The Bucket....
One of the most frequent questions (or comments) I get standing on the edge of the listfield (or ON the listfield, during a hold) is "What an interesting/incredible/unique helm..."
My usual reponse is "My Lord/Lady.. I cannot take any credit for it- I'm merely lucky enough to own it..." <grin>
In fact.. back in the beginning- almost a decade ago, before I was a silver-haired Rogue- the term "Silvertop" referred to my HELM and not me. (Honestly. I've photos of Stef and I onstage in 'Scottish Tragedy' in '99- and I'm still raven-haired back then....) Now- both the Bucket and I are "Silvertop".
*Yes.* wearing such a helm makes one a target... but a target with *style*! <smirk>
It's not as heavy when I'm wearing it as it looks- it balances very nicely on my head, and allows for more movement then most metal helms do. I practically have better peripheral vision in it than most fencing masks- and where fencing masks allow your opponent to see your face (and read your eyes) I'm nice and private and anonymous (and hopefully less readable) in the bucket....
Unlike most helms in the SCA, it's difficult to assign an era and nationality for my bucket. It's got a celtic-etched brass nasal, but it's also got the beginnings of a lobster-tail coming off the back. The body of the helm itself is a deliberate rorscharch test- with a myriad of stainless steel sections (some smooth and some hammered) rivetted together. It's not a burgonet or a morion or a sallet. Nor does it even come close to a maximillian or any of the sugar-loaf or barbute or close-helm styles. I've spent the past almost-decade as describing it as "Tolkien's Dwarves attempt at an art-deco motorcycle-helmet" and calling it (affectionately) "my bucket"
(Recently, while serving on the Royal Guard, Her Majesty said that it reminded her of Dumas' "The Man in the Iron Mask".)
So... who does get the artistic credit? Viscount Sir Belrix of Bluerose.
Here's what he wrote to me when I asked for the history of the piece:
Greetings Again!
If you are interested in the fancy helm let me tell you a little bit about it . It began as a heavy combat helm I started in 93 when I first started to work with stainless. I was told the metal was 16ga sca minimum but it turned out to be 18ga and too light for heavy combat. So it went on a shelf until Dec. '01 when I looked at it and realized it would make a wonderful fencing helm so after eight years it finally got finished.
After completing it with a perforated stainless-steel faceplate, Sir Belrix put it up for auction on eBay where I instantly fell in love with it. Vowing to make it mine I went out and sold a comic book from my old collection to finance the purchase. Once I had it all I needed to do to make it list-legal was to add a leather drape in the front and some leather-and-chainmail earpieces. The final list-approved assembly was ready in time for my first Auth attempt..
... and the rest is history.
