Archers - brace yersels!

[Eric_Methven]

I made some bracers today. There's a bowyer coming to collect them next week and I'm swapping them for a new ash longbow. Good deal from my point of view and he's happy with it.

Thought I'd share the photos while I still have them.

These are just tooled and the leather is still damp. They will be getting painted in detail with coloured dyes and polished before he gets them though.

This is how they look when ready to wear.

Celtic cross on this one

Coat of arms

Another Celtic cross

Celtic wolf on this one. Not authentic animal knotwork, but it's aimed at the LARP fraternity.

If I remember, I'll take a few more snaps when I've done the colouring in bit.

Eric

 

[Seagull]

Woowoowooo!
That's swish looking work, Eric.

Hate to think how long the embossing took.

Well done.

Ceeg

 

[SOAR]

I love the Celtic crosses Eric very nice indeed.

Simon.

 

[andyn]

I recently made myself a leather bracer, I was even pleased with it....



.....Until I saw these!

They look well smart! Nice one.

 

[ganstey]

STUNNING! :notworthy

I think you may find he thinks he's got the better deal.

G

 

[Eric_Methven]

Woowoowooo!
That's swish looking work, Eric.

Hate to think how long the embossing took.

Well done.

Ceeg

The tooling takes between fifteen and twenty minutes each. I have the master patterns already drawn (and I use them for other things as well). I make a photocopy for each one I do. I dampen the leather, cover it with clingfilm, place the photocopy over the top, hold it in place with a wee bit of masking tape then go over the outlines of the photocopy with a rollerball pen, pressing quite heavily so it leaves an impression in the damp leather.

The clingfilm does two things, one, it keeps the leather from drying out too quickly and two, it stops the damp leather from making the photocopy soggy.

Once the tracing is done and the leather has a good strong impression on it, I just scribe round the lines using the edge of my curved awl. The awl is sharp, but not sharp enough to cut the leather. It just pushes in and makes a nice groove that will remain when the leather dries. Not many tools needed for this kind of work. It looks a lot harder than it is really.
.
Eric

 

[Eric_Methven]

STUNNING! :notworthy

I think you may find he thinks he's got the better deal.

G

I want him to think he's got the better deal, but really, I can knock these out in no time flat.

Eric

 

[Grooveski]

They're really nice.

Forgot to lift my brace last weekend. Thought "Not a problem, ages since I slapped my arm anyway".
Ho, ho, ho. (That's not what I was saying at the time though)

 

[Heathenpeddler]

They are fantastic Eric

 

[spamel]

Not a bad deal at all! I want to get myself sorted with a bow some time, and I just realised that we chopped up a good piece of mountain ash at delamere that could have been perfect for a play! Never mind!

I could have done with one of those bracers when I was shooting Guyceps' bow. Twang ouch!

 

[g4ghb]

They (like all you make) are stunning mate! :notworthy

 

[Eric_Methven]

I might do a few extra and shove them on the Maker's market. Yes?, No? Maybe with the BCUK logo on it?

Eric

 

[Matt Weir]

Very nice work Eric

 

[scottishwolf]

Amazing work, has inspired me to do a design on the axe mask i'm making at the moment. Keep up the good work

 

[Eric_Methven]

Amazing work, has inspired me to do a design on the axe mask i'm making at the moment. Keep up the good work

Good, take a pic when it's done.

Eric