my shin guard progress NEW PICS

Can you believe it? For those of you who I've told I was working on this I've finally got something to show The sculpt is still quite crude but I've begun working on it again. This is just the overall shape / outline. I'll begin adding the border and circle detail on the bottom as soon as I'm satisfied with the shape. Enjoy





cal

Edit: Scroll down for updates

YEAH! Love it so far Gonna vac form 'em or glass¿ I'm pretty sure the originals are vac'd w/ leather over that. - but i could be wrong.

Woohoo!!!! looks awesome. what did you use? Clay on top of a mannequin? Cause that is definately some nice work. Have you decided how you are going to do the back calf side where there are three (straps? hooks?)

the back has just 3 standard black snaps - nothing more, nothing less.

Thanks guys!!

Dustin Crops Boy wrote:
the back has just 3 standard black snaps - nothing more, nothing less.

Great!! that's what I was planning. Do you have an idea about the size and style of snap? All I have to go off of are the action figures.

I put all the rest of the detail around the bottom this afternoon. I still need to smooth the whole thing out. I'll get some more pics up hopefully in a couple days.

Zam I Am, this past summer (sheesh talk about slow) I made a mold of my wife's leg and cast a plaster leg to work off of. I recently used the length of the pistol to scale the rest and had to modify my sculpt althouth it is really close to what I had started way back when.

Dallas, after looking at the pics you took especially the ones that you can see inside the guard from underneath (numbers 4232 and 4235) I am under the impression that it is made from a slush mold. It looks a lot like the inside of my royal guard helmet. When looking at the large image of 4235, I can see the rough shape of the inside of the circle piece. Infact, that is what I plan to do. I want to make it out of a similiar material. I want to make it so it will flex a little but still be quite durable. I still haven't nailed down the products yet. Also as you mentioned, it does look like it has a leather texture to it. I have been planning to texture the sculpt with leather or a stamp made from leather prior to making the mold. I'm hoping this will work like patching vinyl with a stamp. If that doesn't turn out, a lightweight leather could be wetformed to it.

cal

I added the bottom details today. Here are some more pics




cal

Moncal are the added bottom portons raised or indented. it is hard to tell from your pictures, but I know from the MOM shots dallas took they all appear to be raised. Just thought I would point that out if you had indented them.

well - they're definetly leather covered... you can see this clearly in some of the pix - especially down by her shoes - where you can see the leather edge rolled under the edge of the shin.

The snaps are standard black Dritz™ snaps you can get at any fabric store - the kind that are 4 parts.

Ragresen, yes they're raised sorry if it's a bit of an illusion.

Dallas, I think you're absolutely correct! It is very evident in your pic #4235. Inside what would be her right shin, it looks like the leather has come unstuck and the rough edge is clearly visible. I suppose the top was too pointy to do the same detail as the bottom so they edged the top with a strip of leather .

Another thing I just noticed in your pic #4232 again on her right shin, it looks like they spaced the shin from the foot guard where they bolt together with a piece of white cloth. Not that that's necessary but interesting anyway

cal

After talking with the rep. at smooth-on, I think I have the plastic material figured out. I just need to figure volume, order the stuff and hopefully be able to get a positive casting Then onto forming some leather


cal

I ordered the casting materials today. I'll post an update as soon as I have a casting! yeah..on to the next step

I have lookedd over the pictures mentioned and even at others and I am not convienced that they are leather covered. I say that because you would see soem form of wrinling on some of the edges if it was and that part that was mentions on the inside I see nothing there at all that says it is an endge of leather. I see an area that looks like light hitting the inside different, but it is too blurred to tell what it is. Also I recommend they be done in fiberglass or vaccume molded as they will need to be flexable to get in and out of them.

Moncal, fiberglass right?

i have seen MANY pix that prove your wrong, ragresen

Oh, and i saw it in person too They ARE leather covered.

What kinda leather do you suggest? That guard sure is smooth. I mean, I don't see any leather grains. Any proposals on getting them so freakin smooth?

I have a 501 thing to go to this weekend, so mebbe next weekend. I still have to get my tandy catalog first. Moncal, did you get a catalog? There might tandy store near you, they are all over the US. I will try and ask the guy, but I am not crazy about this whole natural leather idea (for the skirt). It's very high maintenance. I don't want to have to worry about "treating" and conditioning the leather every year. I can understand repairs if damaged, but not high maintenance. Same idea would apply for shin gaurds for dyeable leather. I can't imaging having to do that for all the leather parts. Yuck. The guy offered some help, but he got busy with customers. I work 2 jobs, so I can only see the guy on Saturdays before 2pm to ask him questions.

If it's leather, and you get some softer stuff, you should be able to give the shin a layer of rubber cement, and tightly stretch the leather over the surface.
As for the shirt Zam, don't worry about conditioning. Unless you plan on hanging it out in the middle of the desert, in the wind, it won't be a problem. There's a product that they make that you just wipe onto the back of the leather, and it'll keep it from cracking up. No, not that cracking up...
But this stuff is mainly used to restore old leather, like old military belts, ect.

Sith,
Is it similiar to saddle-soap? for softening old leather?

OK. Here's the way this works:

1. Wetform the leather (2-3 ounce max) to the piece and let it dry. Make sure to get the edges rolled over the plastic or whatever and clamp them to the inside. DO not allow the clamp to touch the exposed areas that will be visible. When it is completely dry, peel the leather away and it will have the shape. Apply contact cement to the shin guard and the leather, let it get tacky, and the press together carefully smnoothing as you go. The contact cement will make the leather slightly moldable just enough to move it around a little against the surface. This is how I did it for CEL 2 and it is still holding up. Recommend Barge for the contact cement. Very good stuff.

Yeah... I still see the boxes in the background! Moving is just no fun!

The casts are looking great though! Nice work!

Thanks for the compliment!!
Yeah, I should take pictures of other rooms...wait, there aren't any rooms..just tunnels through mounds of boxes and that's for real! This place is just temporary...it's so much smaller than my house that we moved from uggh

Looks great, so, you are going to try to wet form it after making another cast? Or, are you gonna sand/drill/dremel the legs out?

I'm thinking about making a plaster "master" and wetform the leather to it since it'll be solid. The formed leather should fit the castings. I was originally planning to wetform to the casting but since it's hollow and flexible, I don't think it'll be rigid enough to stretch leather against.

Some more progress and a quest for opinions
The first plastic casting trimmed and next to the plaster cast: These pics look worse (blurry) here than they do on my pc for some reason.




Now my question. I have had a plan to cut the back with a couple ideas to do the snaps and overlapping. I still need to play with those ideas if I end up cutting them. The thing is, my wife can slip the thing on and off with no problem. I can almost get it on and my foot is a 12. I could leave it solid and attach the snaps for looks after it's wrapped with leather. There would be a seam in the leather in the back.
Although my original plan might also aid in slight adjustments to size if someone had a calf that was a little tight. What do ya think?

Speaking of adjustments, if someone was short and the guards are a little out of proportion, they could be trimmed down a little on the top.

Dang, those look sweeet!!! so, if you cut them in the back, how pliable are they to bend around for real snaps?

They're fairly bend-able..similiar to my Don Post Boba Fett helmet... maybe a little more flexible. I'm extremely pleased it turned out exactly as I had hoped!
I would do a normal snap setup like a jacket might have rather than a button setup so it would just overlap and snap to the piece underneath. That's what I had planned but I was wondering about opinions since my wife can slip it on and I actually can too since I tried (it's pretty tight on me though)

I just don't know how you would fake a seam if you don't cut it. And, um... Please don't get mad at me or throw darts,I hate to ask you this after, but... you dont have a lip at the very top of the shins. I guess a solution would be to glue lace on top, or add an edge of putty or sumthin. I think that cutting it might be the way to go instead of a fake back, but i don't see how it's possible to not cut it, and still have a seam. ya know?

oh, size/measurements please? can you measure the tip of the top front to the bottom, and the back of the gaurd to the bottom and also the width of the calf? Thanks. That will help determine weather or not it would be wise to cut it down the back.

The top edge has always appeared to me to be a leather edging. That's what tipped me off to the leather at the very beginning when I was having doubts. I'll have to cut a strip of leather and form it to the edge and glue it. It can be wider in the back and go down inside to have more resiliance. This will also be helpful if someone wants to cut it down if they're very short...I don't think anyone of us here is that short anyway

I agree with you about cutting the back. That was my plan originally. If you notice on the picture of the back side, the lip at the bottom meets and begins to go up the back but stops right where the curve ends. This is so I can cut it on either side of that lip and round it for either the right or left leg. That would be the overlapping side of the guard. The leather strip on top would then come down the edge and meet that lip. On the underlapping side, I will make an extension to go under far enough for snaps and the leather will wrap around it and come back on the inside of the guard past the joint. The overlapping side will overlap the joint a little and I'll sand the lip on the underlapping side to where they meet....hope that makes sense.

I'm not sure what measurements you want exactly. It's the same measurements we were discussing a couple months ago...Here's what I think you're asking:
Front, tip to bottom(top of shoe area).......11 5/8"
Top to bottom in the back...................7 1/4"
Width halfway up,front to back..............4 5/8"

I wish we weren't so far apart, you could look at it in person..I'm tempted to send it to you..but you have to send it back..it's basically the prototype

Thanks for the input!
Cal

Where do you live now that you've moved? Mebbe we can meet halfway . I would love to have a zam Prop meeting at my house b4 d'con, that would be AWESOME, like in July. But we know that's not gonna happen. Now that you've moved, are you closer to a tandy?

Mebbe it's just me, but view askew-- the stand up has her one foot forward. Proportionally, is that larger than a real person's shin or ...? Can you take a pic with wifey's leg in the cast? That would give us a better idea of looks especially of the right leg in it, kinda like the stand up.
Actually, I was hoping for the total width by the ankle and the total width from just under the calf all the way around. Let me snap some shots of the leather that I have. Mebbe it Might work if you got the same stuff. I could totally be wrong though. I haven't dyed or cut any of my leather that has been ordered, cause I want to be able to return it if it's not the right type. I know my skirt is ok, but shins -- is more your territory, you've stared at the pics longer than me
First is the MOM pic, second pic (I think it looks better with extra leather or putty underneath the thin leather then wetformed or just glued than the third pic, third pic = lace on top


These are just thin leather pics. I really think the skivers are it, and just need to be dyed.

I think i understand about the leather now. My guess is a .5" piece of 1 - 2 oz. leather wetformed onto the tip of the shingaurd all the way around back. And the shingaurd covered with the skivers underneath. Just a guess. I already spent $300 in leather. Some of it was wrong, some of it is right. I am not an expert by any stretch, but I did cut up three hides already. There is a remarkable difference when you cut different hides and realize their thickness. If you enlarge/shrink my top pic to the size of hers, you will see how thick the trim should be. (I think it's pic 04238 ) And I am not talking about how wide of a cut. For 1-2 oz leather, that's about 1/32" thickness max, like the skirt lace.
Measureing off of the cutout, i get .25" width on the frontside for the trim, so I can only assume it's that much on the back.
Hope this makes sense. I think on page 10 of the tandy catalog, you'll get what i mean.
btw, if you send it to me (zam i am might slink away tip toe-ing hoarding your shin gaurds, never letting you see them again..)

I just love WIP pics, awesome job your doing!

Thanks Jaster!
I do to

For Moncal,
Sith C, wookie, mebbe you can answer this...
Do you think that a 1 oz. trim is just wet formed and placed atop the skivers (rather than a plastic indented "lip" sculpted, then thin skivers, just wetformed/shaped to the "lip" and the whole shin gaurd) ? Or am i totally off? Anyone with any some leather expertise, please share...

Sorry:

I haven't been studying the pics like you guys have, so I can't offer much in the way of advice. True, you could just wetform a piece to get the lip and achieve the look in that photo you attached (Zam I am). I'd have to do a lot of studying before I'd say what I thought they did, and it is very likely that I'd be wrong. For minor details like these, I've seen where LFL cuts corners because it will never be seen in the final print or even on display, so I venture to say that if you find the easiset method, you will probably have it.

I will continue to lurk and watch as you guys perfect the zam costume. Looking sharp I might add. Dallas' helmet is approaching perfection (I knew he'd do that when I first talked to him about the costume and he told me that he'd never have it done for Cel II because he couldn't get it right). I was more than happy with mine.

Oh well. See you guys. My latest projects call me. My Nightcrawler is coming along nicely...

BTW, process goes- wetform, dye/paint, then glue, right?

Glue comes last. The other two can be done at the same time if you wish (use the due to wet down the leather if you thin it enough). I prefer to wetform and then dye. The guy who taught me switches techniques.

NIGHTCRAWLER?!?!?! Let's see some pics of that!!!

I've got 'til Halloween to finish Nightcrawler. No pictures yet.

Contacts ordered.
Makeup mixed
Scars figured out
Hands done
Teeth done
Ears in progress
Clothes on the drawing board
Tail internals started
Tail sculpt started

Teleportation in process

I actually found another tandy dealer near me. I went and waisted about an hour of his time yesterday
The leather for the shins is so thin, it doesn't need to be wetformed. We played with wrapping the guard with the dry leather and it actually took the shape remarkably well. He had some that was purple but it was way too "grapey" or I would have wrapped that guard already.
He was pretty sure the top edge was a leather trim also but said if we (the group ) decided it isn't, we could glue a strip of leather on the top and form the skiver over it. I'll run to the other Tandy dealer and get a second opinion...hopefully tomorrow.

i can see them
Zam

How big would the holes be? Looks about right for the top of the shin guard... but what about where the guard attaches to the "metal" piece that rests on the boot. (I don't know what any of these pieces are supposed to be called... ) Is the leather just glued down over that rounded area?

I don't understand the "stitching" I mean, if you glue it down, that should hold everything. I don't remember seeing any "stitching" I would just putty the top edge or put bondo on it to make a lip, then wrap the whole thing with that "lip" and just make sure you have a groove for the leather to fit exactly with the glue. Crease it with the end of a knife or some other tool.

The holes wouldn't have to be very big...enough for the thread. I think the glue would be necessary to force it more flat. If it was just stitched, it might not stay as flat. This is just for the top edge. The bottom edge is sculpted and leather formed over it.

Zam i am, you would stitch the piece down then fold it back over itself covering the stitching. This would force the edging to have a tight distinct line like the orig. and help keep it from coming undone. I think these will be too flexible for bondo anyway. If you want to overlap a sculpted edge, you could attach a strip of leather to the top edge and form over it. It's tough to explain ...much easier to show in person. Again, this is just a theory and I'll have to play around with it. Probably can use the same leather as the rest of the guard because it'll be folded over itself.

Okie, here's my quickie sculpt and rendition. Which wouldn't require any odd overlapping, but same effect methinks. AND no stitching, just glueing. Drilling tons of little holes through plastic is not my idea of fun... That's just like punching the holes for the skirt imho, but worse...
Anycow pic one is a quickie sculpt of what you have. Then add on the bondo lip (mine is all sculpey, but you get the picture).

Then just glue all under that thin leather and use a tool to make sure it's in tucked into that "creavace" to make sure it has a good "lip" look.


yay or nay?
Oh BTW, I have never used bondo before, so wet formed leather would do nicely in replacement (as you pointed out)I assume too much (I think everything is as pliable as sculpey..)

is that black piece weather stripping? so you would make it two pieces of leather? that goes on top of weather stripping?

Zam I Am wrote:
is that black piece weather stripping? so you would make it two pieces of leather? that goes on top of weather stripping?

??
I'm confused..sorry. It's just another piece of leather (pig I think) that happens to be black. It's folded just like my drawing above. The lavender piece ends just like in the pic at the edge of the guard. Another piece of leather (the black in the pic) will sew on, fold over itself and glue. I think it's impossible to have a formed edge and try to cover the whole thing especially at the point. It will wrinkle itself and won't be smooth. It would have to combine too many sharp corners..

ooops, ok, then you are going to use three pieces of leather, i see. I kinda understand the stiching, it would be hidden. Hmmm. Very interesting. That works too. I thought you could just angle cut it on the back side to prevent wrinkling and use all one piece.

The things that make you go hmmmmmm....

Two pieces of leather:
1. The lavender piece in the pic which will cover the entire shin guard.

2. A strip of leather cut to maybe 2" to cover the top edge.

Hmmmm

what about that black piece? isn't that going to be #3 leather piece?
hmmm?

Zam I Am wrote:
Anycow pic one is a quickie sculpt of what you have.

Why are u bringing up cows at a time like this?:p
last time i checked we were discussing shinguards.
Then again, leather is from cows.....hmmm.....
btw, Dallas, what the heck is that thing on your avatare?
it looks like a mutated greedo!:p
no offense zam i am!!!:p j/k
ZamWessel~

Finally have some more progress
Still need to do some trimming on the shoe guard, add the top edge, and weather it of course



(These pics don't really do justice since the net seems to blur them up a bit)

wow!!!!moncal that looks awesome!!!!!!!!your definately the one im going to for tips when i make my shinguards!!

thanks zamwessel~ !

n/p, i only tell the truth!!!

Like the famousse words of paula abdul... WOOoooawwww!
Sweet!

Thanks Z.I.A. !
Man you were up late last night

Did some mods on the shoe guard:

Yeah, umm...
I was up late...
um...
cause I was fooling with....

192 zam skirt squares!!!

I laced half of the skirt last night Man it is a major pain when your lacing needle just gets clogged and you have to do the rest with L shaped pliers! And, thank God I have a mother in law who sewed my red veil tonite. Hey-- you were up pretty late too!
Nifty ankle gaurds, man you are working things out really awesome! I haven't looked at any shots for critiques, but Looks great to me

Thanks!
Yeah I was up late as usual but trying to make some progress on these guards. I want to move on to another part of the costume

Lacing needle? Can ya show me one?

Here's some more pics....top trim and snaps:




Now to bust out the airbrush

Thats really looking awesome so far moncal!!

Is the back of the shins with a leather fold over too or is that just sculpted, and leather layed on top? And where did you stop with the fold over so that it ends? at the bottom point of the round joint? I havent had time yet to do the whole pic thing with the skirt. I was hoping to do it when I was finished lacing the whole thing with pliers.

Thanks for the kind words!

The leather trim on the top edge continues down the back side and butts to the sculpted edge just at the top of the curve. I abruptly stopped the sculpted edge just as it rounded that corner so that I would have a place to end the folded trim. This first attempt is pretty good but I think I can trim it to blend much better next time and then with airbrushed highlights in and around the crevace, it will hopefully blend even better.

It's a little tricky getting the leather trim piece to round those corners although not so bad once I figured it out. I had to glue it first part way up the edge, sew it up until about an inch from the corner, stretch it over the corner (while folded) and get the leather worked out a bit, glue the edge around the corner and stick the leather while folded, let it dry, unfold, stitch, and refold. (if that makes sense )

Those are awesome shin guards!!! Wow!!!!

Thanks for sharing with us how you did all the work too!! Now.. to apply what I've learned!!! *Like buying a few extra lacing needles! *

I think your work on the shin guards is great and very well done.

I have some questions on your process to get there.

1. how did you get the clay for the original sculpture so smooth? I have tried projects like this but have had trouble getting it smooth.

2. You then made a mold which allowed you to make a plaster cast as well as a slush cast. Can you explain that process, including materials used?

I have been struggeling with projects like this maybe your expertise can help.

All i can say is WOW wait.. where's the drop the jaw on the floor smiley?

Dedication or insanity?

Regardless... they look just fantastic!!! The quality shows in the amount of work you've done on these! Wow!!!

MaulMaus wrote:
Dedication or insanity?

Regardless... they look just fantastic!!! The quality shows in the amount of work you've done on these! Wow!!!

Hmmm..? dedication...insanity...dedication....whichever it is, as always with this hobby I'm learning new things which in itself is rewarding Thanks for the positive comments!

YOUR WORK REALY LOOKS GREAT AND I THINK IT WOULD BE GREAT THAT YOU ARE WILLING TO SELL A PAIR.
I THINK THE COST OF THE MOLDS WOULD INDEED BE THE MOST EXPENSIVE THING TO MAKE.
I LIVE IN HOLLAND AND I'M MAKING A SUIT FOR MY GIRLFRIEND&AND ANOTHER FRIEND.(SO I NEED 2 PAIR)
I KNOW IT IS A LOT OF WORK TO MAKE THESE PARTS I'M WORKING ON MY HELMET AND UNDERSUIT.
THANK ANYWAY FOR SHARING YOU WORK.

GREETINGS JEROEN.

Yeah, I'm that friend, but even if you're willing to sell a pair, how much would it cost and are you sure that they'll fit on everyone?

(hello,
thanks for your reply i didn't saw your pictures of your progress work but i have a new internet connection and i must say WOW! i measured my girlfriend's leg and she has the same size so that's perfect.
my friend Gaeriel comes with measures soon.

thanks jeroen&saskia.

I'm about the same size, just over 12,6"

BTW, all, Moncal's shins are sooo cool. They are NOT made outta fiberglass really... The material he is using is perfect for putting it on and taking it off the leg. It's not rigid like vacuumformed plastic. You'd all be amazed. In hotter weather it is more flexible, and cooler weather, it's a tad more rigid. BUT! it keeps it's memory and doesnt ever lose details i.e. those rounded joint parts at the base of the shin. I must say, superb sculpt, and his anklegaurds are also just as awesome. He even made it longer on one side. There is a right side and left side anklegaurd. I didn't even notice till I got em. Really good eye there matee
I wrapped my own leather with glue and I put my own styrene top "lip edge" on his gaurds, cause I didn't want to feel around, poking myself to get the "lip" effect by the leather only like Moncal did. Both methods work, his might be a tad nicer when it comes to overlapping leather problems at the very tip top angle point below the knee. My pieces of leather, actually from Dallas, was really stretchy, and that helps, especially when glueing down things and trying to eliminate bubbles and also becuase the shell is rounded, but with different widths. If it was perfectly cylindrical, you could achieve perfect and easy glueing, but shin shells aren't, so the leather being stretchy helps out tremendously. I also learned to start glueing from the front center out, otherwise, you could run out of leather.
Now, when you wear them, you should consider going to the fabric store and getting adequate foam for the inside of the shin. This is needed to lift the shin up a little, because the top of your ankle will hurt like the dickens with styrene and the shins digging into the top of your ankle. Comfort first, those joints do move, but don't stay, so, foam it somehow ESPECIALLY if you do a parade or con or something.
Moncal , way up for the shins!

Thanks for the positive review Yvonne!!

I'm really happy they worked out well for you. You were pretty much the trial run on these things And any advice for improvements or mods is very much appreciated!!!

I don't know for sure yet but I doubt they'll dig into a persons' ankles with the regular prada boot underneath since it goes up the leg a ways. Also, I bet if I drill the hole out a little more for the bolt that holds the ankle guards on and the nylon locking nut is used but not tightened down completely, they'll move more freely. Also, maybe putting a cloth spacer between the two might help..( remember seeing that in one of the MOM pics).
Wish I could get our suit done and put it to practical use so I would know for sure

thanks again,
Cal

What are the metalic round circles in the back of Zam's shinguards and over the ankles? They look like brass fasteners, similar to those below.

<img src=http://images.officemax.com/images/kreb_large/09015442.GIF>

Would these work? And what are the fasteners for, really? Me wanting to save as much money as possible is looking for inexpensive solutions :p

Awesome thread!

Raef_Wolfe wrote:
What are the metalic round circles in the back of Zam's shinguards and over the ankles? They look like brass fasteners, similar to those below.

Well, the shin guard actually overlaps itself in the back and snaps together with typical dritz snaps...found at tandy. The plastic allows this with its flexiblity. It is rigid but also flexible at the same time unlike typical vac-formed ABS or even fiberglass.
There are screws on the sides of the guards that bolt the shin guard to the ankle guard.

Seeker, thanks!!

BTW,
I am back home, although things are still chaotic I have been making some progress

WOW Big color difference there. So which one is it more like? The leather color of the top more-red, or bottom pic-more lavender?

VERRY excellent resilient shins btw. I still think they are sooo awesome. Especially cause you picked out the right casting materials. I hear troopers complain all the time about breaking/cracking pieces of their costume. I have no remorse when the shins I have from ya, take a beating. My remorse comes from everything else I've have that isn't shatter proof and I have wound up with MORE putty and MORE paint on everything. I spend more time on repairs than on upgrades. Nothing likes to just stay resilient cept for your shins! I think I have lost my toe spikes the most~ 2-3 times already.

Keep up the great work!

Yvonne

Zam I Am wrote:
WOW Big color difference there. So which one is it more like? The leather color of the top more-red, or bottom pic-more lavender?

Thanks zamiam! I'm glad you're still happy with them.

Well, the real color is closer to the top 5 pics which is the lighter color and closer to the pics in the Visual Dictionary. I just thought I'd show the pics with the flash to show how much variation there can be with different lighting

Just fixin pics

Oops found the right thread now! yay. What sort of glue did you guys use to glue the leather down with onto the shins? Im gonna try these this week Were we using the skins for the veil on this or dyed skivers?

if i remember correctly cal stated he had some alternative method for the shins...cal? any luck on that

Righty dokey! I just enquired about some sheepskin skivers for the shins, what dye did you use to dye them with Moncal? I thought about using the back of the veil pigskin but its not the right color and ive spend a month getting the front the right color LOL

These shin guards are nothing short of AMAZING. Fantastic work.

Great job! Very impressive

Ok scratch getting the skivers They want £44 for one 12 foot skin for me to dye myself and im not paying that!!!

Originally Posted by Langsuir666

Ok scratch getting the skivers They want £44 for one 12 foot skin for me to dye myself and im not paying that!!!

12 feet? Do you even need that much for the shins?

They will only sell it in whole skins which is approx 12 feet Im not sure how much we need

That is pure awesomness

becky, i know at the tandy i went to they had some real cheap pigskins...6 dollars a piece...thats whay i used to make the test pattern for our vest...the leather is a little dark but they had some lighter stuff as well...if your going to paint the shins rather than dye i bet that stuff would work and its real thin and inexpensive...some pieces have some bad spots on them but if your going for the worn and weary zam...then that shouldnt be an issue

Tandy didn't sell the skivers last time I tried to get some. I think the cheap stuff you're talking about is way too thick (it looked like that from photos of the vest).

Well... one alternative is the Vogue leather pelts http://www.voguefabricsstore.com/sto...p-1-c-296.html The skins are very very thin (and soft!) and would work well for covering the shin guards. You would need one skin per shin guard (I measured on mine and it would work fine.).

The only issue might be color - the "Dusty Lavender" that I had bought was a bit dark - I don't know about the regular "Lavender" as I never bought any. I bought a "natural" one recently, but it was suede on both sides (much more on one than the other) You could dye it the color you want - but it wouldn't look as shiny as you might want.

Originally Posted by MaulMaus

Tandy didn't sell the skivers last time I tried to get some. I think the cheap stuff you're talking about is way too thick (it looked like that from photos of the vest).

Well... one alternative is the Vogue leather pelts http://www.voguefabricsstore.com/sto...p-1-c-296.html The skins are very very thin (and soft!) and would work well for covering the shin guards. You would need one skin per shin guard (I measured on mine and it would work fine.).

The only issue might be color - the "Dusty Lavender" that I had bought was a bit dark - I don't know about the regular "Lavender" as I never bought any. I bought a "natural" one recently, but it was suede on both sides (much more on one than the other) You could dye it the color you want - but it wouldn't look as shiny as you might want.

So was the Dusty Lavender one shiny on one side? Or suede on both like the natural?