No worries regarding the questions, that is what we are here for.

Nope, we do not belong to the AEMMA, or HACA, or the like - we were actively involved in the founding of the Higgins Armoury Swordsmanship guild, but haven't participated actively with them for years. We have occasionally hosted Bob Charron in Fiori workshops in the past.

I have had fun both shooting, and being in a pike block, but pretty much I function as a mounted infantry officer in full harness (since we only have two horses, we can hardly manage a cavalry charge), sometimes as an infantry officer on foot.

Archery takes more skill, there aren't enough of them represented, but it is a slightly more expensive portrayal (bows cost a bit more than a simple pike, and even a decent halberd, depending on how accurate a bow you are looking for.)

More of both are needed in 15th century reenactment, and I mean bowmen or pikemen in jacks and sallets, not little armoured turtles running around in full or half plate (which is pretty darned expensive to do right, but so many people want to be a 'knight' in their hearts, they laden themselves down with an uncomfortable and unhistorical amount of armour for an infantryman) Believe me, it is a lot easier carrying a full harness around on horseback, than on foot - I have done both extensively.

So, if you are willing to settle for a jack and a sallet as a pikeman, with maybe jack-chains on your arms, or a mail standard, and you are willing to make your own jack, a pikeman is cheaper than a bowman. If you want a half-harness as a pikeman, it is the other way roung, with the archer being cheaper than the pikeman.

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I found this website that sell English style long bows, and from my research their bows seem accurate.
http://www.woodbows.com/elb.html

I found a pattern for a gambeson and my wife was going to sew it for me, which will save me some money.

Good for you! It is very encouraging to see people logically pick a clear path to the portrayal they would like to undertake,

The bow is the correct shape, and would work just fine for reenactment purposes, but it would be less good for museum interpretation where people come very close to it or touch it. It is a good place to start.

One thing to note though, center-wrap bindings, while pretty , are not medieval at all, and do not appear with any frequency in sources until the 17th century. It should be no problem, however, to have the maker either remove the center-wrap, or not put it on while making it.

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I am wondering what a good choice of colours would be for an archer?

Well, it is kind of hard to be quite that generic . That said, you could get away with later 13th century braies, the ones more like boxers, long chausses, and then a tunic, and a doublet - one of our pikemen has a pair of long chausses masquerading as single-legged hose. The hose you can get away with, the tunic/doublet thing, not so much.

As to colour, Reds (like madder and brick reds), and blues seem to be the most common colour, outside of grey or 'poor black' (as in a darker grey).

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If someone can show me a way to be generic, authentic and cover a 150+ year span, I would love to see it, because I get this request a lot at work.

First I must to appologise for my horroble eanglish… I promes to be better.
I’m young (I’ve 29 years old) armorer and sculpter from Poland. This is my debiut on this forum.
My web site (www.nieczar.civ.pl) is not updated long time but some exemples of my work are possible to see here : http://photofile.name/users/nieczar/

I make my helmets by original artefacts and iconography
I’m learning still ,so maybe my helmets are not perfect yet …but I work hard to be better and I hope I’ll be really good someday ….

I make by new techniques (electric tools ,steel matrix ,etc.) and also by old techniques ( raising in one piece by hand hammer ,forging by hot way etc. )

Please ,You can to comment my work as hard as it’s nessesery

…one more time sorry for my Eanglish

Best regards

You have done some VERY NICE work. I especially like your Italian Export sallet, and your late visored bascinet based on the example in the Vienna Kunsthistorichesmusem.

Welcome to Firestryker!

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Real name is John, and I'm South Florida based, and part of a group that portrays the Household staff of a Noble at the Florida Ren Faire, from a Living History standpoint.

Food is prepared on site to medieval/renaissance recipies, then served to the cast members playing assorted Kings and Queens following the various books of carving, nuture and courtesy.

Time period is vaguely early Tudor for the fair, but we fit in quite well for late WotR and even Burgundian.

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Good to hear that you all are still at it.

Please say hello to Molly and the rest for me.

Db

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Db

Will do!

John

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Sorry for not replying back before now, I have been extremely busy with work since the fall.

I suppose I can not be as generic as I had thought.

Unfortunately, I recently found out that I will most likely be moving to Central Canada (near Winnipeg). I am not aware of medieval living history groups in the area, so I am afraid my hopes of becoming a pikeman or archer will be on hold for now.

Well I ended up moving a bit further west than Winnipeg, Manitoba due to a new government position being created just for me. I am now located near Edmonton, Alberta.

I am still looking for a group to join however I am not sure the time period or the type of group.

There is a large SCA group near by however I am not sure if they will fullfil my wishes of the type of group I am looking for.