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inspiration and reference I:33 and earlier medieval/crusades martial arts
Sir William:
As long as it is at your side and not on your back, you should be ok. ;)
Although, I believe baldrics were used prior to what we'd term the High Middle Ages (1100AD on), still they seem to have made a comeback during the Renaissance. Those more knowledgeable than me will weigh in, of course.
Sir Edward:
--- Quote from: B. Patricius on 2013-05-10, 03:47:04 ---Back to original topic, any way to see what an authentic kite shield was made from or out of? Because in all seriousness, plywood, let alone laminated plywood is so much heavier than basic wood. Its weight is from all the glue keeping it together. Wouldn't surprise me if the shields weren't nearly as heavy as we think. After all if it was too clumsy, something else would have taken its place all the quicker.
--- End quote ---
I think you're quite right. I suspect they were made relatively light. We do know they were relatively disposable compared to other gear.
The shield I have from Mercenary's Tailor I think is a pretty good weight. It's strong, but not overly heavy. I could fight with that. :)
B. Patricius:
Thanks Sir Edward,
and yeah, just thinking about it in my head, anything built with plywood, be it nicer or fubar, is way too heavy in comparison to any kind of solid wood. One time as an experiment in a wood shop class we built a cheap coffee table from wallyworld that was all ply and fiber board, and a full arts & crafts, mortise and tenon (very similar to medieval joinery). It weighed 30% lighter even though it was a much stouter looking and ten times better built piece. I just wish I won the raffle to get to keep it! ::)
Basically, with rabbits, mortise and tenons, dovetails, etc with a solid 3/4" wood lapped together to make a shield, I just have to feel it's quite a bit lighter, or at least better balanced, as the mass and weight of the wood is far different than plywood so the weight of the shield boss would also balance out differently than what we're used to. Also, I've held a rather heavy kite shield, made from ply but it was strapped and padded impeccably well and looked very period. That shield, once strapped to my arm almost had no weight but just a presence in a way, much like a nice falchion or saber. I didn't really recognize its weight until hours later when I stopped practicing with it.
I need to wait for my rather mundane real life stuff to get situated and the move to be all organized and complete, but it's something I want to try. Period documents state the shields didn't last very long, a battle, maybe two at the most, so I think our wants and desires for a durable shield have made it a bit unbalanced and ungainly in the process.
--- Quote from: Sir William on 2013-05-09, 18:59:40 ---I managed to get ahold of one of the Windlass round shields- too thin at 18 gauge (started showing signs of wear after one session with foam swords if you can believe it) - but even so, its quite handy. I imagine a buckler would be even more so. Who knows, maybe we'll eventually be able to put together a demo along with the longsword ones in the future. Its a fast, fun way to play.
--- End quote ---
Sir William, I sincerely apologize for replying to this so late, I think it got lost in all the side-tracked stuff going on earlier, and I thank Sir Edward for cleaning that up. I'm hoping I will be able to contribute something that can become a guide for others to practice with, a kata, in traditional eastern martial arts terms, much like the 7 stances of I.33 or movements with a longsword through their guards that then evolve into cuts and parries as the swordsman improves. I'll be posting plenty of this on here and on youtube as well. I was shopping yesterday for a new camera, and we've decided to save a bit for the 1080p epic Nikkon we saw.
B. Patricius:
Lord Dane,
it's quite alright, I just wasn't sure where exactly that came from or why. For most kits though, except maybe a Gallowglass, back scabbards aren't documentable and even then, for the Gallowglass, it's more a theory than anything.
Baldrics actually don't seem to be all that pre-Elizabethan at all, more of a Cavalier, mid 17th century onward type of development
beyond that,
here's the shield I was thinking of:
Lord Dane:
Nice kite style shield. :)
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