Boiling leather

[mountainm]

Did a little experiment boiling some 4mm veg tan leather today. I need some hard "plates" for an experiment. It's a very interesting material.

Instructions

Completely wet your leather then put to one side. Bring a pan to the boil then pop the leather in until it changes colour. This won't take long. About 30 seconds for me.

Bring out the leather and it'll be malleable like plastic. It'll take a shape but it'll cool and harden quickly shrinking as it does so make sure you have something to enable you to hold its form (in my case a press).

Some observations.

No point stamping it, any embossed designs will all but disappear.

The longer you leave it the harder and darker it'll get when you take it out. However it will also be more brittle and shrink even more.

Different batches of leather behave differently. My good quality leather didn't shrink as much as my medium quality stuff despite being the same thickness.

When completely dry you can sand and drill, but don't even bother with an awl.

Uses?

Armour
Buttons
Plates

Think natural kydex.

Tips.

Cut a bit bigger than you need, it will shrink. Better to practice first.
It deforms unevenly, your neatly cut edges will be rendered wobbly. So don't stress about it.

 

[ex-member BareThrills]

Nice one Mike. Always nice to test new things. Got any pics

 

[mountainm]

Pics to follow once I've finished my "thing" suffice to say it doesn't look like much other than very dark gnarly veg tan.

 

[Wayland]

I made a leather helmet for the Viking Museum at Lofotr a few years ago which we soaked in hot wax. Not quite boiling but certainly very hot.

We tested a curved plate of the same material. The result repelled a broad head arrow and an axe strike. Eventually we got an arrow to stick in it by hitting it dead square on. The tip would have cased a scalp wound but not much more.

The longbow was unmarked but felt to be about 60lb. Broadhead forged steel. Range about 20'.

Sadly I lost the pictures in a catastrophic Raid failure but it was impressive material.

 

[mountainm]

I made a leather helmet for the Viking Museum at Lofotr a few years ago which we soaked in hot wax. Not quite boiling but certainly very hot.

We tested a curved plate of the same material. The result repelled a broad head arrow and an axe strike. Eventually we got an arrow to stick in it by hitting it dead square on. The tip would have cased a scalp wound but not much more.

The longbow was unmarked but felt to be about 60lb. Broadhead forged steel. Range about 20'.

Sadly I lost the pictures in a catastrophic Raid failure but it was impressive material.

Did you see the tv show about ancient Greek "kevlar" armor?

 

[Man of Tanith]

I'm gonna follow this with a lot of interest as its a technique I've seen referenced in several fantasy books I've read but never really understood it.

Are you boiling the individual pieces and then assembling the finished item?

 

[mountainm]

I'm gonna follow this with a lot of interest as its a technique I've seen referenced in several fantasy books I've read but never really understood it.

Are you boiling the individual pieces and then assembling the finished item?

Lol. My project is a very small one. Only 2 pieces. Not sure if I'd want to waste a lot of veg tan this way - unless I was making repro armor.

Give it a go with an offcut just to understand the material.

 

[Man of Tanith]

ah but in the world of fantasy novels they have no financial damage using veg tan that we do

I may have to have a wee play with the idea at some point.
another for the must try project list....

 

[Hibrion]

As an academic who specialising in ancient infantry warfare, I find that very interesting. I've always wanted to try water hardening armour, but something else has always taken priority. As a quicker experiment in the past, I've found messing about with wax and a heat gun can have a similar hardening effect. It is difficult to source the type of bronze and iron weapons I need to make it a worthwhile test at the moment though.

Wayland, It's a shame the pictures of your experiments were lost, It would have been great to see the results.

 

[Wayland]

Tell me about it...

I lost most of a 500GB drive array which was supposed to be mirrored but instead corrupted both drives.

I've just about got over it now.