Armor for SwordChick

[Christian Tobler]

Maybe Pamela needs that breastplate that Bill posted about...

CHT

[Sir Edward]

That's not a bad idea. I just pulled out a tape measure to check some of that sizing against myself and it might be too small for me (or barely doable, but I'd be concerned about the waist).

So is this the part where we ask Pamela for her measurements?

[Das Bill]

So is this the part where we ask Pamela for her measurements?

I'm probably in enough trouble with Mark as it is for suggesting all this expensive armor.

My concern about that is the faulds... Christian had made a great point to Pamela about faulds made for men not fitting well on women. But then, maybe that's not a concern if it's only the front piece? I really don't know.

[Sword Chick]

It's a lovely piece and I have no objection to spending that kind of money on one piece, but it's too soon.  I'm still weighing my options.  Though, what do you think?  Would it work?  Is it more 14th or 15th century?  (Thanks for helping me with the learning process.)

And, if I do spend that much, I need time to save for it.  Unlike Bill, I don't have a pretty girlfriend I could sell.     Hmm...There is my firstborn.  Anybody want an academically gifted and musically talented bass player?

[Christian Tobler]

Well Pamela, the GDFB offering is the safer bet anyway - cheap(!), and more likely to fit, I think. Given that it'll cost less than 1/5 what the Stanislav Proczek breastplate costs, it makes sense.

~C

PS. Alternate Plan: kidnap Bill's girlfriend, so *you* can sell her. That gets you: the breastplate, that bastard sword from the Baltimore show, and who knows...

[Sir Edward]

Well, you could always do what I do--- deficit spending.

Then again, there's always the kids' college funds!

[Das Bill]

PS. Alternate Plan: kidnap Bill's girlfriend, so *you* can sell her. That gets you: the breastplate, that bastard sword from the Baltimore show, and who knows...

I am sooo not continuing this conversation, for my own safety...

Anyway, Pamela is on her way. As of tonight, she's bartered her first helmet and bevor combo. And they fit quite nicely, too.

[Christian Tobler]

Did she get the sallet we saw at your place Bill?


CHT

[Das Bill]

Did she get the sallet we saw at your place Bill?


CHT

Nope, that sallet/bevor combo went to Ed. She got this one:


http://www.casiberia.com/product_details.asp?id=AB0451

The sallet is incredibly nice for the price, but unfortunately the visor of this particular one doesn't stay down or up. I was contemplating sending it to someone to have a spring pin added. Pamela tried it on tonight, and it fit her incredibly well. We were talking about how it shouldn't be too much trouble to remove the visor and leave it as an open face sallet.

She also now owns the Windrose bevor that you had told me about. The bevor was pretty good considering it was cheap. Actually, for the price, it was pretty fantastic, but it just barely didn't fit right with my harness. If I put it over the cuirass, it slid around a lot. It fit reasonably well under the cuirass, but it pressed fairly uncomfortably against my collar bones, and I could touch it with my face if I dipped my head slightly forward. I could have tweaked it a bit and forced it, but I think it'll serve Pamela better. Besides which, I've decided to stick with the open faced celeta with the mail standard for my neck, so the only reason to keep the sallet and bevor were simply because they were cool. I'd rather Pamela get use from them than have them simply decorating my closet.

[Das Bill]

So Pamela's got the head protection. She's working on making her arming doublet. She's knows where she's getting her legs, and she's probably going with the GDFB jack chains for the arms. The torso portion is still a little iffy, though she's leaning towards the GDFB breastplate (if she doesn't decide to go custom). That still leaves the hands. I still think she can get away without gauntlets for awhile, as there are tons of pictures of lower class men-at-arms and mercenaries in various iconography, such as in the Chronicles of Froissart. Many of these soldiers are depicted with helmet (almost always open faced that I've seen), torso protection (usually brigandines, though sometimes it appears to be some sort of solid plate with clothing over it), and sometimes with plate arm defenses. So this isn't quite what Pamela's harness is shaping out to be, but I think we can skirt around that for the time being until she can get good gauntlets that fit her.

However, I was looking at BestArmour, and these might work out quite nicely:


http://www.bestarmour.com/rukavice3.htm

They're fingerless, so that might mean that the fit won't be as big of a concern. They're also significantly cheaper than other gauntlets because of this. (4000 CZK = $249.84 USD, not counting shipping) On the other hand, BestArmour does custom make the gauntlets, so maybe Pamela would rather have full gauntlets, since they can probably make them to fit her.

Either way, "word on the street" is that BestArmour has about a year waiting list right now. Still, I'm considering getting on that list for a set of custom gauntlets... Pamela, if you're interested, let me know, maybe we can go in on an order and split shipping from the Czech Republic.

[Sword Chick]

I am so gosh darn happy!  Wow, Bill, I think this is the first time someone has given me a gift as a thank you for all my nagging.    Thank you, my friend.

<wearing the helmet and doing a little happy dance>

Would you like a tall skinny bass player in exchange?  Oh, that's right.  You are one.   

[Sir Wolf]

well we want pictures Pam!!!!

remember Bill, we don't see jack chains on anything but jacks. meaning low man on the totem pole as far as plate. i don't think they would work so well on an arming doublet with a bunch of other armour.  If she's going for a "more plate" approach, I'd skip the jack chains.  I still wear my sleeveless jack with full arms and gauntlets, only because I'm a billman and an archer.  As soon as I find the right legs and breastplate I'll drop the jack

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee66/medievalguy88/MTA%202008/IMG_0955.jpg?t=1207221422 here u can see the new 28 layer jack jamesb made for a guy in Lord Greys. those are patrick thaden's chains he's wearin

[Sir Edward]

Either way, "word on the street" is that BestArmour has about a year waiting list right now. Still, I'm considering getting on that list for a set of custom gauntlets... Pamela, if you're interested, let me know, maybe we can go in on an order and split shipping from the Czech Republic.

Let me know if you guys do this, I see all sorts of things I like.

I love the look of these: http://www.bestarmour.com/detailsparts/rukavice22.html

Though I suspect these would work better with the wide cuffs on my vambraces: http://www.bestarmour.com/detailsparts/rukavice23.html

[Sir Edward]

Some other possible links for custom work:

http://justus.pair.com/GalleryPhotos/slides/Hourglass.html

http://www.medievalrepro.com/

http://www.ageofarmour.com/past.html

[Christian Tobler]

If you're going to go with BestArmour, and incur the wait anyway, I'd really advise getting fingers on the gauntlets, or get mitten gauntlets. Sure, there's some evidence for half-gauntlets with mail fingers, but really for the 15th c., that's an oddity, and much less protective at that if you ever wanted to bout with steel blunts.

C