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Any armor-making experience?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
EscherEnigma
Sep 16, 2010 19:11:25 So anyone have any armor-making experience? Specifically SCA-approved leather armor? I'm gonna be trying my hand at some simple things next week, and have a rough idea of what I want to try (and a rough idea of how I'm going to do it), but I'm always open to advice.

So yeah. Anyone have any experience making leather armor that meets the SCA's requirements?
#2
Ragnar_Lodbrok
Sep 16, 2010 19:53:02
So anyone have any armor-making experience? Specifically SCA-approved leather armor? I'm gonna be trying my hand at some simple things next week, and have a rough idea of what I want to try (and a rough idea of how I'm going to do it), but I'm always open to advice.

So yeah. Anyone have any experience making leather armor that meets the SCA's requirements?

Well, look what the Google dragged in.
Now I just need some leather that matches my bracers (and cash for said leather). Thank you, EE, for reminding me to look this up.
#3
EscherEnigma
Sep 16, 2010 19:54:19 Yep. Already saw that. I was just wondering if anyone had personal experience, as there's only so far I can get with reading without being able to ask questions.
#4
Mad_Jack
Sep 17, 2010 8:57:45 I dunno anything about the SCA's specifications, but one thing I can tell you is be very careful about how long you leave the leather in the water for, and move quickly once you take it out - that stuff hardens up hella fast, shrinks a lot and quickly loses it's stretchiness... Leave it in the water for more than a few seconds after it starts to darken and curl and the stuff turns into a block of wood when it dries.
I'd also suggest that you have your SO on hand at the time, since four hands are going to be much better than two.

#5
ADHadh
Sep 17, 2010 10:25:36 My younger brother tried his hand at making a chainmail. He got bored or discouraged and remade it into a key chain.
#6
pluisjen
Sep 17, 2010 11:10:27 My girlfriend made a chainmail bikini.
#7
pigknight
Sep 17, 2010 12:58:10
My girlfriend made a chainmail bikini.

We need pics to know you are not lying.

No you need pics...for other reasons.
#8
boraxe
Sep 17, 2010 14:14:13 Damn forums ate my post.

I knew a guy in the SCA who found a big box of leather shoe heels in an old shop. He drilled holes in them, stitched them to a heavy canvas backing, and made a seriously kick-ass set of leather scale armour.
#9
MechaPilot
Sep 17, 2010 16:05:42 I have no experience myself, but I would suggest that you attempt whatever hardening process you are going to use on a scrap pice of leather first. Make it something small, like a 2x2 square, and make sure you measure it before and after the process. This will give you a benchmark for how much the leather is going to shrink. Also, it will give you a scrap of leather to work with, that way you can figure out how long it remains workable after the hardening process.

Since you're an artsy person, I would also suggest that you might be able to use a wood burning tool (sometimes called a pyrography tool) to create permanent patterns in the surface of your finished armor. The aforementioned scrap of leather would be a useful place to test the tool and its results.
#10
EscherEnigma
Sep 17, 2010 16:39:08 Hrm... I wonder if you can stitch leather after it's been hardened... Not that I'm any good at stitching leather (as far as I know, haven't tried yet), but if you can that opens up a few more possibilities for what I can do...

Definitely going to be a lot of experimentation before I get it right. Ah well, that's supposedly the fun of it, yes?

As for decorating... I figure that I'll aim for functionality for my first few pieces. Once I'm happy with my basic ability for making stuff, then I'll worry about making it fabulous (for which I have some ideas. Depends on just how well the leather will take dye. From what I heard, it doesn't harden as well if you dye it, and if you harden it, it doesn't dye so well... Will have to experiment)

That and if I do it that way then I'll have some "spare" stuff to donate to the school's SCA club, as repayment for the use of the club's loaner gear until I make my own. And the club really needs some gear that's sized for twigs. Everything they have is way too big for me. Part of why I'm trying to jump into making my own before I probably should (it's generally a good idea to have been fighting for a while before you make your own armor so that you have a better idea of how it works, moves, fasten's together, what you like, and all that stuff).
#11
Mad_Jack
Sep 18, 2010 4:28:42 Actually, hardened leather can be pierced with an awl or actually drilled with a Dremel tool with a tiny hobby bit to put the holes in the leather to be stitched. it can also be riveted.
Branding designs into the leather with a burning tool won't work so well, since it'll tend to weaken the surface of the leather and it may split if given a good enough whack. Most of the time, leather is decorated using patterned leather punches and a hammer. I did a brief experiment a while ago, and discovered that using punches to pattern the leather before shrinking and shaping it tended to distort the patterns. I never really did try to pattern the hardened leather after shaping it. I'd suggest hardening it first and then dyeing it.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 EscherEnigma Sep 16, 2010 19:11:25	So anyone have any armor-making experience? Specifically SCA-approved leather armor? I'm gonna be trying my hand at some simple things next week, and have a rough idea of what I want to try (and a rough idea of how I'm going to do it), but I'm always open to advice. So yeah. Anyone have any experience making leather armor that meets the SCA's requirements?
#2 Ragnar_Lodbrok Sep 16, 2010 19:53:02	So anyone have any armor-making experience? Specifically SCA-approved leather armor? I'm gonna be trying my hand at some simple things next week, and have a rough idea of what I want to try (and a rough idea of how I'm going to do it), but I'm always open to advice. So yeah. Anyone have any experience making leather armor that meets the SCA's requirements? Well, look what the Google dragged in. Now I just need some leather that matches my bracers (and cash for said leather). Thank you, EE, for reminding me to look this up.
#3 EscherEnigma Sep 16, 2010 19:54:19	Yep. Already saw that. I was just wondering if anyone had personal experience, as there's only so far I can get with reading without being able to ask questions.
#4 Mad_Jack Sep 17, 2010 8:57:45	I dunno anything about the SCA's specifications, but one thing I can tell you is be very careful about how long you leave the leather in the water for, and move quickly once you take it out - that stuff hardens up hella fast, shrinks a lot and quickly loses it's stretchiness... Leave it in the water for more than a few seconds after it starts to darken and curl and the stuff turns into a block of wood when it dries. I'd also suggest that you have your SO on hand at the time, since four hands are going to be much better than two.
#5 ADHadh Sep 17, 2010 10:25:36	My younger brother tried his hand at making a chainmail. He got bored or discouraged and remade it into a key chain.
#6 pluisjen Sep 17, 2010 11:10:27	My girlfriend made a chainmail bikini.
#7 pigknight Sep 17, 2010 12:58:10	My girlfriend made a chainmail bikini. We need pics to know you are not lying. No you need pics...for other reasons.
#8 boraxe Sep 17, 2010 14:14:13	Damn forums ate my post. I knew a guy in the SCA who found a big box of leather shoe heels in an old shop. He drilled holes in them, stitched them to a heavy canvas backing, and made a seriously kick-ass set of leather scale armour.
#9 MechaPilot Sep 17, 2010 16:05:42	I have no experience myself, but I would suggest that you attempt whatever hardening process you are going to use on a scrap pice of leather first. Make it something small, like a 2x2 square, and make sure you measure it before and after the process. This will give you a benchmark for how much the leather is going to shrink. Also, it will give you a scrap of leather to work with, that way you can figure out how long it remains workable after the hardening process. Since you're an artsy person, I would also suggest that you might be able to use a wood burning tool (sometimes called a pyrography tool) to create permanent patterns in the surface of your finished armor. The aforementioned scrap of leather would be a useful place to test the tool and its results.
#10 EscherEnigma Sep 17, 2010 16:39:08	Hrm... I wonder if you can stitch leather after it's been hardened... Not that I'm any good at stitching leather (as far as I know, haven't tried yet), but if you can that opens up a few more possibilities for what I can do... Definitely going to be a lot of experimentation before I get it right. Ah well, that's supposedly the fun of it, yes? As for decorating... I figure that I'll aim for functionality for my first few pieces. Once I'm happy with my basic ability for making stuff, then I'll worry about making it fabulous (for which I have some ideas. Depends on just how well the leather will take dye. From what I heard, it doesn't harden as well if you dye it, and if you harden it, it doesn't dye so well... Will have to experiment) That and if I do it that way then I'll have some "spare" stuff to donate to the school's SCA club, as repayment for the use of the club's loaner gear until I make my own. And the club really needs some gear that's sized for twigs. Everything they have is way too big for me. Part of why I'm trying to jump into making my own before I probably should (it's generally a good idea to have been fighting for a while before you make your own armor so that you have a better idea of how it works, moves, fasten's together, what you like, and all that stuff).
#11 Mad_Jack Sep 18, 2010 4:28:42	Actually, hardened leather can be pierced with an awl or actually drilled with a Dremel tool with a tiny hobby bit to put the holes in the leather to be stitched. it can also be riveted. Branding designs into the leather with a burning tool won't work so well, since it'll tend to weaken the surface of the leather and it may split if given a good enough whack. Most of the time, leather is decorated using patterned leather punches and a hammer. I did a brief experiment a while ago, and discovered that using punches to pattern the leather before shrinking and shaping it tended to distort the patterns. I never really did try to pattern the hardened leather after shaping it. I'd suggest hardening it first and then dyeing it.