caitobrien519

Hello! I waited too long to start my cosplay for comic con, so the detailing on these are really lacking. They will be painted black once they dry- I am currently wet molding them on my dress form. (I know I probably should have waited to rivet until after I painted, but couldn't figure out how to make sure all the pieces stretched and formed together without the rivets). I am wondering if anyone has ideas on how to keep these in place without any visible straps. They will be worn on top of a faux leather jacket, as shown in the cover art. Right now, my best idea is to glue some Velcro on the flesh side of the pauldrons, and then fasten the other half of the Velcro to the top edge of the jacket shoulders. I would welcome other ideas though, because I really kind of hate Velcro (and fear the glue won't hold)!

Thanks for the advice! I just applied what I hope is a light/moderate amount. I will let that sink in for a couple days before I try to paint the moon and star (I plan on using 1 to 2 coats white Cova color, then 2+ coats yellow Cova color over that- I purchased those before I found the Angelus paints, and I hope that brand works as well!)

I am wondering if I can salvage the underbust I am making. I did some minor tooling, and then somehow managed to space out on the "form it before you paint it" thing. (And the "punch holes before you paint it" part, too) I have painted the grain side with several coats of Angelus Acrylic Leather Paint in Autumn Red. I am wondering if I can apply the 50/50 mix of neatsfoot oil compound and beeswax that I made to the flesh side to help the leather become more supple, or if the oil will permeate the leather and damage the bond with the acrylic paint and cause it to peel or flake.

Paracord sounds like a great alternative! I was pricing kangaroo lace, and it was going to be about $22 for 10 meters. I know quality is worth it, but I just don't think THIS quiver is worthy of kangaroo.

Thanks! Is there a particular brand of flat lace that you recommend?

I'm trying to make a hip quiver. I made up a pattern based on the diy projects I saw online, but ended up accidentally creating a lot of flesh side showing between the belt attachment and the quiver portion. I tried to make this inlay with a Trinity knot to make it look a little better. I play to use rivets to attach the inlay, but I was hoping to get input on whether lacing or stitching would be more appropriate for the left side and bottom of the quiver (the right side is folded over, as well as the top edge for durability/ ease of moving arrows in and out). I have already punched holes around the top portion for the belt attachment, and I plan on using 2mm round leather lace on this portion (going to try the "double loop" style of lacing for the sides, and a running stitch on the horizontal portion, if that will work). I just wanted opinions on which would look better (and be more durable) for the rest! I have a rotary punch and the Craftool Pro Stitching Awl. Any and all suggestions are welcome! Thanks! Caitlin

I got a nice slab of granite for FREEEEEE from a local granite shop! (Design Works in Sarasota for anyone in this area!) I am experimenting with mixing colors to match my bodysuit. On this test piece, Oxblood is on the widest end, Burgundy in the middle, and a mix of 2 part (2ml) Oxblood to 1 part (1 ml) Burgundy on the pointy end. I am pretty happy with how closely this mix matches the more blood-red color of the body suit.

Awesome! There is a Habitat for Humanity ReStore close to me- I will give that a try if the granite place tries to price gouge me!

I ordered a couple of other Fiebing's dyes- I got Mahogany and Burgundy. I am using a Lycra bodysuit rather than trying to craft one of those out of leather, and the Lycra is a brighter red than the catsuit used in the show, so I am thinking that a blend of 2 or more of the Oxblood, Burgundy, and Mahogany may be the way to go. The color does not need to match the body suit exactly, but I think it will look better if it's closer to that color. I will certainly test out the colors on some scrap as you and DJole suggested, and I'll also test the Cova Color over the dye after giving the dye time to dry completely. Northmount, I was not sure what MDF was, so I googled it, and realized that's what I am currently using as my tooling surface! I found a granite company in the area and hope to get a piece tomorrow, so I can repurpose that MDF as my stropping surface. Thanks for the tip!

I tried again last night and tonight, and I feel like I'm making some progress. The larger star was easier for me to manage with the swivel knife. I also made sure my cuts were deeper, and it was easier for me to bevel the sides of the stars. I really lost control of the swivel knife a few times when carving the moon last night, so it did not bevel as nicely as I had hoped. I feel like I'm not getting much of a burnished look when I am beveling. Do I need to hit the beveller with more force? I am using a wooden board as my tooling surface now since I don't have a marble or granite slab- is the hardness of the tooling surface that essential?

Haha I know it's that bad!!!! I had assumed that the stamps would be too small, I wanted a star about an inch across on the actual piece, but I have not actually looked on the Tandy site. It would probably be a wise idea. Now if only they had a 4 inch crescent moon....

Wow, that is quite a difference! Very nice work on those!

Thank you everyone! I am attaching a photo of the supplies I have so far. I did end up buying the B200 beveller (smooth). I have a swivel knife but I think I need a lot more practice making nice clean cuts. I have sharpened it on 600 grit sandpaper and I have stropped it with white jeweler's rouge on the rough side of some scrap leather. So far, I feel like the leather on either side of the cut kind of bunches up when I'm making the cut, then really bunches up when I start using the beveller. I am guessing this is because my leather is too wet, does this sound right? I am also having a hard time getting the beveller to move at a steady pace and to hold the swivel knife line. I think part of that may be that I might not be cutting deeply enough. I thought that the Cova Color was an acrylic paint- it is water based, though. Are there spirit based acrylic paints that I would have better luck using? Thanks for the heads up with the oxblood! I had purchased a 2nd bottle of it at Tandy yesterday- looks like I should exchange it for the Mahagony! I will certainly practice on some scrap first. If neither color is quite right, should I mix the dyes, or do a coat of one and then a coat of the other? I do have an eyelet set! I also got a set of speed hooks before I realized how hard they would be to set without some pretty specialized equipment. I'm going to check the forums here to see if someone has a good solution on how to set those, otherwise I may ask my local cobbler if he would set them for me once I get all the holes punched. I really appreciate all the input! Caitlin

Hello! I am just starting out, and for my first project, I am trying to make an underbust corset with a crescent moon and star design (Mord Sith cosplay from the Sword of Truth series). I attempted the basic design on a scrap piece of 4/5 oz veg tanned, but I have not purchased any figure carving tools yet, so I attempted using my set of modeling tools to tool it with very poor results. With that being said, are there some basic figure carving tools that I should invest in which will be useful in many different projects? I am thinking of getting a midsized pear shader (P217 Craftool Pear Shader Stamp) and a square shaped beveler (B200 Craftool Beveler Stamp). Also, the main body of the underbust will be oxblood red. I have Fiebing's Leather Dye in Oxblood for that. The moon and star need to be yellow- I have the EcoFlo Cova Color in yellow. My question- should I dye it all with the oxblood so I don't get weird streaks from trying to work around, and then do several coats of the yellow over that? Or should I avoid dying an area that needs to be painted? I have attached photos of the inspiration for my costume as well as my first attempt at the moon and star design. I know I need a lot of practice on scrap