Viking Leathercrafts Gear

[VikingLeather]

We have had many questions on the construction of our gear so I thought I would try to shed some light on our gear.

1. All leather used for our gear is either a vegetable tanned saddle skirting from 12-15 ounce, OR an expensive bridle leather that is 12-14 ounce. We like the bridle leather for it's supple yet protective qualities and it is long lasting. If we use a Black, Brown or Chestnut color, we usually go for the bridle leather.

Embossing can be requested on any of our products. From a simple accent line around the edge to full celtic knotwork all the way around each edge. We have amassed a large line of medieval style designs as well as modern day, and can decorate armor or accessories with any of these. Most can be done with little or no extra cost. Just ask. It really "spiffs" up the armor.

As far as tooling goes, I myself hate it. I can tool with the best of them, but it takes quite a few hours. The pay does not substantiate the extra work and I could be hammering out other items instead of the tooling, so most of the time my answer will be, I'd rather not. Embossing on the other hand is a big yes.

2. Leather Colors. All colors available in the spectrum are available through us at no additional charge. We stock Black, Browns, Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, White, but can order other colors if they are needed and available. We use Fiebings brand dyes. We use a sprayer to attain an even coat over the entire surface.

3. Leather Finishes. After the initial dye has been set, we then finish and burnish each edge. Some folks don't take the time since it is only armor, but we have been taking the time to do this for years and have had many comments on it. No armor bites from rough edges, each edge is finished. We then apply a top coat by hand or spraying as well as a back coat to seal the leather. This creates a very nice sheen and protects the leather and the color.

4. Hardware. We only use Stainless Steel or Nickle Plated Brass for our silver colored hardware or solid brass for the Gold colored hardware. It costs a bit more, but when purchased in bulk the prices are comparable for us. We all hate rust and there is nothing worse than getting a steel buckle knocked off with a sword and having to duct tape your armor. Our rivets are usually the copper rivet and burr, #9 size. For light weight armors or something for court wear that is not going to need the extra heavy riveting, we will on occasion use the jiffy rivets, and make sure they are set tight.

5. Joints. We only offer stainless joints on the site, but probably will start offering mild steel in the near future due to the increased costs of stainless. We make our purchases from the armorers of the Archive when we can. We have made purchases from Pitbull Armory, Stonekeep Armory, Rough from the Hammer and James River Armory. These folks work very well with us and we appreciate what they do for us. When you make a purchase from us, you also are making a purchase from these folks.

6. Strapping. All buckles and straps are cut from 12 ounce leather and slits are cut into each attachment point of the buckle side and strap side to keep the straps in place and to also use the leather to strengthen the attachment point.

7. Medieval Buckles. We have been trying to amass a stockpile of buckles and get most of our buckles from ThorThor Buckles. We like the quality of the buckles and he has a very good business practice with us. The buckles make any gear or accessory better looking.

8. Belts. We make a number of belts and use the same leather in our belt making as we do in our armor. Bridle leather for the White, Black, Chestnut and Browns are primarily used for our long belts and wide belts. The leather used is more supple than the armor grade, but is usually a 12 ounce leather. Dyed on both sides and edges dyed and burnished for a finished look. The front and back are coated to reduce the issue of dyes getting on your expensive costumes. The Reds, Greens, Blues are spray dyed and we usually use a 9-10 ounce leather. Each strap is hand cut from the longest hides we can aquire. Some measuring over 100 inches along the backs. Again for the hardware, we only use Stainless steel and Brass for the rings or buckles.

We also supply a Cuisse belt much like the design offered by Pitbull Armory. We use the bridle leather on these 12 ounce, and a 12 ounce strap. Fashioned to curve with the body, the weight of the legs attached to it will not pull the belt down over your hips. Very comfortable to wear and offers a little extra protection in this area. The buckles are stainless or brass and all riveting is the copper rivet and burr. Each is custom fitted to your personal measurements. Available in all colors for no extra charge if needed.

9. Shoes. At the present we are a reseller for Westland Crafts. We only sell shoes that we have in stock, but on occasion take special orders. At present, we are being restocked with the Two Toggle Viking Shoes and 14th Century Shoes. We have plans to start stocking several other designs. There are mixed feelings about the Westland products, and we understand them. Our feeling is that there is a great need for medieval footware in our groups. The Westland products are very economical and we haven't found a good replacement for them as of yet. As far as cost, we try to make a few dollars on the shoes, but don't make a fortune on them. We would rather have a good supply of shoes in the populace to better promote the medieval eras. We have been in contact with the company this week and will be receiving orders from them over the next few weeks. The vibram soles that we have ordered from them in the past, may be replaced by us with another rubber sole. We have found a supplier for a tan thicker rubber sole that seems to be longer lasting. When we get our next order, we will install these on the new shoes to see how they do. The tan color makes them almost transparent with the bottom of the shoe even when crossing your legs and the bottoms are in view. More to come with these.

10. Leather Journals. Our leather journals are pretty slick. We have amassed a large supply of the embossing plates as we stated earlier, and have created quite a large supply of them. As a graduation gift, used for knighting ceremonies, these can be personalized to your every need. The leather is usually a 3-4 ounce vegetable tanned leather, stamped, dyed, finished and then hand sewn into a very nice usable journal. The paper we use is a 24 lb thickness which takes a pen very well. We use a tan color and regular parchment paper as well. Add a medieval style buckled strap and you get a very nice piece.

11. Leather. We offer leather straps in an assortment of sizes for straps, belts or your own projects. We try to keep these down to a wholesale level and only offer clean hides. There will be an occasional scratch or bug bite, but try to cut around most of these when we can. Different thickness and widths available at any time. If you don't see it, just ask. We also have many many boxes of scrap leather, so if you just need a piece or two, give us a shout. We don't have alot of it on the site, but are going to try to use some of the winter months to work on the site and add new items.

For the most part those are the specifics of our work. We try to keep the prices down as much as we can, although the price of leather and steel continues to creep up. If you don't see it on the site, be sure to give us a shout. We pride ourselves in good communications and speedy service. We keep quite a bit of inventory, but when it is custom, that means we have to make it just for you. We run a 3-4 week backlog at present.

We are a family business, growing every year. We also make mundane leather work, belts, gun belts, holsters, Civil War re-enactment leathers, etc. We do offer quantity discounts and Archive discounts. Be sure to tell us who you are when ordering. Also, when ordering in quantity, give us a shout, we can usually work with the price a little.

We welcome feedback good and bad. If there is something you would like to see us carry, give us a shout and we will see what we can do. We do intend on adding more torso armor and gorgets to the list of products. We will also be adding a clearance or one of a kind area to the site for the prototypes, or the one pair of shoes that someone didn't take.

Thanks for the support from the Archive, we have made many friends over the past few years and hope to keep up the same good name of Viking Leathercrafts in the future.

Frank and crew

[Md02geist]

Frank is a great craftsman. He made the majority of my kit and it functioned very well this pennsic, requiring only the most minute of alterations. He is also very great to work with and talk to, a real solid businessman and nice guy. A+.

[Torvaldr]

Frank is not just a great craftsman he is good people.
Torvaldr

[VikingLeather]

Thanks fellows, I appreciate the comments. By the way, I did forget to mention that I have some of Torvaldr's elbows we have been using on some of our leather 3/4 arms as well.

Frank

[Torvaldr]

Thanks fellows, I appreciate the comments. By the way, I did forget to mention that I have some of Torvaldr's elbows we have been using on some of our leather 3/4 arms as well.

Frank

Once I get moved and the shop back up I am willing to make some more for you.

[Torvaldr]

Thanks fellows, I appreciate the comments. By the way, I did forget to mention that I have some of Torvaldr's elbows we have been using on some of our leather 3/4 arms as well.

Frank

Oh and I would love to see some pictures of how you are using them.

[Mega Zenjirou Yoshi]

I have contacted you off-list, but just to reiterate the point, more 13th century shoes, please!