Shin tops - trimmed or sculpted ridgeÀ

Dustin Crops Boy

Well-Known Hunter
Moncal and I were talking about this and we didn't really have a conclusive answer.... but I'm wondering - do you think the top of the shins are trimmed out w/ another strip of folded over leather or do you think the ridge was sculpted in the understructure and just one piece of leather was used for the whole shin and pulled over the ridgeÀ (I'm going w/ the latter - but I'm willing to be convinced otherwise if anyone has proof):

shins.jpg


unfortunately - i didn't get many pix of the tops of her shin while in Aussie... hey - i only had a week there and unlimited disk space - what do you expect from me :lol: I know, I know... I'm a big dummy :eek:
 
I can't tell either way from the pics, but the way Mon-Cal's making them looks good to me. I think they would hold up better that way also, and you know how I am on durability. ;)
 
It has to be the understructure. I don't see how leather can be applied like that on the edge and you not see the thickness or edge of the cut leather trim as it looks 'seemless' all around the piece... And yes it would be best to be more durable as your making this for costming purposes rather than a shelf piece.

-2 pennies


-Joey
 

Dustin Crops Boy wrote:

Curious - why do you think it would be more durable that wayÀ

I figure the extra trim pieces would be more likely to peel than one piece of leather, wraped around the edge. Less layers + less possibility of seperation. :)
 
i assumed they were one piece of leather on a sculpted edge... but i was just wondering what everyone else thought... see... that's the debate. And it doesn't really show that well in these pix.
 
Regardless, from what I've seen of Mon Cal's shins, I think he's doin great.

I'd, er, my wife, will be proud to have a set. :D
 
oh - no doubt - they ARE great. i just got a set of 'em yesterday. That's why i bring it up. I saw that he did it w/ trim and I was just curious what the consensus on that was by everyone (trim or sculpt)
 
Thanks dcb, I'm glad you're happy with 'em. :D

That top trim is very difficult to decide for sure. ZamIam and I discussed it for quite a while in the shin guard thread. If the pics still work and y'all are patient enough to let them load, some topics of discussion may be in there. She added a trim to the top edge of her guards and wrapped the leather over it.

There were a few reasons I opted to do the folded leather trim rather than sculpting the detail like the bottom. Originally I was going to sculpt it and wrap with leather but.
..after talking with some leather workers, of which several suggested the leather folded, I started thinking.

The top edge is more defined than the bottom edge. The bottom is clearly wrapped over a sculpted edge. The difference is the top is more sharp / square-like and the bottom has a bit of a concave. I think this is due to the leather pulling up from the inside corner of the detail. If the leather is folded over on top, it will never pull up. It's sewed and glued and will stay in position.

Another thing I was worried about was the top point of the guard. I'm not sure how zamiam's turned out but I was worried about trying to form the leather in so many different angles in a small area like that. It seems like it'd be difficult to get it to lay so perfectly.
If it's separate, the top is much easier to form.

It's tough to decide..that's for sure! I feel strongly about my method for a few reasons...durability and sharpness to the detail mainly. :)
 
It's really hard to tell... on the left shin guard in the top pic - one part looks like it's all one piece (the left side) while the right side, really looks like it's a separate piece glued onto the body of the shin-guard.

I would opt for the most practical method and the one that will be the most durable.

Besides... if DCB can't tell which way it is... no one else can either! :D
 
Ok, so I did the sculpted way and yes, you can see a couple o'funky angled leather problems at the tippy top because of what looks like air pocket problems, and my styrene was too curved rather than a ^ kinda point. But, the great part about the leather that Dallas gave me, is that most of it stretched really really well over most of the sculpted trim. I used strene on top of Moncal's shins for the trim and then wrapped the leather over it so that it would look right. My reasoning is so that it wouldn't look sewn.
myshins1.jpg

myshins2.jpg
 

judz dwedd wrote:

And a damn fine job you did! Good luck with the avatar.

thanks judz! :)
As for the avatar....it's a mystery :wacko

Yvonne, your shins look good ....I just wish I could see them in better resolution...pics are always so blurry here. I can't really see the details....as far as that goes, I can't tell on the pics of my shins either :p
I can assure you one thing, you can't tell that the leather is sewn as long as it's not pulled so tight that the stitches show underneath. If it's folded and glued cautiously, it'll be smooth :D
It's definitely a tough decision.....I realize.....I tossed it around for a few months.
 
Actually, Mon, you're probably right, cause when you see my leather, the stretch causes the seam/fold not to appear as apparent as yours. Here's another HUGE pic. :D big Big BIGGAR!
ziashinlip2.jpg

ziashinlip.jpg


Same shots, different zoom. Oh, and I could have used a thinner piece of styrene instead? I didn't really proportion them out cause we had already bought one type of styrene and didn't want to buy more. I couldn't determine the grade of thickness exactly as I had hoped. Very durable, can't beat glue and styrene vs. sewing. But, if you sew and glue, different story. The right glue is just plain strong period.

To me, it looks like my idea on one shin, and moncal's idea on the other shin of the real thing :lol:.
Naw, actually I think Moncal's idea is more "right" cause of that tippy top point ^ part. I can't stop debating myself! Hey Mon, can you put some closer pics of yours?
 

Zam I Am wrote:

To me, it looks like my idea on one shin, and moncal's idea on the other shin of the real thing :lol:.

I think you've got it right ZIA! :D :lol: Maybe they were just trying to mess with us when they designed the costume! ;) :D
 
:lol: Yvonne, maybe we should be doing them both ways :lol:
Yours look like they turned out really well!...nice job!

let's see if these pics turn out:

shins05sm.jpg

02.jpg

03.jpg


Still blurry but better.
The guard on the right hasn't been weathered yet so the highlights aren't as prominant
 
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