washers/rings meet the standards laid out in the rules and the piece ends up looking like that picture and not a couple pieces of cloth with plumbing equipment inside, I'd pass it. But I'm not the one passing armor at Badon Hill, so you might wanna check with someone more versed in such matters.
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Rowan
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Post by Rowan on Sept 14, 2008 14:12:14 GMT -5
I know that Heavy leather sewn into cloth pieces has passed. As long as the metal is a tick enough gauge and it is OBVIOUSLY armor... shouldnt be an issue.
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Militis
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Post by Militis on Sept 14, 2008 21:34:22 GMT -5
Just a heads up we had a buddy who did that at a rag 8 years ago and he had to put a big duct tape X on his chest to let people know it was armor and not just garb.
He ended up just sewing the washers on the outside of the cloth to make it more visable.
Its doable, just make sure it looks like armor.
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Post by Syr Kaigar Vegulfr Lodbroksonr on Sept 14, 2008 23:05:02 GMT -5
Hmm...I almost wonder if it would be easier to just rivet the washers in place, instead of sewing them. If you look at the one in the middle, it actually doesn't look too unlike a lot of gambesons I've seen. Now, if you were to use rivets instead of sewing, one could plainly see that it's a brigandine. Just my two cents.
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Post by Friederich on Sept 14, 2008 23:19:06 GMT -5
Thanks for the useful replies!
On the matter of making the item clearly armor, I do see where that would become an issue. I think, with sewing the washers in, it would be easier to simply quilt around the rings which could add to the visibility of the inner workings.
However, I do like the idea of simply putting the washers on the outside of the garment. Unfortunately, I do think that would drastically decrease the strength of the garment as the threads attaching the washers would then be right in the line of fire for anything whippy and scratchy. Perhaps, with the right weight of thread, though, that wouldn't be an issue? Do you know if the guy had problems with the washers being torn off, Militis?
Ragnar: I had thought that rivets were a heck of a lot more expensive than they apparently are. And I wonder if perhaps that would be the best option since that would allow the washers to be fully covered by fabric for the maximum protection, but at the same time, the regular grid of rivet heads would make the garment a heck of a lot shinier in the "this is actually armor, not just garb" kind of way.
Alas, at this point, the project has been kicked back for a couple months. I came across an absolutely brilliant deal on some decent (I sure hope) maille and decided to jump on the opportunity. So, now I have a gambeson in the works, but it will be no more than a regular old arming jacket to go under the maille.
I appreciate the tips and look forward to getting this project underway so that I can move closer and closer to a wardrobe entirely homemade.
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Militis
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Post by Militis on Sept 17, 2008 12:50:55 GMT -5
To my knowledge its what he still uses. I haven't talked to him in a acouple years, but the way it was stitched I couldn't imagine durability was an issue. Good luck!
ps What kind of maille, how much, and where'd you get it?
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Post by Friederich on Sept 17, 2008 22:37:09 GMT -5
I ordered my maille from The Real Armor of God dot com. www.realarmorofgod.com/store/html/Products/Armor/Medieval-Armor/Chainmail-Shirt-115.htmlThey are calling it 16 gauge zinc coated steel in 1/4 inch rings. The shirt is 28 inches long and 48 inches around. They are selling the shirt along with a coif of the same material for $97 and $19, respectively. The original price quoted on the website is $247 and $67 for the two items before they started their "blowout sale". (They're in Texas.) I'm crossing my fingers and hoping to all that's good and beautiful that the $50.00 I paid in shipping and handling gets the package to me by Badon. (It's a 30 pound set, as I understand it.) So, unless they're looking for a false advertisement lawsuit or something, the deal sounds pretty solid--like I said, better than anything I've seen before. /shrug
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Post by SilverFox on Sept 17, 2008 23:41:33 GMT -5
Hmm, let me know how the quality is, I'm rather intrigued by their prices. The pictures look good, I just hope (for your sake), that they're just as good in person
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Militis
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Post by Militis on Sept 18, 2008 16:38:59 GMT -5
I've been looking at them for some time now...
Lemme know how it turns out. Depending on your quality I might jump on board....
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Mao Hiroto
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Post by Mao Hiroto on Sept 19, 2008 12:43:15 GMT -5
I'm leary of buying anything from the coast after a hurricane. It could have been significantly water damaged in the flooding and then polished up to make it look pretty again. *crosses fingers for you* Good luck. :-)
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Post by Friederich on Sept 30, 2008 17:00:10 GMT -5
Immediate reaction: "Ooh.. shiny"
The stuff comes from India, is indeed shiny zinc coated 16 gauge steel, and arrived within 10 days of ordering.
Maille is good quality butted rings, but the armpit is miswoven so that any fast upswing of the arm will try to tear the shirt.
Overall, I'm impressed and The Real Armor of God was true to their word, although their customer service is pretty poor. I tried calling them 3 different times with no answer in addition to using their digital request form.
Something to note: if they still are, the place is now also offering steel breastplates for about the same price.
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Post by SilverFox on Sept 30, 2008 19:48:34 GMT -5
Hmm, good to hear, I may seriously consider buying the black chain/coif set now.
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