period fencing gloves

[Bogie]

I have recently become a cast member and one of the requirements is that everyone own a pair of leather gloves for the sword play, etc. The shop pretty much everyone goes through cost over $100.   So I'm hunting for high quality leather gloves that I can wear for sword play thats closer to the $50 price range.

Anyone have a guy/gal/shop they recomend?

[isabelladangelo]

Would you consider making your own?


Elizabethan Gauntlet by crowolf, on Flickr

There are a couple of good patterns out there but the quick way would be to add a trapezoid shaped leather "skirt" to a pre-existing leather glove.  Finding a leather glove that is cheap isn't hard (I found a pair for $16 but it only goes over the hand, not the wrist).  Sew the trapezoids piece of leather to the glove, cut tabs at the bottom of the trapezoid and maybe line that part of the glove in velvet.    That's what it looks like they did in the photo above. 

[gem]

I was waiting for Isabella to tell us what period fencing gloves looked like  , but now that I've seen them, Milord has this pair of "gauntlets" from Museum Replicas:



They're $45, which is still not *cheap,* but significantly less than what your castmates are paying. They also have a suede pair for $35, but be aware that they didn't really use the suede side of leather much until the 20th century.

[captmarga]

I've bought mine in past off ebay.  Just look up Leather Gauntlets.  I've found black, red and even white ones. There are even brown ones up right this moment.

Marga

[Prima]

Marga- do you happen to have the name of the eBay vendor you used? 

[Don_Juan_deCordoba]

I have three sets of gauntlets, two from Excalibur Leather.
They make the largest one that we have found. Be aware that the colored trim ones they sell can leak dye.

The butter yellow gauntlets in my profile photo came from an SCA person who made gloves.

[Sir Michael Geare]

I do period sword fighting at faire and get my gloves from Leather Gloves Online.  They have quick turnaround and are great at exchanges if it doesn't fit properly. 

www.leatherglovesonline.com

[captmarga]

Marga- do you happen to have the name of the eBay vendor you used?

I know these people have good quality:  glovecityleather518
But I have also used these:  civilwarrecreations

I look for Costuming, and historical reinacting suppliers. 

Marga

[captmarga]

Marga- do you happen to have the name of the eBay vendor you used?

I look for reinactor supplies.   civilwarrecreations and  glovecityleather518 I have purchased from in past.

Marga