Larp Chest Piece and Bracers

[Jarred]

Hey everyone,

ally

When I first got into leather a few years ago I eventually wanted to shift into doing armor, and things of midieval influence. Well I've finally gotten to start that transition! My oldest son joined the local LARP group, which we didn't even know we had one here, and of course started begging for armor. It was definitely fun to make, and I'm looking forward to making more!

 

 

I also put on a tournament on one of their game days, winner gets a fully custom set of bracers. This was the prize. 

 

 

 

[480volt]

Nice to see someone else making gear for LARP.

This is one of a pair of vambraces  I did for my daughter, they are mirror images of each other. The design is a copy of a Roman Acanthus leaf and it was intended to be subtle. I generally don't use buckles on LARP gear as it can present a hazard to inexperienced players, though I do use Sam Browne studs for closures.

[Jarred]

Yea I've been having a lot of fun making the armor for the LARP. I did do a second give away which was another pair of bracers to help them raise money for charity.

 

 

I guess it helped to do a couple of freebies for them because I've already started to get orders from them. Out of curiosity what hazards have you encountered with buckles? Have the Sam Browne studs held up to the movements and foam abuse from play?

[480volt]

My concern with buckles on vambraces is the potential for a glancing impact on another player. Holding things together with lacing  takes the sharp edges out of the equation and gives me more of the "look" that I like. The San Brownes I've used on bag closures and the like, so no real dynamic loading there. I use solid copper or brass rivets on things like sword frogs and d-ring tabs and belt buckles just don't cause problems.

We try hard to produce safe, somewhat realistic weapons, and anything you make is subject to approval by the GM, so I tend to be conservative on design. 

That said, there is more latitude as the players get older; you could probably show up to adult league in full SCA spec plate and nobody would stop you- but you'd still have to use a foam sword...

 

[Jarred]

Ok, I get ya, the swinging parts are the main concern. Have you tried the sam brown studs on other parts, like where the back of the cuirass and front come together on the shoulders. I don't know if the buckles I used where too large or wht but when I added the pauldrons to the one in the pictures he complains that any strikes to the shoulder hurt.  I'll probably make him a gorget and attach the pauldrons to that to allieviate that problem, but I'm getting ready to make another one for a younger kid and was wondering if moving the buckle that joins the front and back further towards the back rather than right on the shoulder might be more comfortable, or even if the same brown studs would work, just further towards the back as well.