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I apologize for the double post, I wasnt sure if anyone would see this posted to a previous thread from a few weeks ago so I made new one. Anyhoo, I want to buy the leather and metal for my homemade seggy today. Now I found leather and they have 3-5oz belly, or 5-7oz belly for a good price. Which should I get? Is it better to be a little thick or thin? As for the metal, I found a place that has 18 gauge for a reasonable price and will do some of the cutting. This is where I need help--are there generic lengths I should shoot for so I only have to cut widths. I wouldnt need exact meausrements specs for myself to that end if they are just doing lengths right? Thoughts?
Kevin Dopke
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about that belly leather, it's pretty stretchy not the best for plate straps. for the girdle plates i think the lenght would be determined by your size but he width would be fairly consistent, but what width i think depends on which model you choose to build. just remember this isn't rocket science
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lengths will depend on your height.
Make them longer than you need & trim them down.
You should have a rough idea of length if you have made up the cardboard one we suggested first.
Internals will be wider than fastening straps & need to accommodate 2 rivets. If they're too thin they would rip - rivets too close to edge/each other.
Thickness of leather - usually similar to caligae - around 3-4mm thick.
If its too thick it wont flex, or in the case of fasteners, wont go thru the buckle. Too thin or floppy & it'll rip.
Better to buy it from a supplier where you can see it - mail order may not send what you thought you were getting.
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Thicker leather will likely offset stretching issues somewhat, as would storing the armor on its front or back rather than upright where gravity would pull on the straps. Certainly 5-7oz would be better whatever the type.
For a cuirass that fits me (6'1" 200lbs), a total of 12 strips 3/4"x14" were sufficient for all the interal leathering, so you need a piece about 9"x14" in total.
The plates' dimensions will depend on which model of cuirass you'll be making, and your height and size. Again for me, I found that the torso, lesser shoulder guards and mid back plates were best at 2 3/4" width, the upper shoulder guards are max width 4" (Corbridge B), slightly wider metal necessary for the center portion because it needs a small point, breast plates and upper back plates about 5" wide.
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OK so as far as the metal: I ebelive I read that a 4'x 4' sections of metal will be sufficient to make the seggy? Does this sound right?
Kevin Dopke
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oops, I meant to say 4'x 4' ft section, not sections.
Quote:OK so as far as the metal: I ebelive I read that a 4'x 4' sections of metal will be sufficient to make the seggy? Does this sound right?
Kevin Dopke
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That'll be more than enough, although you may want to be sure 4' length is sufficient to get two torso plates per strip- if together they're more than 48", you'll need more to avoid a lot of waste.
If 48" is sufficient, then the best way to get the steel cut is:
2 3/4" strips x 11 (torso plates, lesser shoulder guards, mid-back plates)
5" strips x2 (breast plates, greater shoulder guards, upper back plates)*
* use a jigsaw with a metal cutting blade to shape those specific plates that are a bit narrower than 5".
That's a little more than 40" overall, so you can have the remaining ~8" cut or not- maybe one extra of the 2 3/4" width would be useful in case of mistakes. I usually have a couple of strips cut at 1/2" and 1/4" too to make the square washers for riveting the internal leathers.
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Belly leather will work just fine...I used 5-7 ounce for the girlde plates, and 3-5 oz for the upper half.
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Magnus/Matt
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really? i've heard bad things about it but i'll take your word on this, thank you for correcting me. is belly leather good enough for belts if it can take the abuse armour straps take?
Brent Grolla
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no. it stretches.
all the belly leather i've ever used stretches out of shape with any use. best thing for belly is making masks etc.
i'd go with a 3 to 5 oz veggie tan.
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Chuck Russell
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Chuck is correct stay away from belly leather.
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All completely agreed with the don't use belly for straps statements above. When it gets wet, like from sweat, it stretches even more, and when dry, holds that shape/length. It's not so bad for most kinds of belts, in which you can just add a hole, but it's not good at all for anything that must support weight.
Plain shoulder is the simplest for straps and such. A single shoulder is cut from the spine down to the flank, and is available in different weights. It also makes a better belt, imho, because it doesn't stretch.
Either, if veg tanned, can be wet-formed to a shape, if you need that, and will stay unless it gets very wet again, at which time, it will reshape itself along the lines of stress and leather fiber grain.
No matter what kind, if it gets wet don't store it under stress, because all leather will stretch some. And if you store it in the "compressed" shape, like for putting in a box, when it's wet, it may try to hold that bumpy shape somewhat, and that would be pretty uncomfortable.
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The veggie tanned belly leather I used for the strapping on my segmentata, which hangs vertically on my armour stand AND has been used since late 2001, is abso-ma-lutely fine, and devoid of stretches.
Maybe you guys just got some junk leather? Maybe it wasn't veggie tanned at all?
I also don't see it being a problem with belts either. The belt isn't being stretched when it's worn, and if it's thick enough (approx. 7 oz) it won't be an issue either.
If some of you are experiencing problems with veggie tanned belly leathers, maybe it's the leather source you're getting it from?
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Magnus/Matt
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Magnus,
Just ask any experienced leather worker, and they will tell you that belly leather is usually substandard leather for producing anything that will put stress on it. Are you sure you were sold belly leather?
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OK in purchasing the leather for the buckle straps on Corbridge B, what width should I get? How big should those buckles be?
Kevin Dopke
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