Armor Series

[Ian]

Great video as always!  Man the new guys sure have it easy!  I remember trying to figure this stuff out pre-Internet...

Thank you sir!

Here's the torso armor video:

[westcoastgio]

I can never get sabatons without them being custom
I am a size 15 US Mens 

I feel you, size 14EEE with surgically installed arches here. period footwear and I might never happen.

[Ian]

Arms is up!

[Sir Douglas]

Awesome. I've been attempting a c.1320 arm harness, so I've been waiting for this one.

Okay, two questions. I've been using de Bacon, FitzRalph, and a little bit of d'Abernoun as reference for my arms, and none of them really show how the upper part of the rerebrace terminates. They don't appear like they would have articulated spaudlers, instead relying on the rondels. Would I be correct to assume that the rondels are the only protection on the shoulders?

Secondly, are you planning on doing any further videos like this on other topics once you've covered your entire harness?

[Sir James A]

Abernoun looks, to me, like he has a separate single plate shoulder cop. The other 2, I do not think do.

Check with Dr Metz, as he recently had an armor based on one of these (or similar) commissioned and completed.

[Ian]

de Bacon and FitzRalph appear to be rondels only for the shoulders.  d'Abernoun is harder to tell, because it looks like he has a rondel on his shoulder (since what is there is drawn in the identical style to his elbow rondel), but the line is cut off by what looks like a continuation of the edge of his surcoat, which doesn't really make sense.  I feel like if he's got rondels on the shoulder he probably doesn't have a shoulder cop too, but I can't prove that.

Joe's new arms are inspired by FitzRalph.  I'm not sure what they used to arrive at desgn for the termination of the rerebrace, but I'm not sure there's anything definitive to guide you other than speculation on that.

As far as more videos go, yes I'd like to.  I haven't really sat down and brainstormed ideas yet though.

[Sir Patrick]

Love these. Keep them coming.

[Sir James A]

Second though on Aubernoun. The line of the cop seems to follow the line of his surcoat. Could that be a very very short sleeved surcoat, with the mail coif over top? And the obvious rondels.

[Ian]

Gauntlets

[Sir Patrick]

Loved it!  Who made your gaunts?

[Ian]

Loved it!  Who made your gaunts?

Thank you.  Jeff Wasson made the gauntlets.  He made all of it, except for my helmets.

[Ian]

Had to break helmets up into multiple videos.  Started off with the Great Helm.  Bob Charrette was nice enough to lend me his Mac made helm and bascinet for this one!

[Sir Patrick]

Great video!

[Sir Douglas]

As much as I like the aesthetics of flat top great helms, I have to wonder what spurred the armorers to go in that direction. Conical and hemispherical designs had already existed, so it's not like that knowledge didn't develop until the later sugarloafs (sugarloaves?). It seems like the more that plate covered the lower head, the flatter and wider the tops became. Then they began to narrow until they cycled back to the peaked styles. And it wasn't a short-lived experiment, either, quickly discarded when they realized having a big, inviting landing pad on the top of your head wasn't the greatest idea. They were around for—what?—a couple of centuries, and seem to have been very widespread.

Why not just tack on plate to the already existing conical helms? Was it a cost thing? A sudden influx of lower-skilled armorers? Lack of materials? Easier to mass-produce? A fashion thing? I'm sure there was a reason, but it's beyond me. 

[Ian]

As much as I like the aesthetics of flat top great helms, I have to wonder what spurred the armorers to go in that direction. Conical and hemispherical designs had already existed, so it's not like that knowledge didn't develop until the later sugarloafs (sugarloaves?). It seems like the more that plate covered the lower head, the flatter and wider the tops became. Then they began to narrow until they cycled back to the peaked styles. And it wasn't a short-lived experiment, either, quickly discarded when they realized having a big, inviting landing pad on the top of your head wasn't the greatest idea. They were around for—what?—a couple of centuries, and seem to have been very widespread.

Why not just tack on plate to the already existing conical helms? Was it a cost thing? A sudden influx of lower-skilled armorers? Lack of materials? Easier to mass-produce? A fashion thing? I'm sure there was a reason, but it's beyond me. 

I've often wondered the same exact thing.  You would think they would have arrived at something similar to the sugarloaf first since they already had the top half! 

Maybe the nasal helms shrunk into skullcaps faster than we see and they were worn under even the earliest great helms.  I don't know...