Archery Arm Guard Long Bow Recurve SCA Bracer Quiver

“Functional Art with an Edge”

The worlds best (my opinion) arm guard or bracer.

After years of trying almost every style of arm guard or bracer this style in my humble opinion is by far the best. Here are the problems with every other style I have tried, this is not an exhaustive list just the most glaring. The ones with elastic cords never fit right, pinch your arm, or are a pain to adjust. They stretch out and it is not easy to find a replacement. The antler buttons look great but you can never get it adjusted and if you do they never stay where you put them. The shoe hook types catch everything and unless you have a friend to tie them for you it can be hard to get it right. The soft leather model sounds great until the bow string pops your arm and then you wonder if it would have hurt any worst if you were not wearing one. The models with the holes in them to keep you cool are a joke. Plastic and the camouflage models made out of cloth are not what real archers or hunters want to wear; besides they are attached with elastic. 

I developed several major changes to older designs that revolutionized and made bracers user friendly. They are not flat but are molded in the shape of your fore arm. The biggest issue was to make it easy for the shooter to be able to put it on and take it off by themselves in any weather, day time or night, bare armed or hunting jacket in 10 seconds or less.    But more important it had to stay where you put it and still protect your arm.  This was accomplished by:

·          The channels the lace runs through are triangular shaped, instead of round which collapses with use over time or when soft leather is used in manufacturing.  This makes it easier to replace the lacing not if  but when the lace breaks from use and old age.

·          Using good boot lace leather, almost every place that sells shoe laces carries it.

·          Using cord stops to hold the leather lace in place. They slide easy and hold where you put them and require two fingers to operate.  If they break or are lost you can get replacements in any sewing department or cloth store.

·          The design of the exit cross over holes where the lace tightens in the middle is better for wear and creates the tension that helps hold it in place while it relieves stress on the bracer. 

The strike pad is designed to withstand a blow from the string of the strongest war bow or modern compound.  Construction solved this problem by building in an air pocket for shock absorption, think of how bubble wrap made of the thinnest plastic protects delicate items in shipping with an air gap.  This let us use thinner leather to eliminate weight. 

The art work on my bracers is just a big plus to all the practical benefits of this redesign. One of a kind art not the run of the mill. I hand cut the pattern, punch every hole, hand stitch with artificial sinew, and the design may be hand tooled or stamped, but each is unique.  When I stain/color the leather some areas are left natural or lighter.  This requires hand painting using a brush only a few hairs wide.  A single small acorn might require several applications.  You are getting high quality Functional Artwork.  Yes functional they are made to be used.  None the less these are far and above anything else I have seen listed on eBay or through regular distribution channels.  You are getting some really great deals here. Even if you paid $150 +.

My arm guard or bracer is approximately 7 inches long. This is my standard model it will work for 95% of the population.

Custom sizes may be ordered, but I will need the following measurements:

1.        Circumference of the wrist at base of your bow hand. 

2.        Distance to the largest part of your fore arm from the base of  your bow hand.

3.        Circumference of the largest part of your fore arm.

4.        Distance from the base of your hand at the wrist to the bend on the inside of your elbow.

Carl D. Ward, Jr.

Blade & Leather Smith                                                                                                               

Iron Mountain Industries, Forge & Feather Leather