The latest addition to the Blankenshield
line up is the English Ethnic Armour collection. With many options not
shown in the catalog, these armours are designed around components from
armours made in England or for Englishmen.
The Principle influences are the tournament
armours of Henry VIII.
The armours produced in the Greenwich
armoury also contributed.
The armour of Ann De Montmorcy was made
in Flanders for the English market and was given to The Greenwich armoury
to study so we used it as an influence as well.
The brasserts are equipped with turners
for complete arm rotation.
The Blankenshield series is specifically
designed for full contact martial arts with steel weapons.
Flexibility is all important.
The substantial overlap of all components
is very important as well.
The owner of this armour is making his
own scale fingered gloves to go inside his gauntlets according to the
instructions on the Blankenshield web site. The sword is a Blankenshield
and was also made according to instructions on the Blankenshield site.
Armed and armoured by Blankenshield this
proud new owner is ready for WMA competitions.
Victory is just around the corner!
This armour has asymmetrical pauldrens
based in the Ann De Montmorcy and Henry tournament armours. The one pass
guard is rather small.
If an armour is made to wear it hangs
funny on a stand. If it is made to hang well on a stand it does not wear
well.
The Brayette is a very important piece
of protective equipment.
This armour is equipped with a close
helm.
The sight has rolled ribs to help prevent
a blade from sliding into it.
The close helm differs from the armet
in that the bevor pivots from the temples here where in an armet this
area is protected by hinged cheek plates.
The neck is protected by the nape and
bevor plates.
The breaths on this helm are 1/8 inch
holes.
The latch is substantial and can withstand
direct hits.
The new liner replaces the old sheepskin.
This liner is based on actual examples.
The chin strap of all Blankenshield helms
has several snaps to prevent accidental release.
The strap is adjustable by a buckle at
the side.
The liner itself is very adjustable.
With it the head can be raised or lowered in the helm or moved forward
or back, as well as increasing and decreasing the size.
It is extremely important to have the
gorget fit exactly. The angle and depth of the shoulder must be taken
into account and the placement of the neck in relation to the shoulders
as well. Care must be taken to not allow pressure on the neck/shoulder
tendons. All this must be accounted for in the patterning stage.
Dangerous edges are always treated very
carefully on Blankenshield armour.
The shoulder is articulated to allow
full movement and a substantial overlap with the pauldren.
Even the most difficult edges are rolled
in a Blankenshield armour. After a few decades of hard use an edge like
this could distort and present a safety problem against the flesh.
The inside edges are if anything more
important to roll.
The interface of all components is critical.
The cuirasse in this armour is based
on the one used in most of Henry's tournament armours.
A breast plate must be divided for flexibility.
This articulation was preferred by the English.
Most quality armours had some sort of
treatment on this most dangerous edge.
The left couter on this armour has large
wings to protect the inside of the arm.
The right couter is smaller.
The great pauldren is a difficult articulation
and most armour smiths do not understand its operation.
Flexibility is important.
With the great pauldren, pass guard,
turners, Italian style couters, and a full vambrace this arm offers excellent
protection with excellent flexibility.
When ordering legs make sure to observe
if there is any angle to the knee. Very few people have straight legs.
Always make sure that the armour can
bend at least as far as you can. These legs folded for packing show just
how flexible armour should be.
This is the state of the finishing bench
on the day this armour was finished.
