How do I make armor?
1) Try this website to see if you like any of the patterns. I looked at it to get ideas for what kind of armor I wanted. It might give you some inspiration too.
2) Take an old t-shirt and cut it so it looks like the torso armor you want to make. Then slice it so you can lay the material flat on the floor without having two layers of cloth doubled up.
Note: you'll probably want it to look something like this:
This is your template. Now cut up your beer cases and tape them together creatively so you can lay the t-shirt template on top without the edges hanging over the sides. Use a Sharpie marker to trace the template on the backside (brown side) of the beer cases and cut on the lines.
Congrats! You just made the major part of your beer armor.
3) Beer cases are strangely precious. Trial and error while building your armor can use up lots of cases and be really frustrating. My suggestion is to go to your local Office Max/Office Depot/Wal-Mart and get some of that flimsy posterboard they sell in big sheets. It's usually less than 70 cents a sheet and you can make a really good template without wasting cases. Then, just do the same thing as with the t-shirt template idea; trace and cut. (See the picture up above...that is a template made with these sheets.) Doing this, you can build a complete working model before cutting up your resources.
IMPORTANT: Make sure you have a plan on how you're going to close your armor. I use one and a half inch velcro down the back, which means I had to overlap the back edge. You might also want to use elastic (like I use on my armguards and greaves) as this doesn't require overlap and you can just use the t-shirt design. However, this does have the unfortunate side effect of looking like a corset.
Do I have to drink and/or get drunk to be a Beer Knight?
Of course not...but it helps. The life of a Beer Knight isn't about getting drunk and being obnoxious. We're more about going to festivals, having a good time, making new friends, and enjoying the atmosphere. Drinking a few beers and/or being drunk can add to the experience, but it's definitely not our primary mission. A true Beer Knight always knows when to quit pounding the cold ones.
To answer your question: as long as you're wearing the armor, you're a Beer Knight...drunk or sober.
Does it matter what kind of beer I use for my armor?
Nope! Use your favorite beer. Doesn't matter to us. However, we do have a couple guidelines:
- You have to have a unique name. We don't want more than one "Black Knight", even if one uses Guinness and another uses XXX. Be creative and come up with your own name.
- Try to have the majority of your armor made out of the same brand of beer. If you need to include some other kinds to fill in the gaps that's fine, but most of your armor should match.
How good does my armor have to be to become an official Beer Knight?
You don't have to go to extremes (although it's encouraged), but your armor should look like some effort went into it. Just taping some empty cases to your legs and throwing a box on your head isn't going to do it. Measure, cut, tape, glue...make something you can be proud of! As a guide for you, look at these pictures:
Bad Armor  |
Good Armor  |
Great Armor!  |
All pictures found on CollegeHumor.com. Thanks guys!
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How long did it take you to make your armor?
Well, the stock answer is, "Two days to drink the beer, two days to sleep it off, and three days to make the armor."
That's not entirely true. The beer was drunk over several fests, so we won't count that. Let's assume that I'm sitting in my little creative space with plenty of tape, cases, scissors, glue, velcro, and elastic. The first set of armor I made (The Blue Knight's armor) took me about fifteen hours. That involved a lot of trial and error, searching for more cases, and making mistakes. By the time I started making Sir Yuengling's armor I knew way more, so it was way easier. It only took about eight hours!
If you're planning on making armor, see question #1 above. Use posterboard first, instead of cases, so you don't waste them. Don't get frustrated and don't start making armor the day before the festival. Give yourself some time to screw up and have to figure stuff out.
How many cases did it take?
I didn't really keep track, but I think Sir Yuengling's armor took about a dozen cases. SInce I knew what I was doing (after screwing up on The Blue Knight's armor and using about twenty cases), I was able to get the most out of every case. Plus, not covering the shield in cases saved quite a bit too.
Are you sponsored by any beer companies?
Sadly, no. I contacted Yuengling and sent their marketing agent a link to the website, but I haven't heard anything back from them.
Now, to be fair, they don't know jack about me. For all they know, I could be a crazy, sociopathic dendraphiliac. (I'm not.) But look at the evidence: a guy who spent a long time making cardboard armor and wears it around at festivals. Not the strongest indication of someone who has everything completely together.
The dream, though, is to have Yuengling sponsor me. I'm not looking for cash...just for them to cover my ticket costs, gas, and maybe a case or two per fest.
If you want to help me get sponsored, sign the petition:
Click here to sign the
"Get Sir Yuengling Sponsored"
petition!
Also, here's a bunch of contact info for Yuengling:
Internet: Click For Yuengling's Official Mail: D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc. Phone: (570) 622-4141
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Please be kind!
How can I help you get sponsored?
Awww, you're so kind and sweet to want to help! Bless your heart!
To help Sir Yuengling get sponsored by Yuengling, just click the link below and sign the petition! If I end up getting sponsored and you see me at a fest, just walk up to me and say "I signed your petition" for a free Yuengling...courtesy of Yuengling...and Sir Yuengling.
How do I get my question answered here?
Great question! All you have to do is email it to me and I'll add it to the page! Could it be any easier?
TheBeerKnights@hotmail.com