(was ailettes) now working on my kit

[Sir Wolf]

so i started a pair of ailettes today.  i cut a heavy piece of leather and dyed it.  i am thinking of backing it with either another piece of leather or a piece of wood to attach it to the hauberk via ties.  I need to paint the rampant lion on each with red as well.

its small but its a start

ok started on a new thin waist belt.  I found a buckle and end that needed mounting so I cut a small long belt blank, burred the edges and am waiting for my drill battery to charge to drill out the holes larger in the bronze fittings to mount them to the belt.  what color should I make the belt? I am thinking of needs-foot oiling it so it is a darker natural brown.

then hmmm. thinking of my surcoat. I really need to get that thing redone. 

is my shield. So should I split my hauberk black and grey? make it all black with the lion on the chest. Ug I don't know what would look the best. hehehe.

my biggest problem with the kit is my legs.  I want to buy a set of mail chausis from Icefalcon, but there in the 300 $ is the problem.  Might have to go with the padding this year and fit it at Christmas time.

[Sir Patrick]

Did you finish your ailletes, Sir Wolf?  These are mine.  They are boiled leather saddle-stitched to 1/4 in. plywood wrapped in felt.  You mentioned you were uncertain if you were going to back yours or not.  If you boil the leather, it gets stiff as a board (literally), so if yours is thick enough, you might not need any backing.  Post some pics, if you have any.  BTW, I vote for a black and gray surcoat with a red lion!

[Sir Brian]

EXCELLENT! Well done indeed! Do you have any pictures of you wearing them? It is such a rare treat to see a harness with ailettes! 

[Sir William]

I love your shield man.  A matching surcoat would be smashing!  At the risk of sounding ignorant, what're ailletes?  Like espaliers?

[Sir Edward]

Yes, they're an earlier form of shoulder attachments. It's not clear historically if they were meant to be protective at all, or merely ornamental. Some believe they were meant only to add a little splash of heraldry on the shoulders, so that you would be identifiable from the sides without your shield, since they were made mostly of leather and tended to sit upright on the corners of the shoulders. The amount of protection they'd give would be minor compared to the mail underneath. But, being over the joints, they may have helped to soften blows at those points, so it's hard to say.

[Sir William]

You know, at the risk of revealing my overarching gaming nerdiness, I noticed similar arming pieces on Crusader knights in the first game of Assassin's Creed...instead of curving around the shoulder like an espalier, these were flat and looked to be of a hardened leather or steel.  I know, I know, just a game, but they got their inspiration from somewhere, I prefer to believe it to have been somewhat historically accurate with regard to armor, weapons and styles of dress.  Plus, the guidebook had large illustrations so I was able to get a good look, so to speak.  Anyone else play it?  It is still one of my most favorite games of all time; from time to time I'll plug it in just to go a-hunting in the Holy Land!

I never knew what they were called, though. 

[Sir Patrick]

EXCELLENT! Well done indeed! Do you have any pictures of you wearing them? It is such a rare treat to see a harness with ailettes!  

Not yet.  I'm hoping to get my gambeson project going in the next two weeks, and then I'll actually have something to attach them to !  

A matching surcoat would be smashing!

I have one I threw together earlier out of a canvas tarp.  It's quartered red and natural, but the more I've studied, the less I like it.  It's too short and poorly tailored.   I'll make another one after I finish my gambeson so I can be more sure of the fit.  I plan on going solid red with a large ermine cinquefoil on the chest.

[Sir William]

I like yours too, Red Knight, never seen a cincefoil before I saw your shield; I'm assuming that's the 5-lobed...thing...of which there are three on your shield.

[Sir Wolf]

Red Knight, what size did you make yours? I cut and dyed some leather ones but I'm not real happy with them so I didn't attach them to any wood etc. is that red dye or paint?

[Sir Patrick]

The leather panel started out as 9x7, but when it boiled, it shrunk (and also got thicker) to 7x5.  They will still work (though I wouldn't go any smaller), but I think next time I will size them after boiling.  I didn't this time because I read trying to cut them after was a PITA.  All colors are acrylic paint.  A post on another forum says it works well on leather (adhesion, flexibility), and so far I've had no problems.  I predrilled all the holes in the leather and wood, then glued the felt down (avoiding placing any glue near the holes).  Stitched together with aftificial sinew, which I went over with a Sharpie on the back side, paint on the front.  Here's a useful link on boiling leather for armour:  http://www.daviddfriedman.com/Medieval/Articles/Perfect_Armor_Improved.htm

[Sir Patrick]

I like yours too, Red Knight, never seen a cincefoil before I saw your shield; I'm assuming that's the 5-lobed...thing...of which there are three on your shield.

Yep.  The device dates from 1033, and signifies strength, power, honor, and loyalty.  The arms on my shield are a variation of those usually associated with my surname.

[Sir Wolf]

oh yes i know how to do that ( I used to make leather armour as a hobby hehhe)

thanks for the sizing and the paint idea!

[Sir William]

I like yours too, Red Knight, never seen a cincefoil before I saw your shield; I'm assuming that's the 5-lobed...thing...of which there are three on your shield.

Yep.  The device dates from 1033, and signifies strength, power, honor, and loyalty.  The arms on my shield are a variation of those usually associated with my surname.

Even better!

[Sir Brian]

*Bump*

so i started a pair of ailettes today.  i cut a heavy piece of leather and dyed it.  i am thinking of backing it with either another piece of leather or a piece of wood to attach it to the hauberk via ties.  I need to paint the rampant lion on each with red as well.

EXCELLENT! Well done indeed! Do you have any pictures of you wearing them? It is such a rare treat to see a harness with ailettes! 

Not yet.  I'm hoping to get my gambeson project going in the next two weeks, and then I'll actually have something to attach them to ! 

Okay, so where are you gentlemen at with these projects? Have any pictures yet? 

[Sir Edward]

Coincidentally, I just attached my ailettes last night. I plan to have them at the knightings. I never did get around to painting the charges, but they still have the color divisions to match my shield, so it's all good.