Alternative to mittens in full hauberks

[Sir Edward]

We rarely see people do integrated mittens in full-length hauberks. For going to the renfaire in particular, it seems impractical when you want to be eating, using your wallet, etc.  (What's in YER wallet!? Grrrr! lol)

Of course, a lot of the time the mittens were designed to open at the wrist so you could pull your hand out. But you can't buy that off the rack these days.

I like what Joe Metz did with his, in this picture (a lovely anachronism of an image, and I love the caption):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnmartine63/2713099085/#?ref=nf

It looks to me like fingerless gauntlets underneath full sleeves, with straps going around the palm.

[SirNathanQ]

I think that's actually quite period for the early-mid twelfth century.
And Since I'll be doing early 14th century, I'll be sporting a pair of these.
http://www.therionarms.com/reenact/therionarms_c594.html

 

[Sir Wolf]

wait what do you mean no one has mail gloves on at ren faires? i did all that work for nothing?

Sir Edward has a set of those that he took off the plate bracers. he still says they are a pain in the butt.

[Sir Edward]

wait what do you mean no one has mail gloves on at ren faires? i did all that work for nothing?

I said rarely. You, my friend, are the exception, and not the rule.

Sir Edward has a set of those that he took off the plate bracers. he still says they are a pain in the butt.

Yeah, I took the plates off, and left the plain leather cuff. They work well enough like that. What really made them a pain is the way I used them. I was wearing the leather cuff underneath whatever vambraces the particular kit had. This made it look continuous (no gap at the wrist through which you could see skin), and it actually helped keep my splinted bracers in place. But what made it a pain was that I couldn't take them off without taking off the vambraces first, so at the renfaires, it made it really hard to access my wallet or to eat.

[Sir Wolf]

what if you slit them at the palm or wrist? or just had a small 1/2 inch cuff as to cover the skin but not go under the vambracer?

[Sir Ulrich]

I am planning to make mittens myself, just need a source for a pair of leather mittens I can sew the maille onto. For now I'm going to make due with these leather gauntlets I have.

[SirNathanQ]

That would be the pain with mittens 

I plan to wear them with the plates over the Hauberk.
The look I'll be making is the early transitional Maille with minor plate reinforcements.
I'll be wearing those with these on my elbows. So I should be able to pop them off real quick. Any problems as far as movement or fit is concerned?


http://armstreet.com/store/armor/medieval-sca-elbow-cops-arm-arms-armor-etching-western

[Sir Edward]

Nope, they move pretty well. No problem opening and closing the hands at all. The only thing is that the cuff might flop around on you a bit. It might actually be nice to run a cord through the back edge of the cuff and tie it closed around your forearm, so it behaves more like a vambrace. I don't know if that would work or not. But as-is, I feel it's like the French Taunter in Monty Python, with the cuffs flapping open as you tap the top of your head.

[Sir Wolf]

heheh giggling over mental image

[SirNathanQ]

Haha, Teutonic Taunterbruden!

[Sir William]

Think I might go the fingerless gauntlet route...I like the way his looks.  I've taken to using a pair of arm garters for wearing under bracers...mine tended to pinch at the wrists after a long day.  Now that I have arm harnesses, I see how weight is supposed to be distributed...the hope being that I won't have to resort to some of the padding measures used in the past to alleviate stress points.