How to Joint Your Gauntlets for Better Finger Mobility

A well-jointed gauntlet should protect the hand without turning every grip into a wrestling match with your own armour. In historical medieval combat, finger movement affects nearly everything: drawing a weapon into guard, closing the hand around a haft, controlling a sword, recovering after impact, and safely releasing equipment when a bout ends. A gauntlet can be historically convincing and competition-ready while still allowing precise, reliable movement.

The key is to treat articulation as a system rather than a collection of loose plates. Finger lames, internal leathers, rivets, washers, padding and wrist articulation all need to work together. If one component binds, the whole hand may feel stiff. If the joints are too loose, plates can shift, expose gaps or catch during contact.

For Australian fighters, this work often happens in practical conditions: weekend training in a Sydney warehouse, a club shed outside Brisbane, or a hot outdoor session near Perth. Sweat, dust, long shipping times and limited local stock can affect how armour behaves. Careful fitting before competition saves time, money and a fair bit of frustration at the kit table.

Start with the rules and the hand position

Before drilling, riveting or replacing a leather strip, check the competition requirements that apply to your event. The IMCF rules cover equipment, safety and construction expectations, and they should be treated as the starting point for any gauntlet modification. A design that moves beautifully but creates an exposed opening or unsafe edge is not a successful repair.

Put the gauntlet on with the same glove or liner you will wear in combat. Do not fit articulated fingers over a bare hand and assume the final result will feel the same. A padded liner changes finger length, knuckle height and the amount of room required inside each plate. Close your hand around your usual weapon grip, then open it fully. Record where the fingers stop, which plates touch, and whether the thumb can cross the palm comfortably.

Check the neutral position as well. Your hand should rest naturally rather than being forced into a permanently curled shape. The fingertips need enough clearance to flex without pressing hard against the front of each plate. At the wrist, the cuff should stay stable while the hand moves. If the whole gauntlet slides forward when you make a fist, improving the finger joints alone will not solve the problem.

Map each finger before drilling

Most articulated finger gauntlets use small overlapping plates connected by leather, textile tape or narrow internal straps. Each finger needs a controlled hinge line. The plates should overlap in a way that preserves coverage when the finger bends, with no sharp corner pressing into the next segment. Lay the gauntlet on a bench and mark the centre of each knuckle joint from the inside.

Use the wearer’s actual hand as the reference, not a standard anatomical diagram. Finger lengths vary considerably, and medieval gauntlet patterns often assume proportions that do not match a modern Australian wearer. A plate that seems correctly placed on the index finger may sit too far forward on the little finger. Mark the bend point while wearing the liner and holding a weapon, then transfer that position carefully to the plate assembly.

The articulation should allow gradual movement rather than one dramatic fold. When the finger bends, each lame should move a little and maintain a useful overlap. If two plates collide edge to edge, inspect the gap and the curvature before enlarging holes. Sometimes the problem is not the rivet location but a plate that needs reshaping over a suitable former.

A simple paper or thin-card template is useful for testing. Copy the plate sequence, connect it temporarily with tape or thread, and bend it around the padded finger. This reveals whether the joints are spaced sensibly before you commit to steel, brass or replacement leather.

Choose the right joint construction

Internal leather is traditional, repairable and relatively quiet in use. It allows the plates to flex while keeping them aligned, but it must be thick enough to resist tearing around the rivet holes. Vegetable-tanned leather is commonly preferred for structural straps because it holds a clean hole and does not stretch as readily as very soft garment leather. Keep the strap broad enough to distribute load, especially on the index finger and thumb.

A riveted articulation should pivot without clamping the plates together. Use washers where the construction calls for them, and remove burrs from every hole. A rough hole can cut the leather during repeated flexing, while a rivet set too tightly can lock the joint. Set the rivet so the assembly is secure but still has visible, controlled movement. Test the joint after every rivet rather than completing the whole finger and hoping it works.

Some makers use a separate internal strap for each finger segment, while others use a continuous leather with carefully placed rivets. Either approach can work when the plates remain aligned and the coverage is maintained. The important point is that the joint should flex at the intended axis, not twist sideways under load.

For a replacement or custom build, ask the maker how the articulation is secured and what maintenance access remains. Australian buyers may be ordering from overseas workshops, so include accurate hand measurements, photographs with the fingers curled, and the thickness of the intended liner. International freight and exchange rates make preventable fit errors expensive.

Set the thumb and wrist before fine-tuning

The thumb often determines whether the gauntlet feels useful. It needs to oppose the fingers for a firm grip, move across the palm when required, and stay protected when the hand is open. A thumb plate that sits too close to the index finger can block weapon control. One that floats too far away may leave a vulnerable gap or twist during impact.

Fit the thumb while holding the weapon in your normal guard and striking positions. Check both a closed grip and a relaxed open hand. The thumb articulation should not pull the wrist cuff or drag the palm padding out of place. If it does, inspect the thumb root and the cuff attachment before altering the finger joints.

Wrist articulation is just as important as finger articulation. A rigid cuff can make a flexible finger assembly feel useless because the hand cannot angle naturally. The wrist should permit the movement required by your weapon system without allowing the gauntlet to roll excessively. Tighten straps only enough to stabilise the armour; excessive tension can restrict circulation and increase fatigue during a long melee.

In warm parts of Australia, especially during humid Brisbane training sessions or summer events, padding becomes softer and sweat makes movement feel different. Test the gauntlet after a full warm-up, not just when it is cool and dry on the bench. A liner that works in an air-conditioned workshop may become bulky once saturated.

Test movement under realistic pressure

Begin with slow drills. Open and close the hand, touch the thumb to each fingertip, rotate the wrist, and make the grip changes used in your discipline. Listen for scraping or clicking that suggests a plate edge is catching. Watch the articulation in a mirror or ask a training partner to film the hand from the side.

Then add controlled pressure. Hold the weapon firmly, apply the grip used for cuts or thrusts, and practise recovery to guard. The fingers should close without excessive effort, while the plates should return to position when the hand opens. Test shield straps, polearm grips or secondary weapon transitions if those actions are part of your training.

Do not judge mobility only by the ability to make a fist. Combat movement includes partial flexion, sudden release, sideways wrist angles and fine adjustment of grip. A gauntlet may pass a simple squeeze test yet fail when you need to shift the hand several centimetres along a haft. Practise these changes at low speed before adding contact.

Your equipment should support attention rather than consume it. Training that develops target fixation is useful for duel performance, but your hands still need dependable tactile feedback. If you are thinking about a binding finger plate during every exchange, the articulation requires more work.

Inspect, adjust and document the result

After each session, remove the liner and inspect the inside of the gauntlet. Look for elongated rivet holes, cracked leather, loose washers, fresh dents and bright scrape marks where plates are colliding. Check the edges around every drilled hole with a fingertip or cloth. If the cloth catches, the metal needs deburring before the next bout.

Keep a small repair kit with spare leather, rivets, washers, a punch, setting tools and a file appropriate to your construction. Do not use a random replacement rivet simply because it fits the hole. Its head shape, length and material may affect clearance or create a sharp projection. Photograph the original arrangement before taking anything apart, particularly if several overlapping plates look similar.

Write down the successful settings. Record the liner thickness, strap tension, rivet type, plate order and any shims used. This is valuable when travelling to events or replacing a damaged finger. It also helps distinguish a real structural problem from the temporary stiffness caused by cold weather, dried leather or a damp liner.

A veteran competitor’s experience can put equipment preparation into perspective; this fighter championship interview reflects how preparation and composure develop together over time. For Australian clubs, a short equipment check before training is a sensible habit, especially when members share tools or travel between Melbourne, Canberra and regional venues.

Community clubs can also make maintenance less intimidating for new fighters. A clear sign-in process, shared workshop time and simple equipment records help people progress safely. Organisations that are building participation often publish practical registration material, such as this community registration guide, which illustrates the value of making entry procedures easy to follow even when the sporting activity is specialised.

A properly jointed gauntlet should pass three final checks: it must meet the applicable rules, protect the hand throughout the full range of movement, and let you grip, release and reposition a weapon without conscious struggle. Work slowly, test with your real liner and weapon, and stop using the gauntlet if a plate, rivet or strap becomes unsafe.

Bring the finished pair to your club armourer or experienced training partner for an inspection before hard contact. Keep notes on what changes improve mobility, maintain the armour after every session and share reliable fitting methods with newer members. Better articulated gauntlets make training more productive, competition preparation more dependable and every bout safer for the people on the list beside you.