And here's my design template since its hard to show the full design in a flat image:
Design features:
There isn't much book research in this project but it is strongly linked to my charictor (which I will write up at some point, when I have fully decided). My main design feature is that the metal is only on the right vambrace. The reason for this being that I wanted smooth leather on the left one so I can wear it facing in as an archery bracer, and avoid damaging my string on any metal. Even though a bow isn't and probably won't ever be part of my kit, it seemed a shame to spend so long making something that I couldn't use at the local archery club. Of course metal on the right vambrace might be useful in a sword fight (not that I have a sword ether ). And all of the geometric paturns are imagery of the lonely mountain, a link to home. The leather is easily thick enough to work as effective armour and is treated with dubbin to make it waterproof. The metal is 18 guage 'gray ionite' (316 stainless steel). The rivets are modern two part leather rivets, hopefully they will be strong enough but there easy to replace so I'm not too worried about that. I need to work on my rivet setting methods though:
The metal bar was constantly slipping and rolling off the piece of pipe, which wasn't helped by both serfaces being round, and one being higher than the other even though it was not that professional I still felt much more like a dwarf of Erebor doing that than I have so far
A lesson learnt:
About a week ago I posted this:
Now I'll explain. Normally I wouldn't mention a mistake this simple and unnoticeable, however, since its an important lesson that I (espeshaly in my job) should have learnt in school years ago, I thought I'd post it (the time taken might help me remember next time). Here's what I did:Iodo wrote:Vambrace Update:
I have cut the metal pieces to size this evening, which went almost to plan (will elaborate when I post the finished item)
I only just had enough gray ionite to cut the pieces I needed, the first piece I cut was good.The second wasn't, I have no idea why i cut before checking my paper template was the same as what I had scribed on the metal but I didn't and here's what happened:
Fortunately it wasn't hard to fix, what I ended up doing was reducing the angle on both sides of the middle piece to make it symmetrical:
Which left me with the angles not matching:
I would have altered the top piece to match and make it even less noticeable but sadly I couldn't, I'd already tooled the leather with the geometric paturn to match the original angle
So, the lesson I should have already learnt:
Measure twice, cut once
If I'd had enough material to cut twice I would have, but it's not that bad, it adds to charictor and solving problems is all part of the process, after all, it was made by a young dwarf learning her trade