OT - a suit of shining armour...

[geoschmo]

Instead of aluminum foil you might try silver spray paint. It will probably hold up better, and can be used on odd surfaces that won't take foil very well. Even cloth can be spray painted.

[Loser]

Oh, wow. SCAdians.

Greetings from Dragonspine. (Not an actual member, just enjoy their parties.)

Another way to whip up a quick suit of armor is to use camping foam, aluminum foil, and that crystal-clear packing tape.

Camping foam is cheap, so working out your own pattern won't be to bad, but it will hold curves and peaks better than cardboard. Put the aluminum foin on in strips, covering each strip with the tape and, of course, overlapping the tape onto previous strips or the uncovered surface of the foam. Try to keep the tape from folding ot catching itself, as this will cloud it.

This will work better for round shapes than cardboard.

I didn't get this design from SCA-folk, but from a more casual, unregulated, irregular event around here, where we put the padding on the weapons and not the people. Basically we make swords or whatever out of PCV and the camping foam and typically cover it the duct-tape. Then we knock eachother around without worry about 'suiting up' or anything else first. It's great for parties, and you can build and reasonable weild great, cartoony swords, axes, hammers, or whatever.

[Kana]

Greetings from the Outlands South...Barony of the Citadel of the Southern Pass...

I didn't get this design from SCA-folk, but from a more casual, unregulated, irregular event around here, where we put the padding on the weapons and not the people. Basically we make swords or whatever out of PCV and the camping foam and typically cover it the duct-tape. Then we knock eachother around without worry about 'suiting up' or anything else first. It's great for parties, and you can build and reasonable weild great, cartoony swords, axes, hammers, or whatever

Amtgard, IFGS, or NERO? I played Amtgard for 16 years.

Kana

[ July 29, 2004, 17:52: Message edited by: Kana ]

[Loser]

I don't beleive it is part of any of these organizations. Of course, I don't know where it came from, or from where the originators got the idea. They call it 'Bloodbowl', and I don't even know if it still happens with any regularity.

A note, for anyone who wants to try these things out. For saftey reasons, should any of these toys break, and they will eventually, it's time to scrap it and make a new one. Additionally, the foam will compress with use and over time will offer less and less padding. Again, time to scrap it and make a new one.

Since these things get absurdly large counter-weight is often necessary. A tennis or raquet ball filled with shot or pennies is frequently taped or otherwise fastened to the hilt.

If anyone is going to try this out, there are a couple of rules that make it a little more 'fair'. One is that no person may use a weapon in each hand unless those weapons are no taller than their sternum. Another is that no weapon may be dangerous on both ends. You may find that polearms are highly superior in one-on-one, and that's about the time you need to move to 'sword and board', just be sure to heavily padd the edges of the shield.

[bearclaw]

Originally posted by Kana:
I'm in the SCA as well...where do you hail from Bearclaw?

Kana

Kingdom of An Tir, Crown Principality of Tir Righ. Shire of Cai Mor. North. Very North.

Always a pleasure to meet other SCA'ers.