Scale Armor

 The photo above is myself in the early 90s in my scale armor. This is my favorite armor. It looks good. The pteryges are assembled all wrong. ;) I am rebuilding it.

 When first I made my scale armor, it was based on pictures in the book 'Warriors of Arthur'. In addition, I used Robinson's book on the armor of Imperial Rome and the tiny bit on scales that is in there. I still have the book. That book is where I got the shape for the scales...the rectangle with the bottom corners clipped.

  It was a Type 1 armor...that is, each scale was fastened to the backing with one rivet. This is the least protective scale armor in real life as it allows for much easier lifting of the scale and the penetration of the foundation. At that time, I did not know this.

  The pteryges were all wrong...they looked alright, yet they were made wrong. The shortest row was riveted to the foundation, each successive layer was riveted to the one above, so they were not part of the padded aketon....I did not yet know about the subarmalis. So it was all one piece of armor that closed with two straps and buckles on the left side.

  It was *very* effective armor. Each scale is 1/16th inch thick...overlapped as they were, it gave about 3/16ths armor over most of my body. Very protective for SCA combat. At that time, most folk used large scales made of leather, whereas mine were quite small....over 800 of them on my corselet. They measure 2" long by 1" wide. They overlap half of their length.

  I did not know exactly how to deal with the shoulder and neck area, so I just brought the scales up to the top of the shoulder and then added a long plate to the gap. This was hidden by the shoulder doubling, which was heavy leather with the interior recessed. Originally attached to the armor with ties, then zills.

  This time around the armor will be more like Type 4, much more protective for real. The scales are overlapped horizontally in a row with sturdier top end stitching. They are, of course, still overlapped vertically as well. As for the neck, I now know how to make the scales curve around successively so it will look far better, more like a pull over garment. I will keep shoulder doubling...and while I ought to scale it as well, I shan't as I like the look better. Closure will remain as it was...left side (shield side for me), overlapped, buckles and straps.

  The Type 4, the best example of which comes from Carpow, Scotland, is more labor intensive to assemble. Worth it though.

  Complete body scale armors are known from the Scythians way back to the 6th century BCE. Scale armor was used right through the middle ages as well.

  I thought I might make the scale and mail armor...the top edge of the scales are bent back at 90° and threaded onto mail as the hamata is made. The scales are very small, much smaller than the ones I use. Heavy, yet quite protective. Heavier than I need, though.

  Reference for the typology is 'Armour Never Wearies; Scale and Lamellar Armour in the West, from the Bronze Age to the 19th Century.' by Timothy Dawson.

Talon
Caer Arthes
Sundered Lands

Eledhwen. (Talon is my SCA name, or part of it.)