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I'm not SCA either, I'm an English early medieval re-enactor, but dodgy shoes seem to be a constant in all forms of recreational medievalism. I've been making shoes and other period leatherwork for about 15 years. A good shoemaker will always be popular, but personally I only make them for family and a couple of close friends, because they are about my least favourite bit of leatherwork to actually do. If you enjoy shoemaking, then even if you're "half-skilled" now, you'll get enough work that you'll soon be a master cobbler.

Please bear in mind that everything below is written from the perspective of someone who thinks history ended at about 2pm on 14 October 1066, Haroldus Rex interfectus est and everything after that is just modern :).

Be prepared to waste a lot of leather, especially when you're starting out. Remember that most people have slightly different sized feet, a left shoe is not simply a mirror image of a right shoe, especially in period shoes, always get measurements/patterns for both feet. A last is not a model of a foot, it is a model of the inside of a shoe. Learn to sew really well, I always use saddle stitch but it's not essential, and knot the thread every 4-5 stitches to minimise the risk of the shoe falling apart as soon as the thread wears through, which it will. Use the best quality waxed linen thread you can get, I'd compromise on quality of leather before buying cheap thread. The leather probably doesn't need to be as thick as you think, this may just be me, but the number of shoes I've made and then realised they would have been better, and easier to make, with slightly thinner leather. A shoe that is slightly too small for comfort can often be stretched to fit by putting it on and sitting with your foot in a bowl of water for a couple of hours.

Finally, a lot of people, especially the beer and bash brigade, will tell you medieval shoes don't have enough grip and want modern soles. Don't give in to them, wet grass on a steep slope can be challenging, but apart from that I've never had any real difficulty walking, running or fighting in authentic shoes. There are special cases, such as people with disabilities or people planning on walking a very long way on modern road surfaces, but in general medieval shoes are as comfortable and effective as modern shoes. If you really want to improve the grip, hobnails or strips of leather glued on to make a tread are reasonable compromises.

Resources:

The most comprehensive online resource: http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/shoe/SHOEHOME.HTM
I printed out the entire site several years ago, and still refer to it frequently.

Two pages with shoes good for novices to make:

A nice guide to making simple early medieval shoes:
http://dineidyn.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/a-beginners-guide-to-turnshoes.pdf

Very very simple, but authentic early medieval shoes (without hurrying I can knock out a shoe in 2 hours using this method), a bit wasteful of leather but the offcuts can used for toggles, etc:
http://www.vikingsonline.org.uk/resources/authenticity/basickit/basickit15.html#frontseam

From the same site, a guide to early medieval shoe fastenings:
http://www.vikingsonline.org.uk/resources/authenticity/basickit/annex11.html
(Ignore what it says about bone/horn/wood toggles, there is virtually no evidence for them in the archaeological record. Admittedly they wouldn't survive well in the ground, but their total absence, as compared to other small items of the same materials, suggests they weren't used. The leather toggles it shows are far more likely to be authentic.)

This looks like a possibly useful Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/periodshoes/?fref=ts
I only found it while I was writing this, but it looks promising.

If you're interested in early medieval shoes this Facebook group may be useful (both for research and selling):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/624164817603195/?fref=ts

A word of warning about Facebook groups - be wary of posting to groups that are not explicitly SCA-oriented. The SCA has a very different approach to authenticity to that of most European re-enactors, and SCAdians can be subjected to very unpleasant levels of mockery and vitriol.

Printed resources:

If you're seriously interested in historical shoes, this is just about essential:
http://www.amazon.com/Archaeological-Footwear-Development-Patterns-Prehistory/dp/9089321179/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421324590&sr=1-1
Vast selection of shoes, with (very small) cutting patterns.

This is also very good, has a different selection of shoes. I would strongly recommend both books but if you have to choose this would be my second choice:
http://www.amazon.com/Stepping-Through-Time-Archaeological-Prehistoric/dp/9089320024/ref=la_B001KCUT80_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421324595&sr=1-2

Much less comprehensive, and less useful for reconstructing, but well worth a read and half the price of the other two:
http://www.amazon.com/Shoes-Pattens-Medieval-Excavations-London/dp/1843832380/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421324583&sr=1-1

1. The SCA is fairly welcoming, however, it's a large group of people and can have all the same problems as any group of people. A lot of people are here to hang out and party as much as anything else.
   
   
2. The SCA has nowhere near the standards you're probably used to for CW/WWII reenacting. It sounds like you'll manage the garb side of things pretty easily. There are some oddities about the tailoring/fit of some of the medieval stuff, but probably nothing you can't handle. There are a few books I recommend (links at the bottom of the post). Plastic armor is fine, but it is generally best to cover it with clothing or similar. Helmets must be steel for safety purposes. Most of the well put-together kits are the result of years of work. There's far less of an expectation that you'll have everything 100% ready to go on day 1 than is typical of reenacting groups.
   
   
3. You need your armor ready to go, but after that, you just need to pass a safety test called an "authorization" to fight. It's pretty much about knowing what targets count, making sure you're safe, etc. You won't become a "knight" in our game for a long time (It's one of the highest awards).
   
   
4. Women are welcome to fight and to wear men's clothing if they like. There are no rules about that.
   
   
5. Armor-wise, the Indian made stuff is generally poorly fitting (as in not made to fit a human body) and too thin to use. There are some decent Czech and Ukrainian armories though. That being said, most people are getting their reproduction shoes from a company in Pakistan (usually indirectly) and a lot of the decent chain mail is coming from India IIRC. It's a mixed bag. It is best to go to practices, find some people who you trust to provide guidance, etc. Unfortunately the result of our far less strict standards on gear/equipment and far wider historical scope also means that we don't have a good set of unit standards or the like to help provide guidance.
   
   Costuming books:
   http://www.amazon.com/Medieval-Tailors-Assistant-2nd-1100-1480/dp/0896762955
   http://www.amazon.com/Tudor-Tailor-Reconstructing-Sixteenth-Century-Dress/dp/0896762556
   http://www.amazon.com/Patterns-Fashion-Construction-Clothes-1560-1620/dp/0896760839
   http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Maker-Mens-Century-Doublets/dp/0692264841
   
   Shoes:
   http://www.vikingleathercrafts.com/
   http://boots-by-bohemond.myshopify.com/
   
   Armour:
   http://armourarchive.org/

This one! is a great beginners tunic. Remember, cut once but measure twice. Use Frixion markers to mark up the fabric - they disappear when you iron but will come back in the freezer. They do wash out pretty easily.

The biggest thing to remember when cutting up the fabric is seam allowances - let's say you have a 38" chest. You want the fabric circumference to be ~39" when you wear it for some ease. For simplicities sake, it's better to cut the front and back rectangles for the body of the tunic at 20" each, giving you 40" pre-sew. Most people end up with only 1/4" seams so you'll have a slight bit more than 39".

However - very important other sewing rule- DO A MOCK UP! You will never know how horribly you have measured until you actually wear the pattern. Old sheets from the thrift store make awesome mock up materials. Cut out your pattern on that first. You often don't have to make up the entire thing - just the body of the garment. If it feels fine, great. If it's too big/too small pin, pinch, or draw where to expand as needed. Again, Frixion markers are amazing for those things.

Plain fabric is great fabric. Plain solid colors can always be embellished with some embroidery or trim. That print might look lovely to you, but I've seen far too many 100% 20th C/21st C toiles being used for garb (stories. Oh dear me, do I have stories) to know that suggesting anything other than plain fabric is a very, very bad idea.

If you get stuck, ask questions!

You have two separate problems to solve. 1st how to melt the metal. 2nd how to cast it into interesting shapes.

i'll start with the melting problem. I suggested an oxy-propane torch like this and a crucible like this. Those items are likely above your price point and I am just using the Riogrande.com catalog as an example for you, cheaper prices can be had if you shop around or go used. You will find these type of torches on Craig's list, they are common metal working equipment. Oxy-propane requires an oxygen tank and regulator. The reason I suggest this is because the oxygen will burn way hotter which means you can melt metal right in a crucible out in the open. Oxygen tanks can be found at your local welding supply store and are easy enough to obtain. No insulated foundry required and you can melt aluminum, pewter, bronze, brass, nickle silver, silver, and gold with this setup.

Anywho, that's the ideal setup for you. It will likely cost a hundred bucks or so to get it running. To be frank I think it's worth it because once people lean you can cast buckles they will buy them from you and the setup will pay for itself pretty quick. That's what happened to me, lol.

But if you insist on the no to zero cost option go ahead and build your mini foundry following the various online instructionals like this. Skip the steel crucible part and get a graphite one like this. Go with propane, not MAPP gas. Propane is cheaper and easier to obtain since it is available at every grocery store. I have to warn you once again though. There is a reason why everyone only talks about melting aluminum in these things. And its because they don't get that hot without an oxygen supply. Copper alloys melt hotter than aluminum. Upside is that you don't have much sunk cost, and melting aluminum is fun too.

OK, next step. Casting the metal into different shapes.

1. Permanent molds, 0-100$. These range from things like muffin tins to graphite molds like these.
   
   
2. Sand molds, 0-200$. Either dig up your own sand for free or go with the much better option of a Delft clay kit.

That would actually be a device that is only a field divided quarterly. =) Heraldry can be extremely simple, as well as extremely complex.

http://heraldry.sca.org/armory/newprimer/h4f5.shtml

That said, if you're not going for arms but for decoration, this means you do not have to follow the rules of heraldry, and would not be in conflict with anyone! Divide your shield quarterly, and add a phrase around the rim, or your initials. Paint half the shield your colors, and add your shire/baron/kingdom's colors to the other half. Add a cool non-heraldic design that matches what you're interested in, like Celtic knots or Egyptian diagonals, or do a full herringbone pattern - if you're not after heraldry, you have a LOT of room for creativity!

There is absolutely no rule that shields can ONLY be painted with Heraldry. The only consideration is that if you're following Heraldic rules, you don't accidentally use someone else's device. So think outside the box! There are a ton of simple colorblock patterns that aren't heraldic at all, that will look awesome and not step on anyone's toes.

For example, you could paint your shield blue and then use a stencil like this to paint an all-over yellow scale pattern. Or instead of yellow, go with a gold or bronze paint!

Don't let the idea of heraldry limit you - you aren't constrained by it at all. I mean, check this out.

You can go with a fully hidden kit using mostly modern stuff you can buy online. I wear a Nike football girdle for thigh protection, modern knee pads that are good enough for HEMA, and a lacrosse rib protector for my kidneys. All this just covered with a gambeson (depending on pain tolerance, you may require a little bit of additional armor or padding but this meets minimum in my kingdom +some).


My elbows are bokolo (that I strapped and padded) which are very affordable and vambraces are technically not required, but are highly recommended. You can make a cheap pair of brigadine vambraces out of leather, riveted over something rigid like metal or even plastic (good for 14th century). They also make padded arm sleeves for football if you want to buy something and hide it.

Depending on your helm you may need a gorget, which also can be purchased, or made cheaply out of plastic with padding behind it.

The 2 things you will want to spend your money on are gauntlets and a helm. Protect your head and your hands. That said, I have a cheap ironmonger helm that I fitted a chain drape to and it was very affordable.

I'm sure you'll also be able to borrow gear from friends or the loaner bag (if you have a nice knight marshal). But this will get you on the field then you can improve it one piece at a time.

So, steel care is a two part process - sealing and maintaining. :)

Sealing:

First off, remove all the oil, dirt, and other chemicals from the metal. The easiest way to do this is brake cleaner fluid. If you've never worked with this before - don't do it in your tub or sink, it will remove everything, including the cosmetic liners on those surfaces. :p

Second - coat the entire metal in your sealing material. Here is a comprehensive comparison of various metal care products, but the short version is: Use WD-40 Specialist: Silicone.

Because we beat on our armor, that silicone seal will get chipped and removed in places. So the second step.

Maintaining:

After each practice, wipe your armor down with a silicone impregnated rag. These vary in quality a LOT. I use this one.

About once every 6-9 months, you'll want to completely redo your sealing process as above. Exactly how often depends on how often you're using your stuff and what kind of climate you live in.

Please, for the love of god, don't listen to the people who advocate olive oil or other "period" techniques. Firstly - the era of modern material sciences can do a lot better than the period techniques did and secondly - oils go rancid. 4 times now, I've been handed a piece of steel to inspect that was so rancid smelling I had to ask the fighter to clean it before letting it touch other people's garb.

If you are looking for the iconic broke-back seax look, there are not a lot of cheap options. This is one, and you could do a lot worse: http://amazon.com/SZCO-Supplies-203340-Wrapped-Sheath/dp/B00TX9YFDW

If you just want a useful knife that looks like it fits the part, look into Nordic "puukko" knives. You should be able to get a high-quality one for under $50.

If you want to try your hand at building one, here's a good kit (bottom of the page): http://www.northcoastknives.com/northcoast_knives_Blades7.htm

That kit's blade is SUPER high quality, and makes really nice knives. Here's a couple I've made:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8Ff0wENUntw/TWXbwNTKzTI/AAAAAAAACcE/FVmuc9zFXvQ/s912-Ic42/DSC01804.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wYk4E2cvR0s/TWXbxd0gYMI/AAAAAAAACcI/lskGidqKbXk/s912-Ic42/DSC01805.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--oEls7mqoFw/TUyvHE4KqcI/AAAAAAAACVQ/JKJzd_zv414/s912-Ic42/DSC01776.JPG

Again, not the stereotypical Viking Seax, but perfectly plausible shape.

In terms of periodic treatments, this compared most major products and found WD-40 Specialist to be the best coating to apply.

In terms of after-use care, I really love wax-imbued rags, like this. It takes a little more time to wipe down than oil, but it protects longer between applications and doesn't wipe off onto garb or storage bags as easily.

When you go to put it through the sewing machine, roll it to get the bulk through the throat of the machine. Makes a huge difference in the amount of swearing you will do.

Also, if you want a nice even 1" spacing, lay lines of 1" masking tape 1" apart, and stitch right along the edge. It's amazing.

If you cut the pieces before you quilt, cut them a little big; quilting will take up width. You can always adjust the seams.

Use these instead of pins along the edges: https://www.amazon.com/Yalis-Multipurpose-Accessories-Quilting-Crocheting/dp/B01LWPC5JY?crid=GM7GT692TO0W&keywords=wonder+clips&qid=1536946871&sprefix=wonderclips%2Caps%2C147&sr=8-16-spons&ref=sr_1_16_sspa&psc=1 They will change your life.

My sister is a quilter and gave me a ton of great advice. :-)

The Medieval Tailor's Assistant, 2nd Edition: Common Garments 1100-1480 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0896762955/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_taa_D3EVCbAA33E5Q