Advantages of MIRROR WHITE Armour

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scholagladiatoria

scholagladiatoria

Ай бұрын

Why did medieval knights value shiny white armor, as opposed to the other options available to them, such as black, blue, gold or painted armour?
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#medieval #knight #armor

Пікірлер: 495
@lindybeige
@lindybeige Ай бұрын
I well recall one of our men at Tewkesbury saying that his foe told him that fighting him in his mirror armour was like being attacked by a disco ball.
@mdexterc2894
@mdexterc2894 Ай бұрын
Back then, being fabulous and slaying was literal, but they'd still look fabulous and slay on the runway
@angryeliteultragree6329
@angryeliteultragree6329 Ай бұрын
That got quite the laugh out of me lindy😂
@mortache
@mortache Ай бұрын
What's more terrifying than a dangerous foe is a dangerous foe who is also fabulous
@PJDAltamirus0425
@PJDAltamirus0425 Ай бұрын
Well, this is the same time period where bright colors, pointy shoes, small waists and hose manly. Then heels, codpieces, bright slashed doublets, huge flamboyant hats, and rum and leg emphazing tights
@angryeliteultragree6329
@angryeliteultragree6329 Ай бұрын
I wonder what lindybeige thinks about anodized titanium armor?
@Gwyll_Arboghast
@Gwyll_Arboghast Ай бұрын
for reflecting the sun into opponents' eyes, matt would just take his helmet off.
@Intranetusa
@Intranetusa Ай бұрын
Just like Saitama.
@mortache
@mortache Ай бұрын
Dazzling
@geovaughan8261
@geovaughan8261 Ай бұрын
Solar Flare. :)
@johndoe70770
@johndoe70770 Ай бұрын
Ooooh brutal
@CRTCLDSSTR
@CRTCLDSSTR Ай бұрын
Emotional Damage
@Papadragon18
@Papadragon18 Ай бұрын
Further about the status thing, though maybe less cool: A really shiny armour shouts "Don't kill me! Ransom me!"
@mindmedic9435
@mindmedic9435 Ай бұрын
Battlefield Bling.
@farkasmactavish
@farkasmactavish 29 күн бұрын
Or, alternatively, "Look over here, conscripted peasants! I can tell you what to do!"
@jamesbeeching6138
@jamesbeeching6138 25 күн бұрын
Unfortunately didn't really work in the War of the Roses!!💀💀💀💀
@jamesbeeching6138
@jamesbeeching6138 25 күн бұрын
Also high status doesn't always mean scary!! Look what happened to Charles the Bold!!💀💀💀💀😅
@ronmka8931
@ronmka8931 23 күн бұрын
I doubt they did it to get ransomed, probably more for intimidation
@KowlDoogle
@KowlDoogle Ай бұрын
I imagine in movies they always prefer satin armour because they don't need to hire a guy to edit out the camera crew in post. The only time i've seen reflective armour is in The Mandalorian because they had a guy take a reflection map to make the surroundings accurate
@digitaljanus
@digitaljanus Ай бұрын
And otherwise making it harder to control the lighting on set. But probably also the persistent perception that the medieval period was dirty and grey and only cowardly ponces would have fancy armour and weapons.
@leonardomarquesbellini
@leonardomarquesbellini Ай бұрын
Shiny things don't look good on camera, and at least IMO they don't look that good in person either. Satin is nicer to look at all around.
@Daveed56
@Daveed56 Ай бұрын
@@leonardomarquesbellini I'd check out the old EXCALIBUR movie form 1981, lots of high polished armor that looked great on film.
@phantomcaptain13
@phantomcaptain13 Ай бұрын
The Gondorian soldiers, at least Aragorn and the Tower Guard, from memory, in the Lord of the Rings also wore shiny white armor. Just one that immediately popped into my head in addition to the mentioned Excalibur.
@leonardomarquesbellini
@leonardomarquesbellini Ай бұрын
@@Daveed56 yeah, that was going to be my example of shiny armor looking real bad. Honestly can't stand it.
@billygnosis8820
@billygnosis8820 Ай бұрын
Another thing, which might be part and parcel to #1, is that you become a big shining point of reference to your soldiers. Where do we retreat to? Just find Sir Shinybottom. Need help trying to execute this tactic? Just keep the big shiny dude to your left and you're halfway there. Also, having a very visible boss, may help with morale, much like a standard or unit flag. As long as Sir Shinybottom can be seen, we keep pushing.
@dongleseon8785
@dongleseon8785 28 күн бұрын
Wouldn't that be a flag bearer's job? Would be hard to see a guy through bunch of crowd with similar height no matter what hideous outfit that guy might wear. Another thing that might or might not be a thing, Maybe mirror finish makes the distance and posture of wearer more confusing? Mirror finish doesn't cast shadow on itself and just reflect surroundings with distorted perspective. Not exactly a camouflage but might just be enough to confuse how far that breastplate or gauntlet is.
@kchortu
@kchortu 25 күн бұрын
I honestly think it would be harder to spot the mirror in the throng of other soldiers as you would be reflecting them the grass trees... kind of like the mirrors used in magic tricks to make things look like they are floating.
@BaronVonQuiply
@BaronVonQuiply 23 күн бұрын
_"Where do we retreat to? Just find Sir Shinybottom."_ ... just learning now that I picked the wrong name and character for my KZfaq account
@IAmMrGreat
@IAmMrGreat 16 күн бұрын
@@dongleseon8785 Anyone wearing a shiny armour would most likely be mounted on a horse, even if leading infantry. There's also a good chance he'd be leading from the back with all the cavalry behind or to the sides of him making him easy to spot and making it easy for him to see what was going on. Being behind the infantry, they'd probably not be watching him much during a battle, but the standard bearer would similarly be behind the frontline, so it really just gives an extra point of reference to have Sir Shinybottom around rather than replacing a standard bearer. I'd say it's a thing that could play into deciding to have a shiny armour but not the primary or sole reason to do so.
@dungeonofarchitects1473
@dungeonofarchitects1473 16 күн бұрын
@@IAmMrGreat Also, signifies that Sir shinybottom can afford ransom if things go south
@samheasmanwhite
@samheasmanwhite 25 күн бұрын
As a metalworker I can confirm that high polish has no effect at all on whether a harder cutting tip will bite in, but can have slightly lower friction with softer materials like wood so I guess it could have some small effect on a glancing club strike. Ripples in the surface though, like dents or a roughly hammered surface, will have some effect depending on the depth. It can absolutely helps with rust though, materials that you would expect to corrode rapidly can become more resistant by polishing to a mirror finish, but in easily corroded steel it must still have some tiny amount of oil for protection in humidity (I think I have heard of oiling being frequent? I'm not familiar though).
@ernomakkonen5200
@ernomakkonen5200 Ай бұрын
I knew the 5th one because in kingdom come delivarance the perk knight in shining armour. In sunny weather your plate armor dazzles everybody and also you get a charisma bonus. Very realistic indeed😅
@granityseis104
@granityseis104 Ай бұрын
same
@LeonM4c
@LeonM4c Ай бұрын
Jesus Christ be praised!
@ernomakkonen5200
@ernomakkonen5200 Ай бұрын
@@LeonM4c Henry has come to see us
@quartqwertbudisgood
@quartqwertbudisgood Ай бұрын
Who’s there?
@TheTdw2000
@TheTdw2000 28 күн бұрын
Gone weak at the knees have you?
@laurenceperkins7468
@laurenceperkins7468 Ай бұрын
One final reason for a mirror polish: It shows off the quality and consistency of the steel. If you have bad steel with inconsistent grain sizes or inclusions, the variation will be immediately visible in a mirror polish. For that matter, so will any inconsistencies in the curvature from like hammer marks and such. So it not only shows off that you're wealthy enough to pay for the labor to polish it up that much, it also shows off just how good a quality the armor really is. (And lets you detect if the smith tried to cheat you...) You won't see that as much on modern reproductions since even the poorest modern steels are of a quality that a mediaeval blacksmith would have killed for, and modern tools make it way easier to get the shape exactly right.
@firstlast6398
@firstlast6398 Ай бұрын
Because the drip would have been immaculate!
@D.S.handle
@D.S.handle Ай бұрын
One should never underestimate the drip factor.
@nuancedhistory
@nuancedhistory Ай бұрын
The Romans and Byzantines do mention that the sight of men in polished iron was a huge intimidating factor. In most cultures at that time most people couldn't afford armor, and to see a force of Roman soldiers in shining scale, maille, lamellar, or during the classical period Lorica Segmentata advancing where most or all of them have armor would have been terrifying because to any force it communicates "they sent an army of their best, most experienced, wealthiest men" based on their own cultural experiences. It was actually a clever deception because the front ranks of Roman soldiers often were the least experienced men.
@Dejawolfs
@Dejawolfs 24 күн бұрын
curiously, the romans in the early period were not intimidated by the fancy armour worn by the greeks. the roman generals actually mocked it, saying they had spent their time making their armour look pretty, we had spent our time training to become fierce warriors. or so i 'm paraphrasing.
@esben181
@esben181 22 күн бұрын
​@@DejawolfsCould it be that the mocking was an attempt to suppress their instinctive fear?
@tfan2222
@tfan2222 21 күн бұрын
@@esben181Implying anything about it is “instinctive” is fucking hilarious.
@esben181
@esben181 20 күн бұрын
@@tfan2222 lul perhaps. I still think addressing the issue by mocking it is a response to the intimidation it could cause
@aviationenthusiast2002
@aviationenthusiast2002 Ай бұрын
fun getting to see your other wall finally because of the reflections of your mirror armor
@kadoj
@kadoj Ай бұрын
One of my favorite finishes for plate armor which is almost universally overlooked and very rarely mentioned anywhere is russet finish (or "russeting," which is a brownish-red to reddish-purple coloring) which is a variation on fire bluing. As we know, during the process of heat bluing, the color of the steel actually changes through a spectrum of colors dependant on the temperature it reaches, going from natural finish to begin with, then a weird yellow tinge, then kindof brownish, russet , purple, blue, then eventually dull graphite if you over-do it, as well as all the "in between" shades along the way. By arresting the heating process at very precisely controlled temperatures/times, one can effect a color finish anywhere along that spectrum. "Russeting" was most popular, I think, during the 16th and 17th centuries, when metallurgy and fine control of heat during creation was at its most advanced and precise, as before then it would've been extremely difficult or even impossible to stop the process accurately enough to reliably achieve an even coloring across the whole of a component, let alone an entire harness, especially for the more "transitional" shades that occur before reaching the final dark blue/violet color. But yeah, russeting is almost never talked about anywhere, to the point where it has even been confused in artistic renditions (such as Durer's catalogue of armor) as being a substituted color for something else (even on this channel at one point I think, if im remembering correctly). So yeah, i just wanted to show it some love because its really pretty (especially, in my opinion, when in combination with some tastefully understated detail gilding or silvering) and once it became feasible to reliably achieve it, it was actually a reasonably commonly requested finish, at least among those who could afford such things at the time.
@Dejawolfs
@Dejawolfs 24 күн бұрын
russeting is still largely forgotten.
@kadoj
@kadoj 22 күн бұрын
@@Dejawolfs yeah, I know... its sad, really. Such a classy, aesthetically pleasing look when it's done well. Some of the russeted Greenwich armors ive seen are among the most gorgeously decorated harmesses im aware of.
@sebastiangundolf6740
@sebastiangundolf6740 9 күн бұрын
Wouldn't that change the characteristics, physical properties or quality of the metal and therefore of the armour? Heat treatment should be targeted at the desired properties, not the desired colour? Or isn't the armour affected by those temperatures, respectively only to a negligible extent e.g. at the very surface layer? Sorry, I don't know much about iron or steel, at least not in detail. I mostly worked with copper and copper alloys.. but speaking of that, we used to finalise many of our products by applying an artificial patina. Often patina green but also many shades of brown.. I really love these colours too ❤
@BidwellRunner
@BidwellRunner 5 күн бұрын
This is why I love reading the comment sections of videos like these, so much interesting information to learn.
@davidsachs4883
@davidsachs4883 Ай бұрын
Back in high school we did an experiment with steel cans. We placed them the same distance from a light bulb (incandescent) as a heat source. There was a thermometer in each can. The dark colored can had its inside temperature raise quicker than the lighter colored can. After the light bulb was turned off the darker can lost heat faster. Both were still slightly above room temperature when we had to end the experiment for the next class.
@Book-bz8ns
@Book-bz8ns Ай бұрын
That polish is making me want to get the car wax out and really buff it up
@NateMcCarrick-Morgan
@NateMcCarrick-Morgan Ай бұрын
I used to wax my dads motorcycles to earn some money over the summers
@jojojo9240
@jojojo9240 26 күн бұрын
so other drivers will go blind from just one look at your car
@jojojo9240
@jojojo9240 26 күн бұрын
this is actually why I hate the glossy look of most cars - the reflection of the sun can be SO ANNOYING
@capnceltblood5347
@capnceltblood5347 Ай бұрын
Another reason you have overlooked... And this comes back to status and wealth. A person wearing this armour is obviously wealthy. So knowing that, one would wear it knowing that he would be highly visible on the field and would be a highly sought after captive. Knowing that the wearer would be worth his weight in gold as ransom. Minimizing his chance of being killed. If you capture him you get the ransom and the armour, if you kill him you get nothing but damaged armour.
@Beefonweck
@Beefonweck Ай бұрын
You are correct that polishing makes it harder for a blade to make good contact. Machine parts are frequently polished to reduce friction when moving.
@lexxonn
@lexxonn Ай бұрын
I think about everyone thought of the light reflection haha
@braddbradd5671
@braddbradd5671 Ай бұрын
I just found out most people didnt even buy there own cloths back then it was given to them buy there landlord or boss as part of there wages and they had to be made for them there were no shops or anything so to see some one turn up with polished armor and swords would seem like a super hero to them
@kchortu
@kchortu 25 күн бұрын
Its not just reflecting the sun it will also help you blend in to your surroundings by reflecting the other soldiers, grass, trees... making you harder to identify or target.
@joostdriesens3984
@joostdriesens3984 25 күн бұрын
I agree, it's a (primitive) type of optical camouflage as well.
@legion162
@legion162 Ай бұрын
I would have thought that a highly reflective mirror like armour would be distracting to the opponent, especially as mirror like surfaces were rare.
@badart3204
@badart3204 Ай бұрын
Yeah but it can distract your buddies too
@TheBayru
@TheBayru 27 күн бұрын
​@@badart3204All the better for your reputation if you are so much better than your retinue.
@kenanacampora
@kenanacampora Ай бұрын
I would think mirrored armor is cooler than black armor on a hot and sunny day.
@Specter_1125
@Specter_1125 Ай бұрын
The finish of the metal doesn’t matter all that much for heat in armor. The biggest factor is what you’re wearing with it. A gambeson and breastplate is going to be significantly hotter than any finish of full plate with an arming doublet (much thinner than a gambeson).
@laurenceperkins7468
@laurenceperkins7468 Ай бұрын
So the color in the visible spectrum will matter less than how absorptive the surface finish is in the infrared spectrum, since the latter is where the vast majority of the heat comes in. Some things you might use to darken the surface in the visible spectrum will actually reflect quite a lot in the infrared and might end up cooler than lighter colors. The surface polish of things though does make a pretty big difference. I haven't tested with armor specifically, but back to those scratches and troughs you were talking about in the satin polish, when a photon goes into one of those it can bounce back and forth a few times before it exits, which gives it that many more chances to be absorbed and heat the metal. Kind of like how smooth aluminum foil can be used safely in a microwave to do things like make different parts of your TV dinner all get hot at the same time, despite having different levels of absorption. (The dark patch in the bottom of a bag of microwave popcorn is a piece of aluminum foil to concentrate the heat on the unpopped kernels for another example.) But a crinkled piece of aluminum foil will arc, spark, and maybe burst into flames.
@Kylesuperk
@Kylesuperk 24 күн бұрын
I disagree that the IR spectrum determines how hot the armor will get. I'm a thermal engineer, so this is kinda my bread and butter. How much of the sunlight (mainly in the visible spectrum) gets absorbed is called absorptivity and depends on how dark the material looks. Blackened armor has a high absorptivity and will get super hot in the sun whereas polished armor will reflect more sunlight (low absorptivity) and stay cooler. That's why radiators on satellites are either painted white or are mirrors (both do not absorb sunlight well). Another example is that the hood of a black painted car will be hotter than the hood of a white car when left in the sun. On the other hand, the darkness in the infrared (IR) spectrum is called emissivity and determines how much heat the armor will absorb and also how much heat it will radiate away. Typically, polished surfaces have lower emissivity and are not as good as weathered or rough surfaces at radiating heat away. But, for most things close to room temperature (like armor), the heat lost through convection is usually multiple times greater than the heat lost through radiation. The convection for both armors will be similar, so the one that absorbs less sun (ie. the polished one with low absorptivity) should be cooler.
@laurenceperkins7468
@laurenceperkins7468 9 күн бұрын
@@Kylesuperk Interesting. The idea that infrared absorption mattered more than visible absorption also came from a thermal engineer some years ago... Digging into it myself a little, the standard figure is that 49% of incoming solar energy is infrared, and 7% is ultraviolet. Which would leave 44% of it being visible light. So, at that rate, infrared reflectivity isn't significantly more important than the visible range, but it's not less. Sure, you do want to maintain emissivity, but radiant cooling only crosses into the visible range around 500C, so there's probably a pretty substantial chunk of the IR spectrum that could focus on reflecting without making any difference to any human wearer who hasn't already been broiled to death.
@Zbigniew_Nowak
@Zbigniew_Nowak Ай бұрын
In fact, this fifth reason - reflecting the sun into the opponents' eyes - is the first and main reason that came to my mind - because I heard that this trick was used already in ancient Greece (shields polished like a mirror). But if it was really that effective at blinding an enemy, why wasn't it widely used?
@SuperFunkmachine
@SuperFunkmachine Ай бұрын
you need to have the sun to at just the right angle and out.
@MaaZeus
@MaaZeus Ай бұрын
Yeah it is hard to control. The enemy may not be attacking at the time and from the direction where that can utilized effectively. It is effective but not a reliable one and definetly not something you can build all your tactics around. All it takes is a cloudy day and that idea goes out of the window.
@Zbigniew_Nowak
@Zbigniew_Nowak Ай бұрын
@@MaaZeus Of course. But in Greece it probably could have worked well. It's often sunny there. However, most of them did not make their shields from bronze "like mirrors". So... hmm... it would probably be necessary to experimentally check how effective it is.
@mallison117
@mallison117 21 күн бұрын
I'd be curious to see a test on the "camouflaging" qualities of different armour finishes. I've noticed on a handful of occasions that shiny mirror polished objects that call attention to themselves in direct sunlight, will sometimes fade away in the shade of trees or bushes. It was my assumption that the object was reflecting it's immediate surroundings (leaves, twigs, rocks...) sort of like sci-fi active camo. It'd be cool to see different armour finishes tested in different environments.
@psycomutt
@psycomutt 23 күн бұрын
I polished my trigger components in my race pistol because metal on metal is much smoother with a high shine.
@Zobeid
@Zobeid Ай бұрын
Your comments about high polish and resistance to rust is exactly what I was always taught about firearm metal finishes. The traditional blueing process only provided moderate rust resistance, and it was highly dependent on the polish level. High quality guns were glossy. Unfortunately (to my mind, at least) almost all gun makers now have moved away from that costly polishing, to more advanced chemical finishes that are very tough and allow them to leave the surface rough. They're functional, cost-effective, but to me they're rather ugly.
@piokul
@piokul Ай бұрын
The temperature question is tricky, because reflective surfaces will absorb less heat, but also radiate less heat. Black things absorb more but radiate more as well. On a sunny day I would expect the black armour to get hotter inside. But on a cloudy day I would expect the opposite. I would be interested in seeing your test results.
@ryanphillips9657
@ryanphillips9657 Ай бұрын
From doing SCA fighting in Arizona. A black surcoat definitely is much hotter to wear than blue
@josephvisnovsky1462
@josephvisnovsky1462 Ай бұрын
5 reasons why shiny armor was sought after: #1 Lindybeige is in the thumbnail
@ZacHawkins42
@ZacHawkins42 Ай бұрын
That's clearly King Arthur from Monty Python's Holy Grail.
@cagdas135
@cagdas135 Ай бұрын
@@ZacHawkins42 Who made him king? I thought they were an autonomous collective.
@TheBayru
@TheBayru 27 күн бұрын
​@@cagdas135 Probably because he has the biggest coconuts.
@stocktonjoans
@stocktonjoans Ай бұрын
are these the same reasons why you shave your head?
@valandil7454
@valandil7454 Ай бұрын
One thing I don't think anyone's really talked about when it comes to how to mitigate the hot or cold when wearing plated armour is the Jupon, the outer garment worn over your breastplate that shows up in a lot of accounts and iconography but never really turns up in re-enactments. Tod touched on it when he was introducing the brigandine, he said that the fabric was stopping the arrow from shattering and maybe causing more harm and would keep you warm in the winter but he didn't go into it 🤔 I'd love to find out more if you're getting one with your latest suit Matt, when and why they were used and why they're apparently not so common anymore? 🙂
@rogerlafrance6355
@rogerlafrance6355 Ай бұрын
Cloaks with hoods seems to also been a thing. Protection from the odd English rain or cold, not to mention shining like a torch in the moonlight. Reenacting weeks of Knights Service marching across England or guarding a nice wet salty castle like Dover, would be interesting experimental archeology. Also, the more posh the Knights kit, the more valuable for ransom.
@valandil7454
@valandil7454 Ай бұрын
​​@@rogerlafrance6355but a cloak wasn't a piece of protective equipment and they can get in the way if you're wearing one while you're trying to fight, I've tried it it's even harder with a sword and dagger at your hip. The reason I think of the Jupon's because I can see it not being so much of a hinderance, and we have plenty of evidence of other cultures having their own versions like the Japanese Horo which like the Jupon was more armour than garment
@rogerlafrance6355
@rogerlafrance6355 Ай бұрын
@@valandil7454 A clasp and its off and ready to fight. Much like the Great Coat in later times.
@alowry2002
@alowry2002 Ай бұрын
The jupon is certainly in the late 14th C and into the 15th C but eventually we see just white harness in the art. I fight in a jupon. It is pretty. It has saved me being killed by friends as they see my arms and it covers any defects in my torso armour.
@williamshafer9110
@williamshafer9110 Ай бұрын
I have read that with the jupon on the heat inside the armor is less than the heat outside the armor. Of course the person was in a dessert at the time. I don't know if that's true though.
@Leftyotism
@Leftyotism Ай бұрын
Can't wait for the thermal camera footage!
@thossi09
@thossi09 Ай бұрын
The ad is still playing so I'm going to venture a guess: Is it because a shiny armour symbolises status, as in "Ha ha! I'm so filthy rich I can afford to have a gang of retainers always buffing and polishing my armour, getting dented pieces replaced, etc!"
@Theduckwebcomics
@Theduckwebcomics Ай бұрын
Not at all. Labour was much, much cheaper then, it really wouldn't have been much of a flex.
@davidkertesz3723
@davidkertesz3723 Ай бұрын
Labor was cheap but it was also scarce (that was the reason for serfdom, to lock a rare commodity onto your land)
@SuperFunkmachine
@SuperFunkmachine Ай бұрын
@@Theduckwebcomics Cheaper but far from free.
@Loromir17
@Loromir17 Ай бұрын
@@Theduckwebcomics was it really that cheaper though? Take into account that each of your retainers had to have at least a place to sleep, rationed well-enough that they aren't slowly dying of malnourishment (in a time when food was much more scarce, ergo expensive) and clothed well-enough that they aren't slowly dying of hypothermia (and if you think hand-sewn natural fabrics are expensive today, boy were they then). Sure, in comparison to a modern minimum wage worker, a servant boy was destitute - but that destitution did not come cheap to their owner either.
@joschafinger126
@joschafinger126 Ай бұрын
​@@TheduckwebcomicsCheap, yes, but not very productive. Getting a mirror finish right with modern machines and a single person operating them is easy and fast, once you've got those machines. What might have taken a fortnight then, can now be done in minutes. Under such circumstances, an hourly wage of £30, say, is actually cheaper than one of £3.
@Sotanaht01
@Sotanaht01 2 күн бұрын
Reflecting the sun was actually the very first thing I thought of from the title alone.
@level98bearhuntingarmor
@level98bearhuntingarmor Ай бұрын
I must admit near the beginning I thought of blinding thing as a joke and then you actually said it lol
@patrickdix772
@patrickdix772 Ай бұрын
Well, it does make sense as a factor. If your opponent can't see as well, it's harder for them to fight you. This is still a thing in many modern sports, where the teams switch sides halfway through a match so each side gets the sun in their eyes or a prevailing wind to help / hinder them.
@TheGoldenBear79
@TheGoldenBear79 Ай бұрын
Thank you Matt! I was just getting ready to ask your opinion about it when you gave the last point answering my question. I greatly appreciate you sharing your knowledge with us Sir. Your content is amazing. Fun, entertaining, informative, helpful, and I’m sure plenty more than I can quickly list. Thanks again Matt. Best wishes to you and your family. ✌️
@joedoe5079
@joedoe5079 Ай бұрын
glad you mention in the end my first thought about reflecting light . good thing i watched the whole video .
@robertusaugustus2003
@robertusaugustus2003 Ай бұрын
I know that visor!! Going by that the rest of the harness will be glorious, can’t wait to see it!
@kaoskronostyche9939
@kaoskronostyche9939 Ай бұрын
Another great discussion. Thank you.
@jpeterd92
@jpeterd92 14 күн бұрын
That it could reflect the sun into the enemy's eyes was literally the first thing that popped into my mind LOL
@brianphillips7696
@brianphillips7696 Ай бұрын
My experience is that bare metal left out in bright sunlight during the summer will scorch you when you grab it but painted metal is safe to touch
@tortex1
@tortex1 Ай бұрын
Probably thermal transfer, the metal heats your hand fast which we interpret as hot, not to mention the actual temperature could reach burn level in the worst case. The paint layer on the other hand would have a lower transfer rate so it heats up slower and doesn't seem as hot to the skin. But that depends on what the paint is based on, and powder coating paint (which is really common nowadays) isn't as high on transfer rates as steel or aluminium.
@jefo2405
@jefo2405 Ай бұрын
Another glorious video by Matte Easton.
@LeftToWrite006
@LeftToWrite006 24 күн бұрын
The reflectiveness of the armor shining in opponents' eyes was the first thing I thought of as a reason to make it shiny.
@-RONNIE
@-RONNIE Ай бұрын
Thanks for the video 👍🏻
@Joe___R
@Joe___R 22 күн бұрын
It is not just the surface being smoother on polished armor that helps it resist rusting. Traditionally, the metal would have been burnished before polishing it with fine stones or charcoal. Burnishing helps to close off the micro pours in the metal, preventing anything from getting into them and starting the rusting process.
@brittakriep2938
@brittakriep2938 Ай бұрын
In famous Zwinger collection in Dresden, there is an armour for foot tournament, made of silver.
@MrBobsmithers
@MrBobsmithers Ай бұрын
this was awesome. Well spoken
@williamberne
@williamberne 18 күн бұрын
I guessed the 5th reason from beginning cause I literally own a piece of mirror armour😊 It is a self-made Chinese 护心镜 which means heart-protecting mirror. They usually are in bowl/boss shape, but I could only find a flat bronze disk, So I just mirror polished it then wrapped it's edge with leather. Oh man it was so interesting when I'm standing in a line and can see which foe's face is receiving the sun light I am reflecting onto😂 Irritating everyone on the other side makes the lining up and waiting session not boring any more😊
@timbarth7850
@timbarth7850 Ай бұрын
I was thinking about an old movie where they polished shields to reflect the sunlight to their enemies and one minute later you talked about the advsntage of blinding your opponents. That was awesome ^^
@blackoak4978
@blackoak4978 23 күн бұрын
Regarding rust prevention, a smoother surface will resist corrosion more(aside from the lower surface area) because there is less electrical differential across the surface. Ions of metal are less likely to move and react with oxygen if they are firmly in the crystal lattice. Peaks and valleys have an electrical differential between them that causes ions to move from one to the other in the presence of a conductive medium, like water, while also increasing the chance of it oxidizing
@Generic_Username_01
@Generic_Username_01 Ай бұрын
wow that is VERY shiny indeed 1:03
@gjzgodd
@gjzgodd 26 күн бұрын
Your fifth suggestion was my first thought! Makes a lotta sense
@kenfraserjohnston
@kenfraserjohnston Ай бұрын
Greatly appreciated your statement regarding that whether or not mirror polish armor actually deflects better, it was *perceived* to. That's in the same spirit of the comment by Barbara W. Tuchman in "A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century", page 42 second paragraph, "...what people believe about their own time becomes a factor in its history." As usual, context is key...even in (maybe especially in) armor preference!
@triggerhappy1911
@triggerhappy1911 18 күн бұрын
Bro these topics. So specific. So interesting.
@Michael_MW
@Michael_MW 3 күн бұрын
I’ve fought in armor throughout the night, and it gets hot due to your body heat. So keep that in mind when doing testing in the sunlight. Thank you for a great video sir.
@Dalek-caan-15
@Dalek-caan-15 Ай бұрын
When your armour is done can we please get a video about it like the one you made about your old armour
@JayCe667
@JayCe667 23 күн бұрын
Adding to the last point: In the heat of battle, reflective armor also blurs out your contours. Thus your shape is harder to focus on, and movement (strikes) on your part is harder to keep track of. While in a 1:1 battle, this effect might be rather minute, but as soon as there are more moving objects on the field, this could turn out to be really confusing. And #6, food for thought: "Stealth". Yes, I actually said it: Stealth. While in normal light, this might pose a disadvantage, but being in obscured environment, the 'I reflect everything around me' might come in handy. In shrubs you're more "shrubbish", while in the dark you are darker, basically matching your environment better than with a set/fixed color. One would have to try to actually find out which scenes - if any - turn out favourable.
@mountainhobo
@mountainhobo Ай бұрын
Blinding reflections was actually the first thing I thought about.
@_-ough-_
@_-ough-_ Ай бұрын
For the last point, couldn't mirror-polished armor just as well reflect the sun towards your allies behind you if the sun was at your back?
@artbonnar239
@artbonnar239 Ай бұрын
Your last point was my first thought. A visor not only defends the eyes from assault but also from the sun. Helmets have visors for a reason. Second, though not necessarily HEMA, Japanese swords were mirror polished to increase cutting abilities. Smoother surface equals less resistance. So as Matt said mirror polished armour, greater deflection
@charlottesimonin2551
@charlottesimonin2551 Ай бұрын
How about high polish makes it easier for retainers to keep you in sight for support and tactics.
@COLDMKULTRA
@COLDMKULTRA Ай бұрын
These are all valid points Matt ! 👍👍👍
@osterreichischerflochlandl4940
@osterreichischerflochlandl4940 11 күн бұрын
Regarding radiation: If one takes a look to radiators at home they are typically white, but do still have a good emission at the requested wavelength at around 8-10um, i.e. 40-60°C. Regarding the heat absorption on armor one has to take into acount that the sun radiates with a temperature of 5500K while the own body is somewhere at 310K. Hence, the emission=absorption coefficient does not really help because emission is proportional to T^4. Hence, a shiny armor with a high reflection is much better and polished steel has a reflectivity of >90%.
@sitrilko
@sitrilko Ай бұрын
This is an off question, but could chain mail be particularly shiny, almost mirror finished? Or blackened? Or would the gradual rubbing of the links against each other degreade away either of those? Thank you
@redninenine_
@redninenine_ Ай бұрын
maille could be blackened yeah. sometimes maille could be gilded. I don’t think they would be particularly reflective in their finish because it wouldn’t be very practical nor reasonable
@davidmacon1138
@davidmacon1138 Ай бұрын
That's like...Excalibur levels of shine.. BLING your blind, now you're dead.... properly! Good video, could you possibly make a video of painted and lacquered armors or have you already made one?
@troppoandante
@troppoandante 21 күн бұрын
As others have pointed out, the thermal behaviour of polished metals is complicated. They have a high coefficent of reflection (in the region of 70% for polished steel) that governs their absorption of sunlight (radiation in the visible spectrum, wavelengths of about 0.5 microns). They have low emissivity, however (in the range of 5% for ideally polished metals and perhaps 15 - 25% for practical mirror polishes) so they emit and absorb radiant heat poorly (wavelength around 20 microns). Think of how young children often get burned by hot irons, they radiate so little heat that one cannot really say how hot they are without touching. Every other material, including painted finishes, has emissivity of 90% or more.
@ivarwind
@ivarwind 29 күн бұрын
I didn't think of the Sun specifically, but I would add that even without reflecting the Sun, mirror-polished armour (just like any mirror-polished object) is confusing to look at. Just looking at the helmet you're showing at various points, it's much harder to get a grasp on its shape and exact position of various elements than with the satin-finished helmet. While it wouldn't prevent someone from figuring out where you are, it might delay them or put off their aim by just that bit extra needed for you to get in the first blow - or get out of there alive rather than dead.
@The_Lone_Outlaw
@The_Lone_Outlaw 27 күн бұрын
Could you do a video showing a side by side comparison of all the main finish types? I always thought the satin finish was what mirrored was referring to so seeing them all shown and compared to one another with a general explanation would be really good.
@captcorajus
@captcorajus Ай бұрын
My first thought was that shiny armor would reflect the sun into someone's eyes. I suspect that a knight would learn to control this, much like when you direct a mirror on a sunny day, for maximum surprise and effect.
@mattcat83
@mattcat83 4 күн бұрын
Think about how cops shine their lights into the eyes of suspects. Shiny armor would be a huge advantage.
@l.ijspeert9040
@l.ijspeert9040 Ай бұрын
Testing the heat reflection seems like an interesting video! It would be important to make a clear distinction between heat and temperature. Just measuring the temperature of the metal under direct (sun)light does not say anything - it is the heat flux that passes through that we are after. So I imagine a setup where you position a known amount of water behind the armor and measure the time it takes for the water to heat up by a number of degrees. That way you can precisely determine the amount of heat energy deposited in the water over time.
@seanbeckett4019
@seanbeckett4019 Ай бұрын
Is that a Flemish style armor you are producing? I remember you and Toby Capwell discussing Flemish armor in a Richard III video, and you seemed quite intrigued by it.
@6dmiller
@6dmiller 25 күн бұрын
for just a tiny moment I thought you'd say that under a microscope with perfectly mirrored polish you'd see an eyeball.
@mindmedic9435
@mindmedic9435 Ай бұрын
Another finish, at least for muzzleloader barrels, is browning. I have this on two. It's a glossy dark brown finish with an almost plum tinge and has a pleasing depth, sort of like a polished rock. I've rinsed barrels with hot water and wipe dry, then just a smidge of oil on them and they resist rust very well.
@Dethneko
@Dethneko 25 күн бұрын
Reflecting the sun into the opponents eyes was the only advantage I could think of off the top of my head. Don't know how practical it would have been as a tactic, but with so much metal flailing around, they must have figured it'd probably happen naturally at least a few times.
@vedymin1
@vedymin1 Ай бұрын
I always wondered...does continuous polishing weaken the protection of the armor overtime ?
@Theduckwebcomics
@Theduckwebcomics Ай бұрын
Not at all.
@WhiteCollarCrimeDNB
@WhiteCollarCrimeDNB Ай бұрын
Theoretically yes practically no. You're technically removing metal but at atomically small scales. With modern tools overheating can ruin temper but polishing is still and was also historically done at lower speeds, usually with some sort of medium for the polishing compound.
@1248dl
@1248dl Ай бұрын
I've used a light meter to measure the difference in reflectivity between satin/matte finished or highly polished blued and in the white steel, i.e., rifle barrels. The color seemed immaterial to the reflectivity. The level of polish, though, was significant.
@MrVeryfrost
@MrVeryfrost 25 күн бұрын
Fighting under the sun against mirror armour must have been very difficult, too.
@RheaMainz
@RheaMainz 29 күн бұрын
Neat, a reason I mentioned upon the blackened armour video :D
@carlchong7592
@carlchong7592 26 күн бұрын
Is it harder to accurately perceive the placement of your opponents limbs and orientation of the torso if your opponent is wearing shiny armor?
@pirobot668beta
@pirobot668beta Ай бұрын
Reflections. Years back, I was flying model rockets at a sanctioned event. One fellow covered his rocket in metallic tape; perfect mirror surface all over the rocket's body, nose-cone and fins. We spent hours looking for that thing in knee-high grass...the 'finder' had stepped on it by accident! The mirrored surface faithfully reflected the image of the grass surrounding it, making a sort of 'optical Ghillie suit'. Would mirror-bright armor do the same in dense foliage?
@Lowlandlord
@Lowlandlord Ай бұрын
I know about the sun thing because I've watched the OG Lone Wolf and Cub movies, and read the manga for that matter.
@BidwellRunner
@BidwellRunner 5 күн бұрын
I would think it would make it more difficult for the opponent to judge their distance to the wearer, and to in general make the wearer's form more complex and difficult to distinguish.
@ThePacificNorseWest87
@ThePacificNorseWest87 20 күн бұрын
I work in a machine shop and when we make plane engine parts that will be touching another part we give them an extremely smooth finish to prevent friction and heat. I guarantee a sword or any blade is glancing off a mirror finish armor far easier than armor without that high polished finish. Metal parts begin to slide on each other like ice when the finish is fine enough
@hic_tus
@hic_tus Ай бұрын
woooow that's a fancy Sir Easton in shiny armor right there! daaaaam!
@eideticnz
@eideticnz Ай бұрын
Reflective surfaces are also slightly harder to focus on.
@DeptalJexus
@DeptalJexus 26 күн бұрын
Shiny armors = modern day shiny cars
@MLN-yz4ph
@MLN-yz4ph Ай бұрын
I was thinking about the refection of the sun or even local lights like torches on this. While I doubt if it had much effect on someone up close and would not care about friend of foe in that case, I could see it causing issues with ranged attacks like bows or spears. It would not be a major protection but I could see it moving the needle a little and if that was happening in training then regardless of how it worked on a real battlefield it would make it a desired trait.
@iunnox666
@iunnox666 3 күн бұрын
Reflecting the sun was the only one I guessed.
@somecooney5304
@somecooney5304 Ай бұрын
Working on a lvl 3 ballistic shield (under 7 lbs) and trying to figure out how to heat mold mirror-backed plexi glass onto the front and keep the mirror shine. That way, someone shines a weapon light on it they blind themselves; and a mirror finish messes up a sight picture. ;)
@faramund9865
@faramund9865 Ай бұрын
What stuff did they use to get a mirror polish. As you say there are drawings of watermill powered polishing wheels. But what was on the wheels?
@Guardias
@Guardias 15 күн бұрын
As a commander mirror armor would be invaluable to inspire your troops as it lets them know you are fighting with them.
@faramund9865
@faramund9865 Ай бұрын
I had a trowel with a very rough finish and the water would literally get stuck in the grooves and cause rusting there.
@ATinyWaffle
@ATinyWaffle Ай бұрын
I'd imagine on a sunny day, it would be a lot harder for an archer to aim at a shiny knight than a black armored knight.
@chaindog82
@chaindog82 Ай бұрын
I don't think archers spent much time aiming at armored knights at all, shiny or not. Crossbows changed that though.
@ChrisDaPancreas
@ChrisDaPancreas Ай бұрын
I'd have thought it'd be the opposite, at least a distance, since then a nice shiny beacon of a target would be pretty welcome.
@olafspetzki
@olafspetzki Ай бұрын
Since I love using carbon steel kitchen knives and know it is almost impossible to prevent them from darkening over time: Is such a polished finish sustainable in the field?
@pippohispano
@pippohispano 24 күн бұрын
Several Portuguese authors refered that soldiers should have their armour polished and shining because that would instill terror in their foes.
@randyreichert5911
@randyreichert5911 Ай бұрын
Hi, I was wondering if you could discuss any theories as to why the British Red Coats wore the color red?
@konsyjes
@konsyjes 23 күн бұрын
...a shield bedight with bits of broken mirrorglass, reflecting a thousand unpieced suns into the eyes of his enemies..." -Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian
@TheKrostiman
@TheKrostiman Ай бұрын
I work with thermal imaging and I can confirm that the nature of surface of an object can greatly effect its emissivity. For this the following is relevant Highly polished metallic surfaces have low emissivity and roughened up metallic surfaces have a higher emissivity.
@brk932
@brk932 Ай бұрын
Agreed but it might be negligible difference. In summer you will overheat very quickly with full plate armour. It's all the padding underneath.
@TheKrostiman
@TheKrostiman Ай бұрын
@@brk932 makes sense but all little advantages tend to end up. I wonder how he would go about testing this.
@user-nf9yj5my8x
@user-nf9yj5my8x 29 күн бұрын
Question, would it be plausible for some knights to rub oil on their armor? Or even polish their own? Thanks for the video.
@Hfil66
@Hfil66 4 күн бұрын
Two other issues not mentioned that I suspect might have an impact. Firstly, for many periods in the Middle Ages, the objective in battle was not to kill your knightly opponent but to capture him for ransom. Having clearly expensive looking armour might be telling your opponent "please don't kill me because my family will pay good money to get me back alive". The second issue is that if you are of sufficient rank to be the commander of men, then it has always been considered of value to stand out from the crowd so that those who might be expected to follow you or accept orders from you can clearly see you. This has always been controversial, since this is why Nelson was wearing his regalia of rank when he was shot by a French marksman, and was why a number of British officers in the American War of Independence were brought down by American marksmen. Nonetheless, it was seen by commanders as a necessary risk to be able to effectively lead their own troops into battle.
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