I am attempting to make a Frankish leather scale shirt of cuir-bouilli out of a cowhide sleeveless tunic with scales stitched with waxed linen and have had some interesting results from my experiments. Both Brittania and Regia have described scalding or boiling the leather in water, but Regia also suggested boiling it in beeswax as an alternative.
For the scales, I bought a bunch of scrap chrome-tanned pieces approx. 1/8" thick, and fairly flimsy. I cut the scales heater-shield shaped 2" long by 1 3/4 wide. I first tried scalding a single scale, then leaving it to dry. The next day it felt about the same.
Next, I tried melting a block of beeswax in a coffee can on the grill. The wax didn't boil until I added the leather. If I let them sit to long, they tended to warp and shrink. Once I was done and molding them to shape, I tossed in the previously scalded scale, and more-or-less forgot about it. When I had pulled it out, it had shrunk to 1" wide and 1 1/4" long and was as hard as a piece of oak! I ran out of pre-cuts and am also almost out of wax, so I didn't get to test whether it was because of the length of the boil or if the pre-scalding had any effect.
Has anyone else experimented with beeswax (not parafin or sugar water) and what were your results?
I could see making the scales 3" wide by 4" long and then shrinking them to half-size. It would provide armour far stronger against cuts then bronze or copper and would be lighter than similar sized metal armour. Comments?
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cuir-bouilli
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Gaston
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It's unlikely that you'll be able to water harden chrome-tanned leather. Vegetable tanned (vegtan or "oak") hardens quite well, in fact, in very hot water about 150 degrees F or so you have to be very quick and observant to keep it from hardening too much.
I prefer to soak the leather pieces overnight in cool water, lay them out for a couple of hours to drain, then bake them in a slow over (hot enough that you can touch the oven rack, but too hot to hold it long).
Check it about every 15 minutes, and hand shape the pieces each time. It's remarkable the degree of curvature you can achieve this way. If it starts getting dry and hasn't curved enough, soak it a few minutes and try again.
I prefer to soak the leather pieces overnight in cool water, lay them out for a couple of hours to drain, then bake them in a slow over (hot enough that you can touch the oven rack, but too hot to hold it long).
Check it about every 15 minutes, and hand shape the pieces each time. It's remarkable the degree of curvature you can achieve this way. If it starts getting dry and hasn't curved enough, soak it a few minutes and try again.
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James McDade
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Greetings
I have done scale and a set of arms and legs in bees wax. A few bracers and other articules. I too used oak tan as the base material, about 8 oc. I first heated the leather peices slowly in the oven then submerged them in the bees wax. The hot leather seemd to suck up more of the wax makeing for a hard finished peice. Upon removal I shaped the leather while it was still hot and then allowed it to cool. I have read others suggest wetting the leather and shapeing it first. I tryed this and it worked, but! if there is the slightest amount of moisture still in the leather it will cook when submerged in the wax. With the oak tanned leather I experance very little shrinkage. The only problems I ran across was first the amount of wax needed to do the bigger peices. Not so much what it absorbed but rather the amount need to completely submerge the leather. Secondly I riveted steel kness and elbows to the leather after the hardening process. The leather is holding up well but the rivets are comeing through quicker than they would on untreated leather. Nexted time I will rivet the peices on first then wax them. Thirdly this is a " be there" kinda process. You cant take your eyes off it for a second. Do it when you have the time and attention to do nothing else. Good luck. Let us know how it goes.
I have done scale and a set of arms and legs in bees wax. A few bracers and other articules. I too used oak tan as the base material, about 8 oc. I first heated the leather peices slowly in the oven then submerged them in the bees wax. The hot leather seemd to suck up more of the wax makeing for a hard finished peice. Upon removal I shaped the leather while it was still hot and then allowed it to cool. I have read others suggest wetting the leather and shapeing it first. I tryed this and it worked, but! if there is the slightest amount of moisture still in the leather it will cook when submerged in the wax. With the oak tanned leather I experance very little shrinkage. The only problems I ran across was first the amount of wax needed to do the bigger peices. Not so much what it absorbed but rather the amount need to completely submerge the leather. Secondly I riveted steel kness and elbows to the leather after the hardening process. The leather is holding up well but the rivets are comeing through quicker than they would on untreated leather. Nexted time I will rivet the peices on first then wax them. Thirdly this is a " be there" kinda process. You cant take your eyes off it for a second. Do it when you have the time and attention to do nothing else. Good luck. Let us know how it goes.
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James McDade
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Save your chrome tanned leather. In the 12 years I've been playing with the stuff I haven't found a good use for it when it comes to armor, but it's great for hoods, light shoes, bags, &tc.
I'm not a big fan of boiling leather with wax, since, in my opinion, the only benefit you're getting from it is longetivity of the leather. I much prefer to leave leather armor alone and oil it regularly, since it leaves it flexible and doesn't melt in cars.
If you do, and you use the oven method, be advised that it's INCREDIBLY messy. be prepared to scrape uncountable dots off your linoleum with a butter knife.
There's a method you can use with veg. tan that uses hot water. It's 120° water, variable amount of time, usually around a minute or two, depending on the leather. Basically it shrinks the fibers of the leather, making it more dense and harder. It won't work with chrome tanned leather.
Just my 2¢... it's all a matter of personal preference.
HELMUT
I'm not a big fan of boiling leather with wax, since, in my opinion, the only benefit you're getting from it is longetivity of the leather. I much prefer to leave leather armor alone and oil it regularly, since it leaves it flexible and doesn't melt in cars.
If you do, and you use the oven method, be advised that it's INCREDIBLY messy. be prepared to scrape uncountable dots off your linoleum with a butter knife.
There's a method you can use with veg. tan that uses hot water. It's 120° water, variable amount of time, usually around a minute or two, depending on the leather. Basically it shrinks the fibers of the leather, making it more dense and harder. It won't work with chrome tanned leather.
Just my 2¢... it's all a matter of personal preference.
HELMUT
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Gaston
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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by James McDade:
Oh yes and another thing. Dont leave your waxed leather in the car at Pensic on a hot day. And Gaston Have you worn yours in the rain yet?</font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Yes. Mine's lamellar, so it's not the best rain setup because of the upward overlap. If it were scale, water wouldn't get to me except around the edges. Still, we got rained out at fighter practice the other day and I was dry until I tried to take my armour off to drive home, and got soaked while doing it.
The reason I waterharden and dry first is that it then doesn't "relax" as much in hot weather and car trunks.
Oh yes and another thing. Dont leave your waxed leather in the car at Pensic on a hot day. And Gaston Have you worn yours in the rain yet?</font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Yes. Mine's lamellar, so it's not the best rain setup because of the upward overlap. If it were scale, water wouldn't get to me except around the edges. Still, we got rained out at fighter practice the other day and I was dry until I tried to take my armour off to drive home, and got soaked while doing it.
The reason I waterharden and dry first is that it then doesn't "relax" as much in hot weather and car trunks.