Leather Parts List- Updated

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.

leathercolor1.jpg
 
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! :lol:

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.
 
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! :D
 
Yeh, I even thought it was chamois suede, because pigskin has a different grain, but I can't find any that I can dye aftermarket, because the tanning/sealing process. And, you can't dye suede. So, it has to be pre-dyed. I even did white dye then tried adding purple on top. NoPE! big mistake, the white is a different chemical than the regular colored dyes. Messed up a whole batch of 3 skins of very very light brown chamois suede. I didn't mention this one?

And, now the source is bugging me. MM~ it's all yer fault! I must've read it somewhere too, or something ~egads!!

Oh look! i found it!
Just received my "Big" book! All I can say is wow!!! Quite hefty and lots of little goodies stuck in all over the place.

Bad News: No Zam material :( :cry

Consolation Prize: Good pics of the fabric that look to be pretty color accurate. There is also a closeup of the veil material. And more information on the costume:

"...is composed of a wide variety of materials: the individually hand-painted heavy leather shapes of the skirt, chosen mainly for their qualities in motion but also because it moved more silently ... molded Flexicast that was used to hold the curve of the front tubes; metal powders were incorporated into flexible polyurethane making small pouches; the fine leather covering the polyster resin of the arm protectors; Neoprene fabric for the body suit; a chamois suede face veil with red silk forming the lining; the lead beads handing from a trapuntoed belt with rubber accessories and boots ... "

So all in all, I think the Zammers (DCB, ZIA and MonCal especially) did a fantastic job on figuring out what everything was and making it look right! (y)

Isn't it uncanny that I even thought it was chamois suede years before dressing the galaxy came out? I've amazed myself! Muhahahahah!
 
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Okay... the first thing to go is the memory ;) But at least I haven't lost my mind! :D

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. (y) Thanks to all of you!
 
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 ;)
DCB recommends using 4 oz leather for all the


Brim of Helmet: 6-8 oz. Premium tooling and carving single or double shoulders or economy single shoulders (same as skirt material) (The lower 6-7 oz. weight seems to be better)(tandy) approx 1.5 sq. foot
 
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I received an email saying a couple of my posts were quoted. It was like being summoned from the past lol ;)
2007. Man, how time has flown by.
 
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