Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

pbleed · 16th March 2011, 02:34 AM

Dear Friends,
cole and I had a couple of off line exchanges. Perhaps some on the forum will find them of interest
Thanks very much your message. I appreciate that Alan Senenfelder was kind enough to pass it along to you. Indeed, thanks to the good offices of Madelein Roberg, we have a very good analysis of the fibers and fabrics of the scale armor we are studying.
For now, let me pass along some summary information
1. Your observations on the structure of the armor are very good. We will present a summary of the structure in our final report of the armor.
2. The Fabric Substrate
What you call the " The Fabric Substrate " is composed of irregular, undyed "bast fiber"
3. The "Tape"
The tape is twill woven cotton with a blue dyed warp element. In use, this tape was doubled and the scales are attached by rivets . My colleague Doug Scott found a reference to what seems to be very similar tape used as "lace" on the British army uniforms of "other ranks" of War of 1812.
The main thread used to attach the riveted tapes to the "fabric substrate" is thick, doubled bast fiber
4 The fabric that you call the "lining" is a bit problematical. It may indeed, have been a lining that reached entirely across the face opposite of the scale.
It is twill-woven cotton
5. The "Top"
The fabric along the front neckline of the armor is undyed bast fiber.
6. Now, let me ask you to look once again at the brass spanner nuts that hold the slot-headed screws at either side of the armor. Senenfeld sees that as potentially rather old. And he may be right, but I see it as a well machined bit of hardware. I could see it as very 19th century. I am also not finding very much literature on the chronology of nuts and bolts. Can you share any expertise?

16th March 2011, 02:34 AM	#16
pbleed Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Little Rock, Arkansas Posts: 88	responses to Cole's questions Dear Friends, cole and I had a couple of off line exchanges. Perhaps some on the forum will find them of interest Thanks very much your message. I appreciate that Alan Senenfelder was kind enough to pass it along to you. Indeed, thanks to the good offices of Madelein Roberg, we have a very good analysis of the fibers and fabrics of the scale armor we are studying. For now, let me pass along some summary information 1. Your observations on the structure of the armor are very good. We will present a summary of the structure in our final report of the armor. 2. The Fabric Substrate What you call the " The Fabric Substrate " is composed of irregular, undyed "bast fiber" 3. The "Tape" The tape is twill woven cotton with a blue dyed warp element. In use, this tape was doubled and the scales are attached by rivets . My colleague Doug Scott found a reference to what seems to be very similar tape used as "lace" on the British army uniforms of "other ranks" of War of 1812. The main thread used to attach the riveted tapes to the "fabric substrate" is thick, doubled bast fiber 4 The fabric that you call the "lining" is a bit problematical. It may indeed, have been a lining that reached entirely across the face opposite of the scale. It is twill-woven cotton 5. The "Top" The fabric along the front neckline of the armor is undyed bast fiber. 6. Now, let me ask you to look once again at the brass spanner nuts that hold the slot-headed screws at either side of the armor. Senenfeld sees that as potentially rather old. And he may be right, but I see it as a well machined bit of hardware. I could see it as very 19th century. I am also not finding very much literature on the chronology of nuts and bolts. Can you share any expertise?