Helmet plumes

[Leganoth]

How do you plume a helmet? I want to plume my great helm but what holds the plumes and where can you buy plumes?

[Sir Gerard de Rodes]

Hi Leganoth.
They are really easy to make.
Follow this thread on our living history forum. There is a photograph of a plume holder just over half way down. I have one of these that I wear on my Houndskull bascinet.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150421867277573&set=a.10150421861597573.399386.687517572&type=3&theater
G.

[Leganoth]

Hi Leganoth.
They are really easy to make.
Follow this thread on our living history forum. There is a photograph of a plume holder just over half way down. I have one of these that I wear on my Houndskull bascinet.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150421867277573&set=a.10150421861597573.399386.687517572&type=3&theater
G.

What did you use to hold the plume? I can see it but not make out what it is

[Sir Gerard de Rodes]

The plume is held into the holder with wax,( or blue tack for a quick solution) the plume holder would usually be attached to the helm using rivets, but I choose to tie it on with thonging so I can remove it easily.
G.

[Leganoth]

is there any skill to making the holder? Can you post a close up picture or alternative ways to attatch them?

[Sir Gerard de Rodes]

I doubt that making one of these holders would be beyond the skill of a man of your calibre.
There are some ideas, and instructions, in that thread from the Living History forum that I posted the link to for you.
Photographs as requested can be found here;

http://s230.photobucket.com/albums/ee200/JOBO_028/Tournament%20Helmet/
I hope these help.
G.

[Leganoth]

I doubt that making one of these holders would be beyond the skill of a man of your calibre.
There are some ideas, and instructions, in that thread from the Living History forum that I posted the link to for you.
Photographs as requested can be found here;

http://s230.photobucket.com/albums/ee200/JOBO_028/Tournament%20Helmet/
I hope these help.
G.

Odd, I never got a link to the forum, just a link to the facebook picture.

[Sir Gerard de Rodes]

Ok ok, try www.livinghistory.co.uk  then go to forums, then go to the medieval threads and look for a thread that mentions plumes. If you still have no luck I will post a link later when I get in from work.  None the less I hope the information, photographs and effort is usefull and appreciated.
G.

[Sir William]

Leg, try this link:  http://www.livinghistory.co.uk - that might work out better.   

[Sir Gerard de Rodes]

Thanks Sir William, my fingers don`t seen to be the right size to operate the keys on my phone 

At last, here is the thread anyway;
http://livinghistory.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=22233&hilit=plume+holder
G.

[Leganoth]

Oh god I don't think I have the skillnto make that and rivet it into my helm :/

[Sir William]

It looks like Chris Anson can make them...then you'd just have to get it riveted onto your helm.  There are at least two of our fellow knights who have the required skill to pull that off...you just need to meet up w/them at some point so it can happen.

I hadn't really given a plume much thought...but it would look sorta cool.

[Leganoth]

It looks like Chris Anson can make them...then you'd just have to get it riveted onto your helm.  There are at least two of our fellow knights who have the required skill to pull that off...you just need to meet up w/them at some point so it can happen.

I hadn't really given a plume much thought...but it would look sorta cool.

Yeah i wouldnt know how to do riveting and i dont want to mess my helm up

[Sir James A]

If you want a cheap and easy way to rivet the holder to the helm, it's just drilling 2 holes then using "speed rivets", which are small rivets that you attach with a little rivet gun. You can pick up the gun & some misc starter rivets for around $15.

I haven't really seen much of any plumes pre 15th-ish century, I think the torse and mantle is more appropriate to the earlier periods, if that's of any concern.

[Sir Gerard de Rodes]

If you want a cheap and easy way to rivet the holder to the helm, it's just drilling 2 holes then using "speed rivets", which are small rivets that you attach with a little rivet gun. You can pick up the gun & some misc starter rivets for around $15.

I haven't really seen much of any plumes pre 15th-ish century, I think the torse and mantle is more appropriate to the earlier periods, if that's of any concern.

Alot of the illustrations in the 14th century manuscript, Guiron le Courtois c. 1370-1380, have knights with feathers as their crests, or at least part of.
This is about the clearest pictoral evidence for the use of plumes in the 14th century;
http://visualiseur.bnf.fr/ConsulterElementNum?O=IFN-08100550&E=JPEG&Deb=45&Fin=45&Param=C

Or here`s another in a manuscript with several Arthurian stories, c. 1380-1385
 http://visualiseur.bnf.fr/ConsulterElementNum?O=IFN-08100550&E=JPEG&Deb=45&Fin=45&Param=C

G.