Kindaki

these are awesome and will help a lot when making armor for my guys you should also post these in the reenactment section so no one misses out. i love the steampunk goggles! that will be my first project i think thanks for all your work, looking forward to more

yeah this is the design he wanted too. the one he has now is a woven strap that looks real cheap but he loves that is crosses in the back. great info thanks. I will look into kevlar thread.

I have a few questions about a blacksmith apron I am going to make for my brother. I have never made any clothing before so I want to get all the info I can so I don't mess up. My brother does classes and events so he will be seen by a lot of people and I want my work to look good on him. I have done some research already and have a basic pattern that he is happy with. here is what I would like some help with: 1. what kind of leather is best to use? I am thinking buffalo. he wants a slick hide (not suede) in dark brown. what thickness is best? maybe 5 ounce? 2. how best to put it all together? can I stitch with a thin metal (cause normal thread will get burnt and break) or should I rivet it all together? 3. should I make my pattern on paper or cloth? paper would be cheaper but I am wondering if cloth would be easier to try it on so it fits more like leather will. 4. the strap that goes around his waist needs to be a little adjustable and I am not sure how to do it. I am thinking 2 D rings on one end and a straight strap on the other and he can pull it as tight as he wants and pass it back through the other ring to hold it. or maybe a buckle? it cant be coming undone while he is working but it also cant be uncomfortable. these are all my questions for now. I will also be asking the guy at Tandy and my local SCA leatherworker so I will have a lot of info and be prepared. If this all goes well and he loves it I will probably get business from some of the people of his guild. Please help me not suck, any info is more then I have now. Kindaki

i recently came across a book at my local Goodwill that I picked up called "hwo to make drums, tomtoms and rattles. primitive percussion instruments for modern use" by Bernard S. Mason. it's a book originally published in 1938 and then republished in 1974. it has instructions on how to make native american musical instruments and also some background history on each. i'd be happy to scan some of the pages for you if you wanted. Kindaki

yeah that sounds like it will work as long as the way you connect the two doesnt bother your wrist. i made mine way too long even though i measured everything twice before i cut. i dont want to cut off the bottom of my artwork so i trying to figure out how to fix it. i might end up cutting off the top and having just an arm guard and then making another one now that i know better how long it should be. practice makes perfect. maybe after my 5th attempt i will get it right Kindaki

i am wearing it right now since wearing something is the best way to find out what is wrong with it. i ended up skiving the wrist and around the thumb a bit down to about a 4 ounce. i've kept the main part of the hand (where the bow will sit) at 7 ounce and so far it feels fine. i will probably cut off a little from the top of the hand (where my fingers fold over) for more comfort. i also cut off some from the bottom cause it was hard to bend my arm. there are a few other alterations i will be doing as i wear it more i am sure. the plan is to not take it off till i can wear it all day and not have any discomfort. i laced it together with an elastic cord which is working out really nice. the feather design is not my own. it is a tattoo by Wildspirit. he has a lot of other really cool designs that would look great on leather. i like how his work is slightly tribal but also kind of celtic looking. it's like a soft tribal. Kindaki

finished my arm guard. I used Fred Moreau's pattern that he posted last week and altered it. I used 7 ounce veg tan and did the tooling with modeling spoons. once I use it I am sure I will alter it a little more. I see needing to take a little more off the bottom probably so bending my arm is more comfortable. need to get some more leather so I can start on my quiver next.

this is awesome!! looks like something out of a movie. great job.

they all look really nice. edges look rough on the bracers which could be bothersome if you arnt wearing something under them. an antique over the red pouch would bring out all the stamping you did which cant be seen very well. love red and gold together, really pops.

thank you everyone. i was really worried that it didnt look that good since i am not experienced with making them and i used my wood burner instead of tooling which is new also. i enjoyed painting it the most. she loved it btw. she cried a little but she said it was beautiful. hopefully it doesnt fall apart on her.

My husbands best friend died last week and I wanted to make something for his wife to write in while she was dealing with all the pain. The last place they were together before he got really sick was Hawaii and his ashes are going to be spread there so I made that my theme. I used the chorus in a song by Helen Reddy called "You and me against the world" which I felt was really perfect. This is my first big project. Usually I make small things like cuffs, key fobs and bookmarks. This project freaked me out and caused lots of stress but I got it done and it doesn't look too bad. I finished it in 2 days. I used a wood burner for all my details and found it works better on cased or damp leather instead of dry. I mixed yellow and silver eco-flo waterstain and covered all my pieces then painted with cova colors. I resisted all my paintings then covered everything with antique light brown. I put a waterproofer and conditioner over everything once it dried overnight. I used Jute cord to do the boarder and braided a long piece of jute for my wrap closure which has a shell on the end. I know my work is very beginner so I am open to advice on how to make this better and easier next time I decide to drive myself crazy and try a larger project. And sorry for the dark photos. I plan to get better ones in the morning before I give it to her. Kindaki

i know nothing about making shoes but i wonder isn't there something like shoe forms (kind of like dress forms but for feet) you can use to make shoes certain sizes and then you can sell them by size instead of having to custom make every pair. this would make it easier for people to buy from you when you start selling and make life a lot easier on you. so if shoe forms exist (if they dont someone get on that) then I would look into those. the sandals look really good btw, my husband would wear them

thanks so much

grommets sound like what i am looking for and gluing them as you set is a great idea to make sure everything is going to stay together. where else can i find grommets other then tandy? think a fabric store or hardware store will carry what i need?

I am making some suede pouches and want to add eyelets to the holes in the top so the cord goes through easier and it looks nicer. I am having a problems with the eyelets I have and am wondering if there are special ones for cloth that I should be using or if I maybe need to reinforce the holes with a second layer of suede or a small piece of veg tan. The eyelets keeps coming out is what my problem is. any advice is helpful, thanks.

i am in the process of designing my archery gear and I would love to have the pattern for the full arm guard if you can find it. my gear will be celtic inspired but I have always loved native american art and craftsmanship. I like what you make, it has wonderful look and flow to it.

thanks for the suggestions. I am thinking about making a book for his wife, like a journal.

my husbands best friend (like a brother to him) just passed away. he leaves a wife, two babies and lot of family and friends behind who are going to miss him. he was only 30. I want to make something special for my husband and maybe his wife too. I would love some input on ideas for what I might make. we are already making a scrap book for the kids with stories and pictures so they will know who daddy was. I am thinking maybe a nice frame for his wife that I can tool something pretty on or a keychain with his name and dates. for my husband maybe a wallet or a cuff bracelet. This is the first death of someone close to us that was not already in their 80s and it is very hard on us. I am hoping throwing myself into a project will help with the grief and pain. maybe one of you has something you did for a friend or family member who passed that you would like to share so I can get some ideas.

awesome! thanks for the advice. always good to hear from women that have gone through this already. i'd have to use a pair of my husbands socks, mine arnt big enough, but i might try it out. using plaster in my house doesnt sound like a lot of fun and it's too cold to go outside. also using rice and socks saves me money cause i already have those handy

very helpful! thanks so much for the link. will read as i have time, lots of good information.

I have made a few leather bound books over the years but had never tried to make the little ones that I keep seeing. Last night I couldn't sleep so I pulled out my scrap suede and leather, some old book pages and tools and started putting stuff together. I also had a lot of little trinkets and such that I added on cause I thought they were cute. Once I started making them I couldn't stop and before I knew it I had a handful done and little scraps of leather and paper all over the place. They are so darn cute! and I had a lot of fun making them. I made little signatures and sewed them in just like making a larger book. I used some wire to make loops to hang them. My mom gave me a handful of gold chains she found at a garage sale last year and I have had them in a drawer wondering what I was going to do with them. They look nice with these little books and give them a more glamorous look. I love when I can take scraps and junk and turn them into something cool. I know this project does not include tooling and lots of cool nifty things but I enjoyed making these and wanted to share. Now to decide if I will put these up on Etsy or save them for spring when the fairs start.

interesting design. i like that you lined the inside with fabric.

ok, thanks for responding. i dont mind that i cant tool it. i will be tooling the straps to my quiver so that will make up for the lack of decoration on my chest. my pattern is started but not finished, my boys are both sick so it's slowing down the process. i hope to have a wearable pattern by monday to show.

I didnt know there was a Tandy in Tacoma. it's a little farther away but i have family there that i visit so maybe when i'm down that way next i will stop in. i guess i can always call and ask for some info over the phone too. so good to know that i can wetform after riveting, i will probably do that then. i'll have to look into a mannequin, wonder if i will be able to find a plus size one easily. for this project i will probably end up using plaster on myself. so my next few questions would be can i tool before i form it and still keep my tooling intact? or can i tool it after forming it at all? should i add shoulder straps? i wonder if having it be just a tube if it will start to move down my body as i move around. i want to keep it fairly simple since i will be strapping a quiver over it and i dont like a lot of stuff going on. i cant wait to get started. going to make the pattern this weekend and get it all ready to transfer to the leather.

here is my rough sketch of what i'm thinking of making i went a little overboard with the buckles lol, i will probably only have 3. so i am thinking on making three panels and forming the top one to my bust then attaching it to the bottom two. i am wondering if i will be able to bend over in this though. i have 5 and 7 ounce veg tan leather right now along with a lot of suede. i am thinking 7 ounce will be better and i should still be able to move alright. i have worn corsets but never armor so i am not sure what i will be able to move in. does this design look like something that will work? do i maybe need to make more strips, smaller ones, so that i have more flexibility? also i think buckles are going to be best so i can adjust them to what i want and not have to worry about anything coming untied but do you think lacing would be better for this design?