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Considering all of this week's latest additions, please rate the quality of our efforts.
Excellent
55%
 55%  [ 27 ]
Very Good
34%
 34%  [ 17 ]
Good
10%
 10%  [ 5 ]
Fair
0%
 0%  [ 0 ]
Poor
0%
 0%  [ 0 ]
Total Votes : 49

Author Message
Nathan Robinson
myArmoury Admin


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PostPosted: Mon 01 May, 2006 12:00 am    Post subject: May 1: myArmoury.com news and updates         Reply with quote

Today's update:


Newly Featured On-line Gallery

Bill Grandy's Collection


Museum Replicas Sword of St. Michael

A hands-on review by Bill Grandy


Wallpaper: MRL Sword of St. Michael

Created by Nathan Robinson


As always, you can see our Complete History of Updates listed right from our home page.
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Matt Phillips




Location: England
Joined: 22 Feb 2006
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PostPosted: Mon 01 May, 2006 2:13 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

As always, I enjoyed the updates. I'm especially glad for the review of the sword of St. Michael. I've been wondering for a while now how MRL's newer falchions compared with the old. I was waiting to see what somebody else though about this sword. And perhaps sometime soon someone will purchase or handle MRL's new archer's falchion so they can share their thoughts on it. I agree with Bill Grandy in that I can't see evidence in the painting to show the sword as being double edged. I wonder if Windlass got their information from some other source? In all I enjoyed the review and I certainly enjoyed perusing Mr. Grandy's fine collection.
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Jean Thibodeau




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PostPosted: Mon 01 May, 2006 4:30 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I enjoyed looking at Bill"s collection a LOT and reading all the mini reviews: As usual the photography was great and seeing complex guards from many different angles is very informative as the usual side shot shown in most books leave one wondering about the flow and subtleties of shapes in a 3D way.

The MRL Falchion review is also useful if one is tempted to buy this one: At the price, it seems a decent buy, if one knows in advance that reworking the grip might be needed if one puts it to use cutting or solo training at speed.

The Patrick Thaden Sallet is interesting to me as a design a bit different than most in that it is deeper than usual, at least the ones I've seen in pictures: The visor seem to protect the face almost completely and a bevor would seem less essential for good protection than sallets visors that stop at the bottom of nose or upper lip level.

Am I the only one who thinks that when wearing a sallet that leaves the lower face uncovered, one perceives the unprotected naked lower half of the face as more vulnerable than when wearing a totally open face helm. Confused Question

Here is my theory why this is: With an open face one is completely aware of the fact and one depends mostly on moving out of the way of a blow or stopping it with a shield or sword parry. With protection going only halfway down the face the lower face become THE target and the eye protection of the visor fools the brain into not reacting by reflex as automatically when there is no protection at all to the face. The flip side of this is that the fear of not reacting fast enough make the lower face feel even more vulnerable. Funny though that with a Norman helm with a nasal I don't get this effect.

Obviously, adding a bevor does not just have the psychological effect of making you feel better protected it actually does protect better. Laughing Out Loud

From period art I get the impression that a sallet would be worn without a bevor a good deal of the time, at least by archers or less than fully armoured men. With full armour coverage not using the bevor is just like saying AIM for my chin. Eek!

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Michal Plezia
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PostPosted: Mon 01 May, 2006 5:09 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

It is outstanding! Great collection Bill!
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Roger Hooper




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PostPosted: Mon 01 May, 2006 7:19 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Bill, that is a very impressive collection.
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Bill Grandy
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PostPosted: Mon 01 May, 2006 8:15 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thanks guys. It's funny, because I didn't fully appreciate how big my collection was until we consolidated it into web format for the gallery, and I thought, "Wow. That's a lot of swords." Eek! Big Grin

The ironic thing to me is that years ago I remember seeing Nathan's collection online, I think some five or six years ago, and thought, "Man. I can only hope my collection one day gets to be anything even close to that." This was before myArmoury, and before I'd ever even had any contact with Nathan. Funny how this stuff works out. Happy

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Bill Grandy
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PostPosted: Mon 01 May, 2006 8:19 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Jean Thibodeau wrote:
The Patrick Thaden Sallet is interesting to me as a design a bit different than most in that it is deeper than usual, at least the ones I've seen in pictures: The visor seem to protect the face almost completely and a bevor would seem less essential for good protection than sallets visors that stop at the bottom of nose or upper lip level.


Hmmm... I'm not sure... it doesn't look wrong to me...

One thing on it that does stick out to me, though, is that the occulars are a little larger than many period ones. Not excessively, but a little. I bought the helmet second hand, and I suspect the original owner, who never got around to lining it and using it, may have intended to use it for something like SCA or some sort of reenactment tournaments that may have had certain regulations on how the armour was designed.

HistoricalHandcrafts.com
-Inspired by History, Crafted by Hand


"For practice is better than artfulness. Your exercise can do well without artfulness, but artfulness is not much good without the exercise.” -anonymous 15th century fencing master, MS 3227a
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Mark Mattimore




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PostPosted: Mon 01 May, 2006 10:41 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Wow Bill, great stuff. Big Grin I absolutely covet your Phoenix Metal Creations Bastard Sword. What a beauty. Eek!
In omnibus requiem quaesivi, et nusquam inveni nisi in angulo cum libro.
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Pamela Muir




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PostPosted: Mon 01 May, 2006 12:28 pm    Post subject: How many "Hail Mary"s must I do?         Reply with quote

Note to self: Thou shalt not covet thy instructor's collection. Laughing Out Loud

Very cool, Bill! Cool

Pamela Muir

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Glen A Cleeton




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PostPosted: Mon 01 May, 2006 2:01 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Another great review Bill. If I might suggest an edit in the scabbard paragraph to remove one of the sentences on the color difference.

Quote:

The chapes are made of a different steel than the guard of the sword, though, as they are "whiter" in color than the sword's fittings, which looks odd when examined closely, though this is a minor issue.The edges of the scabbard are accented with tooled lines that bring out the form nicely. The scabbard has steel fittings that are decorated with simple but attractive piercing, which really sets the scabbard out from earlier forms by MRL. The scabbard fittings are made of a different steel than the guard of the sword, though, as they are "whiter" in color than the sword's fittings. This looks odd when examined closely, though this is a minor issue.


Maybe chape and locket in the first, lose the last two sentences.
or lose the first statement of such and keep the closing.

Now I have to go back and look at the collection.

Cheers

GC
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Nathan Robinson
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PostPosted: Mon 01 May, 2006 2:14 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thanks, Glen. I made edits to that section.
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Jean Thibodeau




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PostPosted: Mon 01 May, 2006 2:39 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Bill Grandy wrote:
Jean Thibodeau wrote:
The Patrick Thaden Sallet is interesting to me as a design a bit different than most in that it is deeper than usual, at least the ones I've seen in pictures: The visor seem to protect the face almost completely and a bevor would seem less essential for good protection than sallets visors that stop at the bottom of nose or upper lip level.


Hmmm... I'm not sure... it doesn't look wrong to me...

One thing on it that does stick out to me, though, is that the occulars are a little larger than many period ones. Not excessively, but a little. I bought the helmet second hand, and I suspect the original owner, who never got around to lining it and using it, may have intended to use it for something like SCA or some sort of reenactment tournaments that may have had certain regulations on how the armour was designed.


Oh Oh, a little miscommunication from me: This wasn't the " I think this isn't historical " question or criticism that sometimes happens when topics go off the rails and become unproductive arguments:D I actually like this sallet Big Grin I was just noticing and commenting on the design from the point of view of coverage compared to other sallets with sallets that only protect the upper part of the face. ( The historical accuracy aspect is only a factor now that you mention it, and my answer would be: I don't know !? )

So, I didn't mean in any way that there is something wrong with the sallet. Cool Actually, from a design point of view, being deeper seems like a very good idea. In any case, I wanted to explain the above, and everything is cool at my end and my only concern is to be sure that you know that my intent is / was positive. Big Grin Oh, I may be reading to much into your reply myself and maybe you are also answering in an emotionally neutral way.

Best wishes.
Jean

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Steve Maly




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PostPosted: Mon 01 May, 2006 5:39 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Always dig the collections! Great job Bill!
"When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail." ~A. Maslow
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Edward Hitchens




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PostPosted: Mon 01 May, 2006 6:02 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Steve Maly wrote:
Always dig the collections!


Me too! And I especially like Bill's. It's always a thrill to meet a fellow Talhoffer owner! Razz

Outstanding work guys. -Ted

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Nathan Robinson
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PostPosted: Mon 01 May, 2006 6:43 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Steve Maly wrote:
Always dig the collections!

I like them, too. We're looking for new collections to feature on this site all the time. Interested parties should see our Contributor Center for further info.

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Bill Grandy
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PostPosted: Mon 01 May, 2006 7:30 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Jean Thibodeau wrote:
Oh, I may be reading to much into your reply myself and maybe you are also answering in an emotionally neutral way.


Oh, it definately was meant to be an emotionally neutral tone. Happy I really was thinking to myself, "Hmmmm... I don't know...", so that's what I typed. I totally understood what you meant. Happy

HistoricalHandcrafts.com
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"For practice is better than artfulness. Your exercise can do well without artfulness, but artfulness is not much good without the exercise.” -anonymous 15th century fencing master, MS 3227a
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Jean Thibodeau




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PostPosted: Mon 01 May, 2006 11:14 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Bill Grandy wrote:
Jean Thibodeau wrote:
Oh, I may be reading to much into your reply myself and maybe you are also answering in an emotionally neutral way.


Oh, it definately was meant to be an emotionally neutral tone. Happy I really was thinking to myself, "Hmmmm... I don't know...", so that's what I typed. I totally understood what you meant. Happy


Great Big Grin My policy is when in doubt about possible hurt feelings I just ask Wink The written media is really bad at communicating tone and emotion. Cool

Again, great collection and a good addition to the site.

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Stephen A. Fisher




Location: Kentucky USA
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PostPosted: Tue 02 May, 2006 11:21 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Awesome collection Bill! I recognized a few of those pieces. Cool
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Steve Grisetti




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PostPosted: Tue 02 May, 2006 6:45 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Great collection, Bill! I clearly only saw the "tip of the iceberg" in December. The only thing missing is a nice basket hilt! Laughing Out Loud
"...dismount thy tuck, be yare in thy preparation, for thy assailant is quick, skilful, and deadly."
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Bill Grandy
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PostPosted: Tue 02 May, 2006 8:51 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Stephen A. Fisher wrote:
Awesome collection Bill! I recognized a few of those pieces. Cool


Hey Stephen! Great to hear from you!

Yeah, three of the nicest pieces in my collection definately came from you. The antique smallsword, which is fantastic, the A&A loop hilt smallsword, which is phenomenal, and the Erik Stevenson hilt on the antique smallsword blade, which after all this time still almost hurts to see because it's so beautiful. I don't know how you ever parted with them, but I'm not one to complain! Cool

HistoricalHandcrafts.com
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"For practice is better than artfulness. Your exercise can do well without artfulness, but artfulness is not much good without the exercise.” -anonymous 15th century fencing master, MS 3227a
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