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Post by matte225 on Sept 27, 2018 23:28:37 GMT
So I have been thinking of getting myself a heater shield. Seems simple enough. Shieldsplus makes some great shields. But shipping is super expensive! So I have been thinking of getting the Heater shield from Deepeeka. Id be able to paint it myself, but I do not know the quality. Seems it is plywood, etc.
I would make my own, but I do not have the space to do it, and winter is coming.
Also a gambeson would be nice. As I side in other threads, I am a smaller guy. So it is hard to find one that fits. I have seen the ones on Steel Mastery and arms street. But again. Shipping to the USA is expensive. Even though I would be able to have it made to fit me, or close at least.
Main question is, does anyone have experience with the Deepeeka blank wooden shields? Any recommendations on a US domestic gambeson maker?
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Post by Jordan Williams on Sept 28, 2018 0:13:46 GMT
What do you plan on using the gambeson for? I have an Axel Petterson jacket and it works well for my fencing needs. Very well padded.
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Post by matte225 on Sept 28, 2018 0:34:16 GMT
What do you plan on using the gambeson for? I have an Axel Petterson jacket and it works well for my fencing needs. Very well padded. Well, I do not plan on going to war with it. But would be nice if it isnt just a costume piece. How many layers should an effective jack or gambeson be? Steel mastery has a lot of options, from fairly thin, to thicc
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pgandy
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Senior Forumite
Posts: 10,296
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Post by pgandy on Sept 28, 2018 14:16:13 GMT
As for a factory shield I have no experience with Deepeeka but I see their straps are not adjustable and weight unknown. I got my heater shield from KoA and I think it was made by Windlass though no name was mentioned. Windlass did sell one identical to it at one time. My shield is 1” thick which is more than need be in my opinion but gives the impression that it will stop anything and take much punishment. It weighs 8 ¾ lbs which I find a bit tiring in the long haul. The straps are adjustable. KoA is now offering a Windlass Templar shield that appears to be basically the same except painted and ½” thick, obviously will be lighter. I think this is better than the over built shield that I have. I made a round shield that is lighter, faster, and less fatiguing that I prefer.
As for a gambeson that is rather a more difficult question. If you do a search on eBay for gambesons you will find many. I have two, one is lighter, more flexible and comfortable made to my measurements by a Canadian company that I have since forgotten, but scanning eBay I see two companies in the US selling what appears to be their design and located in NY but could not find the old company. Their prices are cheaper and no Canadian shipping charges. Sellers are jmkhan52 and qualiyum96. That gambeson is a bit thin for a wear alone but works well to pad plate and chain. I can cuff the sleeves preventing vambraces from sliding down. The other gambeson is battle grade by Lord of Battles from KoA. It is quite thick, stiffer and took a break in period, but I fail to be able to cut throw it or more accurately a collar made of similar material from the same company.
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Post by strigoil on Sept 28, 2018 18:12:25 GMT
I don't know of any American gambeson makers, but if you do end up deciding on the european market..AD1410 on Facebook and Medieval Marker are both great, out of them I own Medieval market but would probably go with AD1410 if I was to buy now. MM are great but measurements can be a bit tricky.
Steel Mastery look good but to me they don't quite hit that mark for historical looks, more for HMB. they are however good quality so you won't go wrong with them either.
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Post by matte225 on Sept 28, 2018 20:52:03 GMT
I don't know of any American gambeson makers, but if you do end up deciding on the european market..AD1410 on Facebook and Medieval Marker are both great, out of them I own Medieval market but would probably go with AD1410 if I was to buy now. MM are great but measurements can be a bit tricky. Steel Mastery look good but to me they don't quite hit that mark for historical looks, more for HMB. they are however good quality so you won't go wrong with them either. They seem good too. armstreet.com/store/armor/european-underarmor-gambezon-padding-jack I kind of like this one. Or This one: steel-mastery.com/closed-front-gambeson-x-xii-centuries.htmlThey seem to be close to my measurements, and I would prefer brighter colors (afaik, medieval people did like bright and gaudy colors). Still would like to at least be able to try them on to see if they fit, or wont ride up if I raise my arms. The joys of living in the middle of nowhere USA
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Post by strigoil on Sept 28, 2018 21:13:42 GMT
Those both look fine, do you plan on getting together a full look? If you are I suggest at least somewhat matching up the timeline you're going for, the fashions changed a lot between centuries and locations, unless you're doing strict reenactment staying within the same century or 50 year gap will be fine and you'll have a kit that looks good and like it makes sense.
You'd be wanting to get a pair of hosen and something to fasten them to as well if you're going for the full kit.
It would always be best to try things on but it's very difficult with these things, even for us europeans it's a big hassle if things don't end up fitting properly, I have some armor pieces in the mail at the moment and I'm sweating, hoping it fits properly after almost a 1 year wait.
I've never bought from Steel Mastery but I have ordered from Armstreet, I have a pair of shoes and some viking stuff from them, it's good stuff and they seem to hit measurements well.
I wouldn't order armor there tho, it's very LARPy..Had a pair of gauntlets and they were bulky and didn't fit too well, much better off buying elsewhere, stick to clothes from them.
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Post by matte225 on Sept 28, 2018 22:57:04 GMT
Those both look fine, do you plan on getting together a full look? If you are I suggest at least somewhat matching up the timeline you're going for, the fashions changed a lot between centuries and locations, unless you're doing strict reenactment staying within the same century or 50 year gap will be fine and you'll have a kit that looks good and like it makes sense. You'd be wanting to get a pair of hosen and something to fasten them to as well if you're going for the full kit. It would always be best to try things on but it's very difficult with these things, even for us europeans it's a big hassle if things don't end up fitting properly, I have some armor pieces in the mail at the moment and I'm sweating, hoping it fits properly after almost a 1 year wait. I've never bought from Steel Mastery but I have ordered from Armstreet, I have a pair of shoes and some viking stuff from them, it's good stuff and they seem to hit measurements well. I wouldn't order armor there tho, it's very LARPy..Had a pair of gauntlets and they were bulky and didn't fit too well, much better off buying elsewhere, stick to clothes from them. Well I have a type XIV so I would say 14th century? Also have a buckler coming in the mail. For helmet I was thinking a kettle helm of some sort. A few makers have them and they are affordable. Also a heater shield (maybe) Would that kit be some what accurate?
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Post by strigoil on Sept 28, 2018 23:23:38 GMT
That sounds like it would be good, yeah, I love kettle helmets and the 14th century has good ones to take from.
The one you linked from Steel Mastery wouldn't quite fit the timeline, but I guess the Armstreet one could work, despite not being entirely accurate.
You can do seperate hose for 14th century no problem so that means you won't struggle as much with fitting for those, so that's great.
You can also save money by getting a belt with holes in it for suspending them under the gambeson instead of a doublet or pourpoint.
Consider color coordination and how they combined colors in heraldry, often you would combine a metal with a color, metals being yellow and white..Colours being everything else, 3 colors were used as well of course.
For example if you go with a bright blue gambeson in the picture, I wouldn't go with blue hosen, yellow or white hosen would look good, or maybe have one white one blue. Other popular combinations are yellow and green, red and black, red and white, black and yellow.
It's good to really consider these things, you're gonna spend a bit of money so it sucks if things don't end up looking that great together, I made that mistake a bit in the beginning but learned my lesson.
Of course you don't have to buy everything at once, there are some good makers of clothes in the US like Historic Enterprises.
Also consider materials, your underwear will be linen, this includes a shirt and a boxer like garment. Gambeson needs to be linen, hose in wool. Tunics, hoods..Whatever accessories like that you may get..Wool.
Sorry if I'm feeding you information you already know, I've just been through a lot of ordering and learning myself the past year and a half on this, so sharing what I learned.
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Post by matte225 on Sept 29, 2018 0:46:37 GMT
Thanks for the tips! especially on the color. The color scheme I was going to try to go for was blue-yellow or yellow-black. I am not TOO concerned with the way way under clothing being accurate.
What would a more accurate and period correct gambeson look like?
EDIT: Measured myself...ive gotten a chub now....
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Post by strigoil on Sept 29, 2018 8:57:51 GMT
The chub takes us all, my friend.
The problem for me with the Armstreet one is how it flares and how far down it goes, usually it wouldn't go more than halfway to your knee and be a bit more shaped to the body. I may be wrong, and there may be examples of gambesons like this I don't know about in Europe, it looks more eastern influenced to me, I'm not an expert. Some examples can be seen here
Of course you don't have to be super authentic and all that jazz, it really depends what you want to use it for, my kit isn't perfect either and from a strict reenactment view probably never will be.
Even if you don't buy from him, a lot of AD1410's pictures can also be used for some visual reference, the ones where he writes that they are based on sources anyway, he also does HMB stuff.
One thing you might want so you dont have so much riding when moving your arms is grande aisette sleeves, which the one from Armstreet has, for the lack of better explanation..The circular kind of pattern that extends from the arms and onto the chest in the quilting, it was used from mid 14th century and through the 15th as well.
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Post by Cosmoline on Oct 1, 2018 17:18:26 GMT
What do you plan on using the gambeson for? I have an Axel Petterson jacket and it works well for my fencing needs. Very well padded. Well, I do not plan on going to war with it. But would be nice if it isnt just a costume piece. How many layers should an effective jack or gambeson be? Steel mastery has a lot of options, from fairly thin, to thicc
There are more questions than answers about cloth armor. We have very few surviving examples even from the late medieval. The ones most likely used as primary armor would have had many layers of linen stitched together. Over 20 potentially. So it's not so much sewing as it is armor making. And at that density it really is proof against most cutting attacks and even mild thrusts. The other option is quilting the linen with wool or similar batting. That's much, much easier to do with modern sewing equipment. But it's no more cut-proof than any other heavy quilting. And it works fine for costuming. So it really comes down to how dedicated you are and whether you have a heavy-duty sewing machine.
For off-the-rack ones, I've had good results with revival clothing. They are more reliable than some of the east Euro places
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Post by usher on Jun 19, 2019 23:11:16 GMT
A heater shield made from 8 mm plywood. Edges strengthened with a rope. Front and sides covered with two layers of fabric, back side covered with one layer of fabric. Painted white with acrylic paint. Length: ca. 75 cm, width: ca 56 cm.
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