what sort of leather for armoure?

[stefman]

hey guys

i had a scout around the forums and couldn't find a post on this(though there probably is one i missed)

im after making some larp Armour and pouches and don't know what sort of leather to use theres just so much out there

at the moment im playing with leather jackets i no longer want and some leather off of a sofa just to get use to the techniques

the leather i have off the jackets is very soft ive try ed boiling it to no avail but its good enough to play around with

(i have some parafin beads coming so i may try a small piece baked and coverd in melted balls to see if it has any effect as it does absorb fluids it just do sent strengthen maybe ill get lucky)

but anyway back to my question my first "proper project" is going to be a set of bracers im after them being quiet hard and ill probabley line it with wool or something after on the inside(i know a farmer that will supply me with some)

2 or 3 places in my research have said only use veg tan for any Armour i just wounder if there is any other harder leather that can be thiner i would like them to be around 1.2mm (3ounces) but i don't think it would be hard enough

thanks

stefan

[Vikti]

Are you making armor for SCA combat (full contact, no padded weapons) then I would not recommend anything less than 10/12 oz. and then it still needs to be reinforced in most areas. Back when I played my armor was 14 oz. veg-tan

Damon

[stefman]

no this is for larp its still full contact but we use latex weaponry over fierber glass cores and ive played in non armored pesent gear a few times and the blows dont hurt over much(end up with some nice bruses after a weekend though) so im not to worried about protection its the shaping that concerns me more with the thickness as i would like it to hold shape and take a little punishment but it do sent need to be anywhere near as sturdy as sca gear

so im wondering can i get away with a thiner leather with it still holding shape?

(ill probabley end up using a fur or fleece lining inside to i dont know if itll make any difference to processing?)

thanks for the reply

stefan

(sorry about the spelling)

[Vikti]

8-10 should be fine, maybe you can use a little thinner. I personally haven't used less than 10 oz. for armor but back when I used that thin of leather I had no problems with it holding it's shape.

Hope your new set comes out the way you like it.

Damon

[stefman]

8-10 should be fine, maybe you can use a little thinner. I personally haven't used less than 10 oz. for armor but back when I used that thin of leather I had no problems with it holding it's shape.

Hope your new set comes out the way you like it.

Damon

hey damon

thanks for the reply

i would like it to be as thin as possible so what i might do is see if i can get hold of some samples of vegtan from leprevo.co.uk between 5oz up to 10oz just some small offcuts co i can exsperiment even if there tiny pices it should give me a rough idea of the look and feel i want i think ill give them a ring today and see if its possible to get some

thanks for the help

(sorry for the spelling)

stef

[Daggrim]

I've done quite a bit of leather hardening, and your results depend on what you start with. With 2 pieces of the same thickness, the stiffer one will always be stiffer after hardening. So you need to pick the hardest leather you can find for such thin armor. Also, once it's in the hot water, there's an increasingly thin margin for error between getting it hardened and getting it shriveled. I've hardened leather as thin as maybe 8 oz, but it's tricky. Don't boil it...shoot for 180 degrees, max, and 170 minimum. At 180, your time in the water would be around a minute. At 170, your time would be 2 or 3 minutes. Trial and error. Practice with waste material. I took notes, and labeled my samples for the first year I did it.

On the other hand, I've gotten really stiff 8 oz leather from just getting it wet and shaping it. It was thin saddle skirting, and it was hard to begin with. From what I've read, the wax only adds a small amount of stiffness, and it softens in the hot sun. I've never used it, as it seems like a complex step for the questionable results. On the other hand, I'd expect it's the best form of waterproofing. Cuir bouilli'd , non-waxed leather will soften in the rain, but hardens again when dry.

Keep us posted about your results.

Doug

[Peter Ellis]

hey damon

thanks for the reply

i would like it to be as thin as possible so what i might do is see if i can get hold of some samples of vegtan from leprevo.co.uk between 5oz up to 10oz just some small offcuts co i can exsperiment even if there tiny pices it should give me a rough idea of the look and feel i want i think ill give them a ring today and see if its possible to get some

thanks for the help

(sorry for the spelling)

stef

Considering that you are trying to get by with leather that is too light to harden, you might want to try this trick instead of any of the heat based processes.

Damp form your leather to the shape you want. Fill a bucket or deep tray with acrylic floor polish. Submerge your leather in the polish and leave it there until it stops bubbling. Take it out and hang it up to dry. Use a damp cloth to take the drips off the pieces before they harden in place.

This will stiffen up any weight leather and doesn't run the risk of cooking it. No shrinkage concerns.

It won't make your thin leather any stronger. Part of why you don't harden light leather is that when leather stops being able to flex, it cracks.

Try this technique and see if it works for your purposes. It has the added benefit of making the leather both semi-waterproof and very shiney.

[ferret]

Hi Stefan

nothing you do to clothing/upholstery leather is going to make it stiff enough for armour, so your best bet is to glue it onto something that is already stiff. Plastic pop/milk bottles cut into shape and sandwiched between a couple of layers of soft leather should be good enough for LARP. You can find patterns for armour here . When you get around to trying vegtan 2 1/2 - 3mm should be adequate, it can be wet formed, carved, embossed and hot water hardened.

[stefman]

thanks for the reply guys ive ordered some 3m veg tan so that should be with me soon as for the stuff i have im just going to make some simple draw string pouches and bits like that with it

there also going to send me a few offcuts and scraps of different thicknesses to play with before i use the good stuff

thanks allot

stef

Edited October 4, 2009 by stefman