Real Deal Spolas

[Feinman]

Haven't had chance to do any more work on the spolas; hopefully tomorrow, certainly over weekend! Last weekend had to give a UFO presentation.

[Feinman]

Started painting ptyreges, some sections should be done tomorrow! I will post pics then. What could be more Christmassy than Greek armour? Except for maybe UFOs.. Right?

[Feinman]

Taking a bit longer than anticipated.  These are the two layers for the front. The lower layer in the pic is all done and drying now; the layer shiwn above isn't as far along:
   
   

[Feinman]

Slow progress. I want to make sure the ptyreges are double-oiled and cured before attaching them, but so far so good!

[Feinman]

Got sucked into buying rocks on eBay.. Back to it! The ptyreges are turning out very well. Pics when mofe is accomplished.

[rx7fc]

Got sucked into buying rocks on eBay..  Back to it!  The ptyreges are turning out very well.  Pics when mofe is accomplished.

How is the progress coming?

[Feinman]

Got sucked into buying rocks on eBay..  Back to it!  The ptyreges are turning out very well.  Pics when more is accomplished.

How is the progress coming?

Been preoccupied with other stuff again and stuff that comes up in life. I'll be back to being able to use vacation time again pretty soon, too, so we'll see. I don't see or foresee any problems with it, so that's good, as the whole thing is basically an experiment.

[rx7fc]

Got sucked into buying rocks on eBay..  Back to it!  The ptyreges are turning out very well.  Pics when more is accomplished.

How is the progress coming?

Been preoccupied with other stuff again and stuff that comes up in life.  I'll be back to being able to use vacation time again pretty soon, too, so we'll see.  I don't see or foresee any problems with it, so that's good, as the whole thing is basically an experiment.

I just purchased some 12 oz veg tanned leather that I will start making my spolas from. I will start a thread soon!

[Feinman]

Great! I will look forward to it.

[rx7fc]

What is the best way to make my veg tanned leather white? I see you mentioned milk paint. Is that all I need to make it white?

[Dan D'Silva]

What is the best way to make my veg tanned leather white? I see you mentioned milk paint. Is that all I need to make it white?

Feinman has more detailed instructions a couple pages back, in post #150.  It's more involved than just slapping paint on, but I very much doubt plain milk paint by itself would work.

If historical plausiblity isn't a priority, acrylic-based leather paint would probably hold up best.  Not that I want to encourage that kind of thing.

[Feinman]

Dan is right. The way I did it was pretty complicated. I would just make sure that you use dilute rabbit skin glue (like one part gelled glue to about eight or nine parts water with a very small amount of alum added (maybe 1/4 teaspoon to a cup). Both of these additives will cause the milk paint to bind better to the leather. Then when you paint on the milk paint (not very easy), you have to do it in washes and then stop when it begins to streak! It will become more opaque when it dries. Then you can add another coat. I would not build it up much at all (it will crack when bent if too thick) --and it will still look kind of golden --then I would switch to a mixture of titanium white powder (white lead substitute) mixed well into a mixture of linseed oil mixed with beeswax (heat wax in double boiler, add oil off burner, about 3 parts oil to one part beeswax). Add a lot of Titanium White powder, use a palette knife. Rub the mixture into the painted leather, let dry. Later use Dubbin as a final coat, can add Titanium White to it too. I warn any who would try this ahead of time that it is DIFFICULT! Supplies are expensive, so do a LOT of tests first... If you want to paint decoration --you can wet the leather and use a dried out ballpoint or stylus to transfer the design, and then tape it off with painters' tape. It's not easy.

[Dan Howard]

Has anyone tried bleach? Stale urine has a high ammonia content.

[Feinman]

From what I've read, including material from the footwear industry, making leather white almost always involves covering up its color. Also, kaolin clay makes and appearance in pottery at the same time white spolioi are starting to be depicted; it, along with marble powder are ingredients in the powdered milk paint that is available. Looking at pigments and cements used on Greek and Roman statuary that was meant to be exposed to the elements, those ingredients and beeswax are also used, along with white lead. White lead is described as an excellent ingredient for whitening leather and also helps to make it waterproof; It's also poisonous, thus the use of the titanium dioxide powder as a substitute. To make a spolas as I am doing it, you have to use the powdered milk paint, btw.

[rx7fc]

Would gesso be a good way to make he leather white?