Leather Parts List- Updated

So, lemme confuse the situation a bit... I zoomed in on the cumberbun, white leather dyed purp or painted purp? or other options? It just lookes funny in this pic.



Edit** nevermind, the leather guy, Ron, said that it's white leather spray dyed with some white filler.

The list sounds good to me, with the exception of the skirt lace. After much experience with making braided Jango belts, I found the best lace you can possibly use, is to cut it yourself! There are really only 2 kinds of lace that I've ever seen at Tandy, stuff that's too thick, and other stuff that's way too thin.

This was a great idea zam i am!!
The list sounds good to me but then again, I don't have a whole lot of experience with leather

Hey, anything to speed up the Research and development. We need to get this zam party started! By the way, Sith C is totally right. The skirt laces from the card board cut out measure 1/4" and Tandy only sells 5/32" laces. I am going to cut mine myself and have it all dyed. That way, it will be dyed on all sides of the laces.

Hey sith C, any recommendations on good tools to use for leather cutting? I looked at the back of the tandy catalog, but it seems you have to have a huge cutting table too, am I right? I mean, is there any recommendations on what you think might be better for certain cuts?

There are 2 options that I use. Without looking at their cataloge or website, you can use either a belt cutter (comes in a limited use wooden version, and a longer lasting metal version, maybe around $50-60?), or a small cutting wheel (looks like a razor sharp pizza cutter).
If you've going to use the rotary cutter, you'll need a cutting mat. If you use the blade over any other type of surface, you'll ruin the blade. Using a cutting mat will lengthen the life of the blade for a long time.
Personally, for a job like this, I'd use the belt cutter. No table or anything is needed. Just throw your hyde on the floor, and slide the cutter down the side of the hyde! The tool is adjustable, and you can literally cut belts, all night long, in seconds.
If you guys can't find these tools, I'll look them up later tonight.

I don't see the belt cutters, I do see the rotary one, but don't want to pay for a pad and a rotary tool, cause it only cuts leather less than 6 oz. methinks. Here's a rotary tool.
http://www.tandyleather.com/products.asp?dept=67

Are any of these belt cutters?
http://syvtsiegel.siegelofca.com/html/knife01.html
http://www.tandyleather.com/products...7&pagenumber=4

The rotaty cutter will work for what you need it on. I've used it on thick leathers before.
As for the belt cutter, you're actually looking for the "pro strap cutter".
Again, the metal one is pricey, and will last you forever, while the wodden one will last for the project.
http://www.tandyleather.com/prodinfo...item=1&mitem=3
http://www.tandyleather.com/prodinfo...item=2&mitem=3

what about this¿ http://www.tandyleather.com/prodinfo...em=27&mitem=41

When I Pm'ed sith Camaro and was talking about cutting leather, I was talking about non-lace leather like the shoe trimming and small parts. He recommended the leather scissors. He was thinking for the squares of the skirt, and anything that needed straight lines with that link above (rotary tool and strap cutter).
The lace cutter--that's a must in my book for the laces, and they are cheaper than another site we looked at. The replacement blades from tandy don't look like they match the lace cutter though. So you might wanna get replacement blades from
http://www.rudedogleather.com/classes/lace/lace.html

ok - i ordered the lace cutter and the metal pro strap cutter weee... i love getting fancy new tools that i'll end up only using once in my life time!

Wow, I calculated the leather cost and it comes up to around $350 if it is all bought at once. Not including any tools. Lots of extra leather too. I am going to wait a couple of weeks before investing in the leather and tools. I am still unsure about the veil material if the tandy stuff listed is suede or smooth. The velvet suede seems sorta thick. I am also unsure about the lacing, I think it is a lighter oz. weight than the skirt leather. I mean, it's thinner than the skirt definately. Mebbe the top layer of the stomach plate and the lacing is the same oz. leather. I will have to pay a visit to the local tandy store (Zam I Am drags along her cardboard cut out for the Third time...) I would assume that siegal of ca has the similar hides in weight. Haven't done any comparisons. After I have the leather and cut it, I plan to have it dyematched two shades darker than the neoprene.

Edit** anyone have any leather questions? I will try to go to Tandy next Saturday. I might order half of the leather next week- probably the leather having to do with the skirt and vest.

Edit*II** Just emailed the lady at RudeDog Leather concerning the laces she said

Quote:1/8 and 3/16 are the only sizes it cuts. No it will not do 1/4". Janet Rude Dog Leather http://www.rudedogleather.com

So I guess the lace cutter is only good for the vest laces.

Edit*III** Not trying to advertize for tandy, but trying to save some peeps some money. Tandy is having a sale for the month. I talked to the customer service rep, make sure you print out the online prices cause their stores sell at retail prices.

Edit IV** That customer service rep doesn't know what she is talking about, I just bought the lace cutter, and the top notch is for 1/4" laces. And, Sith C. has one too.

HA! I went all the way to tandy and forgot my zam cardboard cut out. I took somethings off the list, cause I thought, there is NO WAY I could get that 1 oz. petite tooling calf to really fit onto the trim on the chestplating etc. That stuff is so thick and hard... Please someone tell me if I'm wrong. But I really think it should be some thin pigskin or something. Something especially soft and thin that could stretch over the sintra or plastic casting... Ya know?
I think that Ron (my neighborhood leather store guy) thought there wouldn't be anything underneath like as if the leather should stand on its own. Then that would make sense, but definately not for trim of the chest plating/gauntlets etc. Wish I coulda milked more info outta him. Yeah! I bought the lace cutter,replacment blades, and the belt strap cutter and shears. Wish the strap cutter came with directions. Bought the 10 oz leather and the 4-5 oz leather for laces.

Man screw it. I'm just gonna go for what passes well for a look in person and not get everything AS IT WAS USED in the movie, but still give it the same look and get just as good results. I'm not gonna get what was the best leather they used closest to the movie with the exact thickness and texture properties as the movie. After a while you gotta draw the line and say to yourself, "This is ridiculous" and just get what works and still has the same look to it, just being more cost effective about it.

If that's what you want that's cool. You don't HAVE to have everything with exactness. No one said you had to... It's just nice that everyone on here is searching together for what's closest to the real thing, and that's part of what makes us come together as fans, the search for the most accurate costumes. The searching, sometimes tedious, is also the fun of it all. I didn't think I would ever pull off the neoprene, but I kept on searching. I called over 13 companies trying to find one that would do the job. And over 7 lycra companies to find the perfect lycra.
I just put this list up because it helps to make a conversation list for people to readily find the right types of leather. If a person doesn't "have" something that is almost exact, that's ok. No one said you have to. It's just nice to have. And, this leather list is to help people not buy the totally wrong types of materials. The more people input about what they've used or not used,or saw and not saw, helps us find something that is more adequate, and not wasting their money on something totally wrong. For example, using raw 10 oz leather for the vest is totally wrong.

yeah...

Well I'm not cheaping out on a lot of stuff, but I think I can come up with something that looks exactly like the actual stuff. If I have to I'd certainly buy the real stuff if need be.

The undersuit needs this material without question. It is the most seen thing in the whole outfit. I'm gonna see what I can pull together and hope for the best. But I'd always go ahead and get the real stuff if I needed to.

I posted something about airbrushing the suede veil in the general forum, if anyone can help me out, that would be cool.

EDIT ** THANK YOU SITH CAMARO! That belt strapcutter cut the leather like butter! Man, good thing I went back and bought one, I was dying after useing them darned shears. I finished the skirt squares in one night. Thank GOD for you, my piano teaching hands aren't bruised anymore.

Yes, belt cutter you need! To me, you must listen!

It's tool time with sith camaro: so, if I buy the 1/4" slot cutter for the skirt holes, which hammer/mallet should I use to punch the holes outta the skirt? And how heavy should it be? My skirt leather is 9-10 oz. leather. Oh, and which cutting board would you recommend? (GO figure, I said I was going to have that store guy do it, and not buy all these one time tools-Sith Cam, you got me hooked man!) So, pick a mallet...
http://www.tandyleather.com/products...5&pagenumber=4
http://www.tandyleather.com/products.../mallet01.html

DCB, If you want to merge this under skirt, that's cool...

You can pretty much use any rawhide mallet you get your hands on. The lighter it is, the more hammering you may have to do on a single hole. I have two. One is a lightweight one that I picked up from their warehouse, and the other is an interior lead weighted one, from harbour freight.
I prefer the second one, simply because it is slightly heavier. It provides a stronger drive than the lighter one.

Some people were wondering why the leather parts list gets bumped, but they don't see any replies, It's because I update the list on the first post to reflect any new information about the leather parts. I have visited tandy about 4 times so far and will be going back on saturdays until I get everything right. For me everything is trial and error, because I am not an expert, but I have been getting closer everytime I visit and compare leathers and people have been commenting on thickness/color/etc... So please don't take this as a final list just yet. Everyone is encouraged to give their imput when they visit leather shops. This helps us all from spending LOADS of money on hides that incorrect for the costume (an unfortunate experience I have had). Thanks for your help!

I for one, appreciate all your efforts!! I've got very little spare time these days and all your research will be a great help.
On a good note, I just received a flyer today. A new tandy store just opened nearby. I've got to sneak away and check it out..not to mention entering their drawings to win shopping sprees

yeh! Do you know how long it will be until it opens? Oh, btw everyone, in the FREE tandy catalog, it has on the very corner, a little guide that indicates ___oz. = ___ inch thickness. Then you all can start comparing thicknesses for yourselves. Leather working is an expensive part of the hobby. And addictive. You see all these tools and kits, and you wanna get em all and start making things as presents for relatives at christmas/b-days. I gotta be careful. Focus, FOCUS!! hehe.

More leather pics, which do you think is best for the vest material? got these samples from another leather company (not tandy)
The first pic is lambskin about 1 1/2 oz VERY thin about 1/32", the second is white chapsides, thicker about 3-4 oz. About 1/16" thick
1)
2)
Vote vote vote! 1 or 2 for vest leather

This third pic is of dyeable pig suede for the veil and mock hood. (I dunno if I want to purchase these just yet.)

Hard to say... besides thickness, they both look the same. I don't know... one maybe?

Considering what I have viewed on pictures Dallas took at the MOM display I am going to say 1.

Now if everyone would be so kind as to go and look at the MOM pic DSC04219 and DSC04218 and tell me what you in the opening of the vest where it is laced thoughter? The material I am speaking of is similar in color to the cumberbun belt area and appears the same material, but all this runs up under the vest about 3/4 of the vest height. I am really woundering what that is or could be attached to.

It's kind of hard to tell the diffference in the pics... but I think I'd lean in the direction of 1. The grain looks more like the vest pics I've seen... Is it the same in pic 2? I would assume that #1 would be easier to work with, being thinner, which would move my vote in that direction.

Could you let us know the leather source?

The issues of vinyl vs. leather for the vest will give us several things to be concerned about. The first pic is thinner leather, and very very flexible, but at the same time I would think it is easy to rip with all those eyelets running down the side. The upper shoulder flaps remind me of pic 2 leather although, it would be harder to sew. You would have to ask a leather person with a heavy duty machine to sew it all together.
Vinyl, more durable, cheaper and (I haven't gotten a sample yet) but last time, running through JoAnn's, vinyl is pretty darn close in respect to "look".

This is the website of the leather company.
http://www.ebingerleather.com/eblchome.htm

Interesting points - They might have used two different types/thicknesses of leather on the vest - nothing says they didn't. One for the body and one for the flaps? Or the flaps may have had some filing put into them.

IMHO - vinyl would be a lot hotter than leather, which will be toasty enough. I'm not an expert by any means, but I should think the color would rub and wear off the vinyl much easier if it is "painted" on.

Looking at the standup and other pics - It looks to me like those areas are folded under, essentially making a double layer for the eyelet to hold onto, making it less likely to tear through.

Thanks for the link!

I don't think that they used two different thicknesses for the flaps vs. the main vest part, I just meant that it looked thick enuff in the flaps that they prob used the thicker stuff. The vest itself looks pretty thick imho. esp. the flaps... Of course they had shoulder pads in there too, that's a given. but, the thin stuff is pretty thin. Even on one side, it seams as if it would tear easy on an eyelet, even though it's obviously two pieces one on top plus the lined leather too. The thin stuff stretches twice as much as the thicker stuff, if that helps any.

Rag- it's just another leather piece that folds over to conceal the "black" leotard. That's what the seamstress said.

Edit** Actually, the lambskin only stretches when pulled one direction. AND it's definately lambskin!!! I did a ratio on the pic04286, the texture and the Thinness are perfect! When I folded the white chapsides tight, it was way too thick on the edge of the seam. And, it's a tad more pourous than the chapsides to "Catch" the paint. I will fold the two and post a pic...

ok here goes... the choice is.... <font size ="5"> #1

compare to this pic...

It has to be the thinner lambskin leather You guys picked right!!! I haven't ordered from them yet, but it is product number LMBITAL100 white lamb &#36;3.35 per square foot. I haven't had time to run to the fabric store and get some vinyl to compare it to for pricing.

After much deliberation, Dallas and I measured the skirt thickness, and the brim thick ness and it is not as thick as I stated before. It's a lot thinner and is 4-5 oz weight. That equals a 0.1" thickness. Sorry for all the people who have started on the skirt. Ugh, I hate losing money. I hope that you havnt made the same mistakes I have.

Are you sure it's only 4-5 oz.?
4 oz. is 1/16" thick...correct?

That would mean it's only as thick as the laces which look thinner and a lace less than 1/16" doesn't seem very strong.

Yep, 4-5 oz skirt, the laces are 1- 1 1/2 oz. They are strong enuff cause it's 1/4 in cut laces. Use some calipers and measure the skirt thickness off of the cardboard cut out.

O.K.,
I was just curious because they look thicker but I realize you've been bugging your eyes out getting it right.

MonCal wrote:
O.K.,
I was just curious because they look thicker but I realize you've been bugging your eyes out getting it right.

Hey, not only that, but i wasted close to 200.00 cutting up the wrong leather hides. I started on 9-10, then went to 7-8. man, what an expensive mistake.

Zam I Am wrote:
Hey, not only that, but i wasted close to 200.00 cutting up the wrong leather hides. I started on 9-10, then went to 7-8. man, what an expensive mistake.

Wow! Sorry to hear that! So you're on your third hide for the skirt?

I'll take your word for it then

Oh, please forgive me for this.....(ducks behind monitor)
:o
I am still confused on some dimensions:
this is pic #4507 cropped

If measurement A = 9mm which is just under 3/8" then
measurement "B" would be 3/16"
measurement "C" would be 1/8" which is 8 oz. leather.
4 oz. (1/16") would be barely thicker than that lace (should've dimensioned that also)

oK, then my measurement on the beads might be off. I took all my measurments off of the stand up. The square should be 2 inches tall.

When I get home, I will scan the thicknesses in oz. by the tandy catalog. I think 1-1/2 oz lace is actually closer to 1/32" thickness. The width should be around 1/4" or a little less. I know the slots are 1/4" tall. So lace could be 3/16" wide...
When I took the caliper width. approximately .12 of an inch is what I got for the thickness of the leather on the cut out. 1/8" is .125 of an inch. So, when I measured the thickness of my 4 oz. leather, I got .11 of an inch. That's where I came up with my measurements. Mebbe 5-6 oz? I gotta check the tandy measurements on the oz.= thickness thing again.

EDIT***
Ok, for some reason whoever measured and put the tag on my holster leather at the tandy store marked it as 4-5 oz, when really it is closer to 7-8 oz. Both my holster leather and skirt leather measure around .11 of an inch. So, I guess it's a good thing that I was tricked? Actually, no wonder my skirt lace didn't fit the hole the first time. UGH!!!! Ok I am massively messed up. So, Yeah, skirt leather is 7-8 oz. Sorry yall. I am really perturbed, I cut all that lace cause something was mislabeled. Grrr...
Well my 1 oz leather (for the lace) is .045 of an inch. If that helps any. 1/32" =.03125" and 1/16" equals.0625" so it will fit the holes I punched out just fine. Good! then my skirt leather isn't wrong. whew! And the hole puncher and all the work i did is totally correct on the skirt.

<font color="#FF00CC">Final word= skirt leather for squares is 1/8" or 7-8 oz. leather. FORGET what I said earlier. Moncal thanks for correcting us.

Zam I Am wrote:
FORGET what I said earlier. Moncal thanks for correcting us.

Sure..I hated to bring it out like that. I was just confused Hopefully it saved you some extra work if you hadn't started over (again).

On another note, I have gone to 6 leather shops between Ft. Collins and Denver in the past few days trying to find some predyed purple pig. I finally found one piece of pig that's the correct color for the veil and will probably work for the shins if there is enough. Anyway, one lady (very nice and helpful) recommended "plonge" (plonjay) for the vest, cumberbun. She gave me a white sample and it looks a lot like lambskin but is a much higher grade leather and is cow hide. It's really a nice leather. She said lambskin and pigskin will tear extremely easily and she has to repair 5 or 6 garments per week for people made from pig or lamb. It's not something Tandy has and many leather shops don't carry it. She gets it from a company called "Hide & Leather House" out of California. I guess it's fairly pricey but she said I won't have to worry about it. I think she said a 24 sq. ft piece would be approx. &#36;180.00. I'll probably go ahead and get it from her. I may even use the same material and make my own gloves.
Has anyone seen this stuff or heard of it?
FWIW: She is finishing a custom Rocketeer leather jacket for a costumer...it was very nice.

Seriously, thanks Moncal! You just saved my hide wocka wocka! Good point on the lambskin, but is the plonge too thick? I would think the cowhides would be a bit too thick. White chapsides are cow-in the picture above. And, they are nice, but a bit too thick especially for the flaps on the vest. I wouldn't mind Plounging in, (not easy being cheesy) but lmk if she is willing to send me a swatch. So, I can compare to the lambskin and white chapsides. Or, we could do a leather swatch swap. LMK

Oh, also 180/24 is losta cash =&#36;7.50 ! WOW the chapsides at ebinger brother's is 2.35 a sq foot and lambskin is 3.35 a sq. foot. Not to mention, you only need maybe 12 square feet to do a vest methinks. 24 is way too large.

I have a couple little pieces. We could do a swatch swap
It seems like a good thickness to me. I know the price is high and she said 24 sq. ft. is a large estimate because I'd have to order one hide. She said she could ask for a small hide or whatever square footage we need. It'd work for the cumberbun as well. I am thinking of using it to make gloves also along with the shoe uppers and some of the lacing. If I can get it in a light grey (forgot to ask).

How is the pattern for the vest working out? Has there been some progress in that department?

Edit: Zam I Am, I'm going to drop a piece of the Plonge in the mail for ya.

Wow, the plonge is like way better than the lambskin. Lots more durable. woohoo! Lamskin is really stretchy comparitively too.
Ok, money is a factor though, let's price shop around. But definately great stuff! Moncal is the man!
Been a slacker, will mail my lamb/chapsides swatches tomorrow morning.

Edit** Called ebinger brothers today 6/27 on the plonge it's &#36;4.25 per sq. feet they sell it at a 18-21ft per hide. Which actually, since our vest are lined with leather too, we would need the larger of the hides. Oh, i have yet to check out tandy too.Moncal and everyone else--forget what I said about vest requirement on square footage, Let me verify with my seamstress before I get quoted as to how much footage we need.

&#36;4.25?
That's great...like half the price. What would the total be with shipping? I'll check one other place here that I know can get it and see what their price is.
When the lady first told me to consider plonge, I was like " yeah whatever....zam I am already figured it out I'm not here to ask that." But when she showed it to me I was convinced. It's really nice leather!!

Seriously, don't ever think that I have anything 100% correct (cept for the soles of the shoes-- and even that was by chance... I am NOT an expert on leather. Oh, I was talking to ebinger brothers, and he said that lambskin can be just as tough as plonge, it just depends on the hide you purchase. Every animal is different, unfortunately, it's not like vinyl, where there is equal consistancy. Even negative ease (how much the fabric/skin stretches) is different per animal, so, when you sew the stuff, you really have to be careful, how you lay the pattern out. It could render the person immovable. Like wearing jeans vs. wearing stretchy swimwear. Now, the sample of lambskin I have is very stretchable but only in one direction. Unfortunately, anything that is like 1 oz, which we have (plonge and lambskin both) will probably have the very very similar tear factors. (this is what the guy told me). So, our safety net is that our vest is lined on both sides with leather. Hopefully that will minimize the tear factor. ie, 2 oz instead of just 1 oz.

Edit** I didn't goto tandy today, because the owner wasnt there. Will try again next week.

Plonge leather is from a Japanese cow. The gentleman I talked to at ebinger, said that if he could, he would want to be reincarnated as a kolbi cow. Apparently, the cow is feed grains and beer three times a day and massaged all the time, in order to keep the meat tender. I got my stories mixed a little. I thought they were bathed in beer or sumthing. Anycow, I am going to get a sample of their plonge for the vest and probably airbrush dye or airbrush paint the pigskin suede chamois for the veil/mock hood. That's what it looks like to me from the streaks on the veil in the MOM pics. I probably will be ordering it next week. The pigsuede is 11-14 sq feet (pretty large) but inexpensive comparatively. &#36;2 something a square foot. The plonge I listed before comes 18-21 sq ft. At &#36;4 somthing listed above. Vests should only take at most 9-10 sq. ft. That's a guesstimate. Oh, and this guy told me that plonge is WAY tougher than lambskin. (he's been in the business longer) Tandy doesn't sell plonge.

Edit**7/5 I just recieved the plonge from ebinger. I must say, it is really nice, but it isn't as thick as Moncal's sample. Almost like it's 3/4 the thickness of moncal's. Will ask them on monday if they have a tad thicker version. Other than that, and the color, it's pretty nice. Moncal's is more gray toned, especially on the suede side. Mine has a creamier look to it. If I had to choose between hides, Moncal's hide sample is a bit better. My sample plonge is almost too thin, like the vest woulndnt be as bulky like it should be. Let me see what they did, they may have tanned it differently and cut it too thin. His plonge actually matches my lambskin sample almost exactly, except for the skin texture of course. Apparently my lamb sample has a more pourous hide and stretches a lot more than Moncal's plonge.

Hmm, interesting!
That might explain the drastic price difference. The leather shop that gave me the samples said they order from a company that only supplies the best, meaning less imperfect hides....just a guess on the price, then again they might just want more money.

I don't think that the hide was imperfect, just not quite as thick as yours. I will send you a sample of what I got. Zam I Aint liked my plonge better. But I dunno~ could just be preference. I am going to have a cow if we don't get this vest leather nailed soon. Everything is so similar.
Moncal, doesn't my chapsides look like a thicker version of your plonge? Isnt that weird? I am sure that it's probably the way it was tanned. Will talk to the guy tomorrow. '

Edit** ok, the plonge that i have is definately the real stuff... drum dyed, etc. But Moncal's sample matches what we need. My plonge is definately too thin. 1 oz rather than 1.5-2 oz. leather like the lambskin and Moncal's plonge. I am thinking, because of the price difference, I might just go with 3 hides of lambskin. To go with his, you would only need like one hide. I sent Moncal his sample. There isn't much difference between the lambskin and his plonge, but &#36;7 somthing a square foot is wow expensive. So, I am checking one more place, to see if they can match up to that type of leather. I didn't check seigle yet. I guess I should email them. But, if anyone wants to get samples, this leather is definately 1.5-2 oz white leather, cow hide preferable.

check this out, I just sent an email, hope they reply with a swatch, and hope this is close, it said 2 oz. in the description.
http://www.justleather.com/remnants/rem0655.jpg

Quote:Oh, also 180/24 is losta cash =&#36;7.50 ! WOW the chapsides at ebinger brother's is 2.35 a sq foot and lambskin is 3.35 a sq. foot. Not to mention, you only need maybe 12 square feet to do a vest methinks. 24 is way too large.

Sorry about that Moncal, obviously, I didn't count all the facing pieces of the vest.

No biggie.

Hope your new lead on leather pans out.

ARRGGGG! I thought that the sample that I had given you Moncal, was the white chapsides, as it turns out, that WAS the same exact thing that just got sent to me... White sleeve on Pearl. It is 2-2.5 oz. leather. WOW, it's amazing how .5oz makes such a difference on the vest. I am running in circles and loosing time. So, it's six lambs, vinyl, or going broke... I have no other choices at this point.

But I did finally get my pig chamois suede from ebinger brothers, it's really nice, and Hope to dye it tonite. Only 27.00 and it's a big pig! 9 square feet of cutting available. so, it's about 3x4 or 3x3 ft squares.

Edit** so, I talked to my seamstress today she chose out of all the swatches- she loved my plonge, but it wasn't thick enuff, then she chose Moncals-- Zam I Ain't did the same thing. LOL I really think that Moncal's is nice, but I am going to go vinyl shopping. Actually, my plonge can be cut to 1.5 oz thickness, but I have to have a mass quantity of hides ordered. UGh. I am not doing a bulk ordering again...

Edit** ok, vinyl shopping I turned up fruitless...All too thick. ****, six hides of lambskin? Ugh...there has to be a better way.. calling ebinger tomorrow about plonge at 1.5 oz.

Maybe you mentioned this somewhere but what leather did you end up getting? Did you ever find a good source for the plonge?

Thanks,

Cal

Lambskin from ebinger brothers. I think I put it somewhere (rustles through the threads-throws out kitchen sink...) I even put the contact name and tell him that you know me, measurements etc. Cause he will know it's for the Zam project. (I sent him pics )
..Ah here it is!! good ol' search function.. Dang-I didn't know I wrote a book on that stuff
Oh, and Maulmaus-there are your cumberbun dimentions.
http://tdh.prop-planet.com/viewtopic...=6064&forum=10

I didn't use all of my vest leather, I wound up having 2 extra hides, because the seamstress was able to use the center of the facing piece cut outs for the flaps, therefore, she didn't double up the entire vest for sewing, only had facing pieces that were like inches deep on the sides. I think it was something like 3 hides of 6-8 square feet of white lambsin that was used for the whole vest and cumberbun. Costed a LOT less than plonge. And, if you airbrush paint the lambskin, there is no difference in the look between MonCal's sample and the ebingerbro's lambskin. Since there are facing pieces that get glued down, it's pretty durable too.

Zam I Am wrote:
Oh, and Maulmaus-there are your cumberbun dimentions.

Thanks a bunch ZIA! Your'e a Zam goddess!

Zam I Am wrote:
therefore, she didn't double up the entire vest for sewing, only had facing pieces that were like inches deep on the sides ... Since there are facing pieces that get glued down, it's pretty durable too.

So basically the vest is un-lined? And the edges/facings are just deep enough to hold the eyelets and the shape in front?

well, the facings were thick enough, that no, no lining was needed. Meaning, it wasn't "just enough" for the eyelets, it was more than enough. Sometimes I do get leather shavings on my bodice, but, it's not all that drastic. If you were concerned about lining the rest of the innermost parts, you could always glue a lining to it. That's actually a good idea, I may use that to prevent these leather lint balls.

Zam I Am wrote:
That's actually a good idea, I may use that to prevent these leather lint balls.

Ahh... the trials and tribulations of being "Zam!"

Too funny!

Can you tell me Zam I am..what exact shade of purple would you say Zam's costume is in...Forgive me, Im new to this and attempting to make my zam wear! Thanks!

Welcome to the boards Starlett-Bounty Hunter!

Regarding the color of Zam's costume... take your pick! Different parts are different colors. DCB however came up with the following for the body suit:

pantone 5135U(chosen from Dallas's trip to Australia at MOM viewing of the actual zam outfit displayed)

I'm basing the rest of the costume off of that color.

Starlett-Bounty Hunter wrote:
Can you tell me Zam I am..what exact shade of purple would you say Zam's costume is in...Forgive me, Im new to this and attempting to make my zam wear! Thanks!

First off, welcome aboard the purple den...
I actually have several shades in my costume. My hubby and I tried to color match as close as possible using different paints and dyes. Everything on my suit is custom done, so all I can give you is like Maulmaus said, a variation of 5135 U.

Thank you for the welcome and your response. I really appreciate it. I'm so new to this, but am glad that you have such a great informational site like this up. I'm hoping to make a close to authentic Zam outfit as I can for Celebration next May in Indianapolis. I look forward to posting with you all! Thanks again!

Im just looking into buying my leather now, i wondered if anyone could post up how much leather approx they needed for each part of the project?

I thought this would be very usefull for people doing the leather parts so they could work out approx the cost and enquire about ordering at different places.

I did try and scroll through some of the threads and found the approx amount used for the belt and vest (thanx for including that Zam I Am) i just wondered if anyone remebered quickly any of the other quantities they used so we could add it to he list

Thanx in advance,

Langsuir666 just to let you know, I work for tandy leather factory and if you need leather just let me know what kind. Leather can get expensive, If you want to go through us (Rudy Darth G and I) we can get it for you at around 40-50% off, and we can ship it to you with UPS. Just a little heads up. Thanks!

Oh how kind and generous of you !! I have only looked at one place because unfortunately im in the UK and i think that even if i did get your discount by the time we add shipping on it might work out as expensive? That and its a lot of hassle for anyone to ship things internationally just out of the kindness of their own heart. Its lovely of you to offer though thanks very much!

www.leprevo.co.uk is the site i had a look at being a UK site. I think their leather for the skirt is £3.03 per foot and the white lambskin is about £2.40 off the top of my head, so double that for aprox dollars cost at $6.06 and $4.80

I think its the tools that will end up breaking the bank LOL

Yikes!!! :surprise I thought it was expensive here! There has got to be someplace cheaper than that...keep looking before you spend that kind of money! Have you tried all over the UK? How about mainland Europe?

But... I guess if you do have to spend so much... it won't be "expensive" ... it will be "special" ! Good luck!

Is it really that expensive How much would i be looking at if i bought this in the US?

Another reason to hate living in the UK!!! Its only just bearable with Celebration Europe coming this year, if we didnt have that id be outta here hahaha!!!

Skirt leather - approx 18 sq feet
Vest + Belt leather - approx 18 sq feet (3 lamb skins)
Laces - approx 9 square feet

Y'know I bought mine over such a long time period and soooo long ago, I couldn't tell you what I paid now... However, when you add in the shipping costs to the UK I don't know if if would really make that much of a difference. Ask 99centTaco for a quote on what he can get for you - add in the shipping then compare it to what you'd pay in the UK. Really it is the only way to know.

I tell you... Zam ain't a cheap costume!

99centTaco has just sent me a quote Very kind and quick too!!!! Ive just mailed 3 or so other UK leather suppliers aswell. Im slowly working out this is a pig of a costume $$$ wise lol!!! We just paid $170 for some second hand worn in Pradas that werent even 100% accurate its just the sole LOL

Whats that song go like ... if i was a rich girl ... lalalalalalalalala lala la laaaa

Just to let you know that our price is going to be lower considering that we can get most of if not all your leather items in one shot. Not to mention that the quote the Taco sent you is going to be at our price not the retail or the club price. We just want to give a little help to our kind of scum. :thumbup




Rudy G.

Originally Posted by Langsuir666

Skirt leather - approx 18 sq feet
Vest + Belt leather - approx 18 sq feet (3 lamb skins)
Laces - approx 9 square feet

I don't know why I was reading this thread but will update the list up top. Thanks!

Just wanted to add another resource ... Vogue Fabrics now has leather pelts - pre-dyed ones, ranging from 3.5 to 6 square feet, leather/suede. Two of the colors might be of interest to the Zammers out there though ...

Dusty Lavender

and

Lavender

I just bought one of the dusty lavender ones... figuring I could make something with it, if not use if for the the Zam (I like the color anyway and for $13 ) - so I'll let you know how it turns out! I've ordered fabric many times from Vogue Fabrics and have never been disappointed! *crosses fingers!*

MaulMaus, let us know what it looks like when you get it... I might have a use for one too!


Julie

I just shared this list with a fellow zammer so I thought what the hay I should post it here too

This is what we use for our stuff

* Shin guards, chest armor, boots, gauntlets:
sheepskin skiver 14.5 sq. feet

* Vest, cummerbund, gloves:
Garment pigskin white 29.7 sq. feet

* Laces and top layer of belly leather:
Petite tooling calf 6.8 sq feet

* Skirt, Holster, Helmet:
Tooling cowhide premium import 6-7 oz 18.75 sq ft.

Feibings dye 4 oz bottles:
Med brown #121
Red
Purple
Navy blue
Fiebings deglazer for painting boots
Brown nu-life leather paint for painting boots
Feibings resolene 4oz for sealing leather
Feibings solvent 32 oz for diluting dye
Fels Naptha soap : (found at grocery store for washing vest leather before sewing and dying. Use a cheese grater and grate a 1/4 cup of the bar into your washing machine on cold. After washing the leather, pin it to a piece of plywood and stretch it a bit to let it dry stretched so it won't stretch during and after sewing.)

I cut 16 laces at 80" lengths for the skirt not counting the smaller laces for the vest and greeblies.

I got the leather in yesterday and it's a bit darker than I thought it would be, though it is the right tone. (It is from Italy and dry-cleanable! !) I might end up using it on my chest armor, as I don't have enough of the sheepskin skiver left to do the whole thing, and it's thin enough to use for that ... I dunno.

I'll get a pic up this weekend with a comparison shot or two.

Awesome list Moncal thanx for that!!! Just ordered all the leather dying "stuff" LOL

I'm no expert but I thought pigskin only came in suede, not smooth like lambskin, which is why I would think her vest would be lambskin.

Originally Posted by Foxbatkllr

I'm no expert but I thought pigskin only came in suede, not smooth like lambskin, which is why I would think her vest would be lambskin.

Ya, my thoughts were the same.

Oh, and yeh, the skirt should take 6 1/2 sq feet minimally. So that leaves a lot for everything else. 27"long x 28" wide.

Okay, Finally got the picture of the leather I bought from Vogue Fabrics. It looks a bit grayer than it does in real life, but you get the idea in comparison to my skirt leather colors and my mock-hood leather color.

Just a quick question about the veil and hood - who has used the predyed pigsuede? Have you added any dye to it or weathered it in any way? It looks wa too purple to me and i was wondering how best to make it work. Yours looks a nice color MM have you done anything to it?

Also the Shin Guards, are they leather covered for sure? They look plastic-ish to me, shiny in a way. Moncals yours looked good, were those leather covered, how did you do them?

One way to "get it less purple" is to put it out in the sun, so that it could fade. Yah, the purple suede from Tandy is too deep/dark/purple. Mine is actually moleskin fabric temporarily, until I can find a shade of the pigskin I like.

Your mock hood color is very close if not perfect MM!

That is the only advantage I can think of for living here in the middle of the desert - being able to bleach out that pre-dyed purple pigskin!

It's just the regular purple pre-dyed one from Tandy. I opened the box and thought "what am I gonna do with that?" The color was horrible! ZIA suggested sitting it out in the sun. We've got plenty of that here, so it sat out in my backyard for 10-14 days. Kept bringing it in and checking against the cardboard standee! "Nope... not done yet!"

I bought 2 chamois skins, which is what the veil/hood really are, but they have to be dyed, and I'm not sure how the dye will take to the skins with the oils used in the processing. They'll have to wait until Zam 2.0 begins... since I still have to finish 1.0

The shin guards are leather - thin, smooth leather which has been weathered and beaten up extensively. I know they look kind of "plasticy" in pictures, but they are leather! It's simply the finish of the leather and the wear and tear on the shin guards themselves.

Originally Posted by MaulMaus

I bought 2 chamois skins, which is what the veil/hood really are, but they have to be dyed, and I'm not sure how the dye will take to the skins with the oils used in the processing. They'll have to wait until Zam 2.0 begins... since I still have to finish 1.0

I don't think that the veil/hood are chamois skins. I tried dyeing that and wound up ruining em. They don't take dye well. Did I miss that in some book or something?

Yes I did read somewhere that they were... and now I can't find the source! *ARRRGGHH!!!* I WILL find it....

It was an interview with Trisha Biggar someplace I think... not in a book, but on the net?

At FIDM, the veil looked a lot "fuzzier" than the pigskin and looks like the chamois except the color of course. I bought one direct from New Zealand (It looks and feels different from the ones I found here in the US) and figured I would try to dye a small piece when I do the next round of dying for the gloves. If it doesn't work, I guess I have a new cleaning chamois!

Okay... the first thing to go is the memory But at least I haven't lost my mind!

It was in a book. I just didn't bring down the Big-big book to look at! (It's heavy and on the top shelf... need I say more?)

I think it is chamois and that Trisha Biggar & Co. are just dyeing/sewing/couture gods that put us all to shame! Maybe they somehow got the skin before all the processing? Tanned it themselves? I dunno...

Still, overall I think we've done pretty well. There are a lot of talented people here. Thanks to all of you!

I think they paid the tannery to dye it their color.