thegirlsclub

Isabella E · Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2010 3:31 am Post subject: Making Splinted Cuisses.

I'm remaking my lim bits, and in between toiling away on banners I've managed to do quite a lot. So, if you want to make yourself some hawt 14th century type splinted cuisses with little to no armoring experience, this thread is for you!

Step one, patterning. I took the rattiest pair of old tight jeans I had and colored on myself.

This involved lots of standing around like Captain Morgan to make sure I had the fit right. If you have a c belt, wear it while you do this so where they will attach together isn't off. Join the lines together in the back and cut it out. Then tape it to yourself and check it out again, making sure it won't ride up too far or hinder your knees. Doing this with a helper is really handy but my husband (bless his heart) is not a good helper in this respect. He is the fixer of my computer however.

Anyway, once you have your pattern all done you can make a paper copy or just use the ole jean pattern. Trace onto the back of your leather. Remember to flip it over so you will not end up with two right legs.

You want to trace it on the rough side because you're going to dye the smooth side a badass color. Cut out.

Get dye all over your hands and hopefully some on the leather too. This left me looking like an axe murderer because I chose Oxblood. The pics don't do the color justice.

Next, decorate your newly dyed leather so it is awesome. All it took was masking tape, gold paint, a brush and some patience.

You're going to have to make some splints. I made mine out of 1/8" abs plastic because you don't need buff muscles or special tools to use it. Make a paper pattern for the general shape and area the splints are going to occupy. Tape the cuisse to your leg and then the paper on top of it and do some weird leg lifts to figure out if they will not cut into your joints.

Trace onto the abs plastic with a construction crayon, grease pencil or whiteout. Cut out with a jig saw. Deburr the edges with a deburring tool or a box knife.

Now, you could at this point cut the splints apart so you have 5 or so, or you could shape them now which is the hard way but I think you can get a nice gradual curve that way. It's just more of a pain in the ass to cut them out after.

I heated my plastic in our 4 burner grill on LOW. I put a metal cake pan on the bottom to create some space between the foil covered cookie and and the burners. Note: If you cook your plastic this way you really need to babysit it. When it's pliable, take it out and shape it against something with a really gentle curve. Luckily, my grill lid is perfect for that. Cut them apart if you haven't already.

Tomorrow, GREAVES and also more work on the cuisses.

I could use some opinions though. My plan is to put the rivets in alternating diamonds. Should I leave the ones in between plain? Or do you think a painted gold ermine spot or something would look cool?
_________________
It's not the most powerful animal that survives. It's the most efficient. -Georges St-Pierre
http://windyvalleybanners.blogspot.com/

Cunian · Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2010 11:49 am Post subject:

I haven't worked with ABS. With Kydex, you can heat it in boiling water until it's softish, and that doesn't take so much babysitting. It never really gets hard enough to take a complex curve - just a simple one.

The ermine spots sound really cool to me.

Isabella E · Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2010 3:51 pm Post subject:

This stuff cools and it's still flexible somewhat but it springs back to whatever shape it was.

I'm gonna put all the rivets in then figure out what I want to do in the blank spots.
_________________
It's not the most powerful animal that survives. It's the most efficient. -Georges St-Pierre
http://windyvalleybanners.blogspot.com/

Isabella E · Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2010 11:19 pm Post subject:

Ugh. So many rivets.
_________________
It's not the most powerful animal that survives. It's the most efficient. -Georges St-Pierre
http://windyvalleybanners.blogspot.com/

audax · Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 7:46 am Post subject:

Super freaking awesome.
_________________
Martel le Hardi
squire to Meser Lyonel Oliver Grace, fostered to Sir Gaston de Clermont
-------------------------------------------------------

The Minstrel's Champion

Isabella E · Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 4:18 pm Post subject:

I ran into some trouble with the rivets just on leather without a plate to back them up. I'm still pondering a solution. I'll have to take a pic today though of one of them because I set probably 2/3 of the rivets on one cuisse. I think I'm going to pack my armoring stuff and take it to work and finish it there this shift.
_________________
It's not the most powerful animal that survives. It's the most efficient. -Georges St-Pierre
http://windyvalleybanners.blogspot.com/

Isabella E · Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2010 1:44 am Post subject:

New legs! They aren't perfect, but they're not bad either. I still need to pad the back side and go borrow a whitney punch to put some holes in the knees but other than that they're basically finished. The color in the photos just sucks but they're a deep, wine sort of red.

Man, when you have to peen that many rivets you get pretty good at it.
_________________
It's not the most powerful animal that survives. It's the most efficient. -Georges St-Pierre
http://windyvalleybanners.blogspot.com/

Cunian · Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2010 3:28 am Post subject:

Look bee-utiful!

Ariadne · Club Member Joined: 15 Nov 2009 Posts: 183 : Items

Very nice.

Sarra · Club Member Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 165 : Items

Did you do 4 rivets per plate?
_________________
"Pain fades. Bruises heal. Honor is forever." -William J. Knight, Conals Corner

Isabella E · Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2010 7:29 pm Post subject:

I actually wanted the rivet pattern on the front to be uniform so the plates don't all have the same number of rivets in them.
_________________
It's not the most powerful animal that survives. It's the most efficient. -Georges St-Pierre
http://windyvalleybanners.blogspot.com/

Sarra · Club Member Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 165 : Items

Do any of them have just one rivet at the top, and one at the bottom?
(I am doing something similar, except since mine will be hidden, they won't be as beautiful!)
_________________
"Pain fades. Bruises heal. Honor is forever." -William J. Knight, Conals Corner

audax · Posted: Sun Jun 27, 2010 1:06 am Post subject:

They will tear out if you don't add a rivet in the middle of the splint.
_________________
Martel le Hardi
squire to Meser Lyonel Oliver Grace, fostered to Sir Gaston de Clermont
-------------------------------------------------------

The Minstrel's Champion

Sarra · Club Member Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 165 : Items

Thanks!
I knew I would need three (top, middle, bottom) for the greave plates, just wasn't sure about the cuisses.

Edited to clarify
_________________
"Pain fades. Bruises heal. Honor is forever." -William J. Knight, Conals Corner