Withcraftz

I purchased a large piece of leather (full hide) from craigslist for cheap so I will make a test chest piece with it before making it with the good thick leather I have. How do I get the shape molded for the pectorals? I've read about wet-forming but what would use/make as a mould? You could make a foam mold, or emboss the leather I'll try the foam mould then first and see how it goes, if it's not forming right I'll try using something else like a piece of wood. The chest seems to have a split down though the center to the bottom of the pectorals, I assume this is to be able to get in and out of the armor? You're reading too much into what you see. The armor is fantasy. What you see has nothing to do with purpose or function, it's all fantasy. The design, layout, methods of attachment, etc., are all fantasy, and are not similar in any way to any type of historical armor. From what I have read the game designers did try to make the armor "functional" and kind of, sort of, historically based. Though I will agree this is fantasy armor and there will be many things that are pure imagination just because it looks cool. I made a thick paper version of the armor to test on, and as I suspected I couldn't get my head into the opening without making a slit. Do I need to put metal eyelets in at the shoulders for the lacing? Not necessary, since the suspended weight is minimal and you won't be fighting. Just be sure that you set the eyelets in the leather far enough away from the edge that they don't rip through. The sides come together and attach with clasps under the arms, It looks like it's a perfect fit but should I make it slightly overlap instead? Yes, that makes it easier to adjust and fit properly The neck has a collar that comes up, how do I make it so it attaches all around? How do I attach it? Historically the neck protection was a separate piece (in most cases), worn under the chest piece, not a collar. Again, since this is fantasy you can make it and attach it in whatever manner you want. Understood, but how should I make the collar? Question: For the edges which hold down the chainmail, do I cut one set of the side pieces short so that they don't overlap? or do I overlap them? Don't understand your question Sorry, that wasn't clear. The shoulder pieces have thin strips of leather that surround the chainmail. If all the strips extend from edge to edge, then there will be a small section in each corner that will have 2 strips overlap. I'm wondering about how to keep that overlap to a minimum.

Hi Amy, thanks for the info, this is also my first time using leather, I can't believe you made such a complicated armor as your first leather work! Geralt is simple in comparison. I'll try your method for the chest piece. My muscles aren't quite what Geralt has, plus I'm going to be wearing something underneath, so I'm thinking of adding a layer of foam to my chest to get a bit more definition and space.

Hi, I'm in Vancouver BC, my first project will be this: Currently I'm trying to figure out how to best make the chest mold.

Thanks for the welcome! I completely understand that doing is the best teacher, I'm not into this for profit, just for fun so I expect to learn a lot while doing this first project. I've looked at what some people here have made and it's truly impressive!

I've set myself the goal of recreating the armor for The Witcher 3, for fun purposes, not full contact re-enactment. Knowing that this is artwork and there will be inconsistencies from picture to picture and that certain things won't work in real life I wanted to ask a lot of questions before I cut any leather! I'm currently working on the chest piece. It looks like the chest is one piece but I couldn't figure out how you would make a pattern for that. To make a pattern I took saran wrap, covered myself then covered it in duck tape. Then I cut it off, adjusted it and transferred it to paper. I've made the chest pattern as 2 pieces, with it attaching at the shoulders with lacing and clasps at the sides. I don't think this lacing is historically accurate but I thought that since it will be hidden under the shoulder pauldrons it should be fine - I think lacing was used for armor in roman times but was clasps in medieval times. I did find something very similar from another person but couldn't find a reference person. The leather I am using for the chest is black 8-9oz latigo and the brown is 8-9oz horween. Questions: How do I get the shape molded for the pectorals? I've read about wet-forming but what would use/make as a mould? The chest seems to have a split down though the center to the bottom of the pectorals, I assume this is to be able to get in and out of the armor, will wet forming make it too stiff? Do I need to put metal eyelets in at the shoulders for the lacing? The sides come together and attach with clasps under the arms, It looks like it's a perfect fit but should I make it slightly overlap instead? The neck has a collar that comes up, how do I make it so it attaches all around? How do I attach it? Do I need to make seam allowances? The bottom part of the body is separate from the chest piece. I was thinking of a wife beater type top with the chainmail and large side pieces only on the bottom portion. The pauldrons are held down by 2 large straps that crisscross the body. Question: For the edges which hold down the chainmail, do I cut one set of the side pieces short so that they don't overlap? or do I overlap them? Reference front: Reference side: Reference back: Similar Chest Piece:

Just saying hi, I'm new to working leather, I've never done it before but I have undertaken a big project so I will be asking a lot of questions!