South Tower Armouring Guild

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Shields, gauntlet gloves, furs, gambesons, aketons medieval stuff of all kinds.

Prices undated 1 January 2008 Prices will be honoured until 31 December 2008

SHIELDS

I make shields of all kinds...I curve my own plywood on my own press, I cut apart plastic barrels, I cut them out of steel or aluminum....whatever you want. Below are a couple of pics of one type of shield I make...the old standby....the indestructible "pickle barrel" shield. You will notice a few things which make my shields more complete than usual....a hand guard, the use of the correct length carriage bolts and acorn nuts, handle hardware and leather strapping. I make all my shields to these fairly high standards, it would be the same if I was using a plywood shield blank or a steel shield blank...they all are made as good as I can make 'em. For instance, the usual problem with pickle barrel shields is that they have too tight a curve. I attach a counter curved piece of plastic...for this picture I used blue plastic for clarity...which keeps the curve nice and gentle.

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back view
plastic shield w. handguard, leather arm strap
countercurve,
heater hose laced on w. para cord

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front view
plastic shield, 32 inches long, 22 inches wide.
natural black, ready to paint
other colours upon request, but black is standard
white is popular, and easy to get
blanks may be painted with plastic fusion paint
(spray paint, used on lawn chairs, works great)

Shield made from re-cycled black plastic barrels

shield blank only, you supply all the rest of the hardware....$25.00 Canadian

$22.00 US Dollars

note oversize shipping charges will apply to these shields....about 7 bucks extra

Shield made up into finished product as shown....$65.00 Canadian Dollars

$54.00 US Dollars

Note... SCA marshals may require extra leather on the outside edges to cover the supplied heater hose.

I have never done that leather for anybody, they always do it themselves!

However, if you want me to do it, add forty bucks to the price.

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Shields are pretty straightforward. If you need a jousting shield, I'll rivet a layer of 16 gauge steel onto the face of one of my standard half inch plywood shield blanks.
I often get asked to make decorative shields. I can get pretty fancy with cans of spray paint! As can you! Here is one I did for Karen. The painting was standard, but I riveted dozens of small pieces onto the edge of the shield, mostly as decoration, but it makes it look "tough".

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If you want just the blanks, thats no problem. You can save a few bucks...maybe...if you finish up your own from a blank.

Half inch curved plywood shield blank 32" by 23"........ready for you to paint....$50.00 Can

$42.00 USD.

Aketons, gambesons

The fellow who is having the bad day in the above picture is wearing a heavy padded armour favored by "lights" (archers), a form of Gambeson we call a "Rapier Vest", The fellow on the left is clearly wearing an Gambeson, and he likely has armour underneath it. You can clearly see the heavy padding in the skirt part of the Gambeson. The guy in the armour is wearing a nice blue aketon underneath all that plate!
(Talk to 10 scholars, you get 10 opininions on what to call the fabric armour! This little illustration shows clearly how it was used. )

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Aketon Aketons are worn under the armour to absorb sweat, and to ease the armour sliding over the skin. If you wanted to use this as a base to attach chain mail gussets, and make this into an "arming doublet", it is strong enough to handle it. It is superb for wearing under a chain mail hauberk because the padding is actually quite slight, and these are made from 100% cotton for comfort and breathability. The problem with people making home made arming doublets from moving quilts is the polyester stuffing which contributes to possible heat prostration.

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gambeson

The Rapier Vest shown here is a form of Gambeson...very heavy with solid half inch stuffed cotton. Often, particularly when traveling from place to place, the gambeson was worn as a sort of uniform. This Rapier Vest has eyelets in the top edges to which you can attach chain mail sleeves if desired. As a concession to reality, it is zipped up the side, however the heavy plastic zipper is covered by a flap so you cannot see it.

Rapier Vest...chest size 36, 40, 44 or 48 inches......$130.00 Can

$118.00 USD

Padded aketon with arming cap......chest size 36, 40, 44, or 48. $120.00 Can

$112.00 USD
(please note...we are now out of gamebsons, all we have left are some rapier vests in this colour as of January 08)

(prices honoured until 31 December 2008, after which they may change without notice)
The new gambesons will be white in colour, and MUCH heavier. They are available for much the same prices as the Rapier Vest. I have been "testing" them for the last six months or so, and will provide a full report sometime in the New Year. So far, they seem really protective, inexpensive, and they seem to stand up really well. email me if you are interested, I have a few in stock.

Armour with aketon

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Coats of Plates
Brigandine

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This a brigandine based entirely on the Wisby excavations. The top picture shows the re-construction. A nice and simple armour. Requires a collarbone gorget. The plates overlap to provide a surprisingly large amount of mobility. Well, as much as can be expected. The plates are fully rounded to avoid injury, and are riveted onto heavy top grain leather, or really really heavy bottom grain leather! This will give you years of service.

The usual measurements (chest, waist, etc) to get this made are required, and the price might fluctuates a little depending on the price of leather. For some reason, the price of leather does not go down! Also, if you want me to dye the leather a different colour from its normal brown, this will cost an extra 30 bucks. (yeah...this is a job you CAN do yourself...grin!) Also, if you want home made medieval buckles instead of commercial ones, home made buckles cost $15.00 each extra....are are worth every penny in durability and good looks! The price below assumes commercial buckles...and no fancy colouring.

Wisby Coat of Plates...$360.00 Canadian

$245.00 US Dollars

Furs From time to time, I purchase furs....a lot of them get cut up to go inside helmets to protect the old noggin, some are just too nice to cut up. Here is a selection of the nicer furs I have for sale. Keep in mind that they are priced to sell, so check by phone to make sure I still have it in stock. (613-821-1846) All the prices on fur will be monitored monthly, however I can guarantee and honour any of these prices until 31 December 2007.

These are real furs. A natural material, and like all natural materials, it may have some defects. I try to spot them, and make sure you know. May be returned for any reason within 30 days of shipping. Always mention the item number when ordering.

Buffalo skin, item 81

(click on image to enlarge) Buffalo robe...for sleigh rides. Mid '80s, excellent condition. A little of the decorative felt edging is coming loose...well, it IS only felt. The back is a kharki wool blanket with no holes or damage whatsoever.

closeup of label

click to enlarge
This is what the back looks like.
A couple more pictures of this item...HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE

Item 81 Buffalo Robe, lightly used, $315.00 Canadian Dollars

$290 US Dollars

Sheepskin, item 82

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Full size sheepskin. 45 inches long. Natural colour, a sort of off white. Not quite as orange as the picture seems to indicate...
Not a shearling...it is perfect for those long motorcycle rides.

Item 82 Full size sheepskin....$110.00 Canadian

$95.00 US Dollars

lambskin, item 83

(click on image to enlarge) Full size lambskin, 38 inches long, Natural colour. Not a shearling, Pure luxury.

Item 83 Full size lambskin $85.00 Canadian

$76.00 US Dollars

black shearling lambskin
item 84

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Dyed black lambskin shearling. Difficult to take a picture, but this butter soft skin is a pure luxury!

Item 84 Black lambskin shearling, $75.00 Canadian

$70.00 US Dollars

Item 85
Perfectly tanned with hair on elk skin

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54 inch perfectly tanned elk skin. strong, supple. Like all deer and elk skins, they shed their guard hairs a bit, but thats normal. I don't like using deer and elk as couch covers for that reason though. A huge fur, and a lovely colour. Perfect for that sleigh ride!

Item 85, elkskin. tanned, hair on. $155.00 Canadian

$140.00 US Dollars

Item 86 and 87
Mouton

Luxury! The fur trade calls really nice fine lamb skins "Mouton", which of course is the french word for sheep. They are a lot finer than the usual sheep skin. I have two of them as you can see, draped oh so casually on my couch. They don't get any nicer than this.

item 86 and item 87 Mouton lambskin $110.00 Canadian

$95.00 US Dollars

Prices do not include

GST (Canada), PST (Ontario), or shipping from

Metcalfe, Ontario. E-mail for quote on shipping

price (please specify armour type).