In...hm...august? september? I talked to Russel Thomas about a pair of splintered vambraces I thought about commissioning. Call'em Vendel, Byzantine, Viking, whatever...I don't really know what they are. Anyhow, Russel responded promptly and had the set done for me in a weeks time.
As you will see from the picture, each vambrace consists of 5 steel bars, about 2-2,5 mm thick. We were not sure if we should go for 5 or 7 bars, but opted for 5, because my arms are rather thin... All the bars are blackened and decorated with filework. Three of the bars have dragons heads on the ends, which are quite cute. ;) They look a bit wierd at first, a bit cartoonish, but I think they add a nice amount of detail, without overdoing it.
They are connected by 3 leather straps that are rivetted to the bars. The two end straps each have a handmade buckle for attachment. We opted for 2 buckles rather than three, because both Russ and I did not feel it would be necessary to go for 3. And indeed, we were right. I believe that if we had opted for 3 buckles, putting them on would have been quite tricky. And besides, two buckles keep them very well in place. When used over 2 thick woolen tunics, the vambraces fit tightly, have a nice amount of padding underneath, and are comfortable to wear. They add some weight to the arm, but not so much as to be impractical.
I used these for WMA sparring, wooden wasters. I can still feel a hit if it is hard enough, but the vambraces take most of the shock away. Can't wait to try them for steelfighting!
All in all, a nice and a bit unusual piece of armour which I am very satisfied with! So without further ado, here's a pic for you. ;)
Johan Schubert Moen
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