PerniciousDuke

Check out this suit up video we made! *turn the subtitles on for costume description*

Hahaha! Totally. Meme credit: Huntress Creations

The first test fit went great! There's a couple little things we'd like to fix, but overall I'm very happy with how it turned ouy! Last edite

Thanks @aven and @space dog but it's not done yet! 1. I have to restring the arms tighter then install snaps for forearm and shoulder armor. 2. Set snaps in cape so it stays in place. 3. Make leather straps to synch top of boots. 4. Sew knee armor in place. 5. Line armor with suede 6. Edge dye all leather 7. Seal all leather 8. And finish the bow! The bow is coming along though. Got this far today: Primered- Painted base coat- Dark walnut

YinTx - the other site is also a forum (405th.com) and it's not going anywhere anytime soon. They are just updating the servers, they update once a month for a couple hours. I would host on this site if they had a bigger image capacity. I don't like the time it takes to resize them and the lower quality result. Sorry for the delay, but if you check back tomorrow they will all be crystal clear.

Sorry for the long delay! I've been working at this suit a lot, but last weekend was most productive. Here's a super long post to make up for my absence. Update:Feeling rather frustrated at the moment. The orbital sander snagged the bow and broke it in two. Sean Anwalt the extra hardener did help cure the lower layer. I put in about 3x the normal amount.So instead of calling it quits I thought I would revamp myself by showing you guys more of what I've been up to.Gloves:I bought knuckleless gloves online. Cut 15mm squares of leather out. Butchered my belt. Installed the studs to leather and epoxies the leather over the rubber finger vents. Chest:I used Evakura's technique on 3d print finishing to clean up these accent pieces then painted with Black automotive Enamel. Epoxied them to leather that had snaps set in already. The part that holds the Crest also holds the weight of the cape so I had to make sure it was strong. First I sewed the straps in. These middle four are functional, keeping the center held to the sides.If I were to then sew the cover on in between these straps then you would see the exposed thread. Instead I had to punch holes and stitch through a spacer. (I'm sure there's a technical name for that.) It can be pretty hard to line up three sets of holes like that. It's very strong now.Arms:This took a lot longer than expected.The plan was to mummy wrap his arms from wrist to armpit. I bought Upholstery fabric because I liked the texture.I knew if we just cut strips then there would be a high chance they'd fray and unravel. So I opted to make them twice as wide and fold the over. Essentially making a tube. Little did I know this is no easy task for a novice sew-er person. And we needed 50 feet!First we cut at a diagonal. Apparently most cloth only has give in one direction like grain in wood. So cutting diagonally gives us the most versatility in our goal to wrap it around an arm and it will naturally want to curve up the arm. Then we used a Serger because we had one. Basically it's a single use sew machine that puts thread everywhere! And cuts the fabric as you go! The next part is a nightmare without this tool called a Fast Turner. To get the seam on the inside of the tube we have to turn the fabric. Using this metal tube and a wire with a hook on it the process takes about 20 seconds instead of 5 minutes doing it by hand. Then I had to roll the seam in my finger as I ironed the tube flat before we could sew the tubes together. We decided an angled seam between links would look better visually than a 90 degree one. Now we're left with these humps of a seem. To get the flattest look possible we snipped the center of them so each side could be ironed a different direction. Hand stitching using a curved needle we tacked the bands in a few places. We didnt want to fully sew in case the wrap was too tight or too loose for his arms. Helm:This is one of the only pieces I free handed the template and also contains a lot of detail so I thought I would show the process.Using screenshots from game and math to scale up I came up with this template: Sketched a design, transferred to leather, cut lines and hammered: Let dry two days on a WW2 helmet insert for the proper shape. I set snaps into folded canvas then hidden stitched that to three points on helm. Those keep the helm in place on the hood. But I still had the problem of the points getting bent out. So I took apart a bra to use the wire then epoxied it to the points. Now the wire fits through holes on the hood preventing the points from moving. Mask:I don't have many pictures here, but I'll tell you what I did. Similar template process to tooled as the helm. But the shaping was a little trickier since the chin needed to be folded two ways. Long story short, I used the ball on the back of a dining chair that was the perfect curve and just kept pressing it along the chin line.It worked, but the sides kept spreading out like wings so I cut a V shape on the underside of his chin. This worked and once dried I awled holes along the V and sewed it together.I sent snaps in it and the ski mask and I put a grommet in so that he could hang the mask on his body when not being worn.Cape:There was no preparing me for how hard this was going to be. My mom and I worked together for 7 hours and made 3 1/2 capes.We found a real wool poncho at goodwill for $4. I bought a table cloth as well for $2First we cut the table cloth the same shape/size as the wool poncho so we know what we're working with. We brainstormed shapes and proportions for the hood and cape. I first decided to cut away the front of the cape. This way he didn't have to worry about the cape falling forward covering up the armor. Then we tried to determine the shape of the hood which was really hard. We made Ken doll sized mocks ups to see what they looked like once sewn. After many revisions we had something to work with. The result of that weekend was worth it.

Thanks man! Update: (do you guys mind these thumbnail pictures? Do they enlarge when you click on them?) Stitching leather is no joke. My hands feel like they're going to fall off and I've only connected 12 pieces. (Don't mind the rough edges. I will redye them, or paint them) I did manage to dye most of the pieces last night. Next challenge will be the chest. I think I'm happy with this set up: I also took a couple passes with my router to make a jig for wet forming the chest strips:

You're telling me @spacedog I have 3" heel raises in my Spartan suit and I don't walk well for a week after a day in that costume. But people get so excited when they see me! Update: Starting up another Skyrim building weekend. I did some stitch tests... which one do you think I'm going to go with? (Hint: it's the one @YinTx recommended)

https://www.tandyleather.com/en/product/economy-tooling-side-8-to-9-oz-3-2-to-3-6-mm

Haha, yeah I'm not going to make my own boots. If you've ever cosplayed at an event for 8 hours you would know why. We did learn that faux leather is shiny because of a polishing process it goes through and that household products like rubbing alcohol can reverse the effects. Edit: I realized you might have been talking about the clear wrap and not the boots. Lol Update: So I needed to hold the leather on the mannequin to form it and my only thought was how saran wrap loves to cling to itself. So I wrapped the mannequin, put a piece on and wrapped more over top. One downside is satan wrap holds the moisture in so not only does it take longer, but there is a good chance of mold growing. Once a piece is half dry (8-12 hours) I take it off and try to prop it up somewhere else to finish drying. Something new I learned is that if the piece is not fully wrapped in saran while drying then the moisture will get sucked out of that one spot so fast that it creates what looks like a burn mark! Crazy!

I'm still at it! I spent 5 evenings in a row tooling the leather on the floor and it threw my back out. :'( Today I moved the project to my parents and I am cooking again. Here's my current set up. Bought a new leather tool storage chest too! Current state of the suit: 24 of 34 pieces tooled and formed. I'll update with more detail after the weekend. Mannequins are fun!

I cheated on the cribbage board holder. I bought a Tandy Texas Holdem card holder kit. And I just made my own design to say Cribbage. So my traveling cribbage board is just two decks of cards and a little pad of paper and pencil.

Yeah, it does look really good. Nice stitching. I like to line my sheaths with suede, helps with the snaps. For the hole punching chisel I find it easiest to only punch through one layer at a time. Once you have one layer done, use it as a template to punch through the next layer. What are you going to make next?

That is very interesting. I may give that a try tomorrow. Update: I was having trouble with my pieces coming out two different colors despite the same dying process: But, I figured out it was due to the heat gun. My first piece I heat gunned a little, then got dinner, then dyed. My second piece I heat gunned a lot. The heat closed the pores on the smooth side so that it wouldn't accept as much dye. I'm going to keep using the heat gun to speed up the forming process, but only on the rough side. Because of @jdole I looked into wet forming. I may not be able to make molds, but I tried my hand at a bone folder and I'm very pleased with the results! Several more hours and I've made some good progress:

Usually I would dry overnight as well, but for the test piece I wanted to knock it out in one day. It worked so well that I may actually do it for the rest. My heat gun has 21 settings, so I can really dial it in without damaging the material. I like Mink oil and planned to coat the whole thing once I'm done. Thanks for the lead on previous project. (Blade changes were because the only large enough cutting surface I had was the back side of my marble slab. Yikes!) I may end up going the stitching route for strength. I recently learned of a tool that cuts a u-shaped groove in leather to help hide the thread. Haha, yeah that was the goal. If I'm going through the effort it might as well be functional.

That one is pretty cool @ScoobyNewbie A product that would be better for the Daedric armor would be Worbala. Pretty neat stuff I'd like to try one day. Update: This post was meant for my costume forum, but I might as well share with you guys too. Again, self taught, if you have any suggestions please feel free to share. " First run went really well!For those of you that dont know, I like to really write out what I do. The reason is because I'm likely to forget so having something to look back on is really helpful for me. But, if someone else gets use from it then that is great too. Starting with the wrist guards:After cutting out the shape I used 150 grit sand paper to get flatter, smoother edges. Used a leather edge beveler to knock of the edge. Then finished with a 220 grit to really round it out. Used a pencil to draw a pattern onto leather tracing paper (it's like really thick wax paper) Then I used a paper towel, or sponge, to slowly wet the leather, starting with the backside and letting it seep through. With the leather wet and pliable set on a hard surface such as marble, I used a leather stylus to transfer the pattern by imprinting it in the leather. Next I cut along the lines at a 90 degree angle using a swivel knife. Named because the base can swivel independently from the finger hold at the top, allowing for smooth curved cuts. Be aware of how deep you cut as well. I generally cut half as deep as the leather is. Leather is abrasive and dulls knives quickly. Leather also needs to be cut cleaning, if the blade snags it will be obvious once dyed. In between cuts I sharpen my blade using the rough side of a dry piece of leather. A buffing compound called rouge is added to give the sharpened edge a better finish. Next I use a bevel stamp to push down one side of the cut, giving the leather that real 3d effect. Next I use a background stamp (Tandy #E294-04) to hide my terrible bevel stamping abilities. I think it looks pretty cool. I took that wet leather and held it over my roommate's wrist. Holding that shape as best I could I took it to my heat gun and got it to dry in the proper shape. To achieve my desired color I apllied two coats of Eco-Flo Black Oil Dye with a paper towel, making sure to not press into the pits. Next I apllied one coat of Eco-Flo Black Smoke Hi-Lite Stain using a paper towel making sure to get all the crevices this time. I wiped excess off with a paper towel and used a heat gun to dry. I took 220 grit sandpaper and made random scuff marks. Then I applied one coat of Eco-Flo Satin Shene to seal and protect the leather. Doing so also got rid of all the visible scuffing. Oh well. " Question: what would you guys recommend for adhering the leather together? Many of the pieces get stacked like fish scales, but I don't want any visible stitches, rivets or snaps. Are there invisible ways to do those things? Or is gluing my only option? I've only ever used Tandy Leather Weld. I'm just worried that with all the body movements the pieces will become unglued.

I've managed to cut all the armor pieces!(minus a couple accents) Next up, I will take a small piece (one hand guard), pattern it, stamp it, form it, dye it and finally weather it. This will give me a chance to try different things before ruining any of the larger pieces.

Roger that. I just wish it had bigger file sharing capacity. A single picture from my phone camera exceeds the size capacity. Today I've been cutting out my pieces. Normally I like to use leather scissors, on such thick and large pieces I went with a regular box cutter and I've been having good luck. Only halfway through and I'm at 3 knife changes.

Thank you for the suggestions. I've looked into wet forming more and I don't believe I would have the time or resources. It would look more accurate, but I believe cutting and tooling those lines will still look cool. And looking cool is the ultimate goal. Not wasted though. I probably will take the time to form the six straps at the top. The mold will be simple and only needs one. Thanks everyone!

I like the insight there. Yes, that does seem to make sense. Though I don't think I'm set up to create a rigid mold for wet-forming. I will look into the process more to see if time and money will allow. I believe the result would look more professional. Thank you.

I bought it years ago, but according to this chart I would say I have (2) Hide Sides that are 7-9oz of Veg Tanned Tooling leather. Good question. The new topic is up and running! Please direct future inquiries in the new thread. Thank you!

Hello everyone! Thank you for having me here. I started off by posting a question about weathering leather, but since you guys have actually active members I thought I would maintain a build log here for those interested in following along! My background is mostly in Tandy leather kits (wallets, guitar straps, purses, holsters etc) Years of experience, but all self taught which means I could probably improve A LOT! I have a (2) hide sides that are 7-9oz veg tanned tooling leather that have been collecting dust for too long, combined with a new found love for cosplaying, have inspired me to build a set of leather armor from a video game. Here is a link to my original build log from my native land. For leatherworker.net I will focus on the leather crafting aspect and not so much on the costume part. Here are a couple images of the suit I am trying to make. It is from a video game which means that to create it in the real world there will be sacrifices, but the goal is to get as close as possible. (in game) (action figure) First I took the 3d model from the game and used a program called pepakura to unfold it flat so that I could print it out on paper. Then I taped the paper to a dummy with the wearer's exact dimensions. Before I start cutting out the pieces I wanted to have a game plan for the tooling and dying. My first concern was how to add that detail. Here is a close up. It looks like they are just hammered down with something like a pear stamp (is that the correct term?) But if I were to do that does it pop enough for my liking? So I thought about cutting the detail in and fading out a background tool around them. Even though less accurate, we are leaning towards #2 just because it would look cooler. Then comes the dye, weathered black. The action figure is pure black and he looks cool. The game model is almost gray (and oddly enough black on the arms). I think we're hoping for something in between. Here is my color test that I've done. All of the samples have been scuffed on one side with 150grit and the other side with a little 60grit sandpaper. 1. Two coats of Antique Gel - Smoke 2. One coat of regular black dye 3. One coat of Antique Gel - Smoke 4. thin coat of regular black dye (making sure not to dye crevices), then one coat antique gel - smoke. 5. one coat Satin Sheen, then two coats regular black dye 6. one coat brown dye, then one coat antique gel - smoke I'm curious to hear what you all think and looking forward to showing more progress down the line. (first showing scheduled for April) Cheers! -PD

I didn't hit submit. I was trying to tag people when the cursor got stuck inside your tag. Trying to get the cursor to move past your tag I clicked around the text field a lot and suddenly there were multiple posts. Thank you for the advice though. I am familiar with forums, they just each seem to have their own quirks though.

Grrr. I am not used to your forum. Sorry for the spam. Anyways. Thank you for the responses. I thought it would email me when you guys messaged here, but I will just check back more often. The reference image is from a video game. This is the best resolution I will be able to display. I agree that using already worn leather may be a preferred option. However, the whole reason I'm doing this is because I've been sitting on two half hides for way to long and want to make something noteworthy with it. I am thinking that I will start a build thread on here so you guys can follow along and give suggestions. I will post the new thread link here once I have made it. Thanks again!