I like the shoulder and arm coverage these pauldrons give me, and the collar protection the gorget gives me. The gorget is two pieces (front and back) that attach together with thick leather straps, and the gorget has thick leather straps with which to attach the pauldrons. I’ve managed to find the best positioning for both sets of strappings so I can put on and take off the whole group as one thing. That is, I don’t have to assemble and disassemble all the pieces to put on or take off. I can even don and doff it all by myself (no squire needed).
As much as I like the look of the German sallet it’s not as comfortable to wear as I’d like. So I ordered a second helmet: this visored barbuta. This helmet is more comfortable as it balances better on my head — it has a chin strap, but it’s not as necessary to have as tight as it is for the sallet. Like the sallet, the visor of this helmet is hinged so it can be raised for better vision and communication. It’s also not quite as thick as the sallet, but still, no blade is going to cut into this helm. It doesn’t feel “bulletproof,” but I don’t at all feel vulnerable in this.
The gambeson I actually ordered through Amazon. I usually wouldn’t trust Amazon sellers for real, protective armor, but I got this gambeson more just for an comfortable layer under armor than for an actual armor piece. It fits well: snug across the chest, a bit more room (to grow 🙂 around my middle. The leather straps are thin, but that’s alright — they’ll be under other metal pieces.
I wanted a shield that could deflect bolts and arrows, even though it will never have to [probably, hopefully?]. This metal shield is 2mm thick, and weights 7 pounds. It feels damn solid.
I’m considering painting it in some way. Maybe two colors with some device in the center. I have some ideas, but I’m going to let them simmer a while before deciding on one.
I think the sallet is a very cool looking helmet, and this version of it with the articulated tail to protect the back of the neck is extra cool. I’m not planning on getting a bevor because I like being able to see down towards the ground (see where I’m stepping), although I am considering getting a mail coif.
But that tail makes the helmet a bit back-heavy. If not for the chin strap, the eye slit rises up too much for me to easily see through it. Fortunately, wearing the chin strap tight isn’t uncomfortable unless I swallow. The front faceplate is hinged so I can rotate the faceplate up and over the top of my head to let me see better. But doing that just makes the whole thing even more back heavy, and so makes the chin strap even tighter.
As a piece of protection, this helmet is solid. It’s thick and sturdy, and even though I know it’s not, it feels freakin’ bulletproof. A hard strike to the head might ring my ears, but no blade will get through this metal.
This is a true/full two-handed longsword (but not a “great sword”). In my previous longsword post I mentioned the other sword could be classified as a bastard sword because the grip is barely long enough for two hands. But this sword has an 8.5 inch grip — enough length for both hands with space between them (for quick pivots and leverage).
This sword is over 47 inches long, and weights only 2.5 pounds. The diamond cross-section (giving it a spine rather than a fuller, like the other sword has) makes this sword stiffer. It doesn’t cut as well as the other sword (which is my best cutting sword), but this sword pierces very well. Where the other long sword may completely sever an opponent’s arm, this one will only cut into the bone. But with the long grip matched with a stiffer blade, this sword will be easier to thrust into those gaps in an opponent’s armor. This sword feels more nimble. This is my favorite two-handed sword.
I found this sword before I bought my first arming sword, but this wasn’t in stock at the time. Right after getting the first, I was alerted that this one was back in stock. The specifications (length, weight, etc.) were all pretty much exactly what I wanted, so I immediately ordered this second arming sword. And I’m so glad I did.
This sword, by Balaur Arms (like my first longsword/bastard sword), is over 38 inches long, and weighs just over 2 pounds. This one-handed sword feels good in my hand, and it’s very easy to wield. It’s light, nimble, and sharp. This sword will stab as well as my rapier, and it cuts better. This is my favorite of my one-handed swords. If I had to sword fight with one hand, this is the blade I’d pick, regardless of the era. It will cut up an unarmored opponent, and it will pierce in between armor plates. This thing is deadly.
I keep telling myself (and my wife) that I have enough swords. That my Wall of Awesome is enough. But then I always find another thing to want. Since I started this blog, I have two new swords and a new axe. I’m now starting to look into armor. I want to feel what it’s like to wear a full suit of medieval armor.
The table and chair is where I sit to polish, oil, and do any other bits of care for my weapons. As they are all made of carbon steel (not stainless steel), they require upkeep. So when I first get a new item (after playing with it for a little bit 🙂 I sit down and give it a good look over. If anything needs to be taken care of (like a spot of rust), I fix it before adding it to the wall.
Fortunately, even with a very, very light coating of oil, these things will be safe from deterioration for months. Unfortunately, I like to take them off the wall and use them, probably too often. Usually I take them down just to handle them a bit: hold them in fighting guards, take practice swings, etc. But sometimes, every couple of months, I’ll take a few down to go outside and cut/stab water bottles. After a lot of handling, and after any water bottle cutting, I have to clean and oil them again. It may sound like a lot of work, but really, I spend maybe 1 hour a month with upkeep. It’s not much at all.
The mattress and blanket on the floor is where I sleep when I want to snuggle with a weapon overnight. [It’s a bed for our dogs to lie on.]
With an early medieval axe (“Viking” axe) in my collection, I decided to add a later medieval axe to it. To balance out the wall layout, you see. I don’t know that this axe is specifically modeled on any particular historical model, but it does have a similar design to some pole axes of the late Middle Ages. This axe head on the end of a 6-foot pole would not seem out of place on a 1500s battlefield. This axe is 25.5 inches long, and weighs less than 2.5 pounds.
While walking through Lowe’s Home Improvement one day, I found that they sell 24″ unfinished round table tops. But I didn’t see a table top, I saw a shield. I bought the table top, then went to Walmart to buy a cheap leather belt. I cut the belt, and fastened two straps to the back of the shield, and viola, I had a basic shield. I found a dragon stencil on Etsy. I sanded the shield smooth, then used some spray paint I already had around the house. The end result is as you see here.
Having never made a shield before, I just did this as a proof of concept. Could I actually make a functional shield for about $35? The stencil paint job isn’t as precise as I wanted, but the straps are strong. The wood is 1 inch thick, and it’s heavy — 7 pounds. I will probably one day take it out and whack it with some weapons just to test how well it would actually hold up, but for now, it’s just a little DIY concept among my Wall of Awesome.
I wanted a Viking style axe to go with my Viking style sword. I actually more wanted a bearded axe, but all such axes I could find in stock had laser etched Norse designs on the blade. As cool as the various knotwork designs were, they were all obviously laser etched, and that just didn’t feel authentic. Having said that, I think the leather strap work on this one might not be all that authentic, either. But I do feel there’s a difference between adding real leather straps to an axe handle, and using a laser beam to etch designs. The leather straps could have be added in its historical time period; the laser etching, not so much.
The axe head on this doesn’t look much different from a modern wood axe from the side view. But the head is a bit thinner than a wood axe head to reduce the weight. I may eventually replace this with a more Vikingy-looking bearded axe (if I can find one without the laser etching).
This axe is 24.5 inches long, and weighs 2.5 pounds. This weapon isn’t as nimble as a sword of equal weight. This weight (all at the far end) prevents quick redirection and skillful use. With a shield in one hand, and this axe in the other, yeah, a strong warrior could hack through some enemies, but it wouldn’t take long to really wear out your arm stamina. A bearded axe would probably be lighter, even with the same length of blade.
It seems pretty well made — the axe head is firmly attached, and the leather stripping hasn’t moved or come loose even with quite a bit of handling. I haven’t seen historical images with cross-stitched leather straps like this, but whether historical or not, it is useful. The edges of the leather straps gives me better grip on the handle. I do like it, and I’m fine with it on my Wall of Awesome.
