Re: Boffer Weapon Construction

[Dan Mackison <DanM@skantech.com>]

Poster: Dan Mackison <DanM@skantech.com>

This is by no means "official" boffer information but it may generate
some other good ideas.


 

atlantia@csc.ncsu.edu wrote:
> 
> Poster: "Terry L. Neill" <Neilltl@ptsc.slg.eds.com>
> 
> Hi!
> 
> More interesting stuff off of foreign lists - this time the West.
> 
> Master Duncan used to be the Chancellor of the Page School in the Kingdom of
> the West (before they shanghaied him into the Seneschalate).  I participated
> extensively in the West Kingdom Page school when I lived there (as an adult
> herald, not as a child.  :)
> 
> These boffers work well and are safe.  The West has a 'touch' standard for
> boffer fighting with children.  If you are touched, the blow counts.  Thus
> they have very minimal armor standards.
> 
> They make perioid-style helmets out of leather for face and eye protection
> and require long sleeved tunics, gloves and shoes.  That's it.  Helps the
> kids feel the touches easily.  Head shots are allowed.  (In An Tir they don'
> t have helmets so head shots are illegal.  I like having helmets with head
> shots allowed.  The older children are then only a few steps away from 'real'
> fighting and can take those steps more quickly.)
> 
> The helmets blend into the medieval atmosphere better than safety gogles and
> bike helmets and work just as well if the kids are monitored to ensure that *
> touches* count.
> 
> West uses determinate marshalling for Page School tournies.
> 
> Last I knew, Atlantia didn't have kingdom-wide boffer standards.  If we now
> do and these boffers don't meet them, please tell me (and us all).
> 
> If anyone is interested, I can dig out the copy I have of the West Kingdom
> boffer rules.  I also have An Tir's rules for boffer and whalebone online.
> I also (somewhere burried) have a pattern for a West leather boffer helmet.
> 
> Regards!
> 
>         - Anarra
> 
> Date: 17 Sep 96 20:25:41 EDT
> From: Duncan Vitrarius
> To:   sca-west@anthrax.ecst.csuchico.edu
> Subject: Advice about making boffer weapons?
> 
> Seamus,
> 
> What would you like to know about making boffer weapons, I use to be the
> Kingdom
> Chancellor of Page School and I may be able to help you out.
> Here is your shopping list for boffer weapons:
> 1 roll duct tape
> 1 length of pipe insulation ( made to fit around 3/4 inch pipe, get the best
> stuff you can find )
> 1 lenght of schedule 40 3/4 or 1/2 inch pvc pipe ( you must use schedule 40 )
> 2 slide on end caps for the pvc pipe
> 
> Important note the pvc can not be any further than 4 inches into the boffer
> sword
> 
> Step 1. Cap one of the end of the pipe, have the child grasp the pipe above
> the
> cap and messure up another 4 inches, cut the pipe at that length and cap
> that
> end of the pipe.
> 
> Step 2. Push the pvc 4 inches into the pipe insulation, now tightly wrap
> with
> duct tape ONLY the area that has the pvc pipe in it down to the end of the
> handle of the weapon. This will keep the handle from seperating from the
> boffer
> sword blade.
> 
> Step 3 Holding the sword length wise attach a pice of duct tape to the bottom
> of
> the handle, run the tape up the length of the blade, over the top, and back
> down
> the length of the blade to the bottom of the handle. This should have
> covered
> about half of the blade with duct tape. Now repeat step 3 to cover the rest
> of
> the blade with duct tape. At this point the entire blade of the sword should
> be
> covered by at least one layer of duct tape.
> 
> Important do not over duct tape the sword, it will make it to hard, about
> one
> layer of duct tape over the striking surface should be enought.
> 
> If you have any questions about the instuctions just email me, or talk to me
> about it at October Crown.
> If you have questions about the spelling, remember they never gave me a
> spelling
> test for this job. :-)
> 
> In Service
> Duncan Vitrarius
> Acting Seneshal, Kingdom of the West
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-- 
+---------------------------------------+----------------+
| Dan Mackison                          | Occasionally   |
| dan.mackison@pobox.com                | known as       |
| http://www.geocities.com/Athens/1824/ | Thomas MacFinn |
+---------------------------------------+ and            |
| Hilda Jarvis                          | Vicountess     |
| hilda.jarvis@pobox.com                | Vincetta       |
| http://www.geocities.com/Paris/6400/  | duJarvain      |
+---------------------------------------+----------------+



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