Ed's c.1250-1300 kit(s)

[Sir Brian]

Yep that would work very well! The only down side I could see is the heat factor would be
definately increased. 

[Sir Edward]

Well, here's what's afoot now.

I decided I need some poleyns and couters to add to this kit, and something a little better for the forearms and hands.

I placed an order with Merc's Tailor for the poleyns and couters, and also a set of splinted bracers (I went with the style that alternates the steel and brass, to be a nice accent with the helm's same combination of color). My plan is to taper the sleeves to meet at the elbow a little better, and I may also shorten the mail chausses to meet the top of the boot instead of inserting into it. I think I can free up the knee to move better and not fall apart all the time. I can always replace the knee portion with steel links too.

Now the thing I want to do is locate some good gaunts to go with this. I like the idea of these: (http://www.museumreplicas.com/p-68-mail-gauntlets.aspx), but they look cheap to me. Mail gauntlets with some sort of cuff that comes back a bit would be great. And I don't want mittens, because I'll be wearing them all day at faire. And of course, they need to fit over the new vambraces. Any suggestions? Or should I just make them?

[Sir Wolf]

what if you drill holes in the top side of the vambraces and attached the mail gloves to them instead of the plate part? you'd have to take the plate portion off the gloves so the leather cuff can go under the vambraces

[Sir Edward]

That's an idea. I wonder how far back the leather goes on those. I suppose they're cheap enough to experiment with.

[Sir Wolf]

they look like the regular leather guantlets like you and i have, just the mail and plates or sewn on.

[Sir Brian]

Are these the type of bracers you ordered?
http://www.merctailor.com/catalog/popup_image.php?pID=100
These are the same kind I have and they are great!

As far as those gauntlets though I know a guy at the CRF that has a pair and I wasn't
very impressed with them. The leather is not very thick and those cuff plates will really
be problematic with the bracers. You could always make your gloves like I did mine! Just
order a couple of 1' X 1' sheets of the small welded mail from the ring lord and sew them
onto a pair of sturdy wal-mart work gloves. Mine have been holding up remarkable well! 

Did you order the type of couters that has the roundels already attached like the ones in the link?
http://www.merctailor.com/catalog/popup_image.php?pID=117
If not and you decide you want to add the rondels/ besagews then don't buy them because I have
an extra pair...I ordered them last year when I thought about putting them on my shoulder joint area
but they were too small for that but they are fantastic on the elbow cops...better than the ones that
are attached since it is kind of hard to get to the rust on the permanently attached ones, besides the
besagews are more eye catching than the attached ones! 
http://www.merctailor.com/catalog/popup_image.php?pID=114

You are more than welcome to them if you want them...they do have a bit of surface rust on them but
I'll get them cleaned up a bit for you. I'll even thread them with leather laces so you can attach them
to the strap of the couters if you want them. 

[Sir Edward]

I went with the other style of splinted bracers: http://www.merctailor.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=32 with the brass option.


(hopefully the image inserts properly here)

Yeah, I went with the rondel elbows: http://www.merctailor.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=117 and the non-rondel knees: http://www.merctailor.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=26&products_id=95 in an effort to keep somewhat correct to the earlier part of the 14th. In the decades I'm targeting, technically I shouldn't have vambraces, and not more than the besegews on the elbows, and only simple "soup can" poleyns, so I figure if I fudge a lot of the arm armor, I can still have the besegews /rondels there for the appearance.

Technically some sort of splinted gaunts start to become a possibility in this time range, but I think it would look ridiculous to try to be "accurate" by having wisby gauntlets and only besegews and mail on on my arms otherwise.

My thought on the MRL gaunts was to try removing the plates, and use the leather cuff to affix more mail, or tuck it under the vambraces as Chuck suggested. But I'm just as tempted to order a set of leather gauntlets and make my own mail. It doesn't require much mail to cover that amount of area. I could probably do 16g 1/4" ID galvanized steel rings, and have it look decent. I just haven't decided yet.

[Sir Brian]

Wow! Those bracers are going to look great on your harness! 

Are going to wear them with your new wrestling jacket from revial clothing when they finally send it?

[Sir Edward]

You know, that's a good question. I ordered it before its release, of course, so we'll see when it gets here what I decide to use it for. I figured between harnesses and swordplay, and other garb, I can use it for something, somewhere.

Kat and I were talking about the armor last night, and I mentioned how badly I'm fudging the historical accuracy on the arms and legs (lots of plate/splint components and tall heavy boots aren't exactly correct for around 1320 or earlier), but then, we decided that at least as far as everything from the knees up goes (ignoring the boots), who's to say it couldn't have existed this way a little later? By 1340 these components were in use, and the selection of armor components that I could have might be based on a combination of hand-me-downs and new items. So now I'm even more comfortable with fudging it a little.

[Sir Edward]

I'm thinking I need to upgrade my spaulders too. I bought these because I figured the aluminum would be much more comfortable than my old ones (and it is) and that they would curve over the shoulder more appropriately. They also looked smaller in the pictures when I ordered them, so they don't wrap correctly on my shoulders. They have typical SCA dimensions, being built more like football pads than period spaulders.

[Sir Brian]

Check out the spaulders from the Armour Gnomes. He might even be able to match the shade of blue in your COA.
(if not I always could at my work since I'm now back in my shop!). 

[Sir Wolf]

hmmm I would see if Merc's would make you rerebracers (upper cannon) to match your vambs. that way you can point your new elbows to the upper and lower cannon. sorta like this : http://talbotsfineaccessories.com/books/splinted.JPG  then get a nice early 14thc spaulder to wear over the mail

[Sir Brian]

hmm, that would look cool!

[Sir Wolf]

well what did you decide Sir Ed?  I would seriously pic one of those effigies and build your kit to look a lot like one of them. with fudging room of course for modern convinces hehehe.

I gotta work on my kit too. I've been seriously slacking off due to getting my WW2 kit together for my events this fall.

[Allan Senefelder]

Ed, i'm doing a set of simple plate rebrace with rondels for Luke Ireland, if thats something like whats being discussed.