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- [Instructor] Hello friends, and welcome
to the next tutorial in
the Fantasy Armor series.
This time we'll be making an
articulated female breastplate.
The goal for this piece was a
balance of feminine features
and plausible armor.
But if you prefer a more revealing look,
this design is also modular,
so layers can be removed
to reveal more if you prefer.
This guide is made possible in part
thanks to Weaver Leather.
I've been ordering leather
and tools from Weaver
for many years.
And it's great to be working with them now
on this next round of video projects.
They have an online store
full of quality products
with great prices and fast shipping.
They also have great customer
service and experts on staff
that can answer any
leathercraft related questions.
Leather and a number of the
tools demonstrated in this video
are Weaver products.
I'll leave an affiliate link below
so you can check out all the cool stuff
in their online store for yourself.
The tutorials in the Fantasy Armor series
are designed to be beginner friendly
and each tutorial will
add new options and ideas
that you can use in
making your own projects.
Make sure to subscribe
so you don't miss out
on future tutorials and project builds.
By now I'm sure you all know
my typical medium of choice is leather,
so that's what I'll be demonstrating here.
Though you may adapt this to
other mediums if you prefer.
You can skip ahead a bit
if you wanna get straight to the build.
If you're following
along with the patterns,
the first thing you want
to do is print them out.
Just make sure you check the
option to print as tiled pages.
If your PDF program does
not have this option
you might look up a free
option called Foxit Reader.
Once the pages are printed
you'll need to combine them
into one larger sized pattern.
Most printers will leave
some sort of margin
that will need to be
overlapped or trimmed.
One shortcut to this is
to trim small segments
of the margin away exactly to the line
where the pages will meet up.
The lines of the pattern should
flow in a consistent way,
then tape them together using
the tape of your choice.
You can use scissors or a razor blade
to cut out the pieces from there.
Before you start tracing
these patterns out
always make a mockup.
It's fine to just use
posterboard or cheap foam
or whatever else you have available,
just as long as you can
test the general fit.
For reference, the dimensions
of the mannequin used in this
video were set to 35, 28, 36.
And the armor should comfortably fit
within several inches of this range
with little to no adjustment.
If you do need to adjust for fit,
start by scaling the entire pattern
up or down first to fit your frame.
Normally a small percentage
adjustment is fine.
Adjust the length of the
side plates in or out
according to your measurements.
The leather being used here
is a Herman Oak 10-11 ounce
side from Weaver Leather.
And you can use heavier or lighter weights
according to your needs.
When you have your patterns ready
you can lay them out and start tracing.
Just make sure to leave yourself room
to mirror the front and back pieces.
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When that's done I'll begin
separating the leather
into manageable chunks
with a utility knife.
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Off camera I submerged
the chunks into water
for about four seconds per
piece to aid in cutting
and upcoming steps.
Wetting the leather makes
the cutting process easier.
I'm using some very sharp,
Gingher shears from Weaver.
It doesn't matter too much
what you use to cut out the leather.
Just try to focus on making your cuts
clean and perpendicular.
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With the leather still slightly
damp from the previous stage
I'll begin to transfer
the design lines and holes
to the leather pieces
using a ballpoint pen
to trace over the lines.
I'm using the initial
prototype in this video
so your patterns may differ very slightly.
If you haven't seen the previous tutorials
I'll mention again that the design lines
that I provide in the
patterns are optional.
You can use them
or you can some up with
your own variations.
It's completely up to you.
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When transferring the designs
I do not transfer all of the borders,
as I can use a compass
to mark a more consistent border line.
Instead I just focus on marking the barbs
and other design lines.
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You can also use an edge groover
for your border lines as well.
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Now I'll go ahead and punch the
holes needed for the pieces.
I was sent this Heritage
Tools rotary hand punch to use
and I'm really impressed with it.
I've owned quite a few rotary punches,
but this is the first time seeing one
with a force multiplier like this.
Punching through thicker
leathers can be a challenge
but this one makes it a lot easier.
There will of course still be times
where the hole is too far in
and you just have to
use normal punch there.
Next I'll be committing the design lines.
My go to for this is a swivel knife
with a ceramic blade.
Always make sure your blade is sharp
and strop it before beginning.
That just means to buff
the edge against leather
loaded with white buffing compound.
And for most people the
struggles they have with carving
very often come down to
dull and unpolished blades.
It could also come down to the leather
being either too wet or too dry.
There are other methods for design lines
but the deep, sharp lines
give a good contrast
that works for many projects.
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I always like to bevel
the edges of projects,
a size two or three is
fine for this layer.
As you can see, it just removes the corner
from the edges of the leather.
As each piece is worked on,
I'll be burnishing the edges.
This compresses and
smooths the edge fibers.
But I've covered this on a few occasions
in previous tutorials.
So rewind a bit if you
haven't seen those yet.
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I decided to go for a slightly
more elaborate tooling
on this one compared to previous ones.
I'm working on some stand
alone tooling guide videos
and I'll be going into greater detail
for this technique and
for the previous tutorial.
Initially it was my
intention to demonstrate
and explain new techniques
in each tutorial.
But the flaw I discovered there
beyond making the tutorial
videos much longer
is that not everyone will watch
every tutorial or want to.
And there are a lot of these techniques
that would otherwise be missed.
And it's also problematic to
have people go hunt through
previous tutorials for older techniques.
So what I'm going for now
is to eventually have a full catalog
of stand alone crafting techniques
like a library that you
can pull from and use
in whatever project you want.
I'll still be doing the new
techniques with each tutorial.
And ideally be building towards
more and more advanced designs.
They will just be separated
and chronicled a little bit better.
And I'll spend a little bit more time
delving into each technique specifically.
So if you're not subscribed
and getting alerts for the channel
and you wanna see how
this particular effect
is done in greater detail,
please subscribe now.
I'll be glad to share this technique
used in this video with you and much more.
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Now the pieces need to be shaped a bit.
To do that the leather has to be wet.
Getting the right consistency
is something you'll get
the feel for in time.
But just try for a medium dampness
where the surfaces begin to dry back out.
A few of the cut pieces
require a sharp upward bend in the leather
so that it can be cleanly
paired with the bodice base.
The trick I use here is
to use a pair of pliers
and leverage it along the line.
As long as you don't clamp past the line,
it will not harm the visuals,
as this portion will be
covered by the bodice base.
You're mainly creating
a sort of stress line.
This helps you form a crisp
inner edge in the leather.
From here you'll wanna stretch out
the newly formed tabs out a bit
as this will help start the compound shape
needed to fit multiple parts together.
To make the forming process
easier, you'll wanna find
some sort of spherical object,
whether it's a dedicated
forming tool like I have here
or a baseball or softball
or acrylic hemisphere.
Just anything to help you
stretch the leather a bit.
Most of the other tutorials
have had wet forming as an optional step.
In this case it is a bit more important.
Otherwise the fit will not look good.
It may require some practice attempts,
so just start with the smaller parts
and test pairing them until
you are happy with the result.
If you can master this technique
you can use it to great advantage
in your future projects.
I'll just shape the pieces bit by bit
until they pair up nicely.
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Once I near the final stages
I'll use clamps and placeholder rivets
to double check the fit and
alignment of everything.
The color combo for this project
will be purple with a subtle
darkened edge gradient
and finished up with a metallic gold trim.
For the dye I'm using a
Fiebing's Purple Leather Dye.
I find this dye to be a bit
on the dark side by default,
so I'm also using some of their solvent
to reduce the purple a bit.
I'm doing this by eye,
but if you're not used
to doing it this way,
I suggest a more precise measurement.
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To apply the dye I'm using
some dressing fleece.
I'll apply the dye to
both sides of the leather
and go for a good saturation throughout.
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Next I'll apply the dye to the buckles.
One other quick tip I should mention
is about working with the purple dye.
You'll have noticed the gloves
have a yellow golden hue.
If you see this hue don't worry about it.
It'll go away when you
apply your leather finish.
Now we'll talk about the gradient.
I'll be adding some gold trim
and I want the contrast to pop a bit more.
So I'll be doing a manual
gradient along the edges.
I know that not everybody
has access to an airbrush.
So I wanted to demonstrate this way first.
But if you do own one, feel
free to use that instead.
When I'm doing a gradient,
I'll usually mix colors
instead of going for a harsh transition
like straight to black.
It depends, of course,
on what you're going for
but this method is
definitely easier to control.
And you can go in layers.
So if it's not dark enough
you can keep adding layers
to darken it more.
So to do this I just
take a little black dye
and pour some in.
I decided this first mix was a
little too heavy on the black
so I added a bit more purple
and reducer to compensate.
I'll then use the dressing fleece
and start by saturating
the outer edge first
and build up the dark.
And I'll start dabbing from the edge
and go in bit by bit.
Since the mix is not too dark
it lets me build up the
layers of the pigment
because dark colors always
dominate the lighter ones
when it comes to dying leather.
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Leather finish.
Next we need to seal the leather.
For this I'll be using Weaver's Tuff Kote
which provides a nice surface finish
and helps prevent the dye from bleeding.
It also makes the pieces weather resistant
and also helps firm up the leather.
For the buckle straps I
just dip them in quickly,
though I would actually
advise either a lighter coat
or a different finish
to avoid hardening your straps too much.
For the breastplate pieces
I'll use a piece of sponge
to saturate the pieces with Tuff Kote.
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And I'll often buff it in
with a little pressure.
That can help break away
any loose extra pigment on the surface.
After it's had a little
bit of time to absorb
but is still damp,
I'll wring out the sponge
and give a quick pass
to smooth out the surface finish.
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To paint the gold edge
I'll be using some Angelus
metallic gold acrylic paint.
I'll also be using the Angelus brushes.
I haven't tried these brushes before,
but I really like them.
I ended up using the round
brush for most of the painting.
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After loading the brush with paint
I'll normally brush out most
of the paint on scrap paper.
But not quite as much as would
be considered dry brushing.
I just did two careful medium coats
and touch ups beyond that.
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Now we have finally arrived
to the assembly phase of the project.
To join the pieces
I'm using long and medium
rivets from Weaver.
These are my favorite double cap rivets
and I was very glad when
they started carrying them
as well as the black buckles.
I just really like the way they look.
I'll start with the smaller cut pieces
and work my way out from there.
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As you are joining the pieces
you may have to exert
a little bit of force
to make the leather cooperate and line up.
It can be advantageous to
work on the assembly phase
while the leather's still a little damp
from the finish stage.
Something to keep in mind
is that everyone will have
different types of leather
and will tool it differently.
And'll be wet forming it
differently and so on.
All of these things will slightly affect
the dimensions of the leather,
thus the hole placements for the rivets
can slightly creep out of alignment.
So you may have to square
things back up a little.
It's also okay if you need
to adjust the hole placement,
but do so sparingly as it
could create a ripple effect
of alignment issues as you
are assembling the pieces.
If you are crafting this
and you find yourself
a little overwhelmed
at this assembly stage
or the wet forming stage,
what I suggest you do
is trace out a few of the
smaller pieces from this pattern
and a portion of the breastplate base
and just use those as
sacrificial test pieces.
Don't bother with the fancy
tooling or anything else.
Just focus on shaping and assembly.
Once you get confidence there,
then move onto final assembly.
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I'll also be skiving some
of the overlapping areas
to make it a bit easier to rivet
and also to reduce sharp
edges on the inside
that would be uncomfortable when worn.
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The back plate is much easier to assemble.
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Next we'll be needing a retaining strap
to connect all the segmented layers
and let everything compress and twist
and allow easy mobility.
Unless of course you wanna
just wear the top portion only,
in which case skip ahead
to the strap section.
For the retaining straps
I like to use something firm but supple.
Something heavy enough to not
stretch and distort too much
but also something that has a little give
so it is still comfortable
and lets the connected
components move fluidly.
I'm just cutting out a 3/4 inch wide strap
and will mark the holes according
to the pattern reference.
Then I will start from the bottom plate
and set the rivets connecting
the strap to the plate.
I will work my way up plate by plate.
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(banging)
The only thing left to
assemble is the buckle straps
at this stage.
I went for 3/4 inch buckles here.
I'll add the buckle to each strap
and set the rivets there.
If you need more guidance or buckles,
please refer a couple videos back
where I go over how to for buckles.
And include a free link to a PDF guide
that has tons of interesting
examples you can play with.
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As to the buckle placements,
it'll be much like the
previous Cuirass tutorial.
I do suggest you wear whatever
garb you intend to wear
under the breastplate and
mark your buckle placements
accordingly from there.
Also since the plates are somewhat narrow
try to place your buckles down low
on each plate except for the top plate
where you'll shoot for the middle.
As a side point, if you intend
to wear this over your skin
and no other garb, you might
consider lining the leather
with something soft to increase comfort.
While the buckle placements
do not have to be perfect,
since you'll have a lot
of adjustment potential,
it still helps to center the buckles
along a default setting
and you'll easily have room
to contract or to expand,
should the need arise.
Just as a tip for you, one
possible time saving route
to figure out the
placements of the buckles
is to first go ahead and attach
all the front tongue ends
to the front breastplate pieces,
then feed all of your
buckle ends onto the tongues
at a suitable middle point on the strap.
Then ideally with the help of a friend
go plate by plate and
mark your hole placements
for the buckle strap ends from there.
Just make sure to do so evenly
or it can pull the front of
your piece out of center.
To attach all the buckles
and set the rivets
I decided to have a whack
with this comically large
acme inspired cartoon mallet
that Weaver sent me for this project.
It's a Barry King mallet.
It's actually glorious.
I rate it five out of five whacks.
I appreciate you coming
this far into the video.
That alone makes it worth it for me.
Also want to extend thanks to my patrons
for helping to make these videos possible.
It's no secret that I have a lot of tools
and you'll see me use all sorts of them
throughout these videos.
And I'll be promoting
some of the shiny new ones
along the way as well.
But I just want to remind you
that if you are starting
out not to get discouraged
based on the overwhelming
quantity of possible tools
and supplies that exist.
Nobody starts out with all of these tools.
And even if they did there's no way
they would put them all to good use.
Remember that past videos
as well as future ones
will be demonstrating other
tools and alternate methods
if you do not have the
exact tools that I use.
I already have one video in
the Getting Started series
and more will be coming along the way.
And I'll also be putting out
more free patterns at some point
so I can help as many people as possible
get started with grafting,
whether it's leather work or otherwise.
Be sure to like, subscribe and share.
And you can get some extra content
if you wanna join us on Patreon.
Thanks for coming along.
I'm glad you could be here
and hope to see you next time.
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