Friday, February 28, 2014

Breastplate - www.replicartz.com

Armour Breast Plate 

Armour

In medieval weaponry, the breastplate is the front portion of plate armour covering the torso. It has been a military mainstay since ancient times and was usually made of leather, bronze or iron in antiquity. By around 1000 AD, solid plates had fallen out of use in Europe and knights of the period were wearing chain mail in the form of a hauberk over a padded tunic.[1] Plates protecting the torso reappeared during the 13th century in the form of the cuirass or alternatively as plates directly attached to a knightly garment known as the surcoat.[1] Around 1300 this developed into the Coat of Plates which continued to be in use for about a century.[1] True breastplates reappear in Europe in 1340 first composed of wrought iron and later of steel.They were between 1 mm and 2.5 mm strong.[2] In order to prevent the wearer from bring cut by their own armour, the design featured outward turned edges that also increased stiffness.[2] In some cases, further strength was added by a ridge running down through the centre of the plate.[2] These early breastplates only covered the upper torso with the lower torso not being protected by plate until the development of the fauld around 1400.[2] Around 1450, the breastplate had expanded to cover the entire torso and could consist of one or two plates.Bullet-proof vests are the modern descendant of the breastplate.













Live action role-playing game - LARP

Medieval Knight Crusader Helmet
A live action role-playing game (LARP) is a form of role-playing game where the participants physically act out their characters' actions. The players pursue goals within a fictional setting represented by the real world while interacting with each other in character. The outcome of player actions may be mediated by game rules or determined by consensus among players. Event arrangers called gamemasters decide the setting and rules to be used and facilitate play.
The first LARPs were run in the late 1970s, inspired by tabletop role-playing games and genre fiction. The activity spread internationally during the 1980s and has diversified into a wide variety of styles. Play may be very game-like or may be more concerned with dramatic or artistic expression. Events can also be designed to achieve educational or political goals. The fictional genres used vary greatly, from realistic modern or historical settings to fantastic or futuristic eras. Production values are sometimes minimal, but can involve elaborate venues and costumes. LARPs range in size from small private events lasting a few hours to large public events with thousands of players lasting for days.
Full Body Gothic armor

Terminology

LARP has also been referred to as live role-playing (LRP), interactive literature, and free form role-playing. Some of these terms are still in common use; however, LARP has become the most commonly accepted term.[1] It is sometimes written in lowercase, as larp.[2] The live action in LARP is analogous to the term live action used in film and video to differentiate works with human actors from animation. Playing a LARP is often calledlarping, and one who does it is a larper.

History

Gothic Gauntlets 15Th Century














Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Armillary sphere

An armillary sphere (variations are known as spherical astrolabearmilla, or armil) is a model of objects in the sky (in the celestial sphere), consisting of a spherical framework of rings, centred on Earth, that represent lines of celestial longitude and latitude and other astronomically important features such as the ecliptic. As such, it differs from a celestial globe, which is a smooth sphere whose principal purpose is to map the constellations.

The exterior parts of this machine are a compages [or framework] of brass rings, which represent the principal circles of the heavens.

The Greek astronomer Hipparchus (c. 190 – c. 120 BCE) credited Eratosthenes (276 –194 BCE) as the inventor of the armillary sphere. The name of this device comes ultimately from the Latin armilla (circle, bracelet), since it has a skeleton made of graduated metal circles linking the poles and representing the equator, the ecliptic, meridians and parallels.
Usually a ball representing the Earth or, later, the Sun is placed in its center. It is used to demonstrate the motion of the stars around the Earth. Before the advent of the European telescope in the 17th century, the armillary sphere was the prime instrument of all astronomers in determining celestial positions.

 Description and use of the armillary sphere
1. The equinoctial A, which is divided into 360 degrees (beginning at its intersection with the ecliptic in Aries) for showing the sun's right ascension in degrees; and also into 24 hours, for showing its right ascension in time.
2. The ecliptic B, which is divided into 12 signs, and each sign into 30 degrees, and also into the months and days of the year; in such a manner, that the degree or point of the ecliptic in which the sun is, on any given day, stands over that day in the circle of months.
3. The tropic of Cancer C, touching the ecliptic at the beginning of Cancer in e, and the tropic of Capricorn D, touching the ecliptic at the beginning of Capricorn in f; each 23½ degrees from the equinoctial circle.
4. The Arctic Circle E, and the Antarctic Circle F, each 23½ degrees from its respective pole at N and S.
5. The equinoctial colure G, passing through the north and south poles of the heaven at N and S, and through the equinoctial points Aries and Libra, in the ecliptic.
6. The solstitial colure H, passing through the poles of the heaven, and through the solstitial points Cancer and Capricorn, in the ecliptic. Each quarter of the former of these colures is divided into 90 degrees, from the equinoctial to the poles of the world, for showing the declination of the sun, moon, and stars; and each quarter of the latter, from the ecliptic as e and f, to its poles b and d, for showing the latitude of the stars.

Throughout Chinese history, astronomers have created celestial globes (Chinese: 浑象) to assist the observation of the stars. The Chinese also used the armillary sphere in aiding calendrical computations and calculations. Chinese ideas of astronomy and astronomical instruments became known in Korea as well, where further advancements were also made.
According to Needham, the earliest development of the armillary sphere in China goes back to the astronomers Shi Shen and Gan De in the 4th century BCE, as they were equipped with a primitive single-ring armillary instrument.[6] This would have allowed them to measure the north polar distance (declination) a measurement that gave the position in a xiu (right ascension).[6] Needham's 4th century dating, however, is rejected by British sinologist Christopher Cullen who traces the beginnings of these devices to the 1st century BCE.[7]
Contact us for more details and manufacturing Armillary sphere 

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Sundial Compass - Antique reproduction

A sundial is a device that tells the time of day by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a sharp, straight edge. As the sun moves across the sky, the shadow-edge aligns with different hour-lines. All sundials must be aligned with their styles parallel to the axis of the Earth's rotation to tell the correct time throughout the year. The style's angle from the horizontal will thus equal the sundial's geographical latitude. It is common for inexpensive mass-produced decorative sundials to have incorrect hour angles, which cannot be adjusted to tell correct time.

There are different types of sundials. Some sundials use a shadow or the edge of a shadow while others use a line or spot of light to indicate the time.
The shadow-casting object, known as a gnomon, may be a thin rod, or other object with a sharp tip or a straight edge. Sundials employ many types of gnomon. The gnomon may be fixed or moved according to the season. It may be oriented vertically, horizontally, aligned with the Earth's axis, or oriented in an altogether different direction determined by mathematics.[citation needed]
With sundials using light to indicate time, a line of light may be formed by allowing the sun's rays through a thin slit or focusing them through a cylindrical lens. A spot of light may be formed by allowing the sun's rays to pass through a small hole or by reflecting them from a small circular mirror.[citation needed]
Sundials also may use many types of surfaces to receive the light or shadow. Planes are the most common surface, but partial spheres,cylinders, cones and other shapes have been used for greater accuracy or beauty.[citation needed]
Sundials differ in their portability and their need for orientation. The installation of many dials requires knowing the local latitude, the precise vertical direction (e.g., by a level or plumb-bob), and the direction to true North. Portable dials are self-aligning; for example, it may have two dials that operate on different principles, such as a horizontal and analemmatic dial, mounted together on one plate. In these designs, their times agree only when the plate is aligned properly.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Diving helmet - Maximus International - www.replicartz.com

Diving helmets are worn mainly by professional divers engaged in surface supplied diving, though many models can be adapted for use with scuba equipment.
The helmet seals the whole of the diver's head from the water, allows the diver to see clearly underwater, provides the diver with breathing gas, protects the diver's head when doing heavy or dangerous work, and usually provides voice communications with the surface (and possibly other divers). If a helmeted diver becomes unconscious but is still breathing, the helmet will remain in place and continue to deliver breathing gas until the diver can berescued. In contrast, the scuba regulator typically used by recreational divers must be held in the mouth, otherwise it can fall out of an unconscious diver's mouth and result in drowning[2] (this does not apply to a full face mask which also continues to serve air if the diver is unconscious).
Before the invention of the demand regulator, all diving helmets used a free-flow design. Gas was delivered at a constant rate, regardless of the diver's breathing, and flowed out through an exhaust valve. Most modern helmets incorporate a demand valve so the helmet only delivers breathing gas when the diver inhales. Free-flow helmets use much larger quantities of gas than demand helmets, which can cause logistical difficulties and is very expensive when special breathing gases (such as heliox) are used. They also produce a constant noise inside the helmet, which can cause communication difficulties. Free-flow helmets are still preferred for hazardous materials diving, because their positive-pressure nature can prevent the ingress of hazardous material in case the integrity of the suit or helmet is compromised. They also remain relatively common in shallow-water air diving, where gas consumption is of little concern, and in nuclear diving because they must be disposed of after some period of use due to irradiation; free-flow helmets are significantly less expensive[citation needed] to purchase and maintain than demand types.
Most modern helmet designs are sealed at the neck using a neoprene "neck dam" which is independent of the suit, allowing the diver his choice of suits depending on the dive conditions. When a neck dam is installed into a drysuit, however, the entire body is isolated from the surrounding liquid, giving an additional degree of warmth and protection. When divers must work in hazardous environments such as sewage or dangerous chemicals, a helmet (usually of the free-flow type or using a series exhaust valve system) is sealed to a special drysuit (commonly made of a fabric with a smooth vulcanised rubber outer surface) to completely isolate and protect the diver. This equipment is the modern equivalent of the historic Mark V "Standard Diving Dress".

We at Maximus International india manufacture replica of diving helmets and many other nautical reproductions. 


Monday, January 27, 2014

Brunton compass

Brunton compass, properly known as the Brunton Pocket Transit, is a type of precision compass made by Brunton, Inc. of Riverton,Wyoming. The instrument was patented in 1894 by a Canadian-born Colorado geologist named David W. Brunton. Unlike most modern compasses, the Brunton Pocket Transit utilizes magnetic induction damping rather than fluid to damp needle oscillation. Although Brunton Inc. makes many other types of magnetic compasses, the Brunton Pocket Transit is a specialized instrument used widely by those needing to make accurate degree and angle measurements in the field. These people are primarily geologists, but archaeologists,environmental engineers, and surveyors also make use of the Brunton's capabilities. The United States Army has adopted the Pocket Transit as the M2 Compass for use by crew-served artillery also in nautical.
The Pocket Transit may be adjusted for declination angle according to one's location on the Earth. It is used to get directional degree measurements (azimuth) through use of the Earth's magnetic field. Holding the compass at waist-height, the user looks down into the mirror and lines up the target, needle, and guide line that is on the mirror. Once all three are lined up and the compass is level, the reading for that azimuth can be made. Arguably the most frequent use for the Brunton in the field is the calculation of the strike and dip ofgeological features (faults, contacts, foliation, sedimentary strata, etc.). If next to the feature, the strike is measured by leveling (with thebull's eye level) the compass along the plane being measured. Dip is taken by laying the side of the compass perpendicular to the strike measurement and rotating horizontal level until the bubble is stable and the reading has been made. If properly used and if field conditions allow, additional features of the compass allow users to measure such geological attributes from a distance.

And here at Maximus Inernational we are Manufacturer of compasses and other nautical maritime items based in india.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Historical reenactment is a scripted educational or entertainment activity in which participants follow a prearranged plan to recreate aspects of a historical event or period—often a military engagement or display. This may be as narrow as a specific moment from a battle, such as the reenactment of Pickett's Charge presented during the Great Reunion of 1913, or as broad as an entire period, such as Regency reenactment or The 1920s Berlin Project.

Historical reenactment through the ages


Activities related to "reenactment" have a long history. The Romans staged recreations of famous battles within their amphitheaters as a form of public spectacle. In the Middle Agestournaments often reenacted historical themes from Ancient Rome or elsewhere. In the nineteenth century, reenactments were popular in a number of countries, e.g. the Eglinton Tournament of 1839 in Britain. During the early twentieth century they were popular in Russia with re-enactments of the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855) (1906), the Battle of Borodino (1812) in St Petersburg and the Taking of Azov (1696) in Voronezh in 1918. In 1920, there was a reenactment of the 1917Storming of the Winter Palace on the third anniversary of the event. This reenactment inspired the scenes in Sergei Eisenstein's filmOctober: Ten Days That Shook the World.
Likewise, mass pageants were used to commemorate civic events like the 150th anniversary of the founding of St Louis, held in 1914.[1] Particularly during and since the centennial of the American Civil War in the United States beginning in 1961, reenactments of Civil War battles has attracted many reenactors, who are some of the most dedicated.
We at maximus international manufacture a huge range of such items.