3rd Age Dunedain Back Quiver - Take IV

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Greg
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3rd Age Dunedain Back Quiver - Take IV

Post by Greg »

Once again, I felt my current functioning quiver needed an upgrade. The need stemmed primarily from changes with my cloak arrangement: The new Bocksten cloak is open on the right side, and either closed on the left and across the front or the entire front is thrown across to the left shoulder, opening both sides and the front. This arrangement meant I needed a quiver which would allow for the potentially frequent opening and closing of the cloak.

In addition to playing nicely with the cloak, it needs to be simple to put on and take off. This meant NO secondary Legolas strap, and NO slits through the cloak...but still secure. You all know how picky I am about quiver suspension.

Next on my to-fix list: If I'm going to make a new one to accommodate the new cloak, let's solve another problem. Viggo is well-known to the film world as "the one actor from the LOTR trilogy who participated heavily in his own costume design to make it functional." Viggo is even better known HERE, on this forum, as "the one actor in the history of film who threw practicality out the door by wearing his bow+quiver on the wrong shoulder so his sword arm would be free...you know, since he only used the bow once anyway."
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I can't blame the guy, though...I want my sword arm free too. So can I have my cake and eat it too?

.
..
...

Heck. Yes.

The following quiver is a departure from my three previous revisions which were based on one common design. However, the initial pattern was a modification of that earlier design, rather than a complete replacement. The dimensions and capacity I've always liked and wanted to keep. The means for closing the bottom function well for me, and followed the cultural nod I was going for. I simply took my last three quivers, which were simply progressively complex versions of the same animal, and shifted some things around.
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The quiver is deeper yet shorter overall than the previous versions, and rides a touch higher on my back. The one weta-inspired part of my kit I've chosen to keep: the hole in the quiver, which was initially inspired by the quivers of Faramir's Rangers in The Two Towers. The reason I kept it was twofold:
One: I've found over the eight(!!!) years since I began wearing the first iteration that I would now be unbelievably naked without the ability to reach my arrow sock and pull some of it down into the quiver. This really helps me manage the sock and keep it bunched through the interior, which is what keeps the arrows silent. Without this, the sock stays mostly bunched up at the top of the quiver, and starts to flop around or can accidentally cover the arrows completely. Reaching back and giving it a tug is a natural adjustment now.
Two: A goal I had with this piece was to build on Jack's Numenorean Design Motif "decoding", which established that much of these designs drawn by Tolkien himself are based on a system of arcs. To that end, I went through the entire design and removed nearly every straight line, and replaced it with a short arc. I also kept these arcs concave on outside edges so that every exposed edge of the quiver could be bound cleanly with a tightly stretched band of leather, something I've struggled to accomplish with previous models. In short, the hole which remains from previous quiver versions does so because it is made of clean arcs.
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I also added some embroidery in contrasting natural linen thread. I waffled around on whether or not I wanted to include the pieces long after having finished the embroidery, but I said heck with it and stitched them on, though not quite as cleanly as I had hoped. I have plans to rub the bulk of the quiver in a tallow mixture which will somewhat darken the thread as well as the exposed leather edges for less contrast...but there is a definite cultural context here now! Of course, once my sock is finished a good bit of it will never be seen again...but I'll know it's there.
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So how did we solve the Viggo shoulder-problem and the cloak-with-no-slits problem?
It is suspended over the left shoulder, but still draws over the right. To get an essentially horizontally-attached strap to keep the quiver from wiggling all over the place the straps were essentially split across the back, giving me four points of contact rather than two once stitched to the body of the piece. This stabilizes the entire load, and keeps it pretty stinkin' steady, if I may say so. Since the strap goes under my right arm on the side where the cloak is open, I'm free to toss the cloak over my left shoulder without hampering the quiver's operation in any way.
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So what do we do about the enormous pile of straps I must be accumulating over my left shoulder? Well...we throw them in the garbage, and hang everything off the quiver.
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You know...except for the bedroll.

Shout-out to Elleth for the fantastic buckles and d-rings she modeled on Shapeways which significantly affected the end result of this project. Without those d-rings, I'd have just had to stitch them at angles (which was the original plan some 6+ months ago), and that wouldn't have been as cool. For those in the market, these were printed in (very shiny) nickel steel, and then I dropped them in a cup of diet coke for 18 hours. BOOM, age. Good tip, Pete! 6 years of coke baths, still going strong!
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I'm in the process of making a new arrow sock (linen's in some walnut dye at the moment) which will be waxed, so no, I don't carry arrows loose.
Now the sword shall come from under the cloak.
Melthrist
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Re: 3rd Age Dunedain Back Quiver - Take IV

Post by Melthrist »

Oooh. I love how Elleth's buckles turned out. They add a whole other level of interest to this quiver!
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Manveruon
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Re: 3rd Age Dunedain Back Quiver - Take IV

Post by Manveruon »

AAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWW YEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHH.

That's some seriously nice work, man! The suspension system is especially inspired! Oddly, it actually mimics Legolas' film quivers surprisingly closely, in that his quiver is designed for a right-hand draw, but the main strap goes over his left shoulder instead of his right. The main difference between your design and his, of course, is that Legolas' quiver has a third strap running up under his left arm - but the way you've distributed your straps and weight here seems to make that at least somewhat unnecessary. Anyway, in short, I absolutely love it! The binding is a nice, clean way to finish all the edges, and the embroidered patches really add a nice cultural touch to an otherwise fairly simple and functional design. I dig the reasoning behind the arches, too. The whole thing really has an air of authenticity to it. Once again, very nice work!
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Elleth
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Re: 3rd Age Dunedain Back Quiver - Take IV

Post by Elleth »

What elvish magic is this?!?!!

Seriously, nice solution! What all is hanging off the quiver? Just firekit? Or everything but the bedroll?
Persona: Aerlinneth, Dúnedain of Amon Lendel c. TA 3010.
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Re: 3rd Age Dunedain Back Quiver - Take IV

Post by Udwin »

About damn time! : P
It looks excellent, now I understand how it comes together. Can't wait to see it all tallow'd up with waxed sock installed.
Personae: Aistan son of Ansteig, common Beorning of Wilderland; Tungo Brandybuck, Eastfarthing Bounder, 3018 TA; a native Man of the Greyflood, c.850 SA
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Peter Remling
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Re: 3rd Age Dunedain Back Quiver - Take IV

Post by Peter Remling »

Nice work. Can't wait to see it complete and those buckles look sweet.
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Greg
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Re: 3rd Age Dunedain Back Quiver - Take IV

Post by Greg »

Elleth wrote: Seriously, nice solution! What all is hanging off the quiver? Just firekit? Or everything but the bedroll?
Tinderbox on the front strap, Snapsack under arm, Bedroll as a horseshoe on right shoulder over everything.
Now the sword shall come from under the cloak.
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Re: 3rd Age Dunedain Back Quiver - Take IV

Post by Iodo »

Very nice quiver, and suspension :P I don't think I will have a bow as part of my kit (British weapon laws :evil: ) but an advantage is I won't have to deal with this headache :mrgreen: which I think you have solved masterfully
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Re: 3rd Age Dunedain Back Quiver - Take IV

Post by Manveruon »

Iodo wrote:Very nice quiver, and suspension :P I don't think I will have a bow as part of my kit (British weapon laws :evil: ) but an advantage is I won't have to deal with this headache :mrgreen: which I think you have solved masterfully
That's an interesting point - I know the UK has some pretty heavy restrictions on swords and bladed weapons, but I don't know anything about how bows are treated over there. Can you elaborate on what sort of restrictions are placed on those kinds of weapons?
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Re: 3rd Age Dunedain Back Quiver - Take IV

Post by Greg »

Thanks, everyone. It was a blast to dream up, a chore to find materials for, an absolute pain to assemble, but a joy to put on.

I'm curious too, Iodo...you'd think Britain would be pretty friendly to what should be its National weapon.
Now the sword shall come from under the cloak.
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Re: 3rd Age Dunedain Back Quiver - Take IV

Post by Iodo »

Manveruon wrote: That's an interesting point - I know the UK has some pretty heavy restrictions on swords and bladed weapons, but I don't know anything about how bows are treated over there. Can you elaborate on what sort of restrictions are placed on those kinds of weapons?
Here is a very brief summery of UK weapon law as far as I understand it (and this is information from knolageable people in my area):
- On your own land you are alowed anything you want (exseption: liceanceable weapons including all firearms)
-On public land you are allowed bladed weapons, bows and the like if you can prove ether that you just bought them, or that you have a valued reason to have them (there are very few of these) as part of a costume you are allowed a steel weapon but only if it is blunt and for looks and roleplay/reanactment only
- If you are tracking/wild camping and have a valued reason to carry tools that would normally be considered weapons (example: utility knife, hatchet) then you are allowed
- Bows are only allowed in archery (targets only) and unless during a historical event for demonstration use you are not allowed broad head arrows. Bow hunting is banned across the British isles (therefore giving you no valied reason to carry a bow)

So to sum up its quite hard to be allowed anything at all :lol:
Gimli: It's true you don't see many Dwarf-women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, that they are often mistaken for Dwarf-men.
Aragorn: It's the beards.
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Re: 3rd Age Dunedain Back Quiver - Take IV

Post by Straelbora »

Manveruon wrote:
Iodo wrote:Very nice quiver, and suspension :P I don't think I will have a bow as part of my kit (British weapon laws :evil: ) but an advantage is I won't have to deal with this headache :mrgreen: which I think you have solved masterfully
That's an interesting point - I know the UK has some pretty heavy restrictions on swords and bladed weapons, but I don't know anything about how bows are treated over there. Can you elaborate on what sort of restrictions are placed on those kinds of weapons?
http://www.thedeerinitiative.co.uk/uplo ... des/89.pdf

Bow hunting is illegal in the UK. That makes me sad.
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Re: 3rd Age Dunedain Back Quiver - Take IV

Post by Elleth »

...

I miss Great Britain. :(
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Re: 3rd Age Dunedain Back Quiver - Take IV

Post by Manveruon »

Wow, that IS surprisingly restrictive isn't it? I mean... I realize that a lot of the world sees the US as a sort of Mad Max wasteland of crazy people with all manner of deadly weapons stuffed into every crack and crevice, so perhaps that's why it comes as such a surprise to those of us who live here, but... yeah... yeesh.
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Re: 3rd Age Dunedain Back Quiver - Take IV

Post by Manveruon »

Also, sorry to derail your thread, Greg! Again, quiver is awesome! And those buckles from Elleth really add a beautiful finishing touch!
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