Announcement: Kentucky 1.0 and Rapier Workshop

[Jake_Norwood]

This is an open call for registrants for the 2-day Murray State University ARMA NTP 1.0 Seminar and Rapier Workshop, both taught by ARMA Director John Clements

Where: Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky
When: March 3-4, 2007 (exact times to be posted)
Who: ARMA Members and Non-members are invited
Price: $50 or $45 for ARMA Members, both days included.
Point-of-contact: Andy Spalding, MSU Group Leader email: msufencing@hotmail.com

If you haven't registered yet, or if you have expressed interest but haven't sent in your fee, please contact Andy and do so soon, as the event is fast approaching.

Curriculum: Day One (Saturday 3 March) will be a full ARMA NTP 1.0 instructed by John Clements. Day Two will be 3+ hours of Rapier instruction with John Clements, followed by guided practice, sparring, and one-on-one instruction with ARMA Deputy Director and Senior Free Scholar Jake Norwood (me).

Uniform
ARMA Members: ARMA Red T-shirt and black sweats or equivalent. No logos, stripes, etc., please. ARMA-style knee-length breeches with red hose/socks also acceptable.
Non-members: White T-shirt and black sweats or athletic pants. No logos, slogans, stripes, etc., please.

Equipment
Please bring a minimum of (1) Longsword Waster and (1) Rapier simulator. A generous but limited quantity of rapier simulators will be provided by the ARMA MSU Study Group. Contact Andy (msufencing@hotmail.com) for details. The group will be selling a number of these rapier simulators before, during, and after the event, but purchase is not required to use one. An extremely limited number of longsword wasters will also be available to loan--we ask that if you have more than one, you bring it to lend to a newbie.

Fencing masks will be available for rent from the MSU fencing club for $5 for the weekend. They are not required but they are reccomended for longsword sparring (and necessary for rapier sparring).

All other wasters, blunts, and related equipment is welcome. If you want to play with some of your other weapons (sword and buckler, staves, dussacks, daggers, etc.) there will be time in the second half of Day Two.

Webmaster: could you please make this a sticky?

[Brian Hunt]

Hey Jake,

just out of curiosity, what type of rapier simulators are you providing and selling?

all the best.

Brian Hunt
GFS

[Jaron Bernstein]

Looking forward to it!

[Andy Spalding]

Hey Brian,

I am actually the one offering the rapier simulators. They are the Fiberglass and tape version you can find on the "padded weapons" section of the forum. We are charging about 20 bucks per sword.

[Brian Hunt]

Oh,

you are using my design then.

I was just wondering since I am always on the lookout for new ideas.

thanks for the reply.

Brian Hunt
GFS

P.S. There is an optional way to make your grip instead of using the two slabs of wood I orginally wrote about in the article, you can heat up an appropriate grip length of 3/4 PVC thickwall pipe in your oven at 350 degrees until it gets soft and push it into place over the completed and taped fiberglass blade. As it cools it will shrink a little and gives you a nice oval grip that you can cover with electrical tape, tennis racket grip, wire wrap it, etc.

[Andy Spalding]

That is a great idea with the pvc. How long would it take to heat that up abouts? And would it stink up my house doing it?

[Brian Hunt]

It takes about 3 to 5 minutes to heat up and get pliable and squishy (in other words plastic). Be sure you handle it with heavy duty gloves, such as welding gloves otherwise you will get burned. As for an oder, no worse than cooking a fish and the smell doesn't last as long. Be aware that if you are married, your wife may take issue with the idea of cooking plastic in her kitchen oven. It will put off a chemical plastic smell as it heats and then cools. If you have an old toaster oven kicking around you can take that outside and use it.

hope this helps.

Brian Hunt
GFS

[Andy Spalding]

It sure does help thanks.

Also, we found out that using the side of the nose cone of the hot glue gun was very time consuming. It was much easier and faster to use a soldering iron. The soldering iron melted the glue more quickly, and allowed you to smooth over both grooves at the same time.

[Andy Spalding]

For those coming, My cell number is 502 552 5522. Call me if you get lost, need to work out details... etc.

[Derrick Berrier]

Are there any last minute instructions before next weeks event? Do we have any set times for showing up Saturday? Thanks .
Derrick Berrier
Louisville, Kentucky

[Andy Spalding]

We will be starting at 10. I cant really think of anything else we need to cover.

[Aaron Kavli]

We will be starting at 10. I cant really think of anything else we needd to cover.

What is the name or number of the building on campus? Jake usually drives and I get lost easy!

[Andy Spalding]

I've had a few requests for the address of this building. The building we are going to be holding this in does not have an address. It simply is the Carr Health Building.

The best parking for the event will be in the lot behind the building. You can get there off of 14th street in Murray.

You can get to 14th street off of south 641 by taking a right on Olive Blvd, or a right on Main, then another right to get on 14th.

I wish there was some way i could give everyone an address to just map quest it, but this is the best i got. I will put up a few signs to help people along the way. Also here is a map of campus if it helps. Carr Health is #27 on it, and 641 (the main town drag) is on the far right of the map.

http://www.murraystate.edu/campus_maps/flashmap.htm

Just to recap for the event:
-Rapiers($20) and Wasters($25) will be sold at the event.
-3 weapon Masks (required for rapier) will be rented for $5 a day.
-FEEL FREE To contact me when ever. 502-552-5522

Just a note. If you arrive on Friday and are looking for something to do, i am having my BFA senior art exhibition that evening from 6-8. It will be held at the Curris center. Just head into campus on Chestnut street (the intersection with a Hardees and a shell gas station. It will be on the left. If you are interested but not confidant in your navigation abilities, give me a call and i will guide you in.

[Jaron Bernstein]

I would like to thank Andy for organizing a very cool event (and sharing his floor space!). I would also like thank John for teaching with the usual intensity and vast store of knowledge and skills. Finally, thanks to Jake for teaching and for some bruises.

[Andy Spalding]

Thanks Jaron. I would like to thank all the Senior members especially for coming in. With out you guys the event wouldn't have been half as much fun.

I would also like to thank all the members who drove in becasue we had a great turn out.