Armour. You know, the stuff they wore in the old days to keep other people from hacking them apart with swords.

For some pictures of reproductions of armour and related medieval trinkets I have made look here.

For some references to armour and related books look here.

For some pictures of antique medieval trinkets look here.

Seriously, I have been interested in the study of medieval european armour for many years. This interest has lead me to recreate armour using manual techniques similar to the methods that would have been used at the time.

I have built mail (the armour composed of thousands of small rings of steel linked together) and plate armour. I tend to focus on the 14th and 15th centuries, but I have made pieces that represent armour from the 10th to 17th centuries.

My goal is to fill the house with enough armour that we will be forced to buy another house or add rooms. So far my wife has put up with this minor eccentricity. (She's starting to collect japanese tsuba - sword guards from Japanese swords - in self-defense.)

When my budget allows and pieces are available, I buy antique pieces of armour and related goodies. I really do mean 'pieces' - whole suits are either not available or are well out of a human's price range. At this point I have pieces like an arm, a pair of gauntlets, 2 knees (not even close to pair), an elbow, a single gauntlet, a burgonet (helmet), a gorget, a halberd and other bits and pieces.

One thing I do with the armour I build is show it at schools when I teach classes on armour.