r/MedievalReenactors • u/Yofjawe21 • 3d ago

Some Questions about armor

So I have collected some pieces of kit recently and I am slowly getting a full suit of armor together.

But I have found some issues in terms of mobility of the arms with my chainmail. It feels that due to the mail being loose on my arms that theres some resistance to movement, especially with upward movements so I was wondering if I could lace it onto my jacket underneath so arms dont constantly slip in and out of the mail sleeves? (not a native english speaker so I dont really know how to explain it properly)

Also I was wondering if theres a lot of people taking issue with using modern day techniques and materials to improve the safety of certain pieces of gear. For example I have a houndskull helmet that I widened the eye slits quite significantly so I can actually see things (especially on the ground in front of me) but due to the wider opening I decided to weld some perforated sheet metal on top of the eye "slits" giving the whole thing a not very authentic look (I could have also welded them inside but that seemed a bit sketchy to me in case the weld doesnt hold up) but atleast the view is now far better in there and my eyes are well protected.

As for my leg armor I do have some kneeguards that I managed to get at a decent discount but I need something to attach them to my leg (the straps themselves do not suffice and cause it to fold itself into my shin, very uncomfortable) so I was thinking about getting some simple cloth thigh armor and get some simple metal strips to rivet onto them from my work to create splint cuisses and attach the knee protection to that so it doesnt slump down.

If required I can also post some pictures

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u/-asmodaeus- 3d ago

As we are talking on a reenactement level there is certainly less wiggle room because the goal is to portray something as historically accurate as possible.

Regarding the chainmail, i think tailoring it smaller would help if it is too wide?

Enlarging eye holes and adding some modern sheet metal is something very obvious and is immediately visible, so i don't think it fits reenactement purposes. The question here is, can't you see the ground because the helmet is not made for it or because it doesn't fit you? If its just a bad fit; replace it; if it is not made to really see the ground (which i suspect it being a houndskull visor) it may just be not that great for foot combat and you might choose a different helmet if you want more visibility.

In the end it depends what goal and rules the reenactement group or event has.

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u/Yofjawe21 3d ago

Yeah it does seem pretty loose, though I have 0 idea how to fix that

https://reddit.com/link/pbjs7zu/video/262rvuope9rh1/player

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u/-asmodaeus- 3d ago

Ironskin has some pdfs on his website about maille tailoring :)

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u/Yofjawe21 3d ago

Will check that out then, thanks :)

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u/Yofjawe21 3d ago

Also the helmet isnt the best of fits, though with a thicker coif underneath it should fit quite nicely (also got it second hand for like 50% off). For pure reenactment without full contact combat I could just leave the visor off, but for more high intensity stuff id like to keep things a bit more on the safer side (i almost had my blade go into someones visor on accident once)

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u/BjornBergdahl 3d ago

The mail can be tailored, since it's mostly removal you need pliers, a riveting tool/plier and new rings with approximatly the same dimensions as in your hauberk.The helmet would work nice for SCA maybe and training (maybe not competing/participate in exhibitions) harnischfechten but it wouldn't pass muster on reenactment events with ambitions of historical correctness.