mrdabeetle

Leather (equivalent) 15th century arms W.I.P. Another teaser to show I haven't forgotten. I need to re-scale it. Photoshop did something odd when it saved and changed the scaling to metric. I may add an optional floating elbow (elbow cop not connected to the arm plates). I should have a first round of patterns released in the next couple of weeks. There's only one more weekend left of the renfaire, so I should have more time to work on stuff that I want to do as opposed to what I need to do.

Amazon and Ebay often have blue guns. I've never ordered one, but I see them all the time.

I use a ball point liquid pencil to draw directly onto the leather to mark my cuts/tooling. It can be erased or washed away with water. When I was a kid and not allowed to use sharp objects, I used the dull side of a butter knife to scribe lines into the leather as a substitute for a swivel knife. As long as the leather is properly cased, it makes a great impression and it is easier to hide mistakes since the leather surface isn't being cut. For info on casing leather, see the thread in the "How do I do that" section. As Cyberthrasher said, just get some scrap and play with it until you find a method that works for you. Many of us were not formally taught, so our methods can be drastically different from one another. Good luck to you. I'm sure it will come out great and be something you will be proud to show off.

"Oh, It'll be easy. It's just the same as normal cuffs...but smaller." Haha! Great looking cuffs. Are they lined or is that just the rolled edges?

Those are heart shaped hand fans hanging on the wall. Yes, I do get to keep the banner. Everyone was telling me "congratulations" that morning, and I had no idea what they were talking about. Then the craft director came by with the award. Surprised the heck out of me.

You can also look up "ringbolt stitching".

Same experience with the eco flo deep violet. Customer ended up liking it better that way, but I've been diluting it since, and I'm happier with it.

That is personal preference. You can also use a double thickness, or use a more durable leather. You may need to decide if you want it to have a uniform appearance, or have a more durable moc. I don't do a lot of footwear, so hopefully someone with more experience will comment.

I found out that my stuff got juried into the renfaire late, so I had to grind out a bunch of product to stock up the shop. Apparently, it payed off. I would like to thank the members here for all the tips, tricks, and advice given by the amazing craftspersons and artists that have helped develop my skills to create desirable goods. Thank you, Leatherworker.net!

Try this. http://www.scottishdance.net/highland/MakingKilt.html For a leather kilt, I would stitch the folded edge of the pleat so it will keep the crease. I do this to wool kilts as well because I hate ironing. :D

That is cool! Thanks for sharing! I don't do western stuff often, but the assorted strap billet designs will be cool to use on other projects.

Thanks for sharing! I could have used the second one a few months ago when I was trying to figure out how it was done. I haven't seen that particular border around it though. I'll give it a shot.

Here's a teaser. No instructions yet, but they will be there (when needed--some patterns are obvious). http://www.mediafire.com/?vk5cydqfk9dv6 I will try to have photo examples of the finished products as well.

I will have it released at least in part at the end of next month. Sorry for the wait, but I'm busy with a renfaire at the moment. :D

I'm still new to carving, but I like to bevel at the end as well. Perhaps I will change as my ability improves, but if I make an impression too close to the edge, the beveler will make it go away or at least hide it well enough. I don't know what I would do without a modeling spoon. It has so many uses.

You can always trim the rivets to a smaller size using a cut-off wheel for a dremel or use thread to stitch the lacing hooks on like a sail grommet. (see pic below) It looks great and it is a period accurate method.

My dad lost all of his tools, hardware, everything in a fire. He had lots of tools that were discontinued before I was born and a few one of a kind tools. He has only recently been able to find some replacements for the rare stuff. I lost all of the artwork (sketches and paintings) that I had done from high school to college except for a few that were hung in my mother's office at her work. You will get past this. It may be hard, but family and friends are with you.

I never thought of doing that. Do you resist the stitch area only, or the whole surface? I don't use resist often. It took me a few tries to realize that I had to let it set overnight before I could color over it and get good results.

Craftaid video link: You can use the back of a spoon if you don't have a modeling spoon to make the impression using the craftaid.

I don't really do shoes, but there are several tutorials online for making early footwear. http://mikemojc.2bit...om/Gillies.html http://www.housebarr...3/10shoe04.html http://www.housebarr...3/09shoe03.html http://browse.devian...oidery-80857791 Helmets can often be tricky because of the wet forming. I was hoping to keep the patterns simple, but I'll throw in a couple. I'll need to write up instructions for them though. I have some greathelm patterns that are super easy and require no forming at all. Making the harness is the hard part in my experience. I'll be making patterns for a generic late medieval - renaissance full suit from helmet to sabatons, so you can pick and choose what you need. Thanks for the wealth of support everyone.

No pain, no gain. you are doing it wrong! If it hurts, you must be doing it right. Get some "S" curved needles, you can get a better grip with it and it may reduce the strain on your fingers. http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/product/s-curved-sewing-needle-11193-00.aspx

Most suppliers online will send out free samples. Search for "drum dyed leather" and visit the supplier websites and use the "contact us" links. When the samples show up, compare them to the sample that you have. I don't know if anyone will be able to give more help without more info. I'm not sure if showing a picture of the sample will help either since it is the texture and firmness that you seem to be interested in. Good luck to you. I hope you find what you are looking for.

Went to a thrift store to find a rug for the renfaire booth. Spotted a box for the old Tandy Beginner Leatherwork Kit for $7 with "complete set" written in marker. I got home and opened it up. Inside was a complete 1/2 in. alphabet stamp set, an old Tandy catalog with some cool patterns that I had not seen before, jeweler's rouge, some discontinued 3d stamps, and the pear shader that I was going to go buy tomorrow. Also found 2 rugs for $4 each that fit the booth perfectly.

More stuff

I'm glad to see some interest. I may not have them finished before the renfair starts, but I'll work on them when I can. Thanks for the input. To release them faster, I may release them without instructions and add instructions later.