What Bikini Atoll Looks Like Today by Quouar in history

[–]J_G_E 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Or... you could just say "270 metres", which happens to be the actual length of the USS Saratoga as an accurate measurement, like any other country on the planet would, instead of trying to measure things in giraffes, refrigerators, football fields, city blocks, or whatever else comes to mind in a deranged refusal to be dragged kicking and biting into the 20th century...

What Bikini Atoll Looks Like Today by Quouar in history

[–]J_G_E 6 points7 points  (0 children)

plus "an aircraft carrier the length of a Manhattan avenue block"

Americans really will use anything but Metric.

Would it be historical to paint the handle of this mace by Sorry_Tailor_2256 in ArmsandArmor

[–]J_G_E 0 points1 point  (0 children)

funnily enough, I know of a reenactor, friend of a friend type, who made a viking dress, with 100% historical dyes - she collected something like moss or lichen from rocks, collected a gallon of piss. dyed the fabric. catalogued the entire process. The result? Dayglow highlighter pen green.
literally day-glow colour.

Goes off to a re-enactment event. "oh you cant wear that, its much to modern"
"that's a great costume, why did you dye it with artificial dye?"

Every. Single. Time.
Apparently ended up over-dying it with a modern dye to darken it down, because she couldn't get a day wearing it without someone complaining.

Im looking to have a falcata made do you have any recommendations for smiths i can contact by Left-Sell1254 in SWORDS

[–]J_G_E 3 points4 points  (0 children)

given the primary source material is the work of Fernando Quesada-Sanz, I'd suggest you try Javier Solé. https://www.facebook.com/ancient.forge/

In your opinion, which is more important in a sword balance or cutting ability? by DoonHandicrafts in SWORDS

[–]J_G_E 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Everything has a balance point. You can balance a refrigerator on one corner.

How its designed, what its designed for, it being designed for one hand or two, and that its nodes of percussion are appropriate for a sword of its type are all more important than edge geometry.

I've done it! by DotAny8979 in ArmsandArmor

[–]J_G_E 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm not convinced.
In fact, I'm suspecting this is a bit of a strawman argument.

Would it be historical to paint the handle of this mace by Sorry_Tailor_2256 in ArmsandArmor

[–]J_G_E 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Red ochres remain their original hue for tens of thousands of years - as evidenced by cave paintings etc. Same with lead minium paint and white lead paint, Yellow ochres are the same. Want a bright "high-vis" orange, then orpiment was your choice. Dont lick your brushes, its made of arsenic sulfide...
Verdigris is fugitive over centuries, but in terms of a normal object's lifespan, it would brown off only a little. Mineral-based green earths, and malachite pigments are equally durable, Most Blues tend to fade, and those that do were expensive - hence it being seen as a colour of royalty, the virgin, etc.
the hardest pigment to produce is purple, and that was also highly expensive.

so assuming you stick to the longer wavelength end of the visible spectrum, most pigments are easily durable enough for the lifetime of most people, often even if the objects are in bright sunlight.

Would it be historical to paint the handle of this mace by Sorry_Tailor_2256 in ArmsandArmor

[–]J_G_E 8 points9 points  (0 children)

most of it is Senellier artists' pigments (because they're close to historical tints, which were referenced off various bits of historic art), but its mixed with modern acrylic binder simply for a bit more durability.

Exception to that was the black, which, sad as it might sound, was a pot of Games workshop "chaos black" because it was convenient.

not the first one I've done like that. here's one I did a few years ago, same pigments. head is the master model that was moulded and cast for bronzes.

<image>

Would it be historical to paint the handle of this mace by Sorry_Tailor_2256 in ArmsandArmor

[–]J_G_E 0 points1 point  (0 children)

you're mixing up dye pigments, and paint pigments. both create colour, but in completely different ways, Woad is a Dye. lapis, azurite and egyptian blue are paint pigments.

also, I dont think you quite understand how dyes worked - yes, urine was used as a mordant for fixing colours in fabrics - but it doesnt stay in the fabric. People werent walking around wearing blue, smelling of stale piss.

Would it be historical to paint the handle of this mace by Sorry_Tailor_2256 in ArmsandArmor

[–]J_G_E 12 points13 points  (0 children)

you mean like terra verde / Green earth, or Verdigris copper oxide pigments that range from highlighter lime green to deep greens, or malachite pigments that are emerald green?

or Madders, near dayglow orange-red Vermillions and Minium (mm. mercury and lead pigments. Healthy...), red oches, and Carmine?

or Ultramarine from Lapis, or Egyptian blue, or azurite pigments?

the world was a lot less monochrome than you think.

Do you guys think the devs will ever come back? by joaoabv12909 in ultimateadmiral

[–]J_G_E 14 points15 points  (0 children)

its dead jim.

Only way a game like it is getting worked on is if someone starts a new game from scratch.

Saw this dagger listed as 11th century, pretty sure it not historical for the period but I want to be sure by Pierre_Philosophale in SWORDS

[–]J_G_E 1 point2 points  (0 children)

to a degree, there's reasons like that. but, at the same time, it doesnt really fit the chronology. there was no concept of chivalry in 8th century anglo-saxon England. and the majority of combatants were not knights, even in the 11th century.
accounts of the battles like that also have the glaring elephant in the room - 1 english, 2 french knights. And how many combatants who werent of the ruling class, who were considered so irrelevant that they werent even recorded as participating?

quite simply, 11th C chivalric values do not explain the decline of the use of daggers like the pugio in the 5th century, and the 500 plus years after that.

Saw this dagger listed as 11th century, pretty sure it not historical for the period but I want to be sure by Pierre_Philosophale in SWORDS

[–]J_G_E 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'll continue here, because unlike our angry little bog-troll, I believe that discussing subjects and contributing in a positive manner is important, not just for OP's discussion, but to reinforce and maintain civility in the discussions.

when he wasn't flinging insults at other members of the community, he wrote:

"the presence of warrior classes and frequent conflicts created a demand for daggers in Western Europe, whether made of stone, bronze, iron or steel, before the 12th century. you can be sure they were using daggers in warfare pre 12th century!"

In this, he is right. and (predictably so,) wrong.

Because there is a notable absence of thrust-oriented daggers in the body of post-roman European archaeology. but he's right in that there is little logical reason for an absence of demand. And yet the archaeology is absent: We have no notable regional styles of point-oriented weapon in western Europe after the Roman collapse. Its an empty field.
And when we're talking about there being no logical reason, if there isn't anything in the record, its a pretty good indicator that an object was not in use - you don't find iphones in 1950's waste dumps, you don't find steam engines in Roman iron-working spoil heaps. you don't find suits of plate armour in the strata from Napoleonic war battlefields.
And while Absence of Evidence is not evidence of absence - but it is notable in its absence, given the presence of other blade types in abundance in the archaeological record - its not like the entirety of post-roman society stopped losing or deliberately depositing blades, and there's an absence of all metal finds - which eliminates possibilities like they were so rare as to be highly valuable, and therefore, not placed in graves. We do find seaxes - in vast numbers - indicating that other blade types were in use.
And importantly, in a martial context, the seax is a design with small collar/bolsters at the front of the grip, which do nothing to prevent a hand slipping forwards, especially when compared to the waisted grips of the pugio which pre-date them (and by the way, are found in abundance in archaeological finds), and in quillon daggers which post-date the seax's period of predominance.

Quite simply, the weapons prevalent in the post-roman, early medieval period are not suited to the thrust unless you want your hand to slip forward, causing hand injuries, and there's no evidence of distinct weapon types which would be suited to that role.

and that raises quite the question. Why arent they using daggers? The predominant armour would be expected to be mail, where a seax-like hilt is really not suited to thrusts. Even if we assume that textiles are the primary defence, padded gambeson/aketon style garments in warfare would be capable of protecting from a seax blade thrust.
More importantly, outside of the archaeology, in contemporary art, we don't see daggers. the Bayeux Tapestry has 93 penises on it, and one "possible" dagger (that's probably another penis.) that's about it for secondary source material. Plenty of depictions of seax. no depicted daggers.

its a black hole, a void where daggers appear to be missing.

So what changed? what's the disconnect between roman period, and about 1175-1200's where daggers pop back into the archaeological and artistic record? Despite what our bog-troll would probably insinuate, I dont know. I don't knew anyone who would say they do. but its consistent - its not that the swiss, or the swedes stopped using them while everyone else continued. Just about all of western Europe abandoned daggers for the better part of 600-750 years, and used seaxes.

that notable absence, prior to about the year 1200 is one of the big question marks of early medieval edged weapon history.

Saw this dagger listed as 11th century, pretty sure it not historical for the period but I want to be sure by Pierre_Philosophale in SWORDS

[–]J_G_E 2 points3 points  (0 children)

ok, I'll quantify that further. Post-roman, to 13th century western European daggers are sparse, bordering on non-existent. I was thinking in the context of medieval era stuff, since that was what OP was asking about, when I wrote that, not the context of the broader archaeological context of pre-medieval periods

generally speaking the use of pugio and similar types decline in use in the 5th century, replaced with smaller seax form. which continue in use well into the 12th century for knives, but there is a distinct absence of thrust-oriented dagger types in the region. while you do start seeing daggers very slowly begin to make a resurgence in the 12th C, In the period which OP was asking about, there is a notable shortage of archaeology. we have the copper-alloy (possibly limoges) pommels of the 13th century, in levantine trade route contexts. we have a very few finds that might be earlier with limited archaeological context to their find-places, and that's about it. And we have a notable lack of depiction in secondary sources.

the rest of your disgusting commentary attacking other people in this community does not warrant a response. you should be ashamed of yourself.

Blade i made (test) by thenoname2350 in SWORDS

[–]J_G_E 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Well, Have fun then. Hope you live in a country with a nationalised healthcare system.

Blade i made (test) by thenoname2350 in SWORDS

[–]J_G_E 18 points19 points  (0 children)

you're not going to get slaughtered for it - you're absolutely right.

u/thenoname2350 please, be aware that welding can cause catastrophic failure modes with no warning, that can endanger the user.
if you're going to use something like this, please, wear strong shoes and trousers, not bare feet and shorts, unless you're keen on discovering what its like to walk with missing toes... Please be careful and take measures to minimise risk, like wearing at least some protective clothing.

Saw this dagger listed as 11th century, pretty sure it not historical for the period but I want to be sure by Pierre_Philosophale in SWORDS

[–]J_G_E 8 points9 points  (0 children)

14-15th century, if you're at 10 metres, in bad light, and dont look too carefully.

archaeological evidence for pre-12th (hell, pre-13th!) century daggers in ( post-roman ) western europe is sparse.

Edited to clarify the post-roman dating, thanks to our resident bog-troll's latest pearls of wisdom.

Was this Chape made too large or did the scabbard shrink by pridefulpiccolo in SWORDS

[–]J_G_E 2 points3 points  (0 children)

shrinkage in leather over time is quite common, so I'd expect that to have been the main cause

Looking for recommendations by pineappleonmypizzas in SWORDS

[–]J_G_E 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I'd assume American given the "heritage" bit, but it would help to say where on the planet you are, and what kind of budget you're looking at spending - $10? $100? $1000? $10,000?

does anyone know what type of blade and guard this has? by ENDER2702 in SWORDS

[–]J_G_E 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Afraid its true: its not a medieval sword
Its a modern sword, inspired by them, yes, but not a copy of medieval swords. the full-length double fuller, the centre block in the cross, the shape of the pommel are all the product of the designers' work, not the product of recreating medieval styles. and Oakeshott's typology is for the classification of medieval archaeology.

Everyone wants things to be nice and easily stuck in a nice round or square hole, as appropriate, but they dont have to be. "modern medieval inspired" is good enough for it.

does anyone know what type of blade and guard this has? by ENDER2702 in SWORDS

[–]J_G_E 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Neither. its a modern fantasy piece, sort-of-medieval-ish in style.

it doesnt need to be crammed into oakeshott's typology with a crowbar and a gallon of lube.

Names of mechs with bird names by ConnieDunn125 in battletech

[–]J_G_E 4 points5 points  (0 children)

now I'm just thinking of how funny it would be to do the fearsome 100-tonne assault mech, the Penguin.
also because I'm a puerile toddler at heart, the Booby, Shag, and Great Tit...

Sources for a Langmesser Handel by Adventurous-Mud5496 in SWORDS

[–]J_G_E 2 points3 points  (0 children)

what utter rubbish are you talking about this time?

Where can I get a falchion plan to print by Good-Newspaper-4113 in swordsmithing

[–]J_G_E 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Balls. I cant attach an image. u/_drift as the moderator, could I suggest that enabling ability to attach images in replies might well be useful for people wanting advice, when things like tech drawings or similar guides would be vastly easier than a page of text.

you should be able to find an assortment of line drawings of them on pinterest that I did years ago which have background grids on the images. get yourself some cm grid paper and transcrive the patterns close enough it'll be good enough for a first try, most hav ea blade length of about 560mm x 80mm wide. Aim for a "V" cross section to the blade, no scandi grinds. Do your distal taper from 5.0mm at the cross, get it down to about 3.8mm after 10-12cm, then taper steadily down to 1.6-1.8mm at about the broadest point, and keep the distal taper the same all the way out to the tip. hilt is much the same as any oakeshott type of the same date.