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Too Busy to do any regular posting :( But here is the work in progress. Still have a bunch to do on it, one week left til Con. Can't speak in complete sentences.
The vambraces are actually attached to the mail shirt, and note how the straps tuck into the vambrace itself and the inner face is smooth so a bowstring won't snag when loosed. The shirt itself is bronze anodized aluminum with gold anodized aluminum inlaid pattern. 1/4" rings - took a long time.
The spaulders are cuirbouille hardened leather underlayer covered by a brass plate or brass scales and then another layer of hardened leather on top - with cutouts to show the brass underneath. New technique, VERY STURDY armor. The breastplate will be made the same way and I have a brass scale skirt to go with it. Much heavier than my old armor but the weight is better distributed. The lines of my new armor are closer fitting and a little smoother than my old armor. Hopefully it will make me look a little more svelte. :)
- Mood:
tired - Music:Kerli, Unter Null
Studio Kensai understands the need to make armor available for people of all sizes, including the extremely small...and plastic. The popularity of ball jointed dolls has been growing and very few artisans offer armor and weaponry to the resin warriors out there. Well that all changes today. Studio Kensai is proud to offer armor and weapons for the Volks SD13 ball jointed doll, a high end Japanese model. The armor is made with the same care and attention to detail as our full size armor, hardened in the cuirbouille technique and exquisitely tooled. We even offer super fine mosaic chainmail in a wide variety of colors. The pauldrons are even articulated like their full size counterparts. If you own or know of someone else who owns a Volks SD13, let them know that now they can properly equip their dolls for battle.
- Location:sitting amidst leather scraps
- Mood:
creative - Music:Brobdingnagian Bards
Now for the Crusade portion of the journal entry. I urge everyone to watch the documentary films, The Corporation, Kilowatt Ours, and An Incovenient Truth. I try to be as much of an activist as I can. That also means trying to make my business as environmentally friendly as I can. I am phasing out the use of chrome tanned leather because the chrome tanning process is very toxic and produces waste which pollutes our lakes and rivers. Luckily, all of the major components in the armor I make are and have always been vegetable tanned leather, which produces the least amount of ecological damage. I will be substituting oil tanned leather for the chrome tanned leather in most applications. I now exclusively use Eco-Flo dyes and finishes which are non-toxic and biodegradeable. Though I am trying to limit my impact on the environment, the business of making armor and weapons still does harm to our planet. I will be seeking new methods of making armor and weapons which will be safer, less wasteful, more energy efficient, and ultimately renewable. I will also be urging my suppliers to start selling post consumer recycled metals and materials , and to pursue new ways to produce leather which do not pollute.
I hope those of you, who feel inclined to do so, will help me persuade manufacturers and suppliers to change the way they do things in order to preserve our world. I will post links to take action as soon as I gather them. Until then, let's reuse, recycle, use compact fluorescent light bulbs instead of incandescent, and make the effort to conserve. Thank you.
Michael Cook
Studio Kensai, Makers of Eco-Friendly Armor and Weapons
- Location:after dinner in front of the TV
- Mood:
optimistic - Music:Lacuna Coil
