This is the full view of my armor. I use it for fighting in SCA heavy combat .SCA is a group where people can recreate ancient midieval life for the arts, sciences and for us "stick jockeys", we can recreate ancient battle, in a sport of sorts. It get's kinda rough, though, "full contact sport" is the name of the game.I am not a member, yet, but I have done a lot of practice with them. I also do a lot of backyard sparring with people of simmilar "hobbies".
If you want an armor guide, Here: [link]
This is a great site for finding out how to make and understand japanese armor. It is an online guide. Of course, when I made my armor, I didn't have internet, and I lived in a grainery in wisconsin. I referanced my armor from the movie, " The last samurai". Remember Tom Cruise's red armor, that he wore in the last battle? well, I saw the movie, and decided that I had to have that armor, so I endevored to make it. I just watched the movie, freezed the frames with close ups of the armor, and made extensive notes and plans. I even counted the laces and rows, to make sure everything was exact.
I then researched a very large book I have, that is called, "A glossery of the Construction, Decoration, and Use of Arms and Armor" By George Cameron Stone. This book is a massive encyclopedia of all weapons ever used up to the 2nd world war. Of course, some places are more fleshed out than others, and it seems that the author had a large interest in japanese weapon and armor craft. This was a great help.
The materials I used for it are black plastic berrels, nylon cord (white), steel pop rivits, and sheet steel, for the buckles and decorative marks, here and there.
What's that? Plastic, you say? Well, did you know, that ABS plastic and laquered leather look identical? And the plastic is very tuff, and much more shock absorbant than leather, or even steel. If we were using real swords, then I'd be in trouble, but since we just use sticks, it is optimum.
I spent alot of time rounding off the edges, and smoothing out the cuts, drilling holes and rounding them out as well. I even fashioned my own buckles, out of steel.The most time consuming part was all the lacing! Hours and hours of lacing... The only thing that I'd like to do with it now is rim the edges in steel, though I don't know how to do this, yet.
I am so proud of it, that I have built a stand and set it up in my room, next to my bed. Heh, some people think it's creapy, but it's my second skin, so it don't bother me! Besides, it fits with all the weapons I have covering the walls!