A Faire Day

[DonSchap]

So, I went to the Bristol Renaissance Faire, up on the Ill-Wis border. I was amazed to see so many people, just parading around in their 1599 Sunday best. It was rather ... different.

I'll put up a few, but this place needs some serious work.

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It's on the edge of being cool ... and kind of ... out there. You know what I mean? I just have this uncomfortable feeling that some people are really not too happy with modern reality.

I tell ya, these bright sunny days mixed with shady shots are a real test of your camera's dynamic range.

[dr4gon]

craziness!....

that guy on the right on your last picture looks like he has a pain in his neck from that giant lens!

[sparkie1263]

Nice series. I like coloring of the first. The knights had to be hot. Don no shot of you in your Sunday clothes.
Frank

[DonSchap]

Well, I was looking, Frank. Got my hands on some leather ... a baldric (strap that holds your rapier sword, slung from your shoulder, like a sling bag), a jerkin (like a leather tunic), and a calvalier hat. It was roughly $500 worth of leather goods. I already have the rapier and scabbard, straight fom Toledo, Spain.

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Now, we need something for the arch-photographer. A leather vest, a sling for the camera and a fancy hat ... LOL.

But no, common sense got the better part of me, today ... and I just finished my tour and left. It did make for some exciting moments in the leather shop, though. LOL :rolleyes: I told the guy $475 ... and he let me walk out. LOL Oh well, haggling just ain't what it used to be.

I did get a dandy smile from that blonde with the yellow hat, in rear of the ladies on parade, though.

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It was like she truly appreciated my taking her image. I appreciated the smile! LOL :D

[DonSchap]

I have to tell you, the nymph girl really did play hell with the exposure. Her purposeful "saturation" was something right out of a coloring book.

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A700 w/ TAMRON 17-50mm f/2.8
@ 50mm - f/4 - 1/60 sec - ISO-400 - Spot Metering - Spot Focus - M - Natural Lighting

[seanhoxx]

nice pics as always Don, bright sun deep shade bright colors, a fun challenge. I will be going to Ohio Renaissance festival the end of next month. It is one of the largest in the midwest, in it's 19th. year. large well laid out well attended. Hope to have lots of photos. If anyone is interested www.renfestival.com
A rapier Don? a big guy like you? being a big guy also... wider rather then taller LOL I am a fan of the hand and a half long sword............bring me my broadsword!!

[DonSchap]

Oh, don't kid yourself! I have a 7-lb battle broadsword with a nasty little dagger built right into the back of the handle. If people really wanna party hearty ... you really should break out the "good stuff" ... and get personal.

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a700 w/ TAMRON 17-50mm f/2.8
@ 40mm - f/5.6 - 1/60 sec - ISO-400 - ext flash - M


The rapier was merely for all-day-toting, not the "get to work" melee that comprises full-fledge field work. Oops, I pre-date myself. LOL

And to be perfectly honest ... as big as I am, I do appreciate the elegance of an good bow and quiver of arrows. I figure it is a prudent thing to whittle them down a bit, at 60 yards, before sloggin' in for the final row. Don't want too much company bargin' in. ;)

[DonSchap]

and it really comes down to close-quarter ... where you need defense and offense ... in one weapon ... here's a little something I created a few years ago ...

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As Mick Dundee, once said, "Now, that's a knife!"

The American short-sword ... 22-inches of close-quarter, combat-ready power ... yes, even the curved-clip has an edge. :D The pommel and spacer are made of Mokume' and the handle of Ironwood, plucked from the desert of Arizona. The blade is entirely ATS-34, except for that rectangular, dull-gray area ... which is a "removeable" blank of solid titanium. My next iteration of the blade was planned to be made of BG-42 or CPM-S30V ... which is a more "stainless" version of this superior and corrosion resistant steel. You could drop this in a lake and come back a year later ... and it would look the same. "Excalibur" should have been made of steel like this ... may be it would still be around to tell the tale.

[DonSchap]

Now, I have to admit, it's not everyday, in America, where you see a herd of dudes sporting teepee poles with lethal looking tips on the ends of them, "pig-stickers", I guess you'd call 'em.

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but, yet, here they were ... yeah, Royal Pikers! LOL

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... with her Royal Highness right in behind.

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All in all, they go by quite rapidly ... so you best have the camera at the ready ... because, "adjustment time" just isn't practical.

[seanhoxx]

The well dressed gentlemen wouldn"t leave home with out a rapier and a short dagger at the least. But I see you know that when it's time to get down to it real old school style it's time for heavy metal. chain maille, helmet, boile leather and padding broadsword, long knife shield or buckler, maybe a war hammer or battle axe just in case. puttin a bit of distance between you and them with a bow is a good plan also, I have never been any good with a bow. 60 yards eh, gonna let 'em get that close? A tall strong guy "very strong" with a 6 foot double recurve war bow, 200 pound draw, 3 foot shafts... medieval version of reach out and touch some one. Styraight through anything but the best plate armor at 60 yards, highly lethal at 80 yards, still wouldnt want to get hit at 100 yards in armor/maille. of course it takes a tall strong man to handle a bow like that, and years of shooting it to be accurate over 100 yards, but still damn deadly

[DonSchap]

Still ... the best way to take a punch? Don't be there when it arrives! LOL :D There is nothing like a truly mobile fighting force, as long as they understand bivouac is a temporary situation. Do not get used to any one place.

[seanhoxx]

Don so is there anything you don't do:D Knowledge of edged weapons and some metallurgy background eh, now thats interesting. a few questions for my intrigued mind, Your american short sword you made that, please tell me you ground out the blade from a blank and don't have your own FORGE!
ATS-34 how hot you planning on getting that blade, should keep a edge even above 600 *F, removable titanium blank block......... you have that laying around?? and why did you put it in the cut out? remove it to "speed up" the blade? CPM-S30V specialty formulated steel, had to double check and look it up, you have a knife works nearby? that is a hard steel with the chrome boosted up right, water resistant, salt water corrosion ressitant, and a mirror like shine. was supposed to be "the steel" for custom knives, not sure how much it is being used. Ironwood from Arizona, did you get it yourself:cool: great wood for sword wasters, there is a reason its called ironwood! If anyone is interested a couple of intersting web sites, www.atar.com Jim Hrisoulas site, not much activity, but he is the "swordsmith" master metallurgest. also check out www.thearma.org

[DonSchap]

Sean,

Looks like you've done your homework, too. My original knife design for my Bowie was to use it as a "picture frame" ... where the insert would be replaced by a number of double-sided images to ornamate the blade. The "Eagle" is totally removable for replacement with a flatter 'S'-guard, so your "wall decoration" can quickly become one of the deadliest knives/short swords available. Also, the decorative insert (supported by small screws in the spine of the blade) can be replaced with a deadlier weaponized insert ... such as a pair of horizontal accessory blades or even a projectile-firing rig, which can be jettisoned after expended. Oh, the mind wanders, eh? LOL :rolleyes:

I actually have two of these knives, one quite real and edged (no insert), the other (with the insert) a prototype with no edge (the one pictured in the prior post).

The economy of the recent two decades has prevented me from continuing development and "going to market" with this, as everyone's disposable income is being destroyed by the continuation of the war in Iraq (since 1991)/Afghanistan (since Charlie's War) and the horrid gas-bite.

I have found that a project of this size would require at least $100,000 in materials and work, just to have a meager initial offering of 200 pieces. Money just does not go very far, these days. So, it stays in prototype, for the moment. I have MY knife ... so there's always that. :D Cost me ~$3000 for the pair, but what the hell? That's a lot cheaper than most quality efforts go for.

No, I do not have a FORGE. A friend of mine does. We "mudded-up" and "heat-treated" the knives, so they are "ready" for use. The idea of going to the new metal happened when the CMP-v30s was finally developed. At the time of manufacture, though, ATS-34 was the only blank material I could rapidly get in small amounts from Admiral Steel. I mean what am I going to do with a 6-foot sheet of 1/4" thick BG-42? Tough stuff, heavy as hell, hard to chop up for blanks, and pretty impractical for home use. :rolleyes:

I also rated the idea of using an EDI machiner to create precision cut blanks and center cut-outs ... $600 a blade, my friend, last time I checked. That's just for the cutting.

Now, of course, Admiral has released weapon-sized blanks ... which are shorter and about 10% more than the long bar stock. Kind of a new definition for "cost cutting" ... or more like, the cost of cutting.

Okay, then ... how about that photography? Okay then, here's an image of it "cased" today.

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The paint is a bit worse for wear ... but, this baby still works ... just ... fine! :)

[seanhoxx]

Aintersting concept product Don, I think it would sell well, but you are right way to high set up costs for to small a yield, never be able to sell at the price to break even. I am sure that somewhere I think on one of the 2 sites i mentioned was something about sources for "weapons" blanks, smaller and narrower for use in swords and knives, less waste but the waste really can't be used for something else, to small, odd shaped etc. I dont recall what steel or how many choices it was offered in though. the BG-42 bars cut them in half, then cut down the middle, machine lathe the last 8 - 10 inches rounded and use as a club, would get the job done, can be used to open doors,windows, walls, and works your upper body swinging it:D
for the EDI was that going to be your cost per blade after buying it, or just to use it, guess not many places have a extra one sitting around you could just "rent". mud and bake, old school you mix rock salt with the mud?" hotter quicker longer" sometimes nice effects in the steel. I know you can do it when you "mix" forged metals, but have heard that during heat treating you can "sprinkle" powdered zinc, nickel, fe oxide, etc on the metal, mud it and bake for subtle color changes, and 'sparkles'

[DonSchap]

Seems like years ago, now. Weird ... it was! LOL

Anyway, you probably want a size comparison with a human being. Okay, my model was 5' 9" tall. You figure it out ...

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That really is a 14-inch blade ... about 2 3/4-inch wide.

[seanhoxx]

:D she can almost hide behind the blade. not to handy quick access or fast in close use, but then again with that you don't need to be getting to close. As far as daily use and carry blades, and a "good" price I like the cold steel products, I at times carry the peacekeeper I. 9 plus inch blade needle tip double edged and razor sharp. most of the blades are designed as "slashers" but at over a foot long with the handle you can really put some torque on it and drive it home so to speak.

[DonSchap]

Once again, it was built for entertainment value, not social combat. Coupled with a pair of razor claws, you can defend .. and offend, quite effectively.