Work In Progress - Shaped Breastplate

[daveydude]

So following a tip from a video on YouTube (can't find the link sorry) I purchased a mannequin torso & proceeded to construct a shaped breastplate. I'm going for a cropped design as I'm also making a broad "hero" belt to cover my stomach.

I'll outline the process I've used, not to say "this is how you should do it", more to fish for tips from you guys on better ways to do it, so your suggestions would be most welcome.

1. Sketched out the design on newspaper using my measurements & went from there to cutting the leather in 3 sections. I'm using 5-6oz veg tan.

2. Soaked the leather in warm water for about 10 minutes & pressed it onto the mannequin, working it into shape for about half an hour, and pressing into the deeper contours with my awl handle, taking care not to stab myself or any of my cats with the awl in the process. I didn't use boiling water or soak the leather for longer because I didn't want any shrinkage, and as far as I can tell it has worked out OK in this regard. This technique has only slightly hardened the leather but as I only fight with rubber LARP weapons I'm only really interested in the cosmetic look of the thing.

3. I added the flared edge at the bottom of each section after 24 hours or so, at which point the leather was still quite malleable. To form the lip I pushed into the pre-marked fold line with a modeling spoon to give it definition & did the rest with my fingers, but I'm sure there's a neater way to achieve this. Anyone?

4. The leather I used has a large hole / tear under the left shoulder which I'll explain away in character as an unfortunate run-in with an angry troll / orc / ex-wife / whatever tall tale I fancy telling at the time. So, inspired by a scene from Game of Thrones where Ned Stark questions Jaime Lannister's fighting prowess and mocks his spotless armour, I added a bunch more bumps, scrapes & scars with various blunt objects to give it that battle worn look.

5. Left the leather on the mannequin for a further 24 hours, and it is now pretty much dry. Here it is:

Things still to do:

1. Round & burnish raw edges.

Yes I know I should have done this before shaping the leather but my edging tool is still on order, and I'm impatient I'll do it very carefully when the tool arrives.

2. Colouring.

I'm going to use the same stuff I used on the bracers & gorget in my other post, which is a combined antique & finish. However I'm toying with the idea of dying the leather a lighter brown before antiquing - I'm guessing this will give more depth to the colour. I'll test a few combinations out on scraps before I commit myself anyway.

3. Attaching it together.

I'm still undecided on this - I want the armour to be flexible so I could rivet each part to 2 or 3 vertical soft leather straps on the back. This will allow the bands to move against each other nicely, but I'm worried they'll ride up my body as I wear it. So my current thinking is that I'll rivet the sides together to give it a fixed height, and use the suspended strap technique down the centre to allow for some flex.

4. The shoulders.

I'm going to make some matching shaped spaulders. I'll probably shape these by stitching along curved lines down the centre of the shoulder to give a nice contour, and then bend around my upper arm with the wet moulding technique I used on the chest piece. I may use a strip of tooled leather to cover the seam, and extend it beyond the top of the spaulder to buckle onto the breastplate shoulder straps.

5. The back.

I'm going to have a cape attached at the shoulders so I'm not too worried about having my upper back encased in armour, but I will make broad straps that follow the lines of the front pieces. These will wrap around my torso and buckle onto the sides of the chest piece.

[daveydude]

Quick question about treating moulded leather - what should I be using on the flesh side to prevent the leather getting wet and losing shape?

[Jason Austin]

I have had good luck using chicago screws on armor joints. They usually don't tighten enough to hold the joint tightly unless you are using really thick leather. If you add a drop of locktight when you install them you don't have to worry about them coming loose and they are still loose enough to allow the joint to move.

Jason

[daveydude]

I have had good luck using chicago screws on armor joints. They usually don't tighten enough to hold the joint tightly unless you are using really thick leather. If you add a drop of locktight when you install them you don't have to worry about them coming loose and they are still loose enough to allow the joint to move.

Jason

Thanks Jason. The leather is 3mm (6mm total at the join) so do you think a 1/4" (6.3mm) Chicago screw would leave enough play for the joints to move?

[Jason Austin]

Thanks Jason. The leather is 3mm (6mm total at the join) so do you think a 1/4" (6.3mm) Chicago screw would leave enough play for the joints to move?

I think that is about the thickness I used on my shoulder pieces. They are like lobster tails in that they use successive overlapping pieces and they articulate very nicely.

If you were going to translate my assembly method to your chest piece it would be like attaching the plates only at the outer edges. I used nothing in the center of each piece. this may not work well for a chest as the width is soo much greater. So you may end up needing one of strap thingies in the middle of each piece to keep the pieces from separating too much. But the screws would definitely give the the flexibility you need at the edges.

I hope that helps.

Jason

[daveydude]

I think that is about the thickness I used on my shoulder pieces. They are like lobster tails in that they use successive overlapping pieces and they articulate very nicely.

If you were going to translate my assembly method to your chest piece it would be like attaching the plates only at the outer edges. I used nothing in the center of each piece. this may not work well for a chest as the width is soo much greater. So you may end up needing one of strap thingies in the middle of each piece to keep the pieces from separating too much. But the screws would definitely give the the flexibility you need at the edges.

I hope that helps.

Jason

Sounds like a plan. Chicago screws are ordered, thanks dude!

[hivemind]

Jason's advice is sound. Use Chicago screws on the edges, loose enough to allow movement, and a floating joint in the middle to allow them to move there. You can also use copper rivets and burrs instead of Chicago screws, just put a galvanized steel washer between the leather layers, and another under the burr, and don't set the burr all the way down. This is the method I use on my articulated elbows and knees.

If you're going to sweat a lot in this, there's really nothing you can do to keep it from losing shape other than wax it. You'll need to be constantly vigilant after a long day in it to mold it in shape again when you take it off. This is the problem with wet molding such thin leather for armor - it's much easier to mold, but won't hold it's shape well under use.

[Eldorado]

Jason's advice is sound. Use Chicago screws on the edges, loose enough to allow movement, and a floating joint in the middle to allow them to move there. You can also use copper rivets and burrs instead of Chicago screws, just put a galvanized steel washer between the leather layers, and another under the burr, and don't set the burr all the way down. This is the method I use on my articulated elbows and knees.

If you're going to sweat a lot in this, there's really nothing you can do to keep it from losing shape other than wax it. You'll need to be constantly vigilant after a long day in it to mold it in shape again when you take it off. This is the problem with wet molding such thin leather for armor - it's much easier to mold, but won't hold it's shape well under use.

He could use a dauber and alot of acrylic resolene on the back side, don't ya think? That would keep some of the sweat transfer under control.

[hivemind]

Maybe? I have no experience with that method, so can't comment.

[UKRay]

Personally, I'd be inclined to lace the individual sections together rather than join them using chicago screws. Lacing just looks better somehow... It can also be repaired on the fly - unlike trying to find half a Chicago screw in the middle of a field. LOL

Regarding sweat control, is there any reason why this couldn't be lined with a very soft lightweight suede. It would add substance to the project and provide a barrier layer. In addition, the contact adhesive / whatever glue you choose to fix the lining to the outer layer would act as a stiffener which would help to hold the shape of the moulding.

Ray

[daveydude]

Thanks for the advice guys - I think I'm going to go with the waxing option. Carnauba Creme sounds like it should do the job, but I'll have to try & smooth the flesh side of the leather first I think.

[mephits]

Thanks for the advice guys - I think I'm going to go with the waxing option. Carnauba Creme sounds like it should do the job, but I'll have to try & smooth the flesh side of the leather first I think.

I don't have any personal experience with the stuff, but Tandy Carnauba Creme says it's water-based. It likely won't be particularly waterproofing. Even their own description (designed to get people to buy it, after all), only says water resistant. Personally, I'd use beeswax. The method employed by some SCAdian armourers I know is using a propane torch to carefully heat the leather (DONT AIM IT DIRECTLY AT THE LEATHER! Just wave it near the piece until the surface is hot but not close enough to scorch), rubbing warmed but still solid beeswax over the surface, re-heating to liquifiy the wax and let it soak in (again, not aiming the torch directly at the leather; uncontrolled fire BAD, m-kay?), rubbing with a buffing cloth, then repeating the process until the desired finish is achieved. This won't fully harden the leather, but it will keep it from being so susceptible to water. It takes some practice, but can produce very nice results.

[hivemind]

A better method, I would think, would be to melt some beeswax in a can and brush it on.

[Mrs Barry Hicks]

Quick question about treating moulded leather - what should I be using on the flesh side to prevent the leather getting wet and losing shape?

I've used something called Block Out by Eco Flo. There's probably other products out there but that's what I've used. It also helps to harden the leather as well. I would put it on both front and back. To completely seal it. The only downside I've found to it is that it makes fake gold leaf tarnish.

Hope that helps. Looks great so far.