Re: armour times?

From: Wulf Corbett <wulfc_at_...>
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2000 12:06:02 -0000

> As for the manufacturing time being hellishly long... yes and no.
Yes
> if you want one made while-you-wait. But consider a Chief who
employs
> an armourer. That armourer can make about 20 mail shirts a year.
> Given that mail shirts will last several years, and that a King will
> have only few dozen weaponthanes at most, this is an acceptable
> production rate.

It should be noted, however, that a GOOD mail shirt should be fitted for girth, length and shoulder width. You can batch-build general baggy mail shirts, but for a decent fit they need as much tailoring as a decent suit.

For realism, also note that most Viking (and thus Heortling, I'd say) shields were designed to be replaced after EVERY major fight. The metal works, the grip, centre 'boss' (the domed bit covering the hand) and sometimes the straps to fix the wood to, were salvageable, and new wooden bits could be fashioned in minutes (well, half an hour, given the planks). The fancy patterns and designs would either be on a fabric/leather cover or really rather crudely painted - modern romanticism has made them a bit fancier! The ones recovered from grave goods were, naturally, a good deal more elaborate.

Wulf

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