r/ArmsandArmor

I think I might have polished them a bit too much. 😂

As the title suggest I'm curious to see if there's people who've had experience ordering from Matuls. I'm looking to buy a bascinet for reenactment. Whilst on the pricier side these do seem to be high quality. Can anyone attest to anything they've made? How responsive are they and do they have long waiting times?

Subtitle: To shield, or not to shield… Is that even a question? (Also, wear a helmet…)

One evening some time ago I got bored and, like any perfectly normal person (at least by my definition), I turned off the TV and decided to make myself a shield.

My first shield, I should add.

Since I didn't feel like waiting until the next day to look for more proper materials, I decided to build it using whatever I already had at home.

I chose the illustration in the second picture as inspiration for its shape. After doing some research, I found that a shield of this general form most likely did exist, but today we know it only from vase paintings, so virtually nothing is known about its actual construction (https://www.salimbeti.com/micenei/shields3.htm). I took that as an invitation to experiment.

The core is made from an MDF offcut I already had. The edges were reinforced with strips of old fabric glued around the perimeter. On the front, I added one layer of chicken wire, three layers of burlap and a layer cut from an old black T-shirt, all bonded together with wood glue. Around the edge I glued a 10 mm rope, with the fabric layers wrapped over it.

Before adding the final fabric layer, I shaped the lions, ships and suns from ordinary twine and glued them onto the surface. Covering them with the T-shirt created the raised decoration. A little yellow fabric paint completed the design.

The metal edging came from an old stainless steel baking tray - I didn't have any bronze or brass at hand. It is rather thin, but light and durable, although shaping it turned out to be far more work than I had expected.

While making the steel rim, I learned why leather was generally the preferred edging material for shields, even though metal was also used historically. Steel is much harder to work with using simple hand tools. If you ever had to repair such a shield during a campaign, you would quickly understand the appeal of leather. It was a very useful practical lesson.

The bosses are made from the same sheet steel, hammered into shape, each backed by a solid wooden block. On the back I fitted a one-handed central grip inspired by examples from the Egyptian New Kingdom (but with an attachment system totally made up by me). Behind the grip is a simple foam pad wrapped in an old black sock for comfort.
I also put in a leather strap for easier carrying, but with this handle design, this can get uncomfortable faster than expected – something that I did not factor in...

In the end I managed to build a functional shield for less than €15 worth of materials.

Ironically, the most expensive components were the brass rivets.

Since this was my very first shield, there are naturally a few mistakes here and there. Overall, though, I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, and I learned a great deal during the process.

So far the shield has been tested against maces and blades and has handled both without much difficulty. I still haven't tested it against arrows, although I suspect it would do reasonably well, at least if we are not talking about a 160-pound war bow, but something more typical.

A very important discovery, however, came during testing.

With this type of one-handed central vertical grip, if a blow lands on the half of the shield closest to your body, the shield will stop the strike—but the impact will also make it rotate, causing the metal rim to swing back toward you. If you are blocking a strike aimed at your head, your head may still get hit—this time by your own shield. The blow is much weaker, of course, but still unpleasant, and in a real fight it would certainly be distracting.

For me, at least, this explains why shields and helmets were such a common combination throughout history.

Has anyone here experienced something similar with this type of shield grip?

Some specifications:

• Height: 56 cm (22 in)
• Width: 50 cm (19.7 in) widest part, 36.5 cm (14.4 in) narrowest part
• MDF core thickness: 9 mm (0.35 in)
• Overall edge thickness: 1.7 cm (0.67 in)
• Weight: 3.508 kg (7.73 lbs)

It's not very historical, but history-inspired, I guess.
Any thoughts, opinions or advice for future projects are welcome!

I mean, I mostly wonder this just because I personally think this helmet design is badass, but even from a practical and engineering standpoint, with the improved metallurgy and production capabilities of the Medieval era, it seems like outfitting a small army with this style of helmet would definitely be possible, and the helmets themselves are engineering marvels, specifically if we are referring to the later typologies, reinforced bowl construction to protect the head from downward blows, upper brow piece to also protect from strikes to the forehead, sloped neck guard, ear openings which not only allow for ease of troop hearing but are also protected from downward glancing blows via the sloped metal plating above them, and of course the open face plate for improved visibility. In my mind this seems like the perfect helmet to outfit a large army if you have the resources, so can someone please explain why it, or at least something very similar didn’t return during the Medieval period?

The blue & white shoulder clothes. Is there a name for this? Any historical reference for this piece of clothing?

M32- Hi Everyone, I'm starting a content page across multiple social media’s for my son and I. The main theme is me in a suit of armour whilst we do medieval/fantasy themed things as well as self improvement (I wanted to be his knight in shining armour!) Trouble is, I've never worn any armour before. I asked AI for a bit of help using some pieces I found online but I wanted you kind people to give me a hand on what I should change. I want my "Character" to look battle worn but regal (Roguishly tough) In my mind I had Castlevania's Trevor Belmont mixed with a sell sword Knight. What do you guys think and what can I make it better? I apologise if AI is not appreciated but it was the only way I could design my concept for the armour I will be eventually buying.
A few caveats- I don’t need it to be overly historically correct but I don’t want anything too over the top. And secondly the colour and logos will be changed too for a personalized crest and colour.

Hey there! I found these images on Pinterest and I really like the armours (especially that backplate). To me they look like German armours, but I can’t find the source. Does anyone know where they’re from? Thanks!

Hi everyone, I'll try and keep my post as brief as I can. I'm hoping to get some insight here on late 14th century armour. I'd like to put something together that represents a well-armoured foot soldier from either France or Italy, from about 1380. I really like the look of this bascinet from Lorifactor: https://www.lorifactor.com/p3382,ah-21-r-bascinet-14-15th-cent-pig-face-hundsgugel-for-order.html and I'd like to know which other pieces would best suit it. I plan to wear mail under a jupon (I found one from SPES medieval market that looks right for this period) and a breastplate over that, which I understand was not as common as wearing it underneath the jupon over the mail (?), and some plate gauntlets. I was also wondering about forearm protection- I'd rather not have 3/4 arm harness made just yet. I've seen some examples of what appears to be separate splint vambrace/bazubands from between 1340-60: https://www.facebook.com/groups/xivcenturyeuropeanarmour/posts/1782746311861902/ and wondered how authentic that would be for the time? I'd hugely appreciate any advice. Many thanks!

I know absolutely nothing about armour, I'm sorry, but what word would be used to refer to the greenish-blue circular piece on the shoulder in this picture? I know it's probably not a realistic 'set' of armour, but I need to know how to refer to it as something other than a 'shoulder pad'. TIA!

Dutch Model 1813 Light Cavalry No. 2 sword, known for their very short production life and are a rare find. The No. 3 version was introduced only a year later in 1814. A very heavy Dutch sword from the Napoleonic war, they were carried by the Dutch Light Cavalry and mounted Artillery during Waterloo. Later some of these swords were used during the Belgian conflict in 1830.

The sword shows the heavy influence of the French style since at the time Holland was just starting to gain independence from being a French providence.

Steel hilt with hand guard and 2 side bars and steel pommel, wooden troopers grip, covered with black horse leather steel scabbard with two loose hanging rings. The length of the sword ca.103 cm. Width at the ricasso 3,5 cm. Weight, including scabbard: Ca. 2,1 Kg

https://www.lambertantiques.com/swords/p/dutch-m1813-light-cavalry-sabre

Ignore my besagew trying to escape

This is the battle sword of Brigadier General Daniel Morgan of Virginia, carried by him throughout the American Revolutionary War.

​Daniel Morgan is one of my favorite figures from the Revolutionary War. He will be the subject of a dedicated post and video in the future, once I have completed my 7th Virginia kit.

​The sword, which is typically housed at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, is currently on loan to the National Museum of the United States Army. I have been meaning to examine this piece in person for quite some time and finally had the opportunity to do so.

​Here is a breakdown of its features:

​The Blade

The sword features an 18th-century blade (likely of Spanish origin) that appears to have been shortened into a hanger. This modification turned the tip into a drop point, which is evident from the abrupt interruption of the fuller. The fuller runs until the last inch of the blade. It features a flat spine that runs the length of the fuller before tapering significantly at the point of the shortening regrind.

​Supporting the theory of its Spanish origin, the blade bears the inscription, "No Me Saques Sin Rason" (Draw me not without reason). The reverse side, which is not pictured, reads, "No Me Envaines Sin Honor" (Sheathe me not without honor).

​The Hilt

The hilt features a typical 18th-century slotted guard, but with an open knuckle bow. The grip appears to be made of wood with spiral fluting. The pommel is a steel cap with no visible indication of a peened tang; it is likely hidden or peened beneath the pommel cap.

​Tracking this sword has been an enjoyable pursuit. I have followed its location since it was on display in Richmond and finally caught up with it on loan to the U.S. Army. This particular side quest was inspired by a member of a sword enthusiast group who wanted to know whether the spine featured a pipe-back design.

​The answer is: it does not.

If you are local to Ft. Belvoir, I highly recommend checking out the Call to Arms special exhibit for the 250th anniversary. It is free to the public and you do not need a CAC to access the museum.