Materials

Ok we have the patterns done we know what we are going to make and we have the pattern. Now we must choose what we are going to make this armour out of. There are three main styles that you can use.

Plaster

Plaster is the easiest way to make armor, but its well, plaster. Put another way it will not hold up to any beating of any kind. but you can make it very easly and cheaply. With some time and care you can make it look very very nice. I know some of you are thinking that this is a waste of your time and it will look cheesy, here is a simple test to disprove you. below are four Do-Maru which one is plaster?

Now that you have to say you don't know, its ok to sit there and look sad it happens to us all. BTW the answer is at the bottom of the page.

Leather

Leather is a great way to start making armor that you can use on the field of battle. It requires a few tools. Leather comes in many different styles, colors and ounces (thickness). Leather is easy to work with and relatively easy to find. A suit of leather well done will look real and protect you.

Metal

Most people think of metal when they think of armor. This is due to the knight in shining armor type stuff in the west. For Japanese armor this is far from the truth. Most armor was leather, if metal was used it was used in the places it was needed the most and as sparingly as possible. This is due to the weight of the scales that where made of iron. So to make a suit of armor made of steel would be non-historical (unless you are making a suit from the later periods of Japanese history). But if non-historical is not a concern steel will protect you like nothing else will.

Here are some quick Tips on materials

Plaster

Plaster is commonly found in craft stores, its also called plaster of paris or casting powder. If you have never used plaster before try to make a small piece of the armor from start to finish before you spend a lot of time on the bigger pieces. This will help your learning curve and keep you from getting upset about wasting a bunch of time. Other then that you are ready to start on the construction section.

Leather

The first thing that you should think about when thinking about using leather is learn that basics of leather working. A good place to start is http://www.tandyleather.com/ this is an online store that has a good faq section on leather facts. Some things to under stand are ounces and dyes. Quickly a ounce is the thickness of the leather the larger the ounce the thicker the leather is. When making armor I would not use anything less then a 7 ounce. There a many different ways to tan leather, some will dye it a color for you others will need to be dyed some can't be dyed. Its good to think of this before you get your leather.

Metal

Metal can be a bit harder to find locally I suggest that you start with the phone book. Some hardware stores will carry sheet metal others will not. Other places to look are car repair centers or recycling centers. As with all new projects start with a small piece to get the hang of your medium. Think like Macgyver and improve things as you go. Metal will prove the most difficult but can be very rewarding in the end.

As you can see I am a leather man, But I will try to do my best to give you the other ways of construction as best I can.

As always if you have a better way of doing things let me know and I will incorporate them into the site.

Questions? Comments? Insults? contact the web master at: Ichiban@wakagashira.com

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