Alyssa Beaton Photos of practice

My thanks to Alyssa for taking these and sharing them. They are some great shots of the action.

Thanks again Alyssa, you have an impressive talent. If anyone else would like to have some of your photos of the action posted on DA Guardian please send them to m.sauls1969@gmail.com. I would love to share them.

I hope to see you out on the field so that I can get in on the action myself.

Where ever coin jingles or plunder is promised you will find a mercenary. 

Thorne

How to Make a Rope Grip For Your Sword or Shield

I know that you have been on the field and seen that friend who either knows how to make a really nice rope grip or purchased a professionally made weapon that has one. Many people love this style of grip. It fits comfortably in the hand, offers a fair amount of shock cushioning, wicks off some of the sweat from you hand, and it looks very sharp.

Today I am going to show you two simple methods to not only wrap your handle in rope but to do it in such a way that it won't come loose on you after the first couple of uses. The first thing that you are going to need is some supplies. For demonstration purposes I am going to do my wraps on this piece of wooden dowel rod. It is probably a good idea to do this yourself for practice purposes until you are comfortable with the technique. Note: If you plan to use method one then you need to use a rope small enough to feed through a drinking straw.

Method 1: This method is a little tricky to master. It can be done without an adhesive but for best result a basic white adhesive like Elmer's Glue or Aleene's Original Tacky Glue works just fine. First I like to tie a clove hitch on the handle and I tape one leg into place like this. I then spread my adhesive all over the wrap area.

The next step is a trick I like to use. If you try to simply wrap the surface then you will end up with a twisted mess like this.

To avoid making a twisted mess I use an ordinary drinking straw like this.

Make your wraps loose because you do not want to crush the drinking straw. You are going to need to be able to feed the rope through it. Once you have the handle surface completely wrapped do just that; feed the end of the rope through the straw then pull the straw out with the rope. This is now the pull string that you will use to pull your wrap tight.

The tricky part of this is that you will have to keep working the loops tighter and tighter as you pull the slack through with the pull string. Once you have your handle wrapped down tight trim off the excess with a pair of scissors. If you are using a nylon or plastic rope you can keep the ends from fraying by melting it with a lighter. Put the weapon up for a few hours to allow the adhesive to dry and you should now have a handle that will last you for a long time.

Method 2: This method is a little simpler. It involves the use of double sided carpet tape. I have the E-Z carpet seam tape here and it is an incredibly strong. Start by cutting a length to cover your handle then pull off one side of the non stick paper. Wrap it around your handle.

Now what I like to do first is to secure one end down with a little electrical tape. Then you tightly wrap the rope around the double sided tape. When I get the tape off on the other end I again secure that end with a little electrical tape. Then I trim it off with some scissors and you have a very simple and functional rope handle that should last for a very long time without coming loose on you.

I hope that you found this article helpful and I hope to see you out on the field.

stay tuned for the next episode of The Bald Foot Curse coming soon to DA Guardian.

Thorne the Mercenary

The Pool Noodle is Dead

How to build a Belegarth weapon

When I first started building weapons I got a pool noodle and stuck it on a piece of PVC. It was fine for the kids to bop each other with but wasn’t Belegarth legal. Lets face it the only thing that pool noodles are good for is well, playing in a pool. What happened afterwards was a lot of me experimenting with different builds, wasting a lot of time and money. Through out that process I managed to build weapons that were legal to use but often didn’t last long. I still experiment but I enjoy the process. Some people would rather have clear cut instructions on how to make a good weapon without a lot of head ache. The pool noodle is dead.

1. The first thing that I recommend is that you get on the Belegarth web site and look at the rules of war. Specifically you will want to look at the section on weapons to see what is required.   http://belegarth.com/rules.php
2. You will need a work space. Take several things into consideration when doing this. You need enough space to build your weapons. You may want a table or work bench to work on. Ventilation may be important. Also this can be very messy so don’t do this on your mom’s kitchen table. She won’t be happy if you scar it up with razor blades and stain it up with glue. For my first work place I utilized a folding table and worked on my back porch outside.
   
3. You will need a few tools. A knife (I prefer a razor knife or box cutter with replaceable blades), a straight edge, a black sharpie, a tape measure, screw driver or paint can opener, a ruler, a hacksaw, and a wooden paint stick. Optional tools: a compass (for drawing circles and curves, a scale (for weighing your weapons)
   
4. Choose a core. The core is probably the most important part of your weapon design. There are several cores to choose from carbon fiber, bamboo, band poles, fiberglass rods, kitspar, and pvc to name a few. what you want to build should determine what you use. Here I have chosen a piece of bamboo 30" long for my project and as you can see I have put caps on the ends.   
   
5. Adhesives are your next choice. There are a few standard adhesives to choose from. Most people use DAP. There is also Super 77, hot glue, and gorilla glue just to name a few. For this project I chose hot glue. I dislike using DAP although I have used it much in the past. I learned that DAP causes cancer and I have always disliked the smell of the fumes. It remains one of the best adhesives for this type of project but hot glue also works very well.
   
6. Get your padding. Blue camp foam is the foam that is most commonly used but there are a number of options on line. Steer clear of pool noodles they are really inadequate for what we do.
   
7. Get the covering materials that you need. cloth athletic tape, double sided carpet tape, electrical tape, tights, fabric covers, and rope can all be useful for finishing your project.

Now that you have all of these things in order your next step is to glue a box around your core. In my case since I used bamboo I decided to prepare the core first with a wrapping of protective tape which also reinforced it. I cut two strips the width of the core and two strips the width of the core plus 1". Blue foam is 1/2" wide so that makes the box flush and even. Since bamboo is a little uneven I  ended up trimming off a couple of spots that over lap. I then finished the box up with two square caps on the end.

Next I cut long strips 2" wide and covered the whole box twice. I then added a piece of couch cushion foam, taped it into place and added a third wrap of foam over all of that. I then added a cross piece of foam and a foam covering of the pommel. Finally I covered the blade with some tights that I purchased at walmart and covered the handle with cloth athletic tape. Below is a picture of the finished product.

For some more in depth tutorials and information on weapon builds check out the link below.

http://wiki.belegarth.com/Updated_Blue_Sword_Tutorial

http://www.stuorg.iastate.edu/tirasleen/documents/Compilation.pdf

Also here is a decent video of a build that I like.

How to Make a Hillbilly Washing Machine

I alway love great camping tips and I think that this one could be pretty useful. If you ever go on really long camping trips finding yourself in need of a trip to the laundry mat could be a hamper on your fun. But what if you could save your pennies and do that load of laundry right there at camp? Check out this article on how to make a Hillbilly Washing Machine using a 5 gallon bucket and a plunger.

http://refashionista.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/diy-hillbilly-washing-machine/

Sword Techniques

If you want to know the true secret to becoming a great swordsman it is simple, practice.  A true master of any art dedicates some of his or her time to practice on a regular basis. It is also good to gain instruction from others that are better than your self. Ask for advice, ask them to point out weaknesses that they see in your technique, and try to pick up tips and tricks that work well for them.

When most people first begin this sport they rely on speed and ferocity to win them battles. This works against many opponents. However, it does not replace good strategy, foot work and technique. Especially as a swordsman grows older. A warriors reflexes slow, his stamina lessens and his ferocity becomes displaced by wisdom. This warrior learns that he must cultivate precision, patience, and strategy to win the day. He learns to conserve his energies for the proper moment when he can deliver the proper strike. That makes this kind of warrior much more dangerous than the warrior who charges in wildly swinging his weapon around.

I've chosen a few videos that I hope you will find entertaining and educational off of you tube. It is a great source for information if one knows what they are looking for enjoy.

shield fighting techniques

I'm always interested in fighting techniques that can improve one's game. I think that it is important to remember that your shield is more than just a defensive device. It has many strategic uses that can make it dangerous in combination with a sword.

This first video was put up on our Facebook page by Will, one of our members and it demonstrates a great sword trap with a shield.

This next video is a nice discussion of the physics of fighting and some individual skills which could maybe work with a big round shield.

And this last is a nice documentary about the development of the shield which has some real interesting history as well as some good fighting tactics.

Making a Character

Making a character for Belegarth can be both challenging and rewarding. It can give you a basis to design your costumes, decide what weapons to use, and it can give you something extra to do both on and off the battlefield. You don’t have to create a character. You can just show up and fight but if this sounds like something interesting to you then here are a few helpful hints.

Pick a piece of history or fantasy that intrigues you. There is so much to choose from. The middle ages was a smorgasbord of interesting people and events. The fall of the Roman Empire and Barbarian invaders called Vandals and Visigoths poured into Europe, the Caliphate conquered North Africa and the Middle East. The Franks formed the Carolingian Dynasty. Vikings, Magyars and Saracens invaded. Crusaders fought back against the march of Islam. The Byzantine Empire struggled to survive Islam. The Mongolians conquered Asia and began pushing into Europe and the list goes on and on. So weather you make a choice based on real history or fantasy pick something that interests you.

For example lets say that you are interested in Vikings. Vikings were raiders from the north that were partially responsible for ending the Carolingian Dynasty. They were known to be great sailors and explorers. If you wanted to play a Viking then your costume might include furs, your choice of weapon might be an ax and a round shield, and for fun at camp outs you might drink honey mead and sing dirges and sea chanties. 

What ever your choice might be take this as an opportunity to learn about the people, the clothing, the culture, the weapons, the cuisine, and the history of these people. Learn as much as you can and incorporate some of it into your reenactment experience. 

Maybe your choice is something more fantastic. Perhaps you are interested in playing an elf or a dwarf from a book like Lord of the Rings for example. The method is still much the same. Familiarize yourself with the character type and build your costumes and persona around it. It doesn’t change the rules of Belegarth combat but it can make it more fun for you.

Next you might want to have a trade for your character. Your trade could be a soldier or a warrior but maybe you want to be something more than that. My own character is a mercenary, a warrior for hire. You could even be interested in becoming a knight. There are groups that can take you through a whole right of passage to become a knight. If you don't want to be a warrior type then you might choose to be a trader, a pirate, a craftsman, an assassin or a thief. It really doesn't matter because in the middle ages if you didn't know how to fight then you probably wouldn't have lived long. Members of the realm often had duel roles as both temporary conscripts during war and whatever their daily job was. Securing a good position in a knights entourage was beneficial to both parties. 

For example knights needed someone to care for their horses. If a person was lucky enough to get hired into this position then he got to borrow the horse when knight wasn't using it. This put this person in close proximity to the knight and his training facilities. The knight would often use his people for sparring partners during his personal training. So the guy working the horses would pick up a few fighting skills from his knight. A wealthy knight might even provide equipment like weapons and armor for his people. The point is this. In order to survive the middle ages people either learned to fight well so they could protect themselves, they learned to fight so so and made themselves valuable to a person that could protect them, or they made themselves very valuable to someone that could them.

Your trade will also effect the battle tactics that your character would use. A barbarian type might be rash and charge in, a knight would behave honorably in battle, an assassin/thief will use sneak attacks, an archer will use a bow, and a woodsman or scout type while also using a bow will attempt to use stealth in combat, etc. 

Having a trade can give you something to do off the battle field as well. I have a friend that is a brewer. He enjoys this as a hobby and he incorporates this into his character. He brings his home made beverages to events. If you have a hobby then you might consider incorporating it into your character. Some things that you manufacture might even be profitable for you to sell.

The point of this is that it can give you a direction for arts and crafts that might interest you to enhance your character. This game can be more than just battles on the field if you want it to be.

Where ever coin jingles or plunder is promised you will find a mercenary.
Thorne