armor-chklst-msg - 9/23/98 Things to check on your armor before heading to an SCA event or war. NOTE: See also these files: rattan-msg, duct-tape-msg, armorers-lst, armor-msg, chainmail-msg, p-armor-msg, P-stories-msg, melee-tactics-art. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with seperate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the orignator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous mark.s.harris@motorola.com stefan@florilegium.org ************************************************************************ Subject: ANST - Pre-War Preps Date: Wed, 04 Mar 98 11:13:04 MST From: Dennis Grace To: ansteorra@Ansteorra.ORG, ansteorra-armored-combat@Ansteorra.ORG Salut, Cozyns Lyonel aisai. Many thanks to Erik Wulfriksson (et al.) for the Gulf War Checklist. I'd like to add to that a discussion of a few preparations our bold Ansteorran troops should make prior to departing for the War. Armor straps. Check over every strip of leather or canvvas holding on your armor. If you have weak, stressed straps, now's the time to replace them--even the ones that have miraculously held for a year or more in an obviously weakened condition. You know Murphy's law--that strap's just been waiting to get you in the middle of a battle a thousand miles from home. Speed rivets. Give your harness the once over. Replace any questionable-looking rivets. Thrusting tips. Verify that your thrusting tips meet the size, compression, and marking standards. If you've constructed a new spear or glaive for the war, have a qualified marshall check it before you go. If your thrusters are too stiff, you may have over-taped them (common problem). Try splitting the sides. Swords. Grab your sword by the handgrip and near the sword tip. If you can twist the sword, it's broomed under the tape. Replace it. Breaking your sword over the first enemy you encounter on the battlefield can really screw up your day. Also, have a spare sword rounded, taped up, and ready to go (just in case you break one at the war). Basket hilts. Check the connectors holding hilt to sword. I strongly recommend replacing any hardware with strapping tape. I tape my hilts on--sixteen wraps of strapping tape covered with a layer of vinyl electric tape to keep out the elements. This method is vastly superior to any combination of hose clamps and bolts. I've never had a hilt break loose during a war or tournament. My swords *always* outlast the tape. Shields. Check the edging for splits--if it's split, replace it or edge over it with a wider hose. Check the cord/strapping holding on your edge to make sure it's not worn through anywhere. Verify that your arm-strap, handle, and handguard are intact and that their rivets are in good repair. Authorizations. Get your authorizations *before* you go to the war. Remember, if you're authorized for armored combat, that doesn't mean you're authorized for archery or pultruded fibreglas spear. Personal hygiene. I don't want to sound too parental here, but be sure you clip your fingernails and toenails before you go. Boots and gloves can become distractingly uncomfortable in a long day's fighting if your nails are just a little too long. lo vostre por vos servir Sir Lyonel Oliver Grace Subject: Re: ANST - Pre-War Preps Date: Sat, 07 Mar 98 00:40:27 MST From: "James Crouchet" To: ansteorra@Ansteorra.ORG I have a question and some suggestions. > Speed rivets. Give your harness the once over. Replace any > questionable-looking rivets. What is a speed rivet? Additional suggestions for archers: Test your quiver before you go. Everyone seems to wait to the last minute on this one, and then some folks end up with a quiver that drags the ground or is easily tumped over. What happens if you squat down with a full quiver? Can you run with it on? Remember, you cannot pick up an arrow once it hits the field, so a spilled quiver ends that battle for you. I remember they made us turn our arrows POINT UP year before last, so make sure your quiver is stable with your arrows upside down too. If you are using wooden shafts and removable heads (Baldar Blunts, Thistle Missile, Crane Break) make some extra shafts. Get them completely preped (fletch, nock, tape shaft) except for the head. When your arrows get broken you can use the time between battles to slap those heads onto a new shaft so you keep a full compliment of arrows. Don't forget the extra tape to do the attaching. Put your name and kingdom on all your arrows. It is the surest way to get them all back. I also number each arrow so if I loan some out then one or more are lost we know whether to look where I was shooting or where the other guy was shooting. Inspect all your arrows before you pack them. No need taking damaged arrows. Also, check the tape on the shaft to make sure it has not dried out and started to peel off. Replace any screwed up feathers, broken nocks, bad shafts, etc. Get an extra bow string. Even if you have a brand new one, battle conditions, armor mishaps and even packing miscalculations can result in a cut bowstring and you won't find a replacement on merchant row. Remember, archers need 2 athorizations -- combat archery and armored combat. If you forget to get that armored combat authorization they will not even let you on the field, even if you plan to wear a white diamond and be non-contact. Don Dore Subject: Re: ANST - Pre-War Preps Date: Sat, 07 Mar 98 12:56:20 MST From: Dennis and/or Dory Grace To: ansteorra@Ansteorra.ORG Salut, Cozyns. Lyonel aisai. In response to my suggestion: >>> Speed rivets. Give your harness the once over. Replace any >>> questionable-looking rivets. Don Christian Dore' asks: >>What is a speed rivet? And Mayne de la Croix responds: >A Speed rivet is basically a screw together rivet. I know you can get >them at Tandy Leather Stores. They are available at other locations I am >sure, but I can't think of where right now. Most fighters I know have an >armor repair kit they take with them just about everywhere, even when not >fighting you can make lots of friends by fixing THEIR armor. Um, well, not exactly what I had in mind. In my experience, the two-piece screw-together rivets are usually called post-and-screw rivets or Chicago screws. If you use Chicago screws, I suggest you take along a bottle of Loc-Tite to keep them from working themselves loose. Also, most hardware stores carry these critters. When I said "speed rivets," I meant the hollow, two piece rivets that you hammer together (also available--in a range of sizes--from Tandy Leather stores and most tack and saddle stores). They're useful for holding leather to leather or leather to metal. For these, you need a hammer and an anvil of sorts (for mobile repairs, I usually take along a ball-pean hammer and a John Henry--I use the head of the John Henry as my anvil for replacing speed rivets). lo vostre por vos servir Sir Lyonel Oliver Grace Edited by Mark S. Harris armor-chklst-msg 3