Greek body armour called a "linothorax"

[Peter Ellis]

I've finished the construction on the largest project I've tackled yet, a leather interpretation of a Greek body armour called a "linothorax". The historic versions were made of multiple layers of linen and soaked in glue.

The body itself is saddle skirting treated to harden it, and the skirt is saddle skirting without the hardening treatment. Tooling motifs are a Gorgon and the Snake Mother.

Just under 7 hours in the tooling part of the project. Probably 3 times that in the stitching.

[MatthewD]

Awesome job.. I have a set of armor on my to do list but I am going Roman with the set I am making...

[abn]

Amazing! I've never seen anything like that done in leather... Great job!

Alex

[The Major]

Cool.

Do the 2 pieces actually fasten together, or do the shoulders "free float"

[Peter Ellis]

Cool.

Do the 2 pieces actually fasten together, or do the shoulders "free float"

The shoulder yoke is attached in back by a leather hinge between the back plate and the yoke. In front the two straps of the yoke will tie to the breastplate. That detail and the closure on the side of the harness will be completed by the client, he has some particular decorative hardware he wants to integrate.

Just how much range of motion he'll have in the shoulders is a question. Until he tries it on we won't know for sure.

[bustedlifter]

Neat! I should get some of that to wear on my bike.Bet I would get some really strange looks from my neighbors. Priceless!

[Peter Ellis]

Neat! I should get some of that to wear on my bike.Bet I would get some really strange looks from my neighbors. Priceless!

My brother in law used to ride, and was also involved in the reenactment group I'm in. He would ride up to events wearing most of his armour. He had fun with the reactions as he travelled.

[Johanna]

Well, I know I've been at the keyboard too long. The first thing I noticed when I saw the pics was the hole punched before the "fringe" slits at the bottom of the piece. And I involuntarily nodded my head.

Do you folks know why he punched holes before he cut the leather? Because the holes will prevent the leather from tearing, even as the piece is in action. Doubt me? Get out a piece of scrap and make a cut. You can tear it easier than you can if you punch a hole before you cut, and, thus, have a curved line at the top. This is probably the same rule of physics that makes Roman arches of stone last for centuries, and I don't know if the practice even has a name, but it is one of the hallmarks of a good leatherworker vs. a mediocre one.

Johanna

[Art]

Hi Johanna,

Isn't that Stohlman's first law of leatherdynamics? A tear in motion tends to stay in motion but a tear or cut doesn't start from a cut edge? Works very well for loops on Mexican loop holsters too.

Art

Well, I know I've been at the keyboard too long. The first thing I noticed when I saw the pics was the hole punched before the "fringe" slits at the bottom of the piece. And I involuntarily nodded my head.

Do you folks know why he punched holes before he cut the leather? Because the holes will prevent the leather from tearing, even as the piece is in action. Doubt me? Get out a piece of scrap and make a cut. You can tear it easier than you can if you punch a hole before you cut, and, thus, have a curved line at the top. This is probably the same rule of physics that makes Roman arches of stone last for centuries, and I don't know if the practice even has a name, but it is one of the hallmarks of a good leatherworker, vs. a mediocre one.

Johanna

[leathernut]

thats cool man.nice job..