I'm looking into buying scale armour - ideally based off of historic korean designs but I'm willing to cope with some artistic and theatric liberty so long as it doesn't compromise the overall effectiveness of the armour - I fully intend to train and spar in the armour. Examples would be akin to the armour seen in the "sword in the moon".
http://www.cineasie.com/Cannes2004/SwordIntheMoon/SITM_06.jpg
While I know quite a bit about swords, I'm an armour neophyte. Where should I start? Thanks in advance!

Burry all hopes first. Korean scale armour is really plain-looking and the stuff you usually see in movies's based on images of T'ang armour, of which no complete set has survived for some reason. It's the equivalent to all the plain white armour in First Knight.

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Hi Werner, thanks, I've actually seen those peices before, plain is not the problem but who *makes* something similar today? Do you know of a good manufacturer?
Also what type of techniques and materials go into the fabrication, were the scales heat treated for instance? Is it attached onto a leather backing?
Thanks in advance!

You could try to make some yourself with scales from

http://theringlord.com/cart/shopdisplayproduc...cat=Scales

Well chris, your picture armor can be made from scales from the ringlord site. However it's not really korean armor. Korean armor is closer to lamellar then scale. So if you want to go that route, you can get lamellar scale to make a close appoximation as the weave pattern used in korea is a bit different then what is normally used for lamilar armor.

http://skaldic.com/bodyArmor-lamellar.htm

Although that is for leather. If you want steel any machinist can stamp you out what you need :) . Just call torvald and ask if you can have one to use as a template for steel plates.

Norman Finkelshteyn? ( http://www.geocities.com/normlaw/ )

His homepage doesn't seem to have been updated since 2003, though, so I'm not sure about whether he's still in the armoring business.

I've sent norman an email and will hopefully get a reply.

It seems the state of the art is very much a "made at home" business. If I am to go that route, I think I need a book to construct a historically accurate specimen, does anyone know of something with sufficient detail?
Thanks again,

Chris

Two ideas for authentic korean armour:
One is a reconstruction of a lamellar armour of the Three kingdoms period found in Bokcheondong (Pusan), displayed in the National museum of Korea in Seoul.
The second shows two officers in a korean version of mail and plates armour at a reenactment scene at the palace gates. These were made after ancient texts and sketches describing these ceremonies of early choson dynasty (1392-1910) in every detail and can also be regarded as historically correct.

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those armours are used in chosen(joseon) dynasty.


first two called "doo-suk-leen-gab", "er-leen-gab(fish scale armour)", "yong-leen-gab(dragon scale armour)" or "leen-gab(scale armour)".
plate scales are at outer place.


next three armours are "doo-jung-gab".
plates are at at inner place.



more chosen arms and armours (KoreanUniversityMuseum ) >>
http://flickr.com/photos/gorekun/sets/72157608840784550/

korean reenactor(practitioner)s' traditional martial arts demonstration >>
http://www.ohmynews.com/NWS_Web/View/at_pg.as...0000318763


I can't speak english well, I cannot explain more... so sad. :(

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doo-suk-leen-gab

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doo-jung-gab

Thanks guys, I greatly appreciate it given the difficulty of finding these things online.

Norman's email no longer works, so I presume that's not going to happen.

I think if I'm going to go to the trouble of making the armour myself I'm going to go with fish-scale armour. However I'de need to know the stitch that was used as well as the backing. Any ideas?
I'm trying to contact the museum directly.

Shim Soo-Min, feel free to send me more information in Korean - I can't speak it but I have friends who can.