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Focus on the Fighter Archives - Beginning to April 20047/04/2004 - Yes, We Practiced on the 4th. Tomas and Bodvarr worked on armoring, as the weather was very rainy and not conducive to an armored practice. We got Tomas' shield grip refitted to position his hand closer to the shield, which greatly helped the balance. Bodvarr strapped his other elbow cop, which completes his basic fighting kit! Huzzah! Bodvarr also rebuilt his sword, including:
6/27/2004 - First Sunday Practice - Sir Dag Thorgrimsson Teaches Basics His Grace Duke Sir Dag traveled up from the lands of Cynnabar to provide his squire (Bodvarr) and companion Tomas with some (much-needed) instruction on the basic sword & shield forms. The practice lasted about 2 hours, and involved some great work with block-return movements, proper shield usage, proper guard positions, and some free-sparring. Bodvarr learned (hopefully) not to let his sword drift in too far, and to keep his shield out further. Tomas learned that his shield is really heavy, and that the grip needs to be closer to the shield for good balance. We spent some time armoring, where his Grace also provided many insights into the effective configuration for Tomas' heater shield, and in the strapping of Bodvarr's elbow cops. Note: Bodvarr taped the first hour of the practice; maybe eventually he'll get some of the footage converted to mpeg and posted here. Depends on how bad we looked. 5/25/2004 - Shields and Axes Tomas and Bodvarr de-moulded the two heater shield blanks that Bodvarr set into the press earlier in the week. Tomas traced out a heater pattern on each and used the jigsaw to trim the two blanks into admirable heater shields. Meanwhile, Bodvarr worked on his new 10th century Viking Axe, getting the head and leather supports glued together. We're thinking maybe in the next week or two we'll get back into armor and start working towards authorization. During the recent Midrealm Crown Tourney (Huzzah Earl Brannos!), Bodvarr purchased a 9' length of shaved rattan and a marshal's gauge. The shaved rattan is ridiculously light, and Bodvarr spent some time cutting a new sword blank and shaving the handle. 4/27/2004 - 5/18/2004 - No Practice Bodvarr and Yngvildr had twins! We needed a little time to recuperate, so the practices went on holiday while we adapted to roughly 1/3 the sleep we normally get. 4/20/2004 Jocelin, Hadiddiya, Tomas and Bodvarr worked on various projects. Tomas cut out many little metal plates for his coat of plates. Hadiddiya was knitting, Jocelin worked on some beadwork, and Bodvarr worked on the camail for his helm. Bodvarr's mail is constructed from hand-wound 14 gauge wire, butted links. 4/13/2004 Jocelin, Hadiddiya, Tomas and Bodvarr worked on various projects. Tomas had the flu. 4/6/2004 Tomas and Bodvarr actually got into armor and sparred for a bit! Mikhalis brought down some armor that Bodvarr purchased from him (Legs, spaulders, metal gauntlets and an Axe), and was willing to offer some tips on the proper use of the Axe (Thanks Mikhalis!). Bodvarr finished up the shoulder straps on his Body armor. During fighting, though, the belt had a tendency to slip down the front of the armor, in one case causing the armor to dislodge. Have to fix that. The fighters had the privilege of an audience this week! Yngvildr, Jocelin, Hadiddiya, and Tomas' wife and sister-in-law were all comfortably seated in the peanut gallery. 3/30/2004 Jin and Bodvarr added thrusting tips to swords. We used the leather thong method that Kveld'Ulfr showed Bodvarr last year, creating a durable "pouch" over the padded foam tip. The "pouch" adds strength to keep the integrity of the thrusting tip on tippy shots. Bodvarr also riveted the closure leather belt to his body armor. The only remaining task for Bodvarr to finish the body armor is to modify the shoulder straps with some additional holes so the armor will sit a little higher. Jin and Bodvarr also discussed a couple of sword techniques that work against off-hand opponents. In particular, he described the "follow-on return", where the attacked fighter uses the opponent's blow as an opportunity to "follow" with a return blow. Nifty technique. 3/23/2004
3/16/2004
Over the weekend, Kveld'Ulfr mentioned that we have some interest in boffers, and Bodvarr has some experience making Boffer weapons, so we may schedule that sometime when the weather warms up. (The PVC cement fumes are noxious, so we can't glue the pieces in the basement for lack of ventilation.) Bodvarr purchased elbow and knee cops from the Vogt Handcrafts booth last week at the Ides of March event. Please note: we'll start at 5:30 to accommodate a late business meeting on Bodvarr's part. 3/9/2004 No practice this week due to schedule conflict. 3/2/2004 No attendance. Bodvarr worked on boffer weapons. 2/24/2004 No attendance. Bodvarr assembled his body armor, crafting a custom set of leather shoulder straps and buckles that make it adustable for different size wearers. The only thing left to do is to install a belt around the middle to fasten the armor closed. 2/17/2004 No attendance. Bodvarr finished cutting out his 30" round, and got one side of it sanded. Also worked on Einkil's boffer shield, and drilled the lacing holes. 2/10/2004 No attendance. Bodvarr worked on his 30" round. Where is everyone? Of course, it has been unseasonably cold out... 2/3/2004 No attendance. Bodvarr worked on cleaning the workshop for a bit. 1/27/2004 Jocelin and Mikhalis attended. This week was straight armorial work on swords and boards. The weather was quite snowy (dangerously slow - it took Mikhalis 45 minutes to make what is normally a 20 minute drive).
1/20/2004 Jocelin, Douglas, Mikhalis, Jinn, and Adam attended. Jinn and Mikhalis brought their helms, shields and swords, and Jinn provided a demonstration of some shield / blocking techniques. The weather was (literally) sub-zero, so the group adjourned to Bodvarr's family room, where we watched footage from the 2004 Pentamere Open. Other activities from this week:
Last Modified: Monday, July 26, 2004 10:58. |
Tomas and Bodvarr worked on Gambesons. We were able to get the muslin pattern for both Bodvarr and Tomas' sleeves done, as well as Bodvarr's torso pattern. We even got the fabric cut. After feeling how heavy the 100% cotton was, Bodvarr decided to go with a lighter weight fabric for the gambeson's lining.
Jocelin, Tomas and Bodvarr discussed gambeson designs, picked one out of the Knowne World Handbook, and made a muslin pattern for Tomas. We're planning to continue on next week with patterns for Jocelin and Bodvarr (and anyone else who comes).