[MR] RE: cheap armour

[David Wendelken]

>
>Upon reading your response and that of numerous others 
>off-list it is apparent to me that one region's reasoning that 
>$150.00 to $300.00 is very resonable, to another region is 
>unatainable. 

Why spend $150 to $300 to buy ugly plastic armour when you can make your
own steel armour for less than $100?
I don't get it!


As for my first armour, it was a freon can helmet and my father's winter
army coat with a tunic over it (way back in 1975).

My second set of armour was made from carpet scraps (free from the waste
bin behind the carpet store) and leather belt end scraps (for the roman
fringed look).  I could afford a really cheap piece of leather to cover
the front of the carpet, but couldn't afford leather for the back.  So,
in my best Porthos imitation (not an easy task when you weigh 170), I
wore a cloak to cover the back.  Total cost was about $20, including the
cloak.  That lasted me for about two years.

By then, I had made enough helms (and sold them cheaply for $40) to pay
for a real armourer to make a set of steel armour for me.  Incidentally,
I recommend making inexpensive armour for folks as a way to pay for
one's own armour and gear.  It's easy, it's a useful craft to know, and
it makes you popular with lots of new fighters.

Andras