I wanted a set of Witcher Ursine Armor. But I couldn't afford anything custom made. So I made this Witcher armor for myself. Here's how I designed it.
This is not strictly a tutorial, because I haven't worked with leather long enough for that, though I do include all the steps I took.
Resources I found helpful:
Hardening Leather: • The Leather Element: H...
Leather Armor Template: • MAKE LEATHER ARMOR! | ...
How to Dress in Medieval Armor: • Is it hard to wear MED...
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I couldn't be more glad to contribute to the channel!
New Intro really looks amazing, thank you so much, my friend!
Like the new intro, glad to see this channel continue to grow
High quality videos really do deserve amazing logos. You did great work, Justin.
@@Victor-dm4qv thank you!
Once again a huge thank you to Justin Black for animating the new Intro!
You made some *excellent* points! Love the mixture of fantasy idealism, balanced with real life common sense and pragmatism, because as "bad ass" as some of those witcher school armor sets look - especially when you get to the master crafted level - they would pretty much be a nightmare to actually go adventuring (or LARPing, or cosplaying) in for extended periods of time. Your take on this particular piece of witcher gear was the embodiment of 'Living Anachronism'. Also, really love how you continue to not only share what works, but also what you learned from any mistakes. ♥
Thank you, as always, Zentierra! I love the look of a lot of those sets, doing my best to translate things to real life drawing from as much history as possible :)
It really does look great! Even though I don't plan on making any leather armor for myself this was still fun and informative to watch.
A wild Shad appears in its natural state!!!
I'm an Eva foam guy myself, but I love watching people make things, it's just cool to see people's creativity and skills in action
20:14 theory: your oven is fine, but since they usually work by turning on until a temperature sensor (probably bimetal strip) turns it off, a d it kicks back on when the temperature gets below a point. To even out this temperature shifting, place the leather inside some sort of container. Personally I prefer to get a few aluminum serving pans (like the big catering ones) and put the leather inside, make a small aluminum foil ball to make an empty space, and put another on top and bottom of the leather. Basically two pans joined with the leather inside, a small air gap, and two more pans stretched around. This will even out any temp swings, and also add a bit of a delay to any sort of overheating.
I worked in a shoe factory when I was younger, you've got some good skills.👍
Thank you!
👏Great job on the Armor!!👏 When you showed the picture of the Brigandine armor I said " Oh that's what Shadiversity wears".Then Shad's picture comes up "There he is!" 😅😏
🎩Hi. I think having some cut marks and wear and tear would really improve the look that you are trying to achieve. Also having the back plate lower is not bad, I’ve worn armour where if you tilt your head back it’s Oouch because you hit it. Still a very cool piece of kit.
Some scratches and cuts will come naturally, I'm sure. But perhaps I'll practice battle scar effects for my next projects!
A leather aventail could fill in that gap, while still being flexible enough to avoid any owees. Such an aventail still wouldn't stop a direct thrust or arrow shot, but it might tangle up or slow down a slash cut or a distant projectile.
you helped me a lot. I'm about to cut 8 pieces to make a 4 layers armor, and you gave me all the lasts instructions i needed. So, in reward, here's one of mine's : You have to put your oven to 50°C This way, you can prepare two pots : one of skin glue, one of wax. The leather need to be hot to drink all. First the glue, and make sure the water is evaporated before applying the wax. Both can be tainted. Beware to not go above 80°C : it will break the glue's protein.
hey leather worker here, when working with hardened leather use a center punch and power drill to add holes then its just minor clean up around the hole, also the reason the back looks like the front is because of how the muscle structure in the body is formed the neck and spine on the back are straighter than on the front on both men and women so the cut of the clothes accounts for that muscle bulk in the front because it is flatter in the back it tends to need to be longer because the muscle structure is flatter, its also why the neckline of shirts and jackets tend to be shallower than in the front
A piece to be proud of
Shad of Shadiversity is the reason I found your page, excellent content!
For the shoulders and the hole for the neck, a lot of the things between a single piece and separate ones is partially to do with the angle of your shoulders. Unless your shoulders are nearly flat, you have to deal with getting the right angle for it. If you want a single piece and don't have shoulders that run parallel to the ground and 90 from the neck, it's easier to have them side to side with an asymmetric design. As a side note, if you want an easy way to do some other designs in armor, find someone with a laser etcher. You can get some interesting looks that way. Though if you have help there is another option for shaping leather for armor and hardening it. And it requires being able to deal with heat pretty well and discomfort (Or you can do it yourself if you have a cast mannequin bust for use). You boil the leather until its soft, then position it and strap it on where you want. It's just uncomfortable if done right and you wear something that fits right and can hold position for long enough. It's been a long while since my old armor was made and it doesn't fit me anymore as I grew a bit since then as it was back when going to most amusement parks meant I could go on coasters and my shoulders tend to not fit anymore...but that was cotton layer with a trash bag poncho as protection that got taped tight and having a colder room for right after it was positioned. Really miss having certain friends around from that period of time that had the skill sets for it...
I made little finger cuffs out of deer skin to help stop the finger stabbing while sewing
This is the first time I've ever herd of anyone "baking" leather armor? 🤔 I'll have to read (or watch videos) on that... it sounds interesting. - The Old SCA way of doing leather armor was/is called by it's french terminology: Cuir Bouilli (boiled leather, often in wax - I've seen different recipes: some boil in just water, some boil in a % mix of beeswax & paraffin wax, more beeswax/less paraffin = softer). It's much harder to burn leather if you boil it (it might not even be possible to reach "burning" temperature when boiling).
I’m glad to have found this, it gave me a lot of inspiration to get to work on Simon Belmont cosplay!
Demi-cuirass is also an acceptable term. Came out awesome.
Thanks! For the compliment and for introducing me to a new term!
so if the idea is to have a very wide chest part, that would have very small arm openings, that would limit the range of motion for the upper limbs in front of u, but its mitigated with an opening in the middle for putting it on, which would let the sides give and allow the arms to reach forwards more, but u also worry about the durability and efficacy of an armor with a cut in the middle, maybe have a large overlap - make it double-breasted, like a jacket. Keep the halves strapped down with buckles to prevent opening, but not stop sliding over 1-another to make room for the hands to meet
As a person that always have to alter patterns because of shoulder slope (I have super square shoulders with almost no slope to them), for anyone that is gonna make any type of breast/chest plate: be sure to make a mock up to check that shoulder slope, there is nothing as uncomfortable or risking bruising on shoulders as having that angle be wrong and gaping unevenly. It will move around if the angle of the slope isn't right, it will put pressure unevenly if it isn't right, and if you have anything that put pressure on the breast plate it will just make those things even worse. Yes having proper arming garments under the breast plate will remove some of the chaffing issues, but it won't remove all of them if the slope is wrong.
Excellent advice! Proper fit is one of the biggest problems I look out for with larp armor, because it can make or break the experience. Bit of a bummer I messed up mine slightly. It seems fine for now, but if I make another, I might notice a huge difference!
@@LivingAnachronism 3rd post on this video (😆): 1. Armor looks like the back is the front & the front is the back is likely because the stitching where you joined the front & back halves together is a natural weak point in the flexibility of the structure (the same way that a knot is a natural weak point in a rope or a weld is a natural weak point where joining two pieces of metal, etc) 2. I believe that a possible (relatively) easy way to fix this would be to cut the backplate into three (3) separate pieces just above each shoulder blade & then butt-stitch those three pieces back together along the line where you made the cut.
@Living Anachronism Also: to preserve the strength of the riveting & to protect your stitching, you could probably then just rivet new top-straps (or even the old top straps to join all four(4) pieces of leather together. This fix might even add some additional flexibility to the whole unit.
ok this was wonderful. as a sewist, well, bleeding on a project is a mandatory offering to the creative gods. also you really ought to watch the closet historian's video on creating a bodice block, and maybe a little bit of her other stuff to see how she manipulates her bodice block. she's not doing armor, obviously, but she is amazing at patterning and teaching it! and if you have a bodice block it'll be all kinds of help with future garb projects.
Will definitely check her out. Pattern making is a skill that I am still lost on
wonderful craftmanship bro
I wanna like this more than once!
My armor ended up weird because I have a spine bend it’s above my belly button but the back plates are bent if you didn’t know you’d think it’s warped. However it’s perfect for me . Side note use a professional heat gun too bake your leather it gives you hands on control!
As someone who has recently got into leather craft, I too have unintentionally dyed my leather with my own blood. Ps, duct tape makes a good band aid.
really enjoyable tutorial on how to come up with a design, spot on, i needed that for some inspiration, thank you for uploading
Kudos on your warts and all video. I think a lot of people are in the same place: some ideas and skills, but not really knowing what they are doing, but still wanting to plough through. Stuff like this shows that can be a successful plan.
Great intro, bit of the One Ring from LoTR at the start. The armour reminds me of what a plate carrier covers, cover the vitals (heart, lungs) while allowing flexibility. (edit to say my comment was early, posted before you got to that part .. nice guess it seems)
Very good guess! I pull a lot from what I am learning about the modern equipment the military uses, when planning or designing my items and load outs. And yeah I love the new intro. My logo has a few references to lotr, it originally had a golden circle around it to mimic the ring, but it got too busy to look at in such a small photo. But when Justin made this, he managed to capture the feeling I was going for perfectly!
Im very glad shad shouted your channel out. Your videos are extremely well made and everything seems well thought out. I appreciate the content and more importantly you. Im very glad you exist. Keep doing what you do and being a great person.
Thank you so much, Droog! Part of me thinks of a clock work orange as I type this.
Great work on it. I think your "mistakes" actually add something unique to the look and gives it that "authentic battle damage" as Po would say. Nate
wow I am digging this. Well edited!
Great new intro 👍 and great job on your armour design.
Great video. Love the new intro.
Another great video Kramer!
Smooth intro, keep up the good work.
Love the new intro!
17:33 nobody makes me bleed my own armour...except! Myself 😬😁 Bloody needle!
This is a great informative video, thank you very much and sharing you issues and mistakes that were made during the creation is a true benefit to us and I appreciate you honesty!
I watched the "burning" video and scrambled to this video to see the result. It looks fantastic! I actually think the blemishes in the back make it look very old and battle-hardened (a great thing IMO). I'm glad you were able to rescue it and have it come out looking even better in the end.
Great work bro!
I think it looks great, very nice
Leather armor vs hide armor. One is tanned and hardened the other is warm and slightly more difficult to cut through.
So the more sloped your shoulder muscle is the more nesisary the shoulder seam becomes. You can mitigate some of this by having your front and or back piece split and get the same slope.
Great Video! Ursine armour set is also my fafourite from the game. Think it lookd very realistic and practical. Are you planing on adding the steel sholderpieces too some time? Love the new intro!
I've got steel pauldrons, I need to modify either them, or the breastplate so they will attach properly. I may also make my own leather pauldrons instead. There are plans
Awesome video, and a great looking piece of kit! When discussing what pieces or plates overlap, it reminded me of an older video on Knyght Errant's channel talking about his 15th-century English armor (particularly his video on the skirt of plates). His channel is a goldmine of really cool insights into armor for folks looking to design their own stuff!
Always did enjoy seeing people who are skilled with a trade skill. I havent been one of them, but appreciate it. Very nice.
I love this video. I'm also an armor creator. My armor is based on fallout 4 waste lander. It's a mix of leather base with metal attached.
This Video is so damn help for 😍 thanks a ton! Your videos are really great 👍
Nice new intro!!! That was awesome. I also love that you, in this video, are saying this is a description of what I did, not a tutorial on how to make armor, but here are the resources I used.
I really like the new intro graphic!
You gotta burn it to learn it. It cooking and leather armor making it seems.
So glad I found this video! I'm now planning on designing something similar for sale that will mate nicely with the pauldrons I sell :)
I use a radiator heater to dry and harden my leather. Doesn't burn and dries fairly quickly
Vary well done, especially for a first time. (Came out better than my armor) Lol This for my brigantine was the hardest part. It's easy to work materials, but it's harder to skillfully work them the to the final product that you want. I've been going back and forth with a seemstress friend about her making soft leather armor, she thinks she can't but it's really not as hard as one would think, especially just doing soft instead of hardened leather.
My mother is a seamstress, she can do leather, but she needs a special needle and thread to fit in the machine
@@LivingAnachronism yep, my Granma was as well. Mostly same sowing technics just more hardy tools. Lol
So cool!
Super interesting, great channel!
That is a COOL new intro :) and it was fascinating to see your process, thanks a lot for sharing this as far as making stuff in one piece goes: it is very difficult to get right because you can't get the shoulder angle, that armor you show probably has well hidden seams and if it doesn't it's press formed to give the angle, for loose clothing made from fabric (your typical viking tunic comes to mind) you can use one piece but clothing companies don't do it even on straight cut garments because shoulder seams/smaller pattern pieces reduce the overall material wastage Also: you can harden leather by dipping it in/pouring boiling water onto it so you don't need to worry about burning, that's the method I have always used but maybe it's less practical for a piece as big as that?
That's an interesting thing to know about mass production, I want to learn more about historical garments to see how production has changed. I ran some tests with boiling water, I found there was more shrinkage if the leather was left in too long, and when I painted the hot water on or just dipped it and took it out, I didn't notice that it hardened noticeably. But this would be a GREAT thing to showcase on your channel!
@@LivingAnachronism no problem, as a general rule with mass production of anything made from sheet materials (tents, clothing, shoes, upholstery etc...) the smaller the pattern pieces the better you can get them to fit together on the sheet, that makes the gaps smaller and reduces waste. it means more sewing and seams but that's all done by robotic production-lines so time taken to sew it is a secondary issue over material cost (unlike if it were a hand sewn garment). That's the real reason for all the flashy many-piece designs in modern clothing and gear, and they've even started doing it with cars to save on steel (if you can't tell, I work in manufacturing LOL)
looks mighty fine :)
The oddest part is leather over mail, when chainmail is going to be the more durable/protective part of the armor, and worn on top of a gambeson to protect against blunt trauma. I can only figure the leather in-game/lore is either multi-layer with plates sandwiched between them, similar to brigandine, or it serves to protect the chainmail itself from the elements, which would make more sense if it was more than just a chest plate. Another video displayed the durability of the Wolf school armor, leather plates with chainmail sections woven onto them, which could make more sense than a full coat of mail, depending on one's purposes.
I have a D&D Druid character that I'm wanting to have a non-metal breastplate armor piece, since a breastplate is the best medium armor that doesn't give disadvantage on stealth checks. My thoughts about it (I'd have to run it by the DM) is that it'd basically be hardened leather with some bone included for more structure/protection. If the DM is okay with it, I'm sure a person could swing it so that the half-plate armor could be done the same way, and it'd very much be that Rogue/Druid fantasy leather armor archetype we see in games.
If I hadn't already bought a Centurion Helm I'd try and make this. But I cannot justify another kind of helmet so :(
If you can come to New Hampshire I have leather scraps we can make a plate of similar thickness and do cut tests on that
I'm sure that the breastplate will do its job protecting you from cuts and even slashes. What bothers me is that you have decided to protect an already naturally protected (with ribs) part of your body while your belly is open. I get that Geralt wears a chain mail, but I still think that at least the upper half of the belly should be covered. Anyway, you did a great job!
You're correct, just a breast plate and not stomach protection is a poor idea. I did it basically because of the Witcher, but I'll have a think on the best setup for a fantasy adventurer and test stuff out in the future!
This vest probably doesn't have a belly protection because wearing a thick vest (leather, metal etc) that protects the whole body and doesn't have some kind of a flexible joint between chest and belly area, would inevitably restrict your movement. Witcher armor is supposed to be as flexible as possible because they often have to fight swift and strong monsters that could strike through the hardest armor with no effort
ok but why does your coat look so damn fresh even though it's historical? seriously the gambeson looks damn good on you
Thanks!
One thing that I think would be nice for templates is papercraft (basically from a 3D model make 2D pieces that you print and construct that same model in real life) but I haven't found a good historicall armour model for that. But there is a channel called "Coghes Crafts Channel" (think I misspelled something) that make models of helmets. Nice video and intro btw.
Thimble! You need a thimble, Sir! Anytime i work with leather, a leather thimble over my thumb saves those nail beds
Digging the beard man 👌🏻
Just a thought on the test cutting. Make a panel out of a smaller peice and just cut it. It won't be the exact same but it will give you a good idea of the capability.
If I do this, I'll probably try to dome it out too, just to get that added structure!
If you do want to make holes in the leather i can recommend a wood drillbit I use (wallpapering) lining paper as patternmaking paper, its fairly thick paper, more like thin card, but its excellent for figuring out large shapes of things. I use chicago screws for test fitting things, they come in a variety of metals and finishes. They can sometimes work loose if you use them in lieu of rivets so if you do just stick some locktight on them. They are pretty strong as well, i use them on my backpack straps and havent seen fit to do anything besides tighten them up once Thats all i can think of right now. Great video
Drill bit is something I may try, probably safer then trying to hammer a punch through at this point!
@@LivingAnachronism Recently started binge-watching your channel from your guest appearance on @Skill Tree recounting your shared Reckoning" LARP, but this is my first time posting on ANY video as a KZhead commenter. 😆 +1 to the use of a drill bit if you can't punch thru the leather. 😁👍 Assuming you're using a hand drill instead of a drill press (likely based on your frequent references to lack of space/workshop, etc.), trying to punch thru should in EACH spot that you want a hole will at least leave you w/ a divot to ensure that the hole ends up (starting) where you want it to, instead of having the bit wander while rotating & moving your hole a "bit" off-center. 🤣
P.S. REALLY enjoying your stuff!
Thank you.
the shoulder strap thingies are good cause you can attach pauldrons if you want to
This was my thinking as well. They ended up working very well with a scabbard I already had, so I'm glad I kept them.
Interesting 🧐 cool stuff
Future reference. For the back .. you should have made it the same shake as the front.. for your shoulder blades. To have freedom. Make it just a inch thinner on each side of the back armor. And it wouldn't have that crease in the back like it does
Very interesting. Actually, I just ran into the same issue. Not with a Witcher armor, but with Mandalorian chest armour. The "Legacy Style" combines a collar piece, big chest piece, and below that I decided to go for metal stripes similar to Roman Lorica Segmentata. Despite having patterned it over a body copy of mine, I still made the mistake to make the chest part too wide (wanted to make the shoulder gap as minimal as possible, but of course I have to mod that part, as I cannot put my arms very well together). The spaulders have to cover some of that, but there will still be a gap (no besagews for Mandalorians). I also try to make the armor (in the end, it will be a full suit of plate armor) that I can put on everything by myself. With that fantasy type, I can do some things a bit differently (such as the use of unhistorical buckles or velcro).
Very nice design overview. Thank you. The unanticipated issues that you identified and mostly avoided during the entire process were quite informative. Thank you for pointing them out. The seams of the shoulders needing the be angled before being joined to each other was not apparent to me. Getting jabbed in the abdomen by a convex edge of a thoracic plate would be most unpleasant. Designing an appropriate spacing between the wearer's shoulder joints and the edges of the armor (so that it doesn't dig into the wearer's arms) seems like it would be a very tricky thing. Too small of a space would restrict movement. Too large of a space would reduce the surface area protected by the armour. Since most people cannot move their arms as far backward as they can move their arms forward, it seems logical that the spacing between the armour and the wearer's shoulders should be at the minimum in the rear and gradually increase toward the maximum in the front.
Dat in tro... Beauteous.
Ah, a blood-christened hide. 'T'has been blessed by the gods oof war, noow, lad. R.A. Salvatore's ranger Drizzt Do'Urden character also wears leather plate, oover a leather jack and pants, with a mithral mail shirt beneath. Hoow the elf keeps all that from getting in a bind, I'll ne'er knoow.
One day if I'm able to afford a nice riveted mail shirt, I'll be able to test it and find out!
The biggest irony of the 'bleed my own blood' comment is that this is for Witcher, and their adaption into DnD 5e focuses on a mechanic of **damaging themselves** in order to produce effects.
Are there any plans to make any other leather armor pieces in the future such as pauldrons or vambraces? would be nice to see more leather working, even if it seems difficult and expensive.
Leather Pauldrons, a scabbard for my sword, and boots are on the list. Perhaps I'll make a proper pair of vambraces with points as well, so that they fit right and don't slide down my wrist.
Try using a propane torch to harden the leather.
great episode. going to be doing shoulder pads next?
Armor wise, very likely. I've got shoes and scabbard on the immediate crafting list.
@@LivingAnachronism So we can expect a series?
20:23 😄
Might be a little more difficult, but are you considering getting into making chainmail to go further into the Geralt of Rivia look?
Eventually when I can justify the purchase cost. I'd want real riveted mail.
19:50 "... it was lesser of two evils." I see what you did there =)
Not even intentional haha! I'm a genius!
Protection wise did it work out as a plate armour piece for the chest? What about a spear or a mace?
As I said, I haven't done cutting tests. I feel confident it would protect me against most of the weapons that I personally own. Weapons with more mass like a mace, axe, maybe a spear, I have a feeling would do some serious damage.
Did you make any videos or post any photos of yourself wearing the armor?
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
hi, do you think it would be possible for this vest to cover more area above collarbones without restricting movement?
The neckline is as high as it can be while being comfortable, and the shoulder/arm cut outs can't get any wider or I wouldn't be able to cross my arms in front of my chest. Using additional pieces of armor like paldrons and a gorget would be the solutions, imo
@@LivingAnachronism thank you, that's really helpful! i never thought of using a gorget before
Hi! Not sure if you frequently read the comments but if you do: I’m trying to make an outfit for the Renaissance festival here in Michigan, I’ll probably be going early October. I’ve been scouring the internet for ideas and patterns and such and nothing has really stuck out to me until I saw your video “medieval costume level up”, and the outfit at around 9 minutes really stuck with me. I’d like to try to make something similar to it but honestly have no clue where to start- is there any chance you could help me with the making of the tunic and cloak? I’ve seen multiple tunic diy videos but none had that angular shape on the bottom which I love. I also saw your cloak measurements video but I’m still clueless as to how to actually make it 😅 thanks for any response :)
In terms of the cloak, just get a rectangle of fabric, a blanket will do. Take a pair of scissors and cut from on of the shorter sides to the center of the fabric. that is where your head goes. Reinforce that seam if necessary. At around 9 minutes in the video you are referring to, I am wearing a cardigan I bought off wish with a belt over it and a hood over top. Tutorials for two styles of hoods are on the channel. The point of that video was to inspire you to use whatever you already have around the house without having to make or purchase anything. In my case, I did not make the cardigan, it has that sort of "v" look because of the way it is folded in front of me.
@@LivingAnachronism My bad, I was referring to the green tunic you had made out of the army blanket 😅 I didn’t realize you’d had a different outfit on closer to 9 minutes. I have a video on KZhead I can watch to make a regular tunic, do you think if I just modify the cut on the bottom I can achieve the same pointed look you have?
@@okamidt3298 Ah I see. Yes, that point at the bottom is all cut from one piece. My advice is to make a prototype out of scrap material first, just to be sure it looks how you want. I used pinterest and searched for LOTR and Ranger tunics to get a visual of similar designs.
@@LivingAnachronism Thanks so much for responding, I’m excited to try and make some garb for myself haha. Your videos are educational and very entertaining, definitely subscribed. Can’t wait for future uploads!
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Most of my friends say it's not a really good project until you bleed on it...😊
20:22 I'm ded
Could you make a vid on how to use a bastard sword
you did oil it right? If not it will crack sometime down the road. just my 2 cents from a holster and belt maker.
I only put the wax, I wasn't sure if using something like mink or neatsfoot would soften the leather again after it was hardened. I did oil the straps. If the oil won't damage, but will preserve the armor itself, that is definitely something I will do!
If you oiled the straps you should be good to go.
Not certain but you might try a power drill to punch holes in the shoulders.
I'll test it on some other leather first, to make sure it doesn't crack, but this is not a bad idea!
So the reason that European armor overlaps upward is for riding a horse that way you don't get stabbed between the plates
Your hair looks glorious
Thank you!
calling it a cuirass is perfectly fine to do especially in your case
when you mentioned cut tests i had the suspicion it was only when you got another chestplate what do you know i was right
Sorry to disappoint, but good guess!
@@LivingAnachronism but dident you say you would only do it if you got another chestplate? or did i miss some words and it was a maybe thing