Helms

[Diodamia]

OK! I looked all over the Official SCA site and can find nothing to tell me how thick my helm should be. I am not interested in heavy combat but I just want to be an archer. You know, stay away from getting hit. So what kind of helm can I use?  

[Felix OFlyn]

Diodamia

OK! I looked all over the Official SCA site and can find nothing to tell me how thick my helm should be. I am not interested in heavy combat but I just want to be an archer. You know, stay away from getting hit. So what kind of helm can I use?

It depends on your kingdom. In An Tir you have to have a heavy helm I think so 14 or 16 gauge.  

[LittleGreenGirl]

If you're doing regular, target shooting archery, you don't need a helm. Archery competitions and practices are always in a separately defined space. For combat archery, on the other hand, you need armor, as the fighters can attack you.  

[Ringbender]

She is right! In combat you want a helm because of the face protection. You will be the target of some of the other teams archers. As soft as they are the arrows still hurt and can cause a lot of eye injuries. Get a good helm which fits snug and you will forget it is there. When you get hit you will be happy you have it.

In the end it is all up to the Marshall at the event. I have seen some 18g helms allowed in full combat, middle of the field, gona die first fighters. If you don't need to buy it online just go to the event and buy one there. The merchants row is always ready to outfit you along with special instructions and fitting. I can tell you that everyone will want to help out as much as they can. You might even get more attention than you want. But you will not be allone. Very few fighters end up in a few years with the outfit they started with early on. There will be plenty of people who want to upgrade and may give you a great deal on used equipment. Just be sure the face shield is regulation. The allowable space between bars has changed in the last few years. If the bars are too far apart the arrows go right through and are funneled into your eyes. IMHO.  

[Snaebjorn]

Ringbender

She is right! In combat you want a helm because of the face protection. You will be the target of some of the other teams archers. As soft as they are the arrows still hurt and can cause a lot of eye injuries. Get a good helm which fits snug and you will forget it is there. When you get hit you will be happy you have it.

In the end it is all up to the Marshall at the event. I have seen some 18g helms allowed in full combat, middle of the field, gona die first fighters. If you don't need to buy it online just go to the event and buy one there. The merchants row is always ready to outfit you along with special instructions and fitting. I can tell you that everyone will want to help out as much as they can. You might even get more attention than you want. But you will not be allone. Very few fighters end up in a few years with the outfit they started with early on. There will be plenty of people who want to upgrade and may give you a great deal on used equipment. Just be sure the face shield is regulation. The allowable space between bars has changed in the last few years. If the bars are too far apart the arrows go right through and are funneled into your eyes. IMHO.

Ok. To cover a few points. By SCA regulations all archers must wear at least minimum armour requirements though there are special allowances for their hands as you can't fire a bow effectively in gauntlets or a basket hilt.

SCA minimum states that the helms must be 16gauge steel or better. So the marshals who allowed 18gauge should have their Marshallate revoked.

If you want to do combat archery you may as well find a helm you like and start with that. For those of us who are damn bloody poor places like this site help alot: http://ashcraftbaker.com/  

[Diodamia]

http://ashcraftbaker.com/

Thanks for the intro to the site. I think at $150 plus shipping I had better beg, borow or buy used. What are the regulations for the distance between bars for the face shield?  

[felixofvinjar]

Here's the helmet regs copied out of the Kingdom of Antir's book of combat. Note that up here, archers are considered heavy combatants so they're expected to meet all minimum armour requirements.


The highlights: Must be of steel 16 ga (1/16") or heavier.
Minimum 1/2" closed cell foam padding.
Bars must prevent a 1" dowel from entering the helmet.

From antir.sca.org:

a) Helms shall be constructed of steel of no less than 16 gauge, or of approved equivalent
material. Be aware that steel of less than .0625 inch (1/16 inch or 1.6 mm) is too
thin, even if it is sold as 16 gauge. Alternative materials such as stainless steel, brass,
bronze, or like materials are permissible as long as the material is equivalent to 16-
gauge steel. (Note also that the mass of the helm is an important part of the
protection. No titanium, fiberglass, or other ultra-light materials may be used.) If a
spun-metal top is to be used in the construction of the helm, it shall be a minimum of
14-gauge steel. The process of spinning the top thins the metal, thereby requiring a
heavier gauge.
b) All joints or seams shall be constructed in one or a combination of the following ways:
? ? Continuously welded on the inside and outside.
? ? Continuously welded with a single bead that extends through both surfaces.
? ? Lap joints welded or brazed along the edges of both pieces.
? ? Riveted with iron or steel rivets no more than 2-1/2 inches (63.5 mm) apart, or with
equivalent riveting techniques. Screws and or pop type rivets, along with other
lightweight rivets, are not to be used.
? ? Welds must be sound and rivets secure.
c) Face guards shall prevent a 1-inch (25.4-mm) diameter dowel from entering into any
of the face guard openings.
d) The face guard shall extend at least 1 inch (25 mm) below the bottom of the chin and
jaw line when the head is held erect.
e) Bars used in the face guard shall be steel of not less than 3/16 inch (4.8 mm) in
diameter, or equivalent. If the span between crossbars is less than 2 inches, 1/8-inch
diameter bars may be used.
f) All visors shall be attached and secured in such a way that there is minimal chance
that they will become detached or come open in normal combat use.
g) There shall be NO major internal projections; minor projections of necessary
structural components shall be padded. All metal shall be free of sharp edges. Face
guard bars or mesh should not attach to the interior of the helm, unless of structurally
superior design and workmanship.
h) All parts of the helm that might come into contact with the wearer’s head shall be
padded with a minimum of ½ inch (13 mm) of resilient or closed-cell foam, or shall
be suspended in such a way as to prevent injurious contact with the wearer. Similarly,
parts of the helm, which might come in contact with the wearer’s neck or body,
should be padded.
i) All helms shall be equipped with a chinstrap or other means of preventing the helm
from being dislodged during combat. An equivalent might be, for example, a strap
from helm to breastplate or a chin cup suspension system. A “snug fit” is NOT an
equivalent. The chinstrap shall be at a minimum a ½ inch in width and shall not be
placed in the helm in a manner that could strangle the wearer.  

[Artimus_Twitch]

Rial k**e

Diodamia

OK! I looked all over the Official SCA site and can find nothing to tell me how thick my helm should be. I am not interested in heavy combat but I just want to be an archer. You know, stay away from getting hit. So what kind of helm can I use?

It depends on your kingdom. In An Tir you have to have a heavy helm I think so 14 or 16 gauge.

I believe its 14 gauge helm and heavy minimum for armor. You will probably want more since the rules changed here.
As far as I know in all of An Tir we can hit archers now.

I would not want to step foot on that feild without a helm... accedental hit, other arrows flying around...  

[Regular Polyhedra]

Rial k**e

Diodamia

OK! I looked all over the Official SCA site and can find nothing to tell me how thick my helm should be. I am not interested in heavy combat but I just want to be an archer. You know, stay away from getting hit. So what kind of helm can I use?

It depends on your kingdom. In An Tir you have to have a heavy helm I think so 14 or 16 gauge.

16g for An Tir.
Why not look on the official site for your kingdom?

heart