My latest aquisition/Need help with gauntlets

[merc3065]

This is what I am having made for me by a blacksmith over in the Ukraine that goes by the screen name of tengushin over at Armour Archive.
14ga hardened spring steel
Sugarloaf style with flip up visor
Brass cross on the front
Lined with a proper heavy duty liner, chin strap
This is what the front will look like

Can't wait to see what it turns out like.

Next question, I need gauntlets that have better thumb protection.
The style I currently own are fingered and do not have my leather glove sewn in.
What happens during sword play is the plates on my thumb will shift towards the hilt of the sword or cudgel and leave the entire side of my thumb exposed.

I got a pretty good whack on the side of my thumb with a wooden cudgel and it drove the rivet from the back of the armor plate into my thumb through the leather.  Just a minor scrape but that really smart.

Is there anything that I can do short of sewing the leather finger straps to the gloves to avoid this happening?

[Allan Senefelder]

Not particularly. The more secure the glove is inside the plate gauntlet shell the better put the two will stay together. I learned this personally over the years making for people. For a while never having seen an intact original glove in a period gauntlet we just stitched down the finger tips of the gloves. After a bit the after action reports started comming in and we finally had hands on time with a gloved original and discovered the stiching went most all the around each finger which once viewed in person ( as has so often happened to me and i'm sure to others over the years in the field ) made perfect sense, the more secure the two, glove and gauntlet are held to each other the less able one is to slide, one apart from the other. Additionally sewing to a leather strap riveted around the cuff, or directly riveting the glove to the cuff will help as well and is historical. None of this is really that tough, just ask James or Wulf, the living history buffs here ( theres tons and tons of do it yourself stuff like this done in LH and both these guys have ). Needle and waxed twine or thread, a drill, a bit, some rivets, ann awl and a few washers. A Sharpie marker is always helpfull.

[Thorsteinn]

Do you have pics of the gauntlet?

[Sir William]

That's a nice helm; Tengushin does good work.

[merc3065]

I'll post some pictures of the gauntlet when I get home tonite.
Needless to say, don't use gauntlets when playing with wooden cudgels for back swording practice.  They do a number on the thin scales.

[Sir William]

Do you leave your hands unprotected when playing with cudgels?

[merc3065]

This is the gauntlets, best I could get with photobucket's size shrinking.
They have loops that go around your finger tips.
Noticed when i was oiling everything this evening that one of the knuckles was bashed in from a cudgel hit as well as one of the thumb scales.

And yes, I used just the gauntlets and bracer without a basket or pot for the longest time until someone was getting a little over excited and that's when I got whacked on the side of my thumb.  It's also when I realized that the thumb plate had swiveled and I had no protection on my thumb basically.

So I'm debating if I sew my leather gloves into them or not as I like to be able to use the gloves for just whatever.  I can get another pair like them so I have the option to.

[Allan Senefelder]

Unless you want to continue to have these sleuce around on your hands get out the needle and thread and a few rivets for the cuffs too. The finger leathers are cut pretty tight to the lames so it'll be a squeeze. Who made these ( they look a bit like ones I see on ebay for $49 a fair amount at least from the few pics posted ).

[merc3065]

Wouldn't be surprised if they are the similar to the ebay cheapies.  These are from somewhere in eastern Europe.  I bought the whole kit at a ren faire in Milton Ontario.

I paid just over $1000 for my entire harness of 18ga plate.  It's pretty much just for show, nothing will withstand more than a few hits before becoming damaged and wooden weapons do a number on steel plate, more so than steel on steel. 

I may wind up putting this up on a display and working on a more robust harness that is more period and can be used for proper steel combat.

In reality, the fiancee doesn't want me to be horsing around in this too much as it's supposed to be part of my outfit for our wedding next September heh
I'll be working on sewing the gloves to the gauntlets over the holidays.

[Sir Edward]

In reality, the fiancee doesn't want me to be horsing around in this too much as it's supposed to be part of my outfit for our wedding next September heh

Congrats!

[Sir Brian]

Truly congratulations for your upcoming nuptials! Well since she doesn't want you to bang up your "wedding" harness that means you have the green light to purchase your 'battle' harness right? 

[merc3065]

Sorta a green light, more of a glare than anything lol

Helmet is completed at least!



Should see this in my eager little hands in the next 2 weeks.

[merc3065]

I really hope it lets me breathe well enough to keep it on for a decent amount of time.

I'll be using that for long sword over the next few months.
Back sword is done for now

[Sir Brian]

Very sweet looking helm! Congratulations! 

[Sir Wolf]

nice helmet!!!!!!