http://site5032147.crozetleatherdesign.com/blogBLOG RSSSat, 16 Apr 2022 01:23:39 GMTSat, 16 Apr 2022 01:23:39 GMThttp://site5032147.crozetleatherdesign.com/blog/full-frontalAfter establishing my lacing chops on the sode (shoulder armor), I moved on to conquer the dō (torso armor) assembly with the confidence of a samurai going to war. Still, it was a battle.One of the complications was the requirement of tomegawa, thin, short laces that add rigidity to the dō. They use most of the same holes as the odoshi (lacing). Traditionally, they were made of leather or sinew; mine are nylon Tiger Ritz thread. The tomegwa (marked in red in the photo, left) are looselySun, 20 Nov 2022 20:49:16http://site5032147.crozetleatherdesign.com/blog/full-frontalhttp://site5032147.crozetleatherdesign.com/blog/sode-popLet's talk shoulder pads.I finally got around to fabricating the sode (shoulder guards). As with the dō (the vest), this took longer than expected. I had to figure out how much flash they were going to have (just a touch. They were meant for the armor of those expert swordsmen defending the castle in the 1580s. Not the 1980s). Then I researched how ornamentation was used on the kanmuri ita (collectively, the bent-up shoulder piece and first plate). That decoration usually matched that of theThu, 27 Oct 2022 17:57:27http://site5032147.crozetleatherdesign.com/blog/sode-pophttp://site5032147.crozetleatherdesign.com/blog/back-in-townThings got a little busy around here. Getting graduating daughter ready to move to California. Making a custom wallet for a fundraiser’s silent auction. Wedding. Covid. Vacationing in Iceland (thus, the family pic on the glacier. By the way, I’m actually in great shape. It’s the fleece riding up under my jacket that makes me look, uh, thick). And taking some time away from the workshop to mentally reset.This past week, I fabricated new parts. The strips for the back had to be more carefullySat, 10 Sep 2022 21:02:55http://site5032147.crozetleatherdesign.com/blog/back-in-townhttp://site5032147.crozetleatherdesign.com/blog/it-s-to-dye-forAll Hail the Black and GoldI soaked my front lames (plates, strips, or whatever you want to call them) and tateage in warm water until the bubbles coming out of the leather greatly slowed. I then laid the lames on a plastic bucket and also worked a lip into the bottom one, from where I would later hang my kusazuri (pelvic, hip, and butt guards). The tateage would stay pretty much flat.I dip-dyed all the strips black and slicked the edges after the pieces had dried. To get more stiffness andMon, 30 May 2022 02:40:18http://site5032147.crozetleatherdesign.com/blog/it-s-to-dye-forhttp://site5032147.crozetleatherdesign.com/blog/the-earth-really-isn-t-flatThe Best Way There Is a Curved LineYes, it’s been a while. My foot hurt from the surgery. My youngest daughter graduated from college. The Supreme Court pissed me off. I fell behind on my Duolingo lessons. Life got messy.When I had time, I searched for patterns. Well, actually, I already had a pattern that I found on Sengoku Damyo, a site that is rich in samurai armor and clothing history. It has detailed patterns and instructions for making armor. Even though I’m fabricating a simpler setMon, 16 May 2022 21:39:23http://site5032147.crozetleatherdesign.com/blog/the-earth-really-isn-t-flathttp://site5032147.crozetleatherdesign.com/blog/the_quest_continuesIn Search of the Leather GrailIt's been kind of an Arthurian quest. Find leather for my samurai armor that I can make to look like metal, be as thin as metal, and be as stiff as metal. The Holy Grail. But, like Monty Python's knights, I didn't find it.But I came really, really close. More like a gold-plated Solo party cup. And, by Lancelot, I think it's gonna work just fine.The good folks at Weaver Leather Supply sent me six veg-tanned leather samples (they will send 3" x 3" swatches forWed, 20 Apr 2022 00:07:28http://site5032147.crozetleatherdesign.com/blog/the_quest_continueshttp://site5032147.crozetleatherdesign.com/blog/i-wanna-be-a-samuraiI Wanna Be A SamuraiInspirationIn addition to my 15 years of traditional Okinawan karate and kobudo training, I've had just over two years of learning Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaijutsu/Iaido (virtually unchanged for the last 500 years). It's been fun swinging a katana and actually cutting a rolled-up tatami mat while wearing a hakama, the samurai's uniform. Yes that's me proudly displaying my Iaijutsuteka (Iaijutsu Student) of 2022 Award, including my specially engraved bokken (wooden sword).Sat, 16 Apr 2022 15:15:01http://site5032147.crozetleatherdesign.com/blog/i-wanna-be-a-samurai