The Armour Archive

I want to make female chest protection for SCA fencing out of leather. I'm looking for the best combination of lightness, thinness, and stiffness in the leather. Would something like 3-to-4-ounce tooling shoulders be a good choice?

I'd like to use the same type of leather, whatever it is, for plates for a jack of plates or brigandine for SCA rapier/cut and thrust. Also perhaps for sword scabbards.

Thanks for any advice.

If you plan on water hardening it you will need minimum 6oz. And that is pretty thin. If you plan on dishing/molding it you will need thicker than that.

For any degree of stiffness, I would advise 8-10oz leather. 3-4oz leather is fairly puncture resistant, but gives very easily, even if hardened (which would be difficult).

I probably won't be hardening it in any way. Perhaps wet-forming it. I found some leather placemats at a thrift store which I estimate to be about 6-ounce leather. They're stiffer than garment leather but still flexible. About as stiff as a belt, a workboot, or a leather coaster. I'd like to find similar leather. This is for SCA rapier fighting, not heavy fighting, and it's not for any of the areas that require rigid armor, like a gorget.

Six or eight ounces sounds good for a single layer. If I were to layer the pieces, I'd want thinner leather, so that I could still feel blows through two or three layers of small overlapping plates. This would be worn in conjunction with a heavy canvas doublet.

Would I be better off with tooling leather or with latigo?

What are you trying to do? My fiancee fences, and I was essentially thinking of preventing someone from "gakking" you in the chest. You would be able to feel things through 6-10oz leather, but still have protection.

If you're not going to harden it, get hot-stuffed latigo in the thickness you want. Specify that you want it in a firm temper. It'll soften over time as it's abused, but it's your best bet until then.

I was in error. I checked the 6-ounce leather placemats that I was thinking of using, and they're softer than I want for chest protection, although they'd be good for a stout jerkin. Yes, I would need the heavier leather, as suggested, to get the firmness I want. I already have some heavy saddle skirting. I think I can use that unhardened and get the "gack" resistance I want for my squishy female bits while still being able to feel blows.

I'd like eventually to do a brigandine or jack of plates for rapier, with layered unhardened leather plates instead of metal. The six- to 10-ounce leather might be good for that. How good is the Brettuns Village heavy cowhide scrap or Tandy tooling shoulders for that kind of application?

The other thing you might want to look at is plastic circular thingys. Look like mini sleds. They make them for women who want a bit more in certain areas. My fiancee uses them, and apparently doesnt have too much of an issue.

drop a note to Torvaldr about some leather scrap.
Last time aroud it was about 2$ per lbs plus shipping.
great stuff for a brigandine.
treat them with acrylic floor wax once you have all of the holes punched to seal out moisture.
If you have a pattern I can cut them for you, seal them and ship them out.

Depends on home much "feel" you want ot have vs. protection.

I would be surprised if the placemats were 6 oz. - that's thick for a placemat. If it it the same thickness as a modern leather belt, you're closer to 4 oz. You could double them up in the critical areas. Harden them and lace "plates" to your under tunic/gambeson.

An option would be to line the softer leather with rawhide. Could help in the shaping, and stiffen it some.

I had another idea this weekend. I think I'll make an extra-long linen partlet with inner pockets for pieces of stiff leather over the chest. I can wear it over my shirt and under a doublet or jerkin. With multiple layers of linen in it, I could also use it as rapier armor in conjunction with a low-necked early-16th-century doublet or gown. I might even attach it to my coif-hood.