Made in Wisconsin by Edwin "Giles" Gilbert.
The design was started by Edwin Gilbert. Then adopted and improved by Terry Tindil. Terry made them popular with the HEMA and SCA communities as “That Guy Products” from 2007 to 2015. Terry decided to retire That Guy Product in 2007 and handed off mask production to me. He passed sales of his beautiful gorgets to www.darkwoodarmory.com.
These masks are designed to keep fencers safe! They are among the best available worldwide for fencers playing hard with swords heavier than foils and rapiers. These masks allow greater freedom of motion, comfort, cooling, and protection than the mass produced wire weave masks you are familiar with. Professionally I worked as a US Army medic and a Registered Nurse. Acquiring a practical knowledge of sports injuries, beyond those I have personally taken. Began making armor for SCA heavy fighting in 1978. We have continuously improved these helms. Using advise from physicians who fence, instructors who have studied the findings of the NFL (USA football) concerning concussions. Army medics (who fence) with their experience with sports injuries.
Usual prices for masks, this is with all leather in place and ready to wear.
In stainless steel: $550 -- Mild Steel $450
A visor model is $100 more. That is either mild or stainless steels.
The masks are made from 18 ga. mild steel or "stainless steel 304" flat plate and perferated plate.
The perforationed plate are .125" (1/8") in a staggered pattern with a 3/16" offset which leaves 40% of the surface open. The pieces are hand riveted together using 1/8" mild steel rivets.
The back edge of the face is strengthened either by being cut from the finished edge of the perferated plate or rolled. The front edge of the back of head rests inside the back edge of the face so not strengthened. (that ought to satisfy the geekier of you).
Two chin designs, pointed or squared.
No difference in strength, mostly aesthetic but if you have a very full beard i suggest the square chin.
Pointed chin
Square chin
Two designs are half circle and quarter circle. The half plate adds more rigidity to the mask and crowd your field of vision above the eyebrows. Recommended for very upright German long sword.
The quarter circle is triangular point down toward between the eyebrows.
This increases your field of vision above your eyebrows. Some rigidity is traded off , still very strong. Recommend for the hunched over stance of some Italian style rapier.
Having trouble visualizing? Trigonometry. Half circle is one fourth of a sphere. Quarter circle is one eighth of a sphere. . The circle I am refering to is an imagined circle around the head at the level of the eyebrows . So the half circle forehead is a solid plate from temple to temple. The quarter plate a triangle from between the eyebrows up to top of head.
Half circle brow
Quarter circle brow
Here are the options and prices, for the bare steel. I wrote this out to encourage customers to use their skills in sewing or leatherwork to finish their masks. Pounding iron is what I prefer doing, if you do the leather or cloth parts I can get back to more pounding. E-mail conversation welcomed.
Stainless steel plate and perferated plate is 304 (all rivets are mild steel ) = $230 front and $90 back. Can add 16ga stainless steel perferated plate is available, but only works for the quarter plate forehead and adds $50. Stainless steel is half hardened in the perferating process, forming it into a half circle forehead or a face works hardens it to the point it cracks. Tempering stainless steel requires equipment I do not have.
Mild steel is low carbon rolled plate = $170 front and $70 back + can add:
I would like to talk you into ordering mild steel. Structural strength is nominally less than stainless steel, not enough to be noticed while in use. Rust is not as much of a problem as most folk assume.
Put a helm in a bag with a sweaty jacket and it will rust.
A coat of paint protects well.
If you want shiny helm, a coat of wax protects almost as well, better if you reapply occasionally. A designated cloth bag for helm gets waxy.
Leather bib, nape and edgeing are 2-3 ounce chrome tanned leather.
Bib and nape have 20 ga. stainless steel fender washers riveted between. Historically this armor is called brigantine. I do not overlap the washers thus the bib is flexible for the mobility a neck needs. Brigantine with overlaping plates is quite siff , good for a breast plate but not for a neck.
Edging is a strip of leather folded over and riveted on the back edge of the mask and fromt edge of back of head.
These colors of leather are available on a regular basis:
Suspensions are 3-4 ounce leather straps. Arranged similar to most most safety helmets and military helmets. Since they will get soaked with your sweat, they are made of vegetable/oak tanned leather. This is for two reasons: 1) To avoid the irritation some people's skin get from the chrome tanning chemicals; 2) Allow the leather to "wet form". When wet, the leather will tend to change shape and it becomes form-fitted to your skull. Suspensions are fastened to the mask with screw rivets (Chicago rivets). These allow you to adjust the suspension in any dimension. I suggest you lock these closed with "lock tite" or similar glue. They will eventually unscrew themselves and sneak away. So pack a few spares - I shall send 3 spares.
The top of head suspension is 3 straps. A thin short one attached to center of forehead strap. Two wider straps attached at 2 points on sides of head. Adjusted with a set of holes tied together with a shoe string such that top of helm is kept away from top of the skull.
Many fencers do not need one. If you practice a style that needs one - you know it. Usually two handed-sword, cut & thrust, and other free flowing combats.
A perferated steel plate about the shape of the back of skull. It is fastened to the top of the back of the mask with a cotter pin in a 16ga hinge (mild steel) . Straps run from back plate under chin of mask; to keep it in place as you move. A recent customer asked the strap be fastened to mask and run behind back plate , seems to also work well. The nape of the neck is draped with brigandine of leather and washers like the bib. Front edge (the only edge) is covered with the 2-3 oz leather for beauty and protect you from the saw tooth shape of sliced perferated plate.
Answer all 8 questions:
Do you wear glasses with the mask? I can bulge the face slightly to accommodate corners of glasses.
Email me at horsebows@gmail.com with questions.
My intent is that once this webpage is published I will be able to use Gileshelms@gmail.com.
We shall discuss time till completion and payment.
Head height: underside of chin to top of head
Height to brow: underside of chin to brow ridge (eyebrows)
Head width: measure skull from side to side using the area just infront of the ears. I will leave room in mask for your ears, The ears will be pressed back some as too much open space on the sides allows the helm to accelerate more before it starts to accelerate the skull.
I like PayPal. My account is my usual email address horsebows@gmail.com.
Do not like holding other peoples money and life (yours or mine) could change while waiting in queue. The queue has been as long as 14 months. Jan 2024 it is 8 months and with the sale of Horsebows archery import business, should get shorter. I ask for money when I am ready to start mask. About one month before will be finished. Half of mask price then. The balance and cost of shipping when mask ready to ship.
Shipping cost will be determined at time of final payment. Packaged the mask weighs 3 kilo, 30x25x25 cm. For my fellow Americans that is 6 pounds and 12x10x10 inches.
When you have emailed me all the measurements and color choices I will put your order in the queue.
These come in four diameters to match the diameter of arrow shafts.
They are also used in fencing to blunt the ends of fencing rapiers, schlagers, and daggers.
Available diameters:
For fencing some clubs require a metal washer or rawhide strip be put in to protect the rubber from the wear of the metal tip of the sword.
Available diameters
Large HTM brand blunt
I manufacture steel bucklers. These are the simplest and most frequently pictured in paintings and manuals.
For broadsword — either steel or wooden — the bucklers are of 18-gauge steel and curled back to guide the cutting blows away. These are in many old paintings – for example hanging by the sword of English long bow men of the “100 years war”. I am attempting to reproduce the ones from the fighting manual that was written about 1325 in Germany and is called by its museum number "I-33" (Roman one, Arabic threes). Mine are 12 to 14 inches in diameter, a pronounced boss and then the rest slopes back at a lesser angle to guide the sword cut away. Not the one that looks like a straw hat. Price: $100
© 2024 Giles Helms. All rights reserved.