07-23-2010, 04:17 PM
Ave!
Probably the best place to ask would be the Armour Archive.
http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/
There have been plenty of threads there on shaping leather. Note that soaking and shaping leather is a separate process from hardening it, which requires heat, although you can certainly do both at once (at least for easier shapes) by using hot water. The shapes you want may take several steps of wetting and stretching/forming. But I know other folks have done it, so it's certainly possible.
Thinner leather may shape more easily in some ways, but might not have as much potential for deeper shaping. For example, a bronze age leather shield from Ireland was shaped by hammering wet leather into a wooden mold to form the dome in the center. It's several inches deep, and I'm not sure you could get thinner leather to stretch that far without tearing. Don't know!
Paint durability will depend on the paint! Leather dyes won't flake. But again, lots of good experience on the Armour Archive about painting leather.
Good luck!
Matthew
Probably the best place to ask would be the Armour Archive.
http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/
There have been plenty of threads there on shaping leather. Note that soaking and shaping leather is a separate process from hardening it, which requires heat, although you can certainly do both at once (at least for easier shapes) by using hot water. The shapes you want may take several steps of wetting and stretching/forming. But I know other folks have done it, so it's certainly possible.
Thinner leather may shape more easily in some ways, but might not have as much potential for deeper shaping. For example, a bronze age leather shield from Ireland was shaped by hammering wet leather into a wooden mold to form the dome in the center. It's several inches deep, and I'm not sure you could get thinner leather to stretch that far without tearing. Don't know!
Paint durability will depend on the paint! Leather dyes won't flake. But again, lots of good experience on the Armour Archive about painting leather.
Good luck!
Matthew
Matthew Amt (Quintus)
Legio XX, USA
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.larp.com/legioxx/">http://www.larp.com/legioxx/
Legio XX, USA
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.larp.com/legioxx/">http://www.larp.com/legioxx/