From: helm@jade.ucdavis.edu (Catie Helm)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Membership Privileges?
Date: 29 Sep 92 04:39:06 GMT
Reply-To: helm@jade.ucdavis.edu
Organization: Geology Department, University of California, Davis

Bill Sommerfeld writes (can you tell this is a vax yet?):
>
>You're confusing capital expenses with operating expenses.
>It's $150 for armor, which will last many years, and $25/year (or
>whatever it is these days) for membership.
>
>If your armor lasts 6 years, that's $150 for armor, and $150 for
>membership over those six years.  I suspect that most fighters would
>consider the $150 for armor better spent.

Gott im Himmel Sei!  $150 for armour?!?  My helmet cost more than that!
When I was student the first time round, I didn't have armour.  I couldn't
afford it, since I was paying my own bills.  Maybe I'm overly cautious,
or maybe I have expensive tastes (I doubt it though - I'm an anti-fop
on the field...), but after a few years in a barrel helm plus an
engineering dynamics analysis of sword blows impacting helmets (done
by myself while I working as an applied physicist, and my father, who 
is a PE in mech engr), plus a visit to the Snell Institute (the people
who rate motocycle helmets for safety), I will NEVER fight in a straight
sided, flat topped helmet ever again.

Another thought while I'm on the tangent of helmet safety, padding plays
a huge role in the safety of your helmet.  After long discussions with
acoustical engineers at Kollmorgen and Electric Boat, back when I was
doing submarines (can you say very very quiet?), making a foam pad, which
grades from elastic/less damping to damping/less elastic from next to
the helmet to next to the head seems to be the best imperical construction
for maximum safety.  Also, fit is very important.  Too tight, and you
optimize the transferal of momentum to the head (uhg! can you say ouch)
because you've already compressed the elastic give in your foam.  Too
loose, and you've made the helm part of the impacting object (sword/helm
together hit the head - ugh!  can you say ouch?).

It is possible to optimize the helmet/padding system too well.  I've done
my current helm so well that I can't feel wraps - I hear the sword go clunk,
and feel a small motion, but that's it.  I have to be very careful and
call wraps by the sound they make.  If the sword goes "tink" it's not
good, if it's "clunk" I'll take it.  I hope that I'm not cheating my opponents
and make it a habit to take all wraps that sound marginal.  I'd rather
do that and lose fights than have my reputation besmerched.  My honor
is vastly more important to me than winning.  Besides, I'd much rather
have fun than anything else.  This "sportification" of SCA fighting that's
been going on for the last few years just sucks, if you ask me (just an
opinion, folks  ;-)

So I have a beautiful helm, and it cost more than $150.  My hands and
arms and legs are my living; I spent more than $150 on hand protection
alone.  I can't afford to lose the use of them.  I've been recovering
from a ligament injury of my thumb, and can't do any leatherwork.  I've
lost several hundred dollars of projected "hobby revenues" over the
summer because of it, not to mention that I have outstanding commissions
I can't complete until I can stand to push a tool.  I will opine that
if safety is important to you, then your armour better not have cost
you just $150...

I have neglected to state that, dispite being an anti-fop, I displike the
look of blatantly modern material on the field.  I will admit, that while
plastic is cheap, metal looks better.  I joined this game because I like
history, not because I want to win crown (though I admit, it would be
nice to win crown  ;-).  Stick-jocks wearing plastic and duck tape on the
field really ruin the look of the lists for me.  I'd rather lose and look
authentic than win and look crappy.  It's where my head space is at.

I suspect that I'm rambling (again)   ;->

Twcs



-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Catie Helm, internet: helm@geology.ucdavis
Stable Isotope Lab, Geology Dept.
University of California, Davis
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca