Main > The Armoury
Layered gambesons
Ian:
--- Quote from: Sir Ulrich on 2014-08-05, 19:48:22 ---I know some polish sites do offer this option but it's a bit expensive as linens expensive as hell. Cottons another option but I dont think thats breaths as well as linen does.
--- End quote ---
Linen is pretty cheap. It's about $7-$10 a yard, nice wool fabrics are double to triple that. You're not paying for the linen when you go to those sites, you're paying for a custom fit garment that's properly shaped and quilted. The real expensive stuff is the hand constructed garments. It's the labor and proper construction that's making them expensive, not the materials. Cotton breathes just fine, but cotton fabric wouldn't be appropriate if you're going for a historical gambeson for your time period.
Sir Wolf:
cheap? thats expensive! lol more than it was when i made my 25 layer jack hehehe
Ian:
--- Quote from: Sir Wolf on 2014-08-07, 01:47:31 ---cheap? thats expensive! lol more than it was when i made my 25 layer jack hehehe
--- End quote ---
$7 for good quality linen is a good deal. My whole CdB used way less than the 10 yards of linen I bought, so for less than $70 I think I got off pretty good. I'm sure there's cheaper out there but I don't know all the secret LH handshakes to get the good deals :)
Besides, he's talking about custom linen gambesons being over $300 as a justification for 'linen being expensive.' The entire cost of supplies on the retail side of the house is less than $100 for all the linen, thread, and stuffing. Plus you have to consider that commercial stores are buying linen at way cheaper rates than retail. So my point is it's not the linen that's expensive in a $300 gambeson, it's the labor and expertise that you're paying for. The raw materials are but a fraction of that cost.
Thorsteinn:
True. When I made my gambeson, if I had paid myself just $10/hr, it would have cost $235.
Sir James A:
--- Quote from: Ian on 2014-08-06, 20:09:52 ---
--- Quote from: Sir Ulrich on 2014-08-05, 19:48:22 ---I know some polish sites do offer this option but it's a bit expensive as linens expensive as hell. Cottons another option but I dont think thats breaths as well as linen does.
--- End quote ---
Linen is pretty cheap. It's about $7-$10 a yard, nice wool fabrics are double to triple that. You're not paying for the linen when you go to those sites, you're paying for a custom fit garment that's properly shaped and quilted. The real expensive stuff is the hand constructed garments. It's the labor and proper construction that's making them expensive, not the materials. Cotton breathes just fine, but cotton fabric wouldn't be appropriate if you're going for a historical gambeson for your time period.
--- End quote ---
It's been a couple years but I think cotton was $3/yd when I was at JoAnn's last, so $7/yd is more than double. I tried a muslin prototype, at $1/yd, but it didn't go well, and I gave up. Relatively speaking, linen is expensive compared with cotton.
But I completely agree on the primary part of the cost being the custom cut & labor aspect. :)
A Revival arming coat, linen, two layers, no padding, is $250, and that's a "pick from a couple standard sizes" off-the-peg price. Historic Enterprises is even more expensive.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version