I figured that since I play in a Kilt, I'd make some accent pieces to enhance my "look" in the field...lol.
Before:
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and some 20+ hours later.........................
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After:
Stitching:
Triquetras:
On my arm:
Before anyone says it, I don't care about any "bounce" factor on gear/equipment. I play that if I'm hit, I'm out and I don't dabble in semantics about it.
Now that that's been said~~~
For anyone not knowing what they are, they are called Vambraces (forearm guards). The Romans invented them (or so they claim) but they (or similar representations) were used by just about every primitive-to-ancient-to-current- fighting force(s) on the planet.
The Celts used an all-leather version (as I have made), hardened into armor by one of 2 ways: boiling them in water or soaking them in melted wax. Historians have held the widely accepted opinion that boiling water was the most likely form of hardening the leather. I have not done this because it makes the leather chaff the skin. Originals were often lined in lamb's wool or wool cloth and it was acceptable because of the climate normal to the region. Obviously, I don't need that here in PA.
A bit of history is that for some years now, I've dabbled in creating leather hunting accessories...knife sheaths, handgun holsters and possible bags for muzzle loading.
I just spent 20+ hours on them, everything done by hand. The longest (and most difficult) part was the sewing. Getting them in the proper arc of my forearm was a pain, even though I made patterns in cardboard.
The black outer layer is 10 oz leather and the brown accent pieces are 16 oz leather. There are 2 inner layers on each Bracer for padding/anti-chaffing and each of these layers are 6-8 oz upholstery-grade leather.
I was going to harden them into true "armor" by submerging them in boiling water but I decided they are too nice to risk the dyes bleeding into each other. Instead, I'll rub some conditioner into them and then a final layer of wax to protect them.
Before:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
and some 20+ hours later.........................
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
After:
Stitching:
Triquetras:
On my arm:
Before anyone says it, I don't care about any "bounce" factor on gear/equipment. I play that if I'm hit, I'm out and I don't dabble in semantics about it.
Now that that's been said~~~
For anyone not knowing what they are, they are called Vambraces (forearm guards). The Romans invented them (or so they claim) but they (or similar representations) were used by just about every primitive-to-ancient-to-current- fighting force(s) on the planet.
The Celts used an all-leather version (as I have made), hardened into armor by one of 2 ways: boiling them in water or soaking them in melted wax. Historians have held the widely accepted opinion that boiling water was the most likely form of hardening the leather. I have not done this because it makes the leather chaff the skin. Originals were often lined in lamb's wool or wool cloth and it was acceptable because of the climate normal to the region. Obviously, I don't need that here in PA.
A bit of history is that for some years now, I've dabbled in creating leather hunting accessories...knife sheaths, handgun holsters and possible bags for muzzle loading.
I just spent 20+ hours on them, everything done by hand. The longest (and most difficult) part was the sewing. Getting them in the proper arc of my forearm was a pain, even though I made patterns in cardboard.
The black outer layer is 10 oz leather and the brown accent pieces are 16 oz leather. There are 2 inner layers on each Bracer for padding/anti-chaffing and each of these layers are 6-8 oz upholstery-grade leather.
I was going to harden them into true "armor" by submerging them in boiling water but I decided they are too nice to risk the dyes bleeding into each other. Instead, I'll rub some conditioner into them and then a final layer of wax to protect them.
brought me back to my days a leather worker myself... in Warcraft of course... 
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