I know, I know, I totally bastardised that title. It just jumped onto my head and wouldn't let go. Thank you, Robert M. Pirsig.
When I was given my first pair of legs, they were mild steel hand-me-downs that belonged to the club. They had been made by Josh and Brian, and worn by Josh and Alan before me. They were covered in some kind of funny brown, sticky stuff that took me ages to get off. Then I had to cover them in leather for a Dark Ages tournament. Then I had to remove the leather for a Medieval tournament. In the interim, they had also developed a bit of rust, which I painstakingly removed with sandpaper. Alan had used a grinder to remove rust when they were his, and the cuisses were really short, so by the time I passed those legs on to Jimmy-Steve, I had a couple of permanent bruise-scars (from the steel being worn so thin and not covering enough of my leg) and some valuable lessons on armour maintenance.
Over the last couple of years, we have graduated to stainless from mild steel, and are experimenting with spring steel, but there are still, I feel, some bits of information, some tricks and tips that I can pass on to those of you who are new to the sport. I'll offer these under some headings for the sake of logic and order, both of which I am currently craving.
Leather
If you have leather in your armour, which most of you will have, then there are a couple of ways to make it last a bit longer and get it to co-operate. Firstly, (and this goes for armour of all construction) try to stash your armour in a spot that is dry, or at least not damp. Damp breeds mould spores, and mould LOVES leather.
If you have unearthed a particularly useful or sentimental piece of leather-based armour, and it has developed a fluffy green overcoat, then wash it in anti-fungal shampoo. In South Africa, we have something for animals called F10, which works well. I'm sure that anything for mange in horses will do nicely.
Once the leather is dry (sun-dry is best), then coat that leather in layers of oil (again, cheap saddle oil is perfect) until you get bored or run out of time. Thick leather will take a lot more oil than you might guess. It also makes pale, veg-tanned leather take a beautiful mahogany colour.
Remember to oil your leather (and your fighting poles) often and well, especially straps, which can get dry and brittle. You don't want them snapping during a tournament.
Mild steel
I love mild steel because you can work it cold, and it moves like play dough. My helm is made from 2.6mm mild steel, and it's like wearing a really heavy pillow: it just absorbs all the hits and I don't feel anything.
The problem with mild steel, aside from it being very heavy for tournament fighting, is that it rusts. Even if you look at it the wrong way, it will start to rust.
You can paint it with ColdGalv (or some other form of galvanising paint) to preserve the steel, if you can get away with it at tournaments, but the authentic way to preserve steel from rust is to blacken it.You can do this two ways.
Way #1: you need a blowtorch or similar flame-emanating tool and any kind of oil (used engine oil is great - yay, recycling!). The best is to let the steel develop a good, even coating of rust. Remove any leather or fabric or other material that might be incinerated (lining and straps come to mind). Don't remove the rust. Coat the rusted steel with oil and then heat it with the torch until it goes black. The result will look like black spray paint, but it will be much, much harder and longer-lasting. The oil and rust, heated together, makes an awesome coating that stops further rust and looks badass.
Way #2: you need linseed oil and an oven. Remove anything that will get burned off, as above. Remove any rust and then coat the steel in linseed oil. Put the steel in the oven for a couple of hours at 200 degrees Celsius. This produces a lovely golden coating that will darken with time to bronze. It lasts a few years, and then you will have to redo it, but it stops rust, and if you don't want black armour, then it's a viable, authentic alternative.
Stainless
Stainless is my new friend. I'm not as comfortable with it as I am with my old friend, mild steel, but like any new friend, it is fresh and interesting for me. It doesn't behave the same way that mild steel does. Of course it won't because it has a completely different chemical composition and crystal structure. The thing about stainless is that you can work it cold, as well, and it doesn't rust.
Well, that's not entirely true. Almost all steel CAN rust. Take care not to allow extended periods of contact between untreated mild steel and stainless steel in your armour bag or wherever you stash your gear. Even if it's stainless, the constant pressure of a rusty piece of steel on a a rust-free piece of stainless will introduce rust into the material and that will be sad.
What I suggest to every noob is this: keep a good and plentiful supply of leather oil, a decent rust inhibitor like Tool-in-a-Can, big and small cable ties, and duct tape; put it in with your gear and take it everywhere, and use it often. At least, the oil and spray. Don't use the cable ties and duct tape unless you have to. If you take care of your armour nicely, it won't be your fault when you need those last two.
If you end up fighting in the rain, make it a priority to get your gear dry and clean.
When I was at IMCF in 2015, and we camped with the Australian team, I learned a lot from watching them, seeing how they treated their gear and each other, and worked together as a team. They have this stuff that Josh and I have termed Australian Magic Wax, which I think is beeswax and avocado oil or something like that. It was truly wondrous stuff.
They also have a saying which sums it up pretty accurately and leaves no more to be said on the subject: GEAR BEFORE BEER.
Thanks guys!
When I was given my first pair of legs, they were mild steel hand-me-downs that belonged to the club. They had been made by Josh and Brian, and worn by Josh and Alan before me. They were covered in some kind of funny brown, sticky stuff that took me ages to get off. Then I had to cover them in leather for a Dark Ages tournament. Then I had to remove the leather for a Medieval tournament. In the interim, they had also developed a bit of rust, which I painstakingly removed with sandpaper. Alan had used a grinder to remove rust when they were his, and the cuisses were really short, so by the time I passed those legs on to Jimmy-Steve, I had a couple of permanent bruise-scars (from the steel being worn so thin and not covering enough of my leg) and some valuable lessons on armour maintenance.
Over the last couple of years, we have graduated to stainless from mild steel, and are experimenting with spring steel, but there are still, I feel, some bits of information, some tricks and tips that I can pass on to those of you who are new to the sport. I'll offer these under some headings for the sake of logic and order, both of which I am currently craving.
Leather
If you have leather in your armour, which most of you will have, then there are a couple of ways to make it last a bit longer and get it to co-operate. Firstly, (and this goes for armour of all construction) try to stash your armour in a spot that is dry, or at least not damp. Damp breeds mould spores, and mould LOVES leather.
If you have unearthed a particularly useful or sentimental piece of leather-based armour, and it has developed a fluffy green overcoat, then wash it in anti-fungal shampoo. In South Africa, we have something for animals called F10, which works well. I'm sure that anything for mange in horses will do nicely.
Once the leather is dry (sun-dry is best), then coat that leather in layers of oil (again, cheap saddle oil is perfect) until you get bored or run out of time. Thick leather will take a lot more oil than you might guess. It also makes pale, veg-tanned leather take a beautiful mahogany colour.
Remember to oil your leather (and your fighting poles) often and well, especially straps, which can get dry and brittle. You don't want them snapping during a tournament.
Mild steel
I love mild steel because you can work it cold, and it moves like play dough. My helm is made from 2.6mm mild steel, and it's like wearing a really heavy pillow: it just absorbs all the hits and I don't feel anything.
The problem with mild steel, aside from it being very heavy for tournament fighting, is that it rusts. Even if you look at it the wrong way, it will start to rust.
You can paint it with ColdGalv (or some other form of galvanising paint) to preserve the steel, if you can get away with it at tournaments, but the authentic way to preserve steel from rust is to blacken it.You can do this two ways.
Way #1: you need a blowtorch or similar flame-emanating tool and any kind of oil (used engine oil is great - yay, recycling!). The best is to let the steel develop a good, even coating of rust. Remove any leather or fabric or other material that might be incinerated (lining and straps come to mind). Don't remove the rust. Coat the rusted steel with oil and then heat it with the torch until it goes black. The result will look like black spray paint, but it will be much, much harder and longer-lasting. The oil and rust, heated together, makes an awesome coating that stops further rust and looks badass.
Way #2: you need linseed oil and an oven. Remove anything that will get burned off, as above. Remove any rust and then coat the steel in linseed oil. Put the steel in the oven for a couple of hours at 200 degrees Celsius. This produces a lovely golden coating that will darken with time to bronze. It lasts a few years, and then you will have to redo it, but it stops rust, and if you don't want black armour, then it's a viable, authentic alternative.
Stainless
Stainless is my new friend. I'm not as comfortable with it as I am with my old friend, mild steel, but like any new friend, it is fresh and interesting for me. It doesn't behave the same way that mild steel does. Of course it won't because it has a completely different chemical composition and crystal structure. The thing about stainless is that you can work it cold, as well, and it doesn't rust.
Well, that's not entirely true. Almost all steel CAN rust. Take care not to allow extended periods of contact between untreated mild steel and stainless steel in your armour bag or wherever you stash your gear. Even if it's stainless, the constant pressure of a rusty piece of steel on a a rust-free piece of stainless will introduce rust into the material and that will be sad.
What I suggest to every noob is this: keep a good and plentiful supply of leather oil, a decent rust inhibitor like Tool-in-a-Can, big and small cable ties, and duct tape; put it in with your gear and take it everywhere, and use it often. At least, the oil and spray. Don't use the cable ties and duct tape unless you have to. If you take care of your armour nicely, it won't be your fault when you need those last two.
If you end up fighting in the rain, make it a priority to get your gear dry and clean.
When I was at IMCF in 2015, and we camped with the Australian team, I learned a lot from watching them, seeing how they treated their gear and each other, and worked together as a team. They have this stuff that Josh and I have termed Australian Magic Wax, which I think is beeswax and avocado oil or something like that. It was truly wondrous stuff.
They also have a saying which sums it up pretty accurately and leaves no more to be said on the subject: GEAR BEFORE BEER.
Thanks guys!
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