Gauntlets are armor second in importance only to the helmet, and are a considerably more complex challenge for the armorer. No matter what style however certain principles of fit and function are essential.

From the centre of the arch of the wrist radiate the tendons of the long muscles to the fingers; and the fingers must be in line with their power, to prevent warping, so radiate From this point. But the power of the thumb has drawn the centre of radiation a trifle to its side of the wrist, so that the mechanisms of the hand are grouped around a point near its base. The clenched fingers all point to this point, as far as crowding will permit. Half closed, as in clasping, they form arches converging there (George Bridgeman, "Fingers," The Book of a Hundred Hands, 1971 ed.; 112).

(For drawing click here)

This quote underlines a vital principle of gauntlet design; that being that if you would properly cover and protect the hands, you must keep in mind not only the construction of the article itself, but the workings and structure of the hand. The gauntlet must not interfere with the normal movement of any part of the hand, or force it to move along lines which either reduce it's strength or damage it through improper movement. Keep in mind that the gauntlet should not become the fulcrum for the leverage of your own weapon to injure you; nor should it concentrate the force of any blow, rather, it should distribute the force of a blow over a large area or to the haft of the weapon being held When building or buying gauntlets for the SCA, one must keep in mind that the level of protection required far exceeds that of authentic construction. Strict adherence to period construction is inappropriate. Most period gauntlets (and all modern hockey gloves!) were too light to prevent frequent broken bones. They were mainly intended to keep anything from being cut clean off. Period gauntlets were, on the other hand, usually well designed. There are several design flaws we frequently encounter in the Society. Some are:

The wrist: The wrist pivots near the center of the arch of the wrist referred to above. The wrist is capable of at least 80 deg. of rotation around this point. The gauntlet cuff must reflect this, with room for padding and vambrace. A heavy harness leather cuff held to the gauntlet back and thumb with straps is the only way we have used to cut a few degrees off this flare because the leather flexes slightly. A narrow cuff must be articulated on sliding rivets. If you do not understand how to articulate in this fashion, either learn how, or design your cuffs with sufficient flare to allow free movement of the wrist. Failure to do so may put undue strain upon the wrist and hand.

Padding: Because there are times when the hand will be forced towards the inside surface of the gauntlet, it must be padded in order to prevent contact. We test the construction, fit and padding of our gauntlets by putting them on, holding a weapon, and then whacking it all over with a 32 oz. steel hammer. With padding, if your gauntlets are dented, you are far less likely to be injured. Leather gloves are not padding. Closed-cell foam or an equivalent should be used.

The wrap around thumb base: When building or buying gauntlets with a one piece thumb base and hand back, check the thumb base, it should be formed away from the back of the thumb to allow the base of the thumb to flex away from the hilt of the sword when the sword is levered against the gauntlets finger plates, such as during a missed blow and its consequent over extension. An effective way to test for this is to put the gauntlet on, hold a sword at arms length with the thumb up and the sword in line with the arm. Have a friend strike the sword straight down with gradually harder blows. Be careful, the leverage can be as much as 20 to 1! Start out with light blows and stop if you feel your thumb being pinched against the inside of the gauntlet.

Many gauntlets are made with more plates than necessary to get sufficient articulation to wrap the hand. which only adds additional weight. All other things being equal a three lame gauntlet will always weigh less than a five lame gauntlet. This is not to say that you cannot make a very good five lame gauntlet just that it will weigh more. Another problem caused by too many plates is that in the excitement to add too many excess rivets you frequently leave no room for the rivets that hold the palm and finger straps.

Another often seen flaw is articulation that can open between lames, exposing the fingers or hand. This occurs when the lames are merely strips, without the overlapping edge being formed over the underlying lames edge at an angle (3 lame, approx. 60 to 65 degrees, 5 lame, 35 to 40 degrees per lame. A good quick and dirty fix for the problem is simply to install a simple strap down the middle, riveted to each lame in turn.

When testing a gauntlet or pattern, make sure that it allows full movement of your wrist and hand when worn over your arm armor, holding a weapon. This is important because the mass of a weapon can increase your range of motion.

Gauntlet proportions: When measured from the center of the arch of the wrist, the length of the index finger is greater than the length of the little finger. The difference in length can be a full 1 1/8 inches or more. In order to mimic this, the gauntlet must have more length on the index finger side and should form a jointed cone-section when the hand is on the hilt of a weapon, with the large end of the cone formed by the index finger and the thumb. The cross section of the plates is most heavily curved at the wrist and thumb, and flatter at the back of the hand near the knuckles and over the fingers.

Quality of construction: There are no excuses for sharp edges or burs anywhere, sharp corners, or large rivet heads on the inside of any article of armor. It's not just bad technique, it's unsafe. Articulation should be smooth throughout the full range of motion, with no sticking or gapping between plates. Check that all straps have been solidly attached without crushing or tearing the strap material. Make sure that the rivet head is wide enough to prevent the strap pulling off over the head, and that the rivet hole is far enough in from the edge of both the strap and the gauntlet plate that it is riveted to, to prevent tearing out under a heavy blow. A well designed, built, and padded gauntlet will not restrict movement while still affording superior protection.

George Carroll, 940 Fairbanks, Kalamazoo MI 49001 Tavis (George) MacIntosh is a forcibly deported Scottish blacksmith living in Italy(better climate anyway) who still thinks neon armor is a really good joke, but not his best.

Drachen Birch used to be marginally involved in SCA as Daibhihd MacAindrais, but has retired to being just another armorsmith, kindly old Unka Drak. Listen to what I'm telling you about gauntlets, because I made 'em and fought in 'em, and my fingers are all still round, with the right number of joints. Anatomically correct armor forever!