Archery bracer...the making of!

[Cuiel Rilwen]

I decided to make this thread to show how to make one...as I found it difficoult to find anything on how-to on the net. Hope it will be useful for you guys!

After surfing A LOT I found some good pictures of ready made bracers, and used my flimsy experience to deside which shape would be better. I chose this one
http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/393armguard_feather_jpeg.jpg
because its bottom and topmost edges are curved inwards, a shape that prevents the edges to gnaw on my inside elbow and wrist when I bend my arm.

Then for the designing process! My dear friend Laurelin provided me with the link (http://www.craftcave.com/leather/leatherbasics1.htm) that fed my hungry brain! This tutorial shows the basics of carving patterns on leather. I pondered a lot about what tools to get, and luckily my local shoemaker is also an avid leathercarver! He ordered a swivel knife and a bevelling tool, and gave me loads of useful info! I also bought the leather from him, and some leather stain and patinating oil.

I drew a template based on my arm meassurements and cut a paper pattern which I scanned and saved in photoshop. I cropped it and then resized it so the meassurements were close to the actual size of the bracer. I then opened a square celtic motif on top of the template and made the background transparent. I then resized it to fit the template. I dragged and dropped the motif onto the template as a new layer, and then distorted the motif so it fit the template's shape. I had to clean it up quite a bit because of the resizing, something that maybe wasn't necessary as I really only needed guidelines. I then printed the image and checked the size, which was good. Here is the finished pattern:

http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/3022/393bracer02.jpg

I cut the leather bracer based on the template. I then used a very soft pencil to redraw the lines of the celtic design, positioned it up-side-down on the leather bracer, and traced on the backside with a very thick knitting needle. This is the bracer before cutting or staining was performed.
http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/3022/393bracer01.jpg

More will follow later!

[Steve the Great]

It looks absolutely great, Cuiel! :whoohoo: Can't wait to see the rest of the work...

Umm... I moved this thread to the Smithy since that place is dedicated to making weapons and accessories...

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Oh my mistake! lol Thanks Steve!

[Laurelin]

Very cool Cuiel!! :thumbs:

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Thanks sweetie! :)

[Charmander]

Wow! You're more enterprising than I could ever be!! I'm very impressed notworthy!

[Laurelin]

Cuiel is quite talented! :rose:

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Hehehe thanks guys very sweet of you! :grin: I'm just thinking about all the time I put in trying to find info on this, and if sharing what I learnt in the process means creating a few shortcuts for someone else it's totally worth it! :)

[Laurelin]

I truly appreciate it! Now if I ever get around to making my own bracers... lol

[Cuiel Rilwen]

So...next step is to soak the leather. Pick a container that is sized so the item will not bend or curve a lot. Fill it with lukewarm water and let the leather sit in it for an hour. The leather will then be very soft and the surface like clay!

Use your swivel knife to carve along the drawn lines of the pattern, just as deep as it will get while the preassure on the knife is equal to the wheight of your hand. Again I used a thick knitting needle to make the carved lines wider. All these movements I found to be easier and steadier if I pulled the tool towards myself. The carving will be easier while the leather is very wet, so you will need to adjust the preassure as you go along.

Be careful as the leather is VERY soft and its easy to make marks where you don't want them! This type of "accident" can be healed by stroking over the leather with the bevelling tool.

To make the lines stand out in relief you use the bevelling tool, its almost like a tiny spoon. For this I found that shoving the tool away from me gave me more controle. Basically you hold the tool in one hand and bevel it outwards from the carved line, and put a bit of preassure on it with your other hand while following the pattern. You can repeat this movement as you like to get the desired effect. It can also be used to smooth out any small accidents or wrinkles that occure while bevelling the leather.

If the item you're working on is large it will be necessary to moist the leather as you go along, or it will be too hard to carve and the pattern will not be even. This will be very obvious as your work progresses. The bracer was just large enough for me to avoid this.

I forgot to take a piccie before I stained the thing...mostly because it was starting to dry up and I needed to make it dry into shape. I wrapped it around a role of kitchen tissue paper with a coupple of woolen threads, and let it dry over night. Thus the shape fits my arm well!

http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/3022/393cuiel_bracer01.jpg http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/3022/393cuiel_bracer02.jpg http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/3022/393cuiel_bracer03.jpg

And here it is! Next step is patinating it to make the lines stand out a bit more, and then to get boot-hooks on it! :)

[Laurelin]

Wow, Cuiel! Those piccies are way cool! :thumbs: I assume you have a leather punch or tool to fasten the boot hooks? These are really pretty. Very beautiful!!! :notworthy:

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Thanks sweetie! I'm not doing the boothooks myself, I'm taking the bracer to the shoemaker for that! I've tried fastening stuff like that before and it is NOT an easy task! Too bad I won't be able to shoot with it on practice until after new years tho. :(

[Laurelin]

Aw, that's a bummer. How come so long of a wait?

[Cuiel Rilwen]

I believe the last practice before x-mas is tomorrow, and it's obviously not ready to wear. We're having our pigtail-game tomorrow, and on thursday taco's at my place...I think we're watching Mel Brooks Robin Hood movie with them men in green tights! lol

[Laurelin]

roflmao I love that movie!! Have fun m'dear. ;)

[TrueSwordsman]

Sorry I have not posted in a while. The bracers look great! They look like they could have been used in the movies. It is amazing that you started with a flat piece of leather.

The bracers I use are very plain, but they get the job done. I hope that in the future I can soak them and carve a design too. The biggest hold up is not having the right tools and the second is finding the time. When I get spare time I would rather be shooting.

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Wow that is some praise, dunno if I'm worth it but thank you anyways! :grin: I think it will look even better after patinating it, I'm getting a dark oil which will sit in the carvings so the pattern will show better. Won't have that until the weekend tho. :)

[Laurelin]

They really are beautiful Cuiel! I'd buy a set from you!!! notworthy

[IronHills Dwarf]

Those are amazing! I've tried some leatherwork before, but nothing even remotely like that has ever been the end result (my crowning achievment was making a pair of slippers.... :rolleyes: ). Great work!

[Laurelin]

lol IHD. ;) That's better than I've done! I've only made a finger tab. :p

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Why thank you all, most kind comments! :) Slippers...well that involves a completely different type of work, is sewing in leather difficoult? Did you punch holes in it first? The carving isn't really hard to do, takes a steady hand and ofcourse it some time, I think it prob took 2 hours or a little more. I'm so glad I know Photoshop tho, would have been soooooo much work to make that pattern without it!

I was initially thinking I'd make only one as of now, not a set. Maybe that's stupid tho? I really need only one, tho obviously two would look better! Hm. Maybe I'll come up with other designs as well...I might be able to make some if you really want to Laurie...after x-mas. After all I do have the equipment at home now! :)

[Laurelin]

I would love it Cuiel!!!! *gives Cuiel a big hug and kiss* :smooch: :rose: You're awesome!!! notworthy

[Cuiel Rilwen]

:grin: ok I'll have some time to ponder on that later on! :cuddles:

[Laurelin]

Aw thank you thank you thank you!!!! :smooch:

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Hehehe you don't have it yet! Thank me later, sweetie! :)

[IronHills Dwarf]

Slippers are allot of trimming and cutting. And yes, punching holes. ;) Kind of challenging in a way, but to anything close to what you're doing. :grin:

[Laurelin]

I will Cuiel! :rose:

[Cuiel Rilwen]

How about showing us them slippers then? I'm sure they are nice! :)

[Cuiel Rilwen]

So second to last step is done. First I got a black patinating oil but luckily I tried it on a test carving I'd made. I didn't like the harsh contrast so I got a dark brown oil instead. This worked exactly like I had imagined it.

I used a thin artist brush to apply the oil to the carved lines, and I worked on a small area at the time. The reason for this was that I wanted the oil to get fast into the carvings without staing the rest of the surface too much, because the oil sets pretty fast. After applying the oil to an area of ca. 2x2 inches I used a cotton wool to even the oil out. I then moved onto the next area and did the same. After covering the whole bracer I applied some more oil with the cooton wool.

It's supposed to set within 5-10 minutes, but I waited only 5 as I didn't want the surface too dark and also one has to take into account the working time. Next step was to remove some of the surface oil. I used a moist sponge, I actually pressed as much water as I could out of it in a papertowel, because while trying it out on the test carving I learnt that too much water would damange the color. I then pressed the bracer flat and started rubbing it from centre and outwards in successively larger circles, rubbing more in the middle to leave it a bit lighter there. This gave it quite a nice worn effect. Some of the oils stay in the carvings leaving them slightly darker. I then applied a thin coat of wax to make it stand wear better. And this is how it looks now;

http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/3022/393braceroil02.jpg

So now I need to get the boothooks on and I'll be ready for practice after the holidays! :)

[Orc]

The bracers are wonderful, especially for your first leather working project. Once you get the hang of it, tooling leather isn't all that hard. A good supplier for tools, stamps, leather etc. is Tandy Leather (http://www.tandyleather.com/). If you are lucky enough they may even have a retail store close to you, though I think they do most of their sales via mail order these days. There used to be one here in Madison and they had numerous workshops and an open work lab on saturday mornings where you could come in and use some of their tools to work on a project of your own. (Of course you had to purchase any leather, dyes etc). There were always one or two experienced leatherworkers at these labs to give pointers, advice and teach techniques. Great place to learn a lot.

Another thing to check out would be your local community college. They often offer hobby based classes (typically in the evenings) on just about anything and everything. I was lucky enough that the local school here had a blacksmithing class that really got me into smithing.

Keep up the good work!

[Orc]

Foolish me. I didn't look at your location and notice that you are from Norway. I don't know if Tandy ships internationally (especially leather which is an animal product and so subject to all sorts of inspections and restrictions). Still, check arround. There may be a leather (and tool) supplier not to far from home.

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Well thanks for all the kind words, Orc! It's so good to see you back and posting! :thumbs:

I actually got all the supplies I needed from my shoemaker, who carves in leather on the side. And I noticed that my patinating oils and leather dye are all from Tandy's. I guess he must order those from a local agent, as it takes no more than a week to get if he doesn't have it in stock. He also carries a variety of leather so the supply of goods don't worry me. If you do know of a site that can provide me with patterns I would be very happy tho. I'm gonna make some more bracers and then I'm planning on a quiver...for which I don't need a pattern. But there are plans shaping in my mind that I might want to make a case for the bow and I do need some guidance on that. My bow is a competition recurve with a sight which cannot be dismantled when I put the bow away so the easier way would be to buy one. I would like to think I can do it tho...I am a cabinetmaker by trade and have lots of sewing-experience too.

Thats all high up and far away still tho. Any suggestions are welcomed! :)

[Cuiel Rilwen]

And here it is...all done with lacing and all! I put a stopper on the ends of the laces so that I can adjust it with one hand.

http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/3022/393bracerwear03.jpg

http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/3022/393bracerwear06.jpg

Voila! :)

[Laurelin]

That is wicked cool!!!!! :thumbs: notworthy I totally love it Cuiel!

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Thanks sweetie! I'm so glad I'm done with the whole process, will make the next one easier and quicker to make! Not to mention having all the proper tools at hand! I'm gonna wear it for practice on monday...first time after x-mas! I can't wait!!! :) I missed it so much during the holidays!

[elvenrocker]

Wow! that's just wicked awsome! I hope you decide to make more and sell them to people cause I'd definately get one XD hehehe

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Really? Wow...I never considered that! lol I just wanted to share what I learnt! lol Well if I do so I'll let ya know...tho I don't know what would be a proper price. :huh: Anyways not the right place to disguss this here I guess! :blush:

[Laurelin]

I could PM you on the going rate on eBay if you like. ;)

[Cuiel Rilwen]

:o are people selling such items at e-bay?!! Well gurlfriend tell me how much they charge...just so I can appreciate mine more! lol

[Laurelin]

lol I PMed ya that into and an eBay link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20839&item=7125194999&rd=1

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Thanks sweetie! Those are a bit african looking arent they...with snakeskin? Very nice indeed! I see there are some quivers as well. I wanna make that too sometime...! :)

[Laurelin]

I bet you'd do a great job!

[Cuiel Rilwen]

No doubt I'll be showing off in here so we'll see about that! :grin:

[Nilion Elentano]

*takes hat off*

Wait a minute I'm not wearing one, hehe

Either way have to give praise to those who deserve it, and that piece is a winner.

Great work , and keep the great work coming! :grin:

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Thanks a bunch! Comming from a craftsman it makes me happy! :grin:

[Nilion Elentano]

Thanks a bunch! Comming from a craftsman it makes me happy! :grin:

Well you are a craftswoman yourself, you have just demonstrated it. What in my opinion separates a hobby from passion (I find the word hobby rather offensive), is not only the frequency with which one makes, but love for the detail, and understanding of the technique. Knowing our own limitations also help us realise when it's the time to take somethign we have made to someone else who can just give it that finishing the detail which would transform it into a master piece.

As I said before ... excellent stuff Cuiel :thumbs:

[Cuiel Rilwen]

:) Thank ye kindly!

Wonder what "hobby" means...literally? *Goes to find a dictionary.*

[Lessa]

From the Oxford dictionary:

hobby noun favourite pursuit outside one's main work or business

Does that sound better than another dictionary definition I found which states it is an activity done regularly for pleasure?

Lessa

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Thanks sweetie...couldn't really find a good definition! That first one is defo what a hobby is to me! :)

[Nilion Elentano]

I know that's what it means, it's just that for me it's one of those funny words which I don't like. Also I denominate anything on which I put passion as anything but a hobby. And normally I won't do any of these things without putting enough dedication and passion for it.

*shudders at the word Hobby* pfbbt ;) :grin: