Starting Leather Working

[brennen]

So I want to start getting into leather working.  I don't know if this is the right place but I thought my questions had to do with this thread and a others so I got bit confused.  

 

I need an opinion on whether this is a good starter set to get?  I plan on making a variety of stuff mainly armor: https://www.amazon.com/Caydo-Pieces-Leather-Stitching-Stamping/dp/B01NBN3UZQ

What kind of thickness of leather are used for various things?  I got a lot of different answers so I don't have any specifics, stuff like 3.6mm for armor and some thinner for straps and the like.

I don't need help on templates and stuff but I found a few different leather hardening and came to baking it to be the best choice for armor.  How do you go about shaping leather?  I can't find anything specific enough on how to keep a shape so that I can bake it without losing the form.  Is there more important pros and cons about these techniques like hardness or flexibility: https://www.wikihow.com/Stiffen-Leather

I know it'll be expensive to buy leather but is there popular online stores or should I look locally?

Is there tips or stuff you can off that i absolutely should know?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.  I'm doing this as a hobby since it aligns a lot with my other hobbies. 

[immiketoo]

5 minutes ago, brennen said:

So I want to start getting into leather working.  I don't know if this is the right place but I thought my questions had to do with this thread and a others so I got bit confused.  

 

I need an opinion on whether this is a good starter set to get?  I plan on making a variety of stuff mainly armor: https://www.amazon.com/Caydo-Pieces-Leather-Stitching-Stamping/dp/B01NBN3UZQ

What kind of thickness of leather are used for various things?  I got a lot of different answers so I don't have any specifics, stuff like 3.6mm for armor and some thinner for straps and the like.

I don't need help on templates and stuff but I found a few different leather hardening and came to baking it to be the best choice for armor.  How do you go about shaping leather?  I can't find anything specific enough on how to keep a shape so that I can bake it without losing the form.  Is there more important pros and cons about these techniques like hardness or flexibility: https://www.wikihow.com/Stiffen-Leather

I know it'll be expensive to buy leather but is there popular online stores or should I look locally?

Is there tips or stuff you can off that i absolutely should know?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.  I'm doing this as a hobby since it aligns a lot with my other hobbies. 

That kit has a little bit of everything you'll need to make some things, but the quality isn't there.  Don't expect it to last very long.  How long is dependent on how are you'll use the items.  I just made a set of armor and I didn't really use a lot of tools to make it.  Most of it was hand stitched, but the parts that were machine stitched would have been a nightmare to do by hand.  For the scales, we used 4mm leather and the rest was 3 mm leather.

You can wet mold veg tan leather and let it dry.  It will keep its shape.  Baking it in the oven at very low heat, or a hot box will harden the leather and still keep the shape.  Too hot will cause shrinking and shape loss. Under 125 degrees works well.  Boiling it also works but looks like ass in my experience.  I didn't give it much of a go after it looks like something the dog chewed up.

As for buying leather, you have a lot of options.  If you aren't concerned about a lot of color in your armor, you can buy English Bridle leather thats much more dense and durable than standard veg, and it will hold its color (Shade of brown or black) indefinitely.  Otherwise, you'll likely have to dye it or just leave it plain.  It's expensive.  My last armor has over 500 bucks worth of leather in it.

Depending on the type of armor you want to make, you may just add a few layers to give strength as opposed to hardening it.  Be prepared for some waste if you do choose to harden.  Its not an exact science.

Good luck!

[brennen]

1 hour ago, immiketoo said:

That kit has a little bit of everything you'll need to make some things, but the quality isn't there.  Don't expect it to last very long.  How long is dependent on how are you'll use the items.  I just made a set of armor and I didn't really use a lot of tools to make it.  Most of it was hand stitched, but the parts that were machine stitched would have been a nightmare to do by hand.  For the scales, we used 4mm leather and the rest was 3 mm leather.

You can wet mold veg tan leather and let it dry.  It will keep its shape.  Baking it in the oven at very low heat, or a hot box will harden the leather and still keep the shape.  Too hot will cause shrinking and shape loss. Under 125 degrees works well.  Boiling it also works but looks like ass in my experience.  I didn't give it much of a go after it looks like something the dog chewed up.

As for buying leather, you have a lot of options.  If you aren't concerned about a lot of color in your armor, you can buy English Bridle leather thats much more dense and durable than standard veg, and it will hold its color (Shade of brown or black) indefinitely.  Otherwise, you'll likely have to dye it or just leave it plain.  It's expensive.  My last armor has over 500 bucks worth of leather in it.

Depending on the type of armor you want to make, you may just add a few layers to give strength as opposed to hardening it.  Be prepared for some waste if you do choose to harden.  Its not an exact science.

Good luck!

I figured the quality in that tool set isn't there as I looked and saw most kits were far more expensive.  I don't plan on making the armor right away just trying smaller scale projects like belts, bracers, or holsters to get the hang of it.  I don't think I was all too clear on what I meant by keeping it's shape, what I meant was molding it to the shape I want, do I need to make a base out of something and wrap it or if I hold I hold it in place when it's drying.  Before I put it in the oven how does one shape it?  I've looked up a few videos but I can't figure out the specifics since they don't include timestamps or such.

[DJole]

Brennen,  where are you located in Washington? There may be an SCA group near you, which likely has somebody who has experience with leather armor. 
Armor for your joints (elbows, knees) is going to be different from other parts (say chest, or leg), so do you have a specific armor piece (or online photograph) in mind? 
And is this dress armor or armor that you intend to use? Give us a better idea about what you are looking at making (bazubands? breastplates? greaves?) and then we can help you better. 

Hardening the leather to actually become usable armor is difficult to get right -- no two hides are going to be exactly the same.  I've played around with it some, but I don't really like the results.
Leather is expensive-- plus, if the hardening process doesn't work out, you have to throw the leather away; it's not good for anything else. 
If you just want it to look pretty, that simplifies the process. 
 

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[brennen]

8 minutes ago, DJole said:

Brennen,  where are you located in Washington? There may be an SCA group near you, which likely has somebody who has experience with leather armor. 
Armor for your joints (elbows, knees) is going to be different from other parts (say chest, or leg), so do you have a specific armor piece (or online photograph) in mind? 
And is this dress armor or armor that you intend to use? Give us a better idea about what you are looking at making (bazubands? breastplates? greaves?) and then we can help you better. 

Hardening the leather to actually become usable armor is difficult to get right -- no two hides are going to be exactly the same.  I've played around with it some, but I don't really like the results.
Leather is expensive-- plus, if the hardening process doesn't work out, you have to throw the leather away; it's not good for anything else. 
If you just want it to look pretty, that simplifies the process. 
 

I live around the Seattle area, what's an SCA group?  I don't really need it fully functional just sturdy enough to not change shape on some pieces.  I don't have any exact designs or the like yet just that I want to shoulder/pauldron armor with a gauntlets of sorts.

[LatigoAmigo]

4 hours ago, immiketoo said:

 Baking it in the oven at very low heat, or a hot box will harden the leather and still keep the shape.  Too hot will cause shrinking and shape loss. Under 125 degrees works well.

Similarly, I use a "sweater rack," which is a drop-in shelf for a clothes dryer. The temperature can be set from delicate to high, and a lot of hot air gets blown around the items being dried. I have had very good luck with this setup.

[brennen]

I found a video explaining the kind of stuff I wanted to start out with.  Is this something basic I could do or is there simpler tasks I should try?

 

[rodneywt1180b]

16 hours ago, brennen said:

I live around the Seattle area, what's an SCA group?  I don't really need it fully functional just sturdy enough to not change shape on some pieces.  I don't have any exact designs or the like yet just that I want to shoulder/pauldron armor with a gauntlets of sorts.

Welcome aboard.  SCA is Society of Creative Anachronism if I remember correctly.  There should be at least one group near you.

[Yetibelle]

WOW -  he did cover a lot in that video, and I'm glad that works for him. I would recommend you don't follow those instructions. I do recommend finding a basic leatherworking class before you start.  They will go over what you need and what you don't and the correct order to making a project.  In the mean time watch the videos from Weaver Leather, they do a great job of how to get started.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DJole]

On 12/9/2018 at 4:36 PM, brennen said:

I live around the Seattle area, what's an SCA group? 

Brennen, the SCA is the Society for Creative Anachronism, which is people who do medieval re-creation for fun, including making armor and wearing it in combat. 
 If  you live the Seattle area (I live in Tacoma, by the way), there are three large groups in the area, and there are probably a few people near you who have made leather armor. 

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I don't really need it fully functional just sturdy enough to not change shape on some pieces.  I don't have any exact designs or the like yet just that I want to shoulder/pauldron armor with a gauntlets of sorts.

That simplifies things quite a bit, since you don't actually have to get it hard enough to withstand actual blows. 
That means that you can probably get by with just wet forming.

[immiketoo]

HEre's a read that may help you.

 

https://medium.com/@jasontimmermans/a-comparative-study-of-leather-hardening-techniques-16-methods-tested-and-novel-approaches-8574e571f619?fbclid=IwAR2gSSIg1JQvTMOQOMo-mJSaNuDdsoB65d-jEy6HOkEmhbANBudIz8rawsc

[Chief Filipino]

A lot of people poopoo Tandy Leather but when I first started it was a great place for me to pick up decent enough tools and people who have some knowledge of leather working to get me started. Looks like there is one in Seattle: 14713 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98133 

I wet formed my skull mask and used my face to help me form quite a bit of it. I used a bunch of cloth and wrapped it around to hold it on my face and would work the leather into shape every few minutes. I think within about an hour (or less) it was dry enough to hold the shape I wanted and then I just left it to dry for 24 hours. Though I live in Arizona the air will suck all the moisture out quickly. If you are making armor for yourself I'm sure you could just use your own body as the form.

Take this with a grain of salt because I have NO experience making a full suit of armor: For thickness, that could depend upon whether or not you wanted to wear it into combat, with groups like the SCA there are specifications it will have to meet to be allowed. I am planning on making my own armor some day and will be using 10/12 oz for the torso area, 8/9 oz for the bracers/arms/shoulders. For straps I would recommend 8/9oz for straps supporting a lot of weight and thinner for straps the smaller areas. 

As for tips you should absolutely know... find the method that works for you. On this forum you will get a dozen excellent methods from experienced leatherworkers who make amazing stuff, you need to find what will work for you. Along those lines there are a LOT of specialized tools for this craft, but many of them can be recreated using other tools you may already have you do not have to have all the tools find a way to make it work for you. With that being said the specialized tools make it MUCH easier and quicker to get work done. If this is something that you see yourself doing for years and/or trying to sell the expense of quality tools is well worth it!