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A suggestion for custom plate armor

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scott2978:
Yeah not really important to us I guess.

Hey Ian be sure to let us know how that works out ok! :)

The whole debate over how the heel plate was done historically is really mind boggling to me. The experts seem to have their opinions, and maybe it's just my noobishness clouding my judgement, but the effigies just don't show any seams at all. Not a single one that I've looked at has a hinge on it. But my logical mind then screams back at me "Then how the hell did he put the thing on?!" I just don't see a grown man getting his foot through the top of a sabaton without separating the front and back somehow. So then why are there no effigies showing a hinge? Or even a seam in the armor for that matter? It just grates on my mind.

Sir James A:

--- Quote from: scott2978 on 2014-03-07, 04:25:25 ---Yeah not really important to us I guess.

Hey Ian be sure to let us know how that works out ok! :)

The whole debate over how the heel plate was done historically is really mind boggling to me. The experts seem to have their opinions, and maybe it's just my noobishness clouding my judgement, but the effigies just don't show any seams at all. Not a single one that I've looked at has a hinge on it. But my logical mind then screams back at me "Then how the hell did he put the thing on?!" I just don't see a grown man getting his foot through the top of a sabaton without separating the front and back somehow. So then why are there no effigies showing a hinge? Or even a seam in the armor for that matter? It just grates on my mind.




--- End quote ---

You can definitely get your foot into a sabaton if the heel plate were one piece. You just stretch your foot "flat", sort of like putting on chausses, and slide it up towards your calf. Then put on and tie your shoe, and let the sabaton come back down. Try it by buckling your sabaton closed and pretending it's one piece. I can do it. However it's far from "natural" and seems impractical, especially with the consideration that there is no real difference in protection to have it hinged or solid.

There are very few pieces of armor that are solid "rounded" shapes: late period fully-wrapped rerebraces and late model couters that enclose the whole arm (like mine). The only one that might be telling is gauntlet cuffs - stick your hands in, stick your feet in - but we are talking entirely different extremities in form and function.

Gorgets are 2+ pieces
Vambraces are 2+ pieces
Cuirasses are 2+ pieces (early churburg is sectional)
Cuisses are 2+ pieces
Greaves are 2+ pieces

Very late period sabatons were sometimes integrated into the greaves:



It still doesn't solve the mystery of the sabaton heel / hinge, and it's already difficult to find pictures of the backs of armor, let alone the feet. It will likely be a topic of discussion for a long time.

Sir Rodney:

--- Quote from: Sir James A on 2014-03-07, 05:19:41 ---... It still doesn't solve the mystery of the sabaton heel / hinge, and it's already difficult to find pictures of the backs of armor, let alone the feet. It will likely be a topic of discussion for a long time.
--- End quote ---

Agreed, especially for the 14th century.  I thought I had something to contribute, but after searching through my books, saved images and the Effigies & Brasses web site I came up empty handed.  Scott's quote above is quite accurate and the whole thing is very frustrating.

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