I am looking for good gloves, but not too big, since I like to use 2 fingers when wielding my sidesword, I have noticed that in combat against heavier weapons, I can make more effective parries, the problem is that I cannot use the classic red dragon ones in this way, and I wanted to know if there are some gloves that protect well, and are not so big, perhaps in combination with a specific sword that has larger finger rings

Hi guys. I've been treating my swords with WD-40 to remove rust and oiling it up with mineral oil when letting it hang on my wall. That being said, when I forget to do aftercare, sometimes the sword will accumulate rust and it takes a while to polish it to its original state.

I've heard maroon scotchbrite is good for removing rust and polishing — but will it damage my sword if I use a rotating disc? I've never used scotchbrite before, and I'm a little anxious about damaging the metal with scratches

Pic related

Can anyone give their input?

Anything I can do to give it more grip? I’ve lost my grip on it a few times while fencing, even without gloves.

I’d prefer not to replace the wrap, as the durability is fine and also it’s in custom colors (which cost me extra so I’d rather not throw that $ away)

I've recently ordered my first steel saber and I've been wondering what I should get to prepare for owning one. I have a bottle of gun oil already, I've heard that it works well for swords, and I know I need to clean the factory oil off as soon as I get it. Is there anything else I'm missing here? Any specific way I should apply oil? Also, what would I need to make one of those rubber tips to make it safe for sparring?

Anyone have any experience with Black fencer swords? More specifically their rapiers?

Thanks!

https://www.facebook.com/share/ubjfBJkWMcoHMiAu/?mibextid=WC7FNe

• The path into the future of Personal Armor -

Hello folks, Dario here. It has taken me nearly all of 2024 to be in the position to write this post, but it is now time. This is a huge post, and probably the biggest news we have released to this date.

2024 has been The Year, and a lot has been done behind the curtains. Let's make a few things official, then:

1. We are expanding our tech portfolio, and THOKK s.r.l. has won a prize just a week ago here in Italy, as the "most innovative startup" of the 2024 edition, thanks to some of our next-gen softarmor products, and the enormous potential of scalability they offer for the global market scene. We are undergoing a few patenting processes at this moment, so I won't tell much more about this right now.

2. When Crossguard went bankrupt earlier this year, I have bought out all of the Patents regarding the ProGauntlets™. In this way, those haven't sunk into unknown hands in the wreckage, and I will be able to freely design gloves without risking to incur into violating someone else's intellectual rights. I cannot overstate how crucial this is for my freedom to design gloves, and how much that has held me back in the past.

NOTE: Please let me state clearly that I am not liable in any ways for any of the debts or other troubles of Crossguard, I have bought only their patents and IP rights, and not the business in any way or form.

3. We are branching out into other fields, effective immediately. In fact, our next products line will be dedicated to motorcycle riders, coming out in 2025. We will showcase some samples next week at EICMA, seizing the chance for arranging business meetings with some major players in the field, as we are discussing the possibility to also make products for some major European brands using our tech.

This motorsports line will exist back to back with the WeaponMaster line, cause modern knights need modern steeds ;)

It feels like it's been forever, but it's actually just 3 years since the first WeaponMaster® Gauntlets hit the scene, in the hands of the original backers, and it's just over 2 years since I have eventually founded THOKK s.r.l. to make the business scalable, and started selling in volumes to the public. It has been years of blood and tears, through success and obstacles alike, but here we are, standing at the edge of the future of Personal Armor, and looking onwards.

I have some more stuff to talk about, relative to HEMA gear and to expanding the lineup, but I will do so in another post later. This is definitely enough for today :)

Thanks for being with me.

Dario

Hi guys so I've destroyed my second fencing mask... right now due to the hard import and availability of mask I only have two options. Which one do you guys think is better?

1. Uhlmann 1600N (dont know the model but the color is black)
2. Allstar Universal Trainer 350 N
3. DSE 350N Foil Mask (the most common here)

Im looking to buy custom armor preferably in Germany but would be open to outside as well. If anyone has any ideas it’d be appreciated.

Whether you're looking for some Halloween HEMA content, or just want some clever ideas to level up your D&D Sword Mage, this is the article for you.

Necromancy by the mid-15th century was the art of gaining supernatural power by summoning a demon, and forcing them to do your bidding. What's wild is, this heretical act of divination became widely popular in late 15th century. This article charts the course of Necromancy, Heresy, and Witchcraft through Bologna during that period, and reveals some nefarious undertones to Achille Marozzo's famed summoning circle in the title page of his 1536, Opera Nova.

https://open.substack.com/pub/theartofarms/p/the-dark-arts-of-bologna?r=1e0ent&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Hi all,

I'm currently doing saber but would like to also do some rapier (Capoferro). My group doesn't do it so I grabbed a workbook from Guy Windsor to practice a bit on my own. Thing is, I don't know which rapier to get.

Some notes:

Height wise I'm around 185cm

I'm based in the EU

I am (ideally) not looking for a cup hilt rapier, but something more along the lines of a full hilt

Ideally also something that doesn't break the bank!

Thank you so much for any help at all! :)

Hi everyone,

I'm practically a beginner as far as skills go, even though I've been part of my club for 3 years. :( I want to change that and become better by doing exercises at home. Unfortunately I don't know what else to do besides the Meyer cross. I have some HEMA books by the classic German masters (that's what our club teaches) but the stuff in there is meant for pairs. I am alone and getting a sparring partner outside of club hours is not feasible. Do you guys maybe have any recommendations for drills I can do individually at home?

In the market for a steel Hussar Saber, preferably with an L hilt. What are my best options for purchasing one?

Concidering another new gear! The title says it all but any other suggestions are welcome (PBT and others).

Weapon: Rapier Sidesword Spadroon

So my club mostly does dagger and longsword, but a few of us are interested in branching out into saber. Do you have any recommendations for good trainers for us to start with before investing in steel? I vaguely recall seeing a version of a leather-covered dussack trainer that was longer and more curved. Something like that would be perfect but I can't find it now. Thanks!

Recently I had posted a newb "which feder?" type of question. I narrowed the options down to a Sigi King shorty and a Gothic standard. Y'all gave me a lot of good feedback, which made the analysis paralysis worse. So I just put in an order for both! Rather than the Gothic, I ended up opting for a bare-bones concept standard, as well as a king shorty.

Bastards, the lot of you! /s

I'm looking to get a pair of large shields made for my club so we can do roman style fencin. I've seen a lot of people recommend that people build their own shields, but we have no set loction to store materials while we build, and want to make sure both shields are of equal quality.

Are there any good shield makers that can be recommended, ideally ones who can make custom or semi custom shields?

Has anyone used or owned the regenyei No. 1 and have any thoughts to share?

I'm looking at buying one but can only find one review online. Some people say the regenyei messer is bit of a beast but are usually referring to other models.

Thanks for your answers

Hello, I am a 20 year old who currently has much stress in my life and recently found release in a pretty violent fight I got into recently. as shaken as I was by it I found that the physical exhilaration of it not only relieved much stress but caused my balding signs to halt and even lessen for a few days. I want to try a martial art to help find some mastery over my anger issues but I broke my hand to the degree that I now require surgery on the hand. This is one of the reasons i find hema appealing.

I was looking to ask how much I would need to spend to get into Hema and resources for learning more and possibly some self-guided training for home. But also if Hema is a good way to bring discipline to one's own capacity for violence as I belive that's what I'm looking for more so than stress relief.

Hey all

Physical therapist by day, HEMA competitor by night. No medical advice here.

Having a lot of convos these days around head protection and sports. We know things like even small head impacts are bad, if you feel something you probably have a mild concussion, soccer players heading balls can give them measurable working memory and balance deficits. These things are cumulative and maybe you're drilling 2-3 x week.

Some people using the qcollar - I'm cautious as the evidence looks weak and the mechanism doesn't make sense to me. Plus. It wouldn't work under a gorget.

NFL has been pushing for more people to wear the guardian caps. I think this is good, I think there is room somehow, somewhere, for someone to design an overlay like such, but idk.

What we know: rotational and linear acceleration are big concerns for concussion. 60g (gravitational units) can cause a concussion, but the lit goes +/- 30g from that.

We have a lot of factors to consider. I don't have a force gauge to strike and see how hard I'm hitting. Plus, a mask deflects some of that force, and a lesser amount (hopefully) goes into the old noggin. What about a poor parry mitigating some of it, which portion of the sword lands, etc....

What do yall think about or current head and brain protection? What do you use? Do you think it is sufficient? What do you want to see changed or done differently? Have a well tested mask you like?

Let us discuss

I've just recently recovered me Kvetun-Easton sabre a few weeks ago, after lending it to a friend for some months. Unfortunately me friend didn't clean or oil it properly and when I got it back was quite rusty. I don't really blame him, but I'm struggling to efectively clean it without disassembling it. Of course, it is the nut secured model, not peened. But after removing the nut, I cannot fathom how to further take it apart. I don't want to force anything if I don't know what I'm doing and I'm quite sure that there's a way to do it. I just cannot for the life of me figure out how to remove the knucklebow from it's slot. Does someone have some advice?

I’ve recently gotten an interest in doing HEMA, but have been warned against it due to me having hydrocephalus, and some family members are worried I’d get the shunts (tubes in my head to get rid of excess fluid) in my neck broken if I decided to do this due to my head lurching back. From what I can find I don’t think this would happen, but I’m checking with a doctor as a just in case, and I’m checking here in the meantime.

I just got my Rattlesnake overlay today, all setup and well. It fits right and overall is a great piece of equipment. However, I have a minor issue with this overlay. When I raise my chin up, the back of the mask doesn't seem to move at all and only my face move up, sometimes it gets into my vision which is pretty annoying (I also wear glasses/sport goggles). Any tips to fix this, does it get better after break-in?

https://preview.redd.it/olh25dt0vnxd1.jpg?width=1960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1144c2a4597fc5af501966bb0e18f8f659724d8d

https://preview.redd.it/87qb7ys0vnxd1.jpg?width=1960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ea67e8a5f15bcce30c8ae8275cbe793fde67c62b

https://preview.redd.it/lkk7oxs0vnxd1.jpg?width=1960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bba5ce581c5e20e3cc52b9bf0d803ca6f7a110b8

The audiobook is set as the mc telling you and everyone in the bar his story (I listen at work). I was floored to find out Fiore was a full-on character, and it's awesome. Just in case that's kinda fire for anyone else too