I can never recall the fancy words the heralds use in their descriptives. The sites below use at least mostly plain English, and I have found them helpful. They are here partly because I don't want to lose the links!
SCA Heraldry Wiki - This links to the Pennsic Traceable Art page, but the entire site is useful.
SCA College of Arms
Wiki: Attitude: Heraldry - good, simple, illustrated 'this is how they are standing' page.
Pictorial Dictionary of Heraldry - basic information and drawings. Good to start with, and a VERY helpful site overall for me.
SCA Armorial Search page - covers the Knowne World. All words, no pictures. Know your herald-ese or have translations handy =)
A Complete Guide To Heraldry - by Arthur Charles Fox-Davies, in Edinburgh, 1909. Now in public domain. Has the illustrations, too.
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Lightweight Brigadine
I needed to replace the brigadine I was using, as it is loaner gear for my barony. I was pretty happy with how it worked for me, so I decided to copy it and add the adjustments I wanted to make.
I wanted to be able to buckle myself - nearly impossible when it buckles in the back, which the original one did. I also wanted it to be lighter and more fitted to me.
I stretch out in my armour. That's how I check f I can do that, and not sacrifice protection, I should be OK on the field. Plus I can warm up easily, in full kit, if I need to. The original brig allowed for this, and that was one of the things I liked. It also adjusted as I slimmed down from the fighting and my fitness increased.
For the fabric pattern, I used the Period Patterns #101.I believe they called it a 'surcoat with optional pockets for plates, optional sleeves.'
Plates: You will need:
You will want to curve the flanks and chest/belly plates slightly, to conform to your body.
Cut out the plates. Round the edges to make them less likely to cut you or your fabrics. You can use sandpaper, a power tool of some kind, or even a utility knife. Just be careful, with any of them. Then wipe them off to remove any dust.
Then drill holes for the rivets:
Riveting:
This is how I put the rivets together:
-Chest plates (top front row) overlap so that they crush forwards, as if you were crossing your arms.
-Belly plates crush downwards, so you can bend over easily. Spine plates do the same.
-Flank plates crush towards the chest/belly.
Notes:
-You should have spine plates from the top down to your pants waist.
-Chest/ belly plates should also go down to your pants waist. They start lower to allow room for neck movement. That space should be covered by your gorget.
-There shouldn't be much (if any) room between flank and spine pieces when you're wearing it. There is room between mine, but not after I strap it on & add my tabard & belt.
-The chest/belly pieces should meet when the brig is buckled on. On the brig that I patterned from, they are solid pieces & the brig buckled in the back. I cut them in half in order to allow for buckling the brig in the front.
-Don't forget to shape the chest and belly pieces to fit you somewhat. It can make a big difference.
Straps: I used leather, and they seem to work best when the rivets are 3/4" (on center) below the plate rivets, two per strap on each side. The one place I didn't do that, I could see a difference in just a couple of weeks.
Sweat will cause the leather dye to transfer also, so I'd suggest light leather & maybe a pale brown or cream type color of fabric. IOW try to match them a bit so the transfer isn't too obvious!
I wanted to be able to buckle myself - nearly impossible when it buckles in the back, which the original one did. I also wanted it to be lighter and more fitted to me.
I stretch out in my armour. That's how I check f I can do that, and not sacrifice protection, I should be OK on the field. Plus I can warm up easily, in full kit, if I need to. The original brig allowed for this, and that was one of the things I liked. It also adjusted as I slimmed down from the fighting and my fitness increased.
For the fabric pattern, I used the Period Patterns #101.I believe they called it a 'surcoat with optional pockets for plates, optional sleeves.'
Plates: You will need:
- Spine: 8 plates (maybe more), 3" square
- Chest: center top: 4 plates, 6" tall & 3" wide
- Flanks: (your sides): 6 plates, 3" wide & 8" tall.
- Belly: 8 plates, 3.5" tall & 8" wide. Four of them should be cut curved at the edges. Two curved for the top, two curved for the bottom (see below). The circles indicate rivet locations:
You will want to curve the flanks and chest/belly plates slightly, to conform to your body.
Cut out the plates. Round the edges to make them less likely to cut you or your fabrics. You can use sandpaper, a power tool of some kind, or even a utility knife. Just be careful, with any of them. Then wipe them off to remove any dust.
Then drill holes for the rivets:
- Spine: one hole at each top corner
- Chest: on the outside long edge, drill one hole in the top corner and another 2" below it. For the two center pieces, drill one more in the top corner.
- Belly: Drill 4 holes, equally spaced, along the top edge.
- Flanks: Drill 3 holes along the long edge, towards the back (the side away from the chest plates). Drill a second matching row about 1" in.
Riveting:
This is how I put the rivets together:
- Push the post side through the plate, then add a washer.
- Then push the post through the linen, *between the fibers.* That's not as hard as it sounds and is better for durability.
- Add another washer.
- Put the rivet cap or washer on and set it.
-Chest plates (top front row) overlap so that they crush forwards, as if you were crossing your arms.
-Belly plates crush downwards, so you can bend over easily. Spine plates do the same.
-Flank plates crush towards the chest/belly.
Notes:
-You should have spine plates from the top down to your pants waist.
-Chest/ belly plates should also go down to your pants waist. They start lower to allow room for neck movement. That space should be covered by your gorget.
-There shouldn't be much (if any) room between flank and spine pieces when you're wearing it. There is room between mine, but not after I strap it on & add my tabard & belt.
-The chest/belly pieces should meet when the brig is buckled on. On the brig that I patterned from, they are solid pieces & the brig buckled in the back. I cut them in half in order to allow for buckling the brig in the front.
-Don't forget to shape the chest and belly pieces to fit you somewhat. It can make a big difference.
Straps: I used leather, and they seem to work best when the rivets are 3/4" (on center) below the plate rivets, two per strap on each side. The one place I didn't do that, I could see a difference in just a couple of weeks.
Sweat will cause the leather dye to transfer also, so I'd suggest light leather & maybe a pale brown or cream type color of fabric. IOW try to match them a bit so the transfer isn't too obvious!
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