Brig Armor Help?

[Croc]

This'll be my first attempt at putting together armour. I'm pretty excited. I'm planning on buy a 13ish oz. tanned hide for around $100 but I don't quite know where to buy it from. I've heard about Tandy and Springfield Leather but I'm curious if anything new has popped up. Any suggestions?

[Tails]

http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-u ... 62-16.aspx
This seems to be the only 13oz leather they have, you may wanna look other places for cheaper, I don't make much armor myself.

viewtopic.php?f=107&t=32869&p=432425&hilit=xiao#p432425

viewtopic.php?f=107&t=38950&p=513192&hilit=pocket+brig#p513192

Also,
http://www.armourarchive.org/patterns/brig/

[Dmitri]

Brettuns Village Leather (brettunsvillage.com/leather) is a good, if unpredictable source for armor leather, too. They don't seem to have "armor sides" in stock right now, but they sometimes do. They do have some sole bends in stock, but they don't list thickness (which they're usually good about). Depending how much of a hurry you're in, it might be worth contacting them; their prices tend to be better than the more predictable places'.

Edit: They do have skirting scraps ( http://www.brettunsvillage.com/leather/scrap/scraps.htm about a quarter of the way down) which is 14 to 16 oz, but odd bits and pieces (I got a box of this stuff a few years back--most of it was useful for small things, like brig plates, and some was big enough for things like shoe soles; none was much bigger than that, though).

Anyway, hope that helps!

[Croc]

http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/search/searchresults/9062-16.aspx
This seems to be the only 13oz leather they have, you may wanna look other places for cheaper, I don't make much armor myself.

viewtopic.php?f=107&t=32869&p=432425&hilit=xiao#p432425

viewtopic.php?f=107&t=38950&p=513192&hilit=pocket+brig#p513192

Also,
http://www.armourarchive.org/patterns/brig/

Gaaah. Everyone I talk to said they bought their sheets for around $100. ><

[Derian]

Yeah, Tandy stopped selling that particular item. It's really ****.

[Dnock]

scrap leather cut in 2 inch squares is the cheapest way to make brigs!

[Croc]

scrap leather cut in 2 inch squares is the cheapest way to make brigs!

Ya I was thinking that, but where to get them? I cant spend more than $100ish. Could anyone send a specific link?

[Korbin the Mad]

Chimera back in Mux once made a set of brig using genuine leather belts from Goodwill. If you're making small-sectioned brig like one would typically see, this could be a viable option, although you'd probably spend a lot of time hopping from one Goodwill to another to clear out their belts. These belts are usually in the neighborhood of 1"-2" wide and can be cut as long as you like.

Shoe heels are another option, but I wouldn't be able to pinpoint exactly where to get them from. I've seen them here and there-- they usually have mass amounts of them going for like $100 and have always seemed like a legit way to do it.

Other than that, you pretty much have to buy a hide. Sorry I can't be of more help-- I'll do a little digging and see if I can turn anything over for you.

[Tails]

http://www.brettunsvillage.com/leather/scrap/scraps.htm

[Korbin the Mad]

http://www.brettunsvillage.com/leather/scrap/scraps.htm

The "Thick Veg-Tan Cowhide Skirting Leather Scrap" seems like a pretty slick buy at 10 lbs for $50 shipped. It ranges from 8ish oz to 16oz. If the bits are too shin, you can layer them. One grab would probably be enough for some brigandine.

That's worth a shot. I might try it too-- getting the itch to make new brigandine for myself now, thanks to you.

[Dnock]

If you have a Hobby Lobby in your area they have bags of scrap leather for about $6.99 a bag! It runs about 2/16 in. thick but again double it up! It took me 2 bags to make a war kilt and 3 bags for my chest!

[Arrakis]

Chimera back in Mux once made a set of brig using genuine leather belts from Goodwill.

From Wikipedia:

The following are not "true" leathers, but contain leather material. Depending on jurisdiction, they may still be labeled as "Genuine Leather":

Bonded leather, or "reconstituted Leather", is composed of 90% to 100% leather fibers (often scrap from leather tanneries or leather workshops) bonded together with latex binders to create a look and feel similar to that of leather at a fraction of the cost. This bonded leather is not as durable as other leathers and is recommended for use only if the product will be used infrequently. Bonded leather upholstery is a vinyl upholstery that contains about 17% leather fiber in its backing material. The vinyl is stamped to give it a leather-like texture. Bonded leather upholstery is durable and its manufacturing process is more environmentally-friendly than leather production.

Bycast leather is a split leather with a layer of polyurethane applied to the surface and then embossed. Bycast was originally made for the shoe industry and recently was adopted by the furniture industry. The original formula created by Bayer was strong but expensive. Most of the bycast used today is a very strong and durable product. The result is a slightly stiffer product that is cheaper than top grain leather but has a much more consistent texture and is easier to clean and maintain.

So, basically: Don't make armor out of "Genuine Leather" belts. It probably wouldn't be legal by a strict reading of the armor rules.