ANST - ARMOR

[Casey&Coni]

Quality armor within Ansteorra is a bit of a rarity these days.

There are a few good armorers out there... Scott Haynie in Tulsa, Sir Alexis
La Bouche in Houston, and Timotheus Kranidius around Huntsville are the ones
I consider to be making a quality, reenactment-level product, but so far as
I know you'd be hard pressed to get any portion of a harness from any of
them before war.  Scott is terribly buried under his current workload and I
don't think Alexis or Timo make anything for anybody other than just
themselves, squires, and students.

Don't get me wrong... there are a lot of guys out there who can do 'list
legal' armor for you, but I think these three guys are the current cutting
edge in metalsmithing in kingdom.

I know this may sound absurd, but you might do much better just taking your
cash to war and buying off the rack.  Yes, you'll have to pad and strap
there but that isn't really all that difficult.  The best thing about this
method is that you are going to get it right then and there and won't have
to depend on an _artist_ to meet a _deadline_ (can you even say those words
in the same sentence without fear of bolts from the blue?).

Armorers to look for at war who IMNSHO make a good reenactment-level piece
that will stand out among other pieces:

Gondour Armory- despite the fantasy-ish name this guy is doing absolutely
accurate 14th and 15th century harnesses as well as some 16th century.  A
good helm in mild steel will start around $280 (a low-end bascinet) and can
run as high as $600-$700 for one of his nicer armets or close helms.  This
guy gets five Dieterich stars for his quality and four Dieterich stars for
'bang for your buck'.  His strongest piece that I saw was a sallet circa
1470.  He is not on the net that I know of.

Christian Fletcher- this man falls into the same category as Gondour armory
but specializes in a  little earlier work; his best stuff is usually his
14th century.  He did a german low point bascinet for a friend of mine that
*really* impressed me and I hope he shows up at this years Gulf War with his
stuff.  For a better look at his stuff check out his webpage.  This
gentleman gets four Dieterich stars for quality and four Dieterich stars for
'bang for your buck'.  His best piece is by *far* his barbute... niiiiiice
'S' curve following the back of the head and neck- good-bye mr. gorget!

Illusion Armory- good solid pieces but you may find someone else wearing the
exact same helm as you if you order from them... they churn out some serious
volume.  They take forever and a day to order from so only buy from them off
the shelf.  Their strong suit is the mid to late 15th century through the
end of the 16th.  This guys strongest pieces have got to be his fluted
armets going for around $800 if memory serves.  This guy gets four stars for
quality but only three for 'bang for your buck'... although he'll do most
anything in stainless, which is definitely a plus for those of you out there
who need a low maintainance kit.

That about does it for the *quality* stuff I see at wars.  I'm sure someone
will be upset that they're either on my list or not on my list, but hey,
it's just one mans opinion.

Dieterich

PS.  There are more quality armorers out there but I only mentioned the ones
that I regularly see at wars.  The best of the best is Robert  MacPhereson.
The man who runs the armory out of Historic Enterprises is also well worth a
look.  Hope this is helpful:)




-----Original Message-----
From: Angus <angus at okom.net>
To: ansteorra at Ansteorra.ORG <ansteorra at Ansteorra.ORG>
Date: Monday, February 22, 1999 10:54 PM
Subject: ANST - ARMOR


>I am looking to buy NEW ARMOR at Gulf war
>a full set it has been 12 years since I've gotten new leggs or helm
>are there any good Anst. armors going to war
>also looking for 9'spears and rattan
>please reply privately and let me know what your bringing. and when you
will
>arrive
>
>thanks
>Angus
>thanks Uncle IRS
>
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