Tgrlily

Absolute genius!

Fun! I love doing harlequin masks. The chains on the side are a great touch!

My methods would help for the masks in the second pic, but I know nothing about making helmets. Here's a link to a tutorial I just finished: http://www.instructables.com/id/Sculpted-Leather-Mask-Tutorial/

I recently came across this tutorial: http://www.instructables.com/id/Leather-Plague-Doctor-Mask/ Craft store paint has a tendency to crack, which is why I recommended the paint brands that I use. I've never used the brand that you mentioned. White is a pain right in the butt and requires more than one coat. How many? Honestly? When it looks like its done. There is no accurate way to tell you how many coats it'll take. Antique in your case may be best achieved with darker paint and a sea sponge. I like Liquitex sealers, but I've also used some from Tandy.

The mask in the images is from a video game. It's an animated image, not rawhide or leather on a real human. That said, I would imagine that molded and dried rawhide would feel pretty darned uncomfortable on a real human face! Eek! I use paint when I make white masks. Liquitex, Jacquard and Golden paints all have great flexibility and adhesion on leather. You'll need multiple coats, then apply a leather finish over the paint and lightly antique for an aged look. I recommend a spray sealer once the antique is the way you want it.

Burning is not fun! My daughter did a very intricate edge on leather too thin for the design, did not watch it like a hawk and the edges burned. I bring it with me when I teach mask class to illustrate what not to do. With 4-5 ounce leather and clean lines, you should be alright.

170 is the minimum temperature that I use for baking masks. My filigree masks are 3-4 ounce & bake at 170. The weight I use most (6-7 ounce) handles 225-250 just fine. You said, "150 is ok if you watch it." My masks go in and out of the oven several times while sculpting and refining the shape. When you first put the wet leather in the oven, expect it to slump. When the leather is warm, I manipulate the mask and place it back in the oven. I do this repeatedly until the mask is dry. If your temperature is too low, your mask will dry but not be firm. My first attempt at mask making was dried near my woodstove. It is very soft and has not held its shape. I also attempted one using my blow dryer. Same soft effect.

I've had my Sizzix for over 3 years. Embossed a lot of copper with it before using it on leather. Last Halloween we cut a ridiculous number of leaves out of thin veg tan leather for my daughter's Poison Ivy costume. It's still going strong.

There is a flower cutting die for sizzix and it cuts thinner leather very well. I have the Sizzix Big Kick. I use it to emboss some designs and cut small things like leaves, flowers, gears and the motif I use for monograms.

I'll take a stab at this one. Hopefully some others will chime in as well. I'm a leather mask artist and have an especially good following with Bioshock cosplayers. I'm a huge Assassins Creed fan and created an Edward Kenway costume for my son last Halloween. I'm teaching a mask class this weekend at my local Tandy store. I start the class by teaching about leather selection. I don't think there's a good leather alternative to veg tanned leather. Something in the 6 ounce range is easiest to mold but not quite as easy to cut. I know that there are other non leather alternatives, but I've never used them, nor do I know what they're called. 3-4 ounce is good for curvy, swirly, Venetian style and filigree masks. I prefer a solid 6 ounce for my carved and tooled masks. The 4-5 ounce shoulder might work, provided you bake at the proper temp for the right amount of time and are good at sculpting & wet molding. Mask sculpting with an oven isn't like baking cookies. My masks go in and out of the oven a minimum of a half dozen times while I perfect the molding and the mask dries. If you leave it in too long or bake too hot, it shrinks or burns. Not long enough, it can warp after you think it's done. That said, a plague doctor mask is a very difficult mask to create, particularly if you've never made a mask or worked with leather. Other than being a full face mask, it has a beak which is not as simple to pattern & mold as you may think. Then you have to sew & paint it. You also have to plan on some form of ventilation in the beak, so you can breathe. When I look back on my first few masks, I can't believe how bad they look to me now. I still haven't gotten around to doing a plague doctor mask. I recommend that you try a small, simple mask first... Learn and practice some wet molding and saddle stitching, just to get a feel for leather working before taking on such a large project. I'm absolutely not trying to discourage you, just lending a bit of advice from someone who has trial and error experience in this particular medium. Hope this was helpful to you, and wish you the best of luck! Feel free to email me. Renee Bezidesigns.com

Thanks, Guys! My husband somehow managed to pop it off without destroying the bag. I couldn't even watch! Then he drilled out the hole in the setter, so I can use it with these rivets. WHEW!!!

It's not a hollow rivet. Will that work? I've been trying to get something to pry it up, but it won't budge.

I hope someone can help me! I didn't realize that the rivets I purchased (9) were larger than the ones I usually buy (12). I don't use them very often, but the client wanted copper accents. I now have one rivet with the rivet setter firmly attached! Of course this is a very custom piece --57 emails worth of customizing-- and I don't want to lose the straps or the side of the bag trying to fix my moronic mistake! How can I remove the setter which is jammed onto the rivet without destroying the leather?????

Wow! Is that vacuformed?

No, I still haven't found copper hardware. I've had to fabricate my own O, D & square rings. I looked at the buckle on the etsy link and could do that myself. I haven't done a bag in a few months. I've been concentrating on leather masks.

Nice! Excellent for a first mask!

I see this as a marketing idea, not spam. Actually more of a packaging idea for me. I would likely use them by attaching a ball chain and including it with a purchase so the client would have ready and easy access for future purchases. With my copper jewelry, I actually attach earrings to a business card as a hang tag and include care instructions in the packaging. I package jewelry in handmade origami boxes to set them apart from ugly store bought boxes. I can see the leather card as being a useful and artful way to do a detachable tag. On the ball chain, I would also include leather care instructions on card stock. People like things that are different and I feel it would add a nice professional and artistic touch to my product. I know from experimentation with embossing that I am not limited to veg tan, so I could coordinate with whatever product I make. Call me strange, but I don't see the point in being catty. If I don't like an idea, I just won't do it. But why demerit a product, concept or idea that others may find useful simply because you don't like it? Or because you're a competitor? I prefer to give my business to nice and if possible local businesses.

I like them! Can they be used in a rolling press like a Sizzix?

Campchair, I hadn't given much thought to having them fabricated. Is it very expensive? I'll definitely look into alloys, but it would have to be a very, very high percentage of copper. I use either 6 or 8 gauge copper wire to fabricate my hammered O rings, then I solder them with copper solder. More like brazing, I suppose. In the pic, left to right is a TSC solid brass swivel snap that I plated and antiqued, a small purse side with 8 gauge rings and copper rivets, a faux brass swivel snap and the Tandy mystery metal swing clasp. The copper doesn't photograph well in artificial light.

Thanks, Chief. Believe me... I've googled and googled & find mostly things painted to look like copper. The frustrating thing is that things are sold as "copper" but they're not copper. Same with brass. Heck, same with leather! I personally can't bring myself to call something copper if it's not actual copper. Guess I'm old school. I have no problem telling the client that I had to plate and use a brass clasp for their bag... at least brass contains copper and its not some mystery metal.

I've tried looking at their site, but it isn't very iPad friendly and my laptop is down. I'll contact them to ask, thanks!

Does anyone know of a source for real copper bag clasps, swivel snaps and buckles? I make copper jewelry, so fabricating O-rings and such is easy. I'm pretty sure I can make a buckle if I really think about it and can definitely make my own conchos. I give clients the choice between copper, brass & nickel and they pick copper every time. I mean every single time! Bought some nice looking "brass" swing clasps at Tandy and they're not brass, so I'm struggling to electroplate them. The brass swivel snaps from Tractor Supply on the other hand, plated pretty well after removing the finish. I've searched online for copper purse hardware, but most of it is mystery metal painted with an antique copper finish. I just can't do it. Since the O rings and rivets are actual copper, the fake stuff looks bad right beside it. They don't need to be made for handbags. Any suggestions would be most welcome!

I love that bag! Did you use a pattern? And are the stitches done diagonally?

I'm trying to find my groove too. I tried tooling first off and it really doesn't look like that will be it! Then I made a mask-wrong, of course, but watched tutorials and had another go at it. Amazing! I did it! Then I made a really simple ammo box style purse with copper hardware that I also made. I brought it to work and got 4 orders for it! Yay! Unfortunately, stitching is painful! And I get bored making the same thing over and over. So today I took some time off from the purses and made some really cool blindfolds in the same sculpted style as the masks. I'm on a roll with them... 2 are done, 1 is half airbrushed and just designed and cut out 2 more. I'm thinking the masks/blindfolds may well be my groove.

If her scissors came in leather cases made to fit them, you may want to add loops to attach them. A good pair of shears will last practically forever if they are treated properly. I use 25 (Hikari)and 27 (Matsuzaki) year old scissors daily! They have never been set on anything harder than their leather cases and I have them sharpened a few times a year. In the very least, make sure that each pair of scissors has its own compartment. Good luck!