Hisself

I'm new to this forum and while cruising through the topics I couldn't help myself when I read this one. Like Mrs Hicks I'm of the opinion that we must keep a very open mind on this subject because I'm convinced that there were several methods used to create a stiff enough leather piece that made it suitable "armor". Remember that leather armor was only used in most countries for a very short period and was used over padded gambesons and mail. Only in Germany and Belgium did it seem to hang around much longer. The exception was tournament armor well into the 1600's. Back in the 60's while I was in the military I became acquainted with a bunch of Bavarians who talked me into joining them to fight steel on steel competitions and they used leather and mail. A couple of these guys came from old families that still had possession of a few pieces dating back to the 12-1300's. Most were pretty rough but there was at least one or two pieces that were very well preserved. I was fascinated to see at least three different methods for creating this armor, and that they too argued incessantly over which ancestor's method was indeed the best. I can tell you this. Almost all of these pieces were treated in some fashion with a combination of fats and waxes. Whether it was actually from the process or applied later as a preservative I don't know. But the pieces were much heavier that you might think, I would guess up to 5/16 thick on the cuirass and shoulder/pauldrons. Without exception they were highly decorated, and one or two were laminated with what appeared to be heavy linen, coated in gesso or something like it and painted. They were hard, but not brittle and would actually dent if struck yet still retained their shape. The attitude being that if it is too damaged to use they would replace it. They reported that the armor was originally made by immersing wet, not soaked leather into hot wax and then pressed to shape in wooden form that were slowly baked in an oven at low temperature for several days. This is what they believe, and whether or not it helps or adds anything to the argument I don't know. But just being able to touch these pieces of history was quite a thrill for me, and of course being in my twenties I didn't think that close to 50 years later I would be wondering about how it was made. There were a few pieces on display in Paris around the same time but I don't recall that there was an adequate explanation of the process their either. Just my two cents.

I've watched this thread with some interest, and at times have laughed til I cried. I hate to admit this but I did several of these years ago when the Xena thing was hot. In four cases I was able to obtain body molds of the customer, with my wife watching.....no, better make that supervising the task. Here is how I did it. The young lady in question donned her normal bra, and a very tight T-shirt over it. I took some duct tape and did the playtex cross your heart thing to get the cups to stand out, then my wife and I applied multiple layers of duct tape until the breast area and back was well covered. Obviously each young lady was a different size, so we used whatever came close to actual breast size to mold the inside of the form after applying regular old wall paper paste to the inside of the form. Again, obviously the form had been carefully cut off the model. We used oranges, grapefruit, mango, and believe it or not a couple of old croquet balls! Once the mold dried it was easy to mold the wet leather to fit. Oh, and believe me, you absolutely want to provide for some kind of lining. Leather will rub a nipple raw and bloody. I used some rabbit fur. Got them at Tandy for a couple of bucks apiece. Worked great and made for some very happy customers. Oh, the rabbit fur works well in Cod Pieces...real well actually! I wish that I had backed up all of my project images before the hard drive crashed on the old computer or I'd show you how they came out. This isn't rocket science, it just takes a little thought.

I don't craft items for stock, but TRF is my home Faire. Here is a hanger/frog I made several years ago based on a piece I saw in a museum in Portugal. Exact time period unknown, but I suspect it was pretty early considering the scabbard was tied into the rig.

Hello All! Just joined in and couldn't help but comment here. There are two common mistakes made by first time airbrushers. First with regard to ventilation. The point of this exercise is to move sprayed air away from you so that you won't breathe it. Of course the seriousness of this particular step is determined by the material you are using. But don't get carried away! "Movement" of air, not suction is what you are looking for, so "Hurricane" force fans if situated too close to you and your work will more than likely bend the airstream away from your work, and you won't be able to maintain control of the color. Secondly, and just as important. If your compressor is not already equipped with a good separator/filter, get one. Moisture in the air turns into water drops that will spit out into the airstream. It will p--- you off I promise! I have been airbrushing for a very long time now. Have used just about all of the available equipment and media, from photographic retouching to trick paint in the '60's. The Badger set up you are referring to is excellent for most anything you will be doing, and the exercises posted here for flow control are a must. Practice them....a lot! Good luck.