Straight From the Shop

As we all know our armor is always in a state of constant disrepair, and when we let this lapse for a long enough period of time it can lead to injury and disqualification from the tourney field.  This week I spent a brief period of time updating and upgrading a few pieces of my gear.   Remember these waxed leather bazubands: 

In regard for my arms metal slats were added for more protection.

(Note the effort used to hold said leather in shape.)

Taking a blow to the shins is an uncomfortable and somewhat irritating experience.  So, On To Greaves!

 After cutting my greave pattern out of 3/8s leather I realized it was really rather ridged in smaller pieces and needed to be shaped.  Standard simple soaking procedure is as follows:
 
(1) soak leather piece in water until saturated.
(2) place leather piece over/in mold and secure.
(3) let leather dry in mold and remove.

Materials

After soaking my leather I needed a way to attach it to my mold.  Some inquiring yielded a fairly simple solution.  While forcing my leather onto the mold I diligently fought embarrassment to cover it in plastic wrap.  This plastic layer protects the leather from the duct tape used to secure it in place on the mold.  Picture as follows. 

Leather secured on mold with tape