Progress has been almost non-existent lately, due to a number of reasons. I finished up some more girdle bands, and plan to get everything assembled sometime soon-ish.
Aside from overtime at work, a wedding, a variety of medical appointments, and several other factors, there is one issue in particular which has been slowing down the armouring work. Looking back on all the work done so far, I find it amazing that I got this far at all. But the one thing which became hard to ignore was that most of the work I accomplished did not happen at my apartment, for the very simple and obvious reason that my apartment just isn't well-suited to the task. Aside from cutting out a few panels and making hinges, almost all of the work happened at my friend JB's place or up at my cottage.
And while that worked OK for the prototype, making a "good" lorica and finishing it to a level of quality that I would be happy with simply cannot happen in or around an apartment -- I would require several tools which simply can't exist anywhere other than a workshop. So, it was with some regret that I came to the conclusion that the 'good' lorica would have to wait until I bought a house -- and that admission took some of the fun out of finishing the prototype.
I have been considering making a Wisby gauntlet, or something similar such as this, since they are small enough that working on them in an apartment would be feasible. However, I haven't really committed to this idea -- indeed, I have begun working on a different hobby altogether. The new one is vastly more suited to apartment dwelling, and while it may at first seem like a radical departure from armouring, it is ultimately still about wearable creations.
More details (and pictures of the prototype armour) another time.
Cheers,
-R
