Armour

Our Pauldrons

Pauldrons

The skirt style.

Bigger picture at top of page.

The coat of plates.

With chainmail camail.

Both Colyne and Thorfinna are learning how to make armour. They first made their pauldrons (shoulders) under the watchful eye of Edward the Red in an armouring class at Forward into the Past XI. Canton-mate Brandt then held an all day armouring class at his house where, with plastic barrels donated by Ulrich von der See, they made banded coats of plate. Both have been given use of other's old helmets, and both have now been modified for active fighting duty, with new straps. Colyne was lucky enough to inherit an entire suit of steel plate as a loaner set (from Duchess Eanor of Amberhall). The suit needed a few repairs (mostly popped rivets and broken straps), and it needed foam padding added. However, upon putting on all the pieces, Colyne discovered that the suit didn't quite fit him. The legs were too long, one was bent, pieces jabbed him in the shins and armpit. So, it was back to square one.

Undaunted, and knowing they had a lot of black barrel plastic still lying around, they began to use it to convert existing sports equipment. They covered hockey knee/shin guards with leather, and made a Roman-style plastic skirt over a full-length padded gambeson. Colyne cut strips of plastic to make an articulated shell for some hockey elbows, and made some vambraces out of leather covered with plastic and padded with foam. Going in a different direction, Thorfianna made her vambraces from bits of lacrosse kidney padding and cup-style elbows out of plastic.

While they absorbed almost all impact from a blow, the skirts were bulky, making it hard to move around, hard to drop when killed, and hard to stand up again. So, the shirts were dropped, as were the gambesons, replaced with just a sweater. The skirt was replaced by bands of padded plastic hung from the belt and strapped about the thigh. Ass pads were also hung in the back to protect against rump raps.

This worked well for Colyne, although he is going to have to add a piece on his shield-side thigh, as there's a big hole there (been bruised twice). It did not work well for Thorfinna. She found that the thigh bands interfered with her knee, and she spent too much time on the field worrying about them. She took them off, and replaced them with a large hanging piece, contoured to the shape of her thigh (she cut the piece, then put it in the oven at 200 degrees for ten to fifteen minutes to make it malleable). This worked much better for her.

Armour Update August 2002: Ah, Pennsic. Colyne bought a bits bag, full of various bits of armour, plus two used helms. He can now pass on the diving bell he's been using for a slightly smaller helm (3" shorter). The helm, incidentally, is in his colours (gules and argent). First though, he has to re-pad it. Also, he and Thorfinna bought two new basket hilts from Kingslayer Armoury.

Armour Update November 25, 2001: Both Mark II suits of armour are working well, though Thorfinna is still working on making her own pair of leather half gauntlets, Colyne needs a new gorget, and both are still unhappy with their legs.

Armour Update January 14, 2002: Colyne has replaced his plastic elbows with steel, but still needs a new gorget. Both Thorfinna and Colyne are working on new legs.

Armour Update February 2, 2002: Work is progressing on the legs. They are mostly fitted, but need some adjusting. Thorfinna was given a new helm, so gave hers away. The new helm does not fit at all, so she's got her eye on another.

Armour Update March 16, 2002: Ardchreag has been going gungho on armouring, having two armouring nights a week. Thorfinna has new legs, but still want to tinker with them. Colyne has begun working on new legs and (with Berend van der Eych's invaluable assistance) has gotten some articulate metal knees put together. Both have a new gorget and Thorfinna has a new helm that she's customized to fit her. Thorfinna also bought Baron Tankred's arms and has customized them to fit. Armouring is going well!

Armour Update April 9, 2002: Well, at Humour Us! on April 6 Colyne found that his legs still need work. Colyne busted two leg straps and found that the legs were about two-four inches too long for him. People said he looked like he was wearing his daddy's legs. Tonight he cut down the legs and made some stronger straps. Here's hoping they work better now.

Armour Update April 25, 2002: The new straps on Colyne's legs are holding up, but now the right leg doesn't hang quite right. The knee may have to be taken off and re-attached slightly to the right. Thorfinna's legs still aren't working and much cursing can be heard while both of them try to get the damn things to work right!

Armour Update November 4, 2002: I got to try out my newly restructured arms at Petrea Thule. I had been finding the leather arm cannons restrictive so took them apart. What I wanted to do was strap the elbows so they would be free floating and run a small strap from them to my vambraces (to keep them from sliding). Well, when I tried to drill new holes in the elbow I found our drill not up tot he job. When Thorfinna tried she actually broke the bit. So I had to use the existing holes to put the strap on, which I feared would not allow the elbow to be strapped tight enough. However, once I put the soft elbow on underneath it, it strapped just fine. (At the Thule fight practice it didn't slip at all.) What to do about my sliding vambrace though? Mahault had the answer for that one. Why not attach them directly to the soft elbow pad? That's what I did, and it seems to work great.

One lame on my knee popped out, and Daffyd had to use an axe to wedge it open again. I have a small repair to do on it now, as it is a little too loose and sometimes leaves an opening between lames.

Armour Update November 25, 2002: I woke early and went downstairs to fix my knee (which I still had not gotten around to, and had been feeling guilty about all Sunday night). The knee had popped open at Thule’s fight practice on the 3^rd. I had to put a strap inside it which kept the two lames from opening too far, but it also stopped them from closing. I was not at all happy with that. I have no wish to remake my knees/legs AGAIN.

My knee, though it kind of stuck out a bit since it can’t close all the way, didn’t hinder my fighting at all at Ardchreag’s fight practice, so a major repair/remake may be put off for a while.

Armour Update December 10, 2002: At the Ardchreag practice my right pauldron broke, off a glancing shot. My left is fine even though Kenric hit it soundly (leaving me my Christmas bruise). Over the next few weeks, when there will be no Ardchreag fight practice, I will have to repair it, as well as my right hip flap (which also broke) and oil all my straps.

Armour Update February 1, 2003: On the 13th of January, with my other repairs still not done, I fought. When we dropped our kits I counted all the repairs I had to make. Besides the pauldron and the right hip flap, I had a blown elbow, a strap on my leg and half lost a flap over my left hip. Today I finally did all the repairs except for the pauldron. My drill just would not go through the steel. Either the bits are all dull or my old drill is ready to be put to pasture.

Armour Update February 10, 2003: All repairs have been made, but after fighting there were new ones to do. My knee popped open again so I’m also going to have repair that. It won't be done until after Snowed Inn as I have too much to do until then.

Armour Update August 7, 2003: In prep for war I tore apart my leg harness and rebuilt it, fixing my popping knee in the process. I fixed my pauldrons (whose straps are starting to go) and both Thorfinna and I have built coats of plates. We've been wearing them for about a month and a half now and they work pretty good.

Currently we're wearing our old gambesons that we really haven't worn since we made them way back when. They are bulky but aren't too restrictive with the coat of plates. With the plates we need some padding underneath as the plates don't absorb as much impact as the bands in our old harness did. I have placed an extra plate right to the chest of the gambeson to help protect where the ribs branch off.

My helm also now has a chain mail camail thanks to Thorfinna!

Armour Update October 15, 2004: Giving the armour an overhaul in preparation for my first Crown Tourney. I've replaced the chainmail camail with a leather one. (The chainmail was restricting my head movement, though it looked really nice.) Reworking my vambraces, fixing up my legs, completely rebuilding my pauldrons (which were in pieces). and so on. Thinking about replacing my helm. It has been pointed out to me that I loose a lot of fights because of shots to the head that would skip off a rounded helm.

Making the Big Ass Round.

The Big Ass Round.

Thorfinna's first round.

Colyne and Thorfinna's first painted shields.

The Runes read "Fodder for my King and Baron." Thorfinna's shield bears a poster of Baron Cynred of Septentria which reads "We Want You! For the Septentrian Army! Enlist now!" It survived all thirteen battles at Murder Melee.

Colyne and Thorfinna with their wardoors.

Word Won.

Thorfinna's new round.

Word Won with new paint job for taxes.

House De Taahe wardoor.

April 2001: Colyne has use of one of Master Theven's heaters, but he and Thorfinna decided to try their hands at making some rounds. They measured one of King Osis' rounds at a Skeldergate fight practice, not taking into account the fact that Osis had been a very large man. The shield measured two-foot-six, but when Colyne laid out the pattern he accidentally enlarged it to two-foot-eight. When he was done, he was told that the round looked like it belonged to a seven-foot-tall Duke. Dubbing it "Colyne's Wagon Wheel" and "The Big Ass Round", it now does nothing but sit against a wall in the bedroom. It may one day become a table top. Thorfinna's shield was better sized at two-foot-three, but the weight used (3/8") was too heavy. 1/4" or 1/2" would have been better. She is likewise discarding her first shield attempt, and will be cannibalizing it for parts as she makes a new one on 11mm popular plywood.

The edges of the Thorfinna's shield was covered with 3/4" steel strapping (to protect the wood from being hit with weapons) and black hose (to protect the weapons what are doing the hitting). The hose was held in place by artificial sinew (since a lot of it was at hand). It works, but its sticky and picks up lint.

Thorfinna's new shield is completed and saw action twice the week of July 8 and 11, 2001. It is small, fast and light. Colyne will be using the same wood to make a new heater at some point in the future.

Shield and Weapons Update January 14, 2002: Over the next week Colyne will be making a new heater out of a 2 x 4" sheet of 11 mm poplar.

Shield and Weapons Update February 2, 2002: Construction has begun on Colyne's new shield. Thorfinna has begun to paint her round.

Shield Update and Weapons March 16, 2002: Colyne's heater is now complete. It is a 24" x 26" flat heater with a metal handle and a leather arm strap. After using it twice he is going to take Berus' suggestion next time he makes a shield, which is to use two buckled straps. This way, your hand and arm are not taking any strain from holding up the shield. The shield was edged with 3/4" All Round steel strapping and 1/2" heater hose, held on with white twine. Its painted with Colyne's device, and is fibreglassed, but he didn't use enough hardener and it took two weeks to dry! (The cold outside on the balcony where it had to sit likely didn't help either.)

Shield and Weapons Update April 25, 2002: The wardoors are done. This time they made sure to fibreglass the shield before painting it (the fibreglass turned most of the white on Colyne's heater yellow). They used 2 x 4' 11mm popular, edged with 2/4" All Round steel strapping and a black garden hose, held on with white twine. They haven't seen action yet, so we'll see if the wood is thick enough to stand up to spear thrusts or not. Two short swords have also been made.

Shield and Weapons Update June 19, 2002: Both wardoors saw action this weekend past in the ten-man-melee at Murder Melee XIX. Neither of them fell apart and they faced charges by (amongst others) the Hrogn, the Marines and the Rozakii so they must be ok. The Cynred "We want you for the Septentrian Army" poster on Thorfinna's shield survived the day (though it was a little battered).

Shield and Weapons Update September 3, 2002: Pennsic Update. Both of our war doors survived their three days of fighting. In the last minutes of the Hadrian's Wall battle (when we were toast) Thorfinna's shield was carried back into the fray by Isen-brother Gunnar, while Colyne's graced the arm of Thegn Cynred. The Cynred poster survived this as well.

Shield and Weapons Update November 4, 2002: Over the weekend I put together a new, lighter sword with a plastic basket hilt, painted my new war door (the one Berus gave me) and made a 6.5' polearm. I used the new sword at the Thule practice and it worked pretty well, though I think I'll have to shave down the hilt a bit more.

Around the edge of the front of the shield (called Word Won), is a poem that Master Hector wrote in honour of the shield and the manner in which I received it. (Berus Jarl, of House Hrogn, gave it to me to show how much he liked a poem I had written in honour of the Hrogn.) The poem has been written in runes, while an English translation is on the back. Also on the back is my motto, my device and SCA address.

Shield and Weapons Update February 1, 2003: Still haven't shaved down the hilt of my new sword, and don't think I will. It seems to be fitting my hand just fine. Though I don't have my own round yet I have tried both Thorfinna's centre-boss and hung rounds and found them a lot of fun. My use of various shields at an Ardchreag fight practice earned me the moniker 'Colyne Threeshields.' Picture of Thorfinna's centre round to come.

Shield and Weapons Update February 10, 2003: Somewhere during the night at an Ardchreag fight practice my heater received a crushing blow that splintered the top edge. So, I need to make a new heater. I just got the parts to make a round, but I need the heater more. It won't be done until after Snowed Inn as I have too much to do until then.

Shield and Weapons Update End of March 2003: New heater is done. Everything except for the wood blank is recycled from my old shield.

Shield and Weapons Update August 7, 2003: New heater is pretty much demolished. It has perhaps one fight left in it. Luckily, I managed to trade for an aluminum heater blank which I will work on when I get back from war. Baronial taxes this year consisted of each canton having one wardoor at Pennsic with their device put in the chief of a Septentrian wardoor. So Word Won now has a green chief with two white arrows on it. Since this left the bottom portion of the shield looking empty, I painted my motto there. As well, Thorfinna has finally painted her round, and I've made a De Taahe war door.

The three snakes on Thorfinna's round are her new proposed device. The De Taahe shield above was formerly my "Fodder for my King and Baron" Septentrian shield, and under certain light you can still see the Septentrian bear under the blue and yellow paint.