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Shovel Greave Tutorial

By : Ld Uilleag o’Conmhaic MKA: Dan Houchins

Note: ) Leather Selection

First off, lets talk about leather selection. I highly recommend veg-tanned leather. This is leather that has been tanned using various tree barks, water and preservative chemicals. Veg tanned leather is pliable, toolable, absorbs water readily, as well as other liquids, and dries out quickly. Armour or sole bend leather is veg tanned leather that has been compressed during the tanning process. This takes longer and makes the leather a little more expensive, but it is very resilient, tough leather that can take an enormous amount of blunt or edge trauma without compromising the hide.

Stay away from chrome-tanned leather for armouring purposes. This type of tanning involves soaking the hide in chromic salt and water. This process makes the fibers tougher and water resistant, but it also makes it less pliable and resistant to shaping. The other drawback to chrome tanned leather is that once it gets saturated, the chromatic salt rinses out of the hide, leaving the hide as very brittle raw-hide.

Step 1 ) Cutting out the Pattern

I use a jig saw to cut out my patterns. With lighter ounce leathers a razor knife is more than sufficient, but the compressed armour bend hides make cutting it with a razor knife dangerous and very time consuming.

Granted the jig saw leaves the edges fairly rough.

Step 2 ) Soaking the Leather

I soak the leather until all bubbles stop in room temperature water. The water saturates the leather and activates the tannin fluids in the leather. When allowed to dry normally, or air dry, the tannin molecules clump together and make the leather seem stiffer. This is true, but it also redistributes the tannins unevenly, so there will be soft spots.

Once the leather is finished soaking, (I let this project soak for about 4 hours), the leather will be spongy feeling and be extremely pliable, almost like a limp noodle. Its too wet to shape effectively in this state, unless the leather will be nailed to a wooden last. I use dishing bowls and hammers, so the leather needs to dry a bit before I can shape it. The reason I let the leather get completely saturated is because I want the leather to be evenly treated with the water, the only way to insure this is to completely saturate it. What I do to take up some time, is I begin the edging process.

Step 3 ) The Edging Process

Here are some pics of the tools I use;

This is a picture of a #5 beveling tool. They come in sizes 1 - 5, 5 being the largest. Basically, a beveler is used to round the edges of the leather and give it a more finished look. The other thing it does, is by rounding the edges of the leather it makes the edges less susceptible to being damaged by making them less likely to get caught on things and roll or mar the edges. I bevel all edges of my projects, even edges that won't be seen. The reason I do this is because the leather will rub against other pieces of the project, as in articulation, and the edges won't damage one another if they are beveled. The damage isn't very bad, but over time it can become fairly extensive.

This next tool is called a saddle stitch groover. It was designed for making a groove for stitch lines, so that stitches wouldn't be rubbed and damaged on saddles and other items where stitching will be exposed. I use it to provide a decorative edge on my pieces. When stitching is required in my projects, I use it for that too....but I don't prefer to stitch all that often...It's very time consuming and stitches will wear out over time and the armour will fail.

This last tool I use is called a bone edge slicker. The best ones are made out of animal bone, but they are very expensive. Mine is made out of synthetic plastic and serves the same purpose. This tool can be used for folding leather or creating creases in leather, as well as round edges and burnishing edges. Burnishing is a technique of rubbing the slick part of this tool back and forth along the edge of the leather to make it more smooth. This seals the edges, making them water resistant and also gives the project a more finished appearance.

Here is a picture of a beveled and grooved edge on the greave itself.

Step 4 ) Shaping the Knee Cops

I shape my leather armour a little unconventionally, by using a forged steel dishing form and dishing hammers.

This dish has a moderately wide diameter of 6 ½" and is 1 ½" deep. I purchased it from Ironmonger. This one was already pretty cleaned up inside the dishing surface and painted so no prep work was needed. If your dishing surface is a little scarred, clean them with an angle grinder, or you can line them with a scrap piece of garment leather.

The dishing hammers I use are made by Baron Owen Sisk, of Meridies. He uses a Japanese design, with the striking surface attached to the handle at about a 30 degree angle. This makes them great for dishing inside tight places, like helmets, etc. It also puts all of the energy of the hammer blow directly into the piece you are working. The large faced hammer head is a steel machine ball bearing that is 2 1/4" in diameter.

I start with the shallow dish and large hammer to begin a gentle sweep of the knee cop. Start in the center of the cop and work the entire piece.

After I have worked the entire piece, I go back with a deeper dish and a small hammer, and work the bottom of the knee. Keep dishing directly where the patella, or knee cap, will sit in the cop, this is the bottom center of this piece.

Both the hammer and dishing forms I use for this are also made by Owen and Ironmonger. The hammer has a striking face that is 1 1/4" in diameter. The dishing form is 5 ½" wide and 1 1/2" deep. After both knee cops are finished set them aside and allow them to continue to air dry.

Step 5 ) Shaping the Greave

I then begin on shaping the greaves. Start with the large hammer and shallow dish and dish the knee of the greave. I begin dishing in the center and work my way out to the fans, using the diameter of the dishing form to dictate how wide I dish. As the knee area is dished, work the leather with by hand so that it starts to take on the shape of a calf, or lower leg.

Once the initial shape for the greave is accomplished with a nice flow of the knee, it is time to shape the calf and ankle. I go back to my deep dish and small hammer for this. To shape the calf portion, place the project on the dishing form right where the pattern curved to fit the calf, dish gently from the curve, following a path up along the side to about 2 inches below the dished knee.

I then shape the ankle. Place the ankle of the greave into the dish and using the smaller hammer dish the entire ankle. This will give a nice deep shape. I then use my hands to pull the front of the ankle back out, so that it will fit over footwear.

The greave should look similar to this, at this point.

The final phase of shaping is to flare out the top of the ankle, so that it will ride on the top of the footwear, comfortably. To do this I use a crosspeen hammer and the deep dish.

I place the top of the ankle of the greave on the edge of the dishing bowl and work the crosspeen right along the edge, flaring the edge of the leather over the bowl. What you end up with should look like this.

Step 6 ) Heat Treating

Once both greaves have been shaped they are ready for the heating portion of the hardening process. I set my oven at 180 degrees Fahrenheit. I then place the entire project on a cookie sheet and place them in the oven on the center rack. I set a timer for 30 minutes and checking every time the timer goes off, leave them in the oven until they are completely dry. You want to pay close attention to the edges, if they become even slightly browner than the rest of the piece pull it out and allow it to finish air drying. If the edges over-heat they will become very brittle and will crumble, ruining the project.

Step 7 ) Applying Finish

In this project I decided to use an antiquing finish, but I want to cover dyes first. I personally use Fiebling dyes, sold by Tandy/The Leather Factory. They are a spirit based dye and come in a large variety of colors; red, light/medium/and dark brown, blue, green, yellow, black, and oxblood. They mix very well, so all colors of the color wheel are possible.

Dyes penetrate leather best if the leather is damp. This is because the fibers are relaxed and the pours in the grain of the leather are open. Having said this, if you wish to dye your leather, I suggest doing it after the leather has been soaked, but before it has been shaped. I use a disposable foam brush as an applicator. Once the entire piece has been coated take a clean shop rag, (or one that has been used for just the color you are currently dyeing with), and using a circular rubbing motion wipe off any excess dye. This will give you a nice even coloring and will also remove that metallic sheen that spirit dyes can leave on the leather.

If you choose to use a sealing wax, like Fiebling's Antique Finish, like I have for this project, you will want to apply it after all of your pieces have been heat treated.

This wax has a creamy texture and can be applied just like any other polishing wax. It’s a bear to clean up though, so I use gloves to keep from permanently staining my hands. A polishing rag and a buffing brush to bring out a really nice finish.

Using the polishing rag, I apply the finish with a circular rubbing motion. This provides a nice even coating. Be careful not to let the finish to clump, insure that the entire piece is buffed evenly.

The first coat didn't stain the leather as dark as I wanted it, so I went back for a second coat. After I finished applying the second coat, I allowed the finish to dry for about 30 minutes and then buffed it out with the brush.

Once you have finished sealing the entire project, go back and use your burnishing tool that I mentioned in the first essay, and using the long flat smooth end rub all of the edges of the project. This will smooth all of the edges and help seal them a little better.

Step 8 ) Assembly

The project is now ready for the assembly and strapping process. There are a lot of tools that can be used to make this easier. At the very least a hole punch, a ball-peen hammer, a rivet setting surface, and a pair of leather shears will be needed.

I use a little more than that....

This is a 3/4" belt punch, I use it to round the edges of my straps. The ends come out nice an uniform and gives the piece a more professional "finished" look.

This is a 5/8" slot punch, used for cutting the slot in the leather for the tongue of the buckle. Punching one hole is a lot faster than repeatedly punching the smaller holes with a rotary punch.

The strap cutter makes cutting out straps much easier, not to mention a lot more even than cutting out straps with scissors.

The rivet setter works great for setting the washers over the burr of the copper rivets shown here. It also works great for getting the initial peen on the rivet after the excess end of the rivet has been snipped off.

All of these extra tools aren't necessary, but they save a great deal of time and give a more professional look to your projects. The right tool for the job is a real boon in the armoury!

I start by making my buckles. I cut out my straps with my strap cutter. I then cut them to about 4" lengths, punch my slots for the buckles, and then 2 punch holes for the rivets, one on either end of the slot. Place the buckle on the strap, place the rivet, set it, snip it, then peen it.

I then strap the knee cops and place the articulating strap. It is easier to strap the cops before you attach them to the greaves. Once the knees are ready to be assembled I strap the greaves, leaving the assembly for the last step.

Here are the rivets just after they have been set, but before they have been snipped and peened.

This is a picture of the whole piece just after the rivets have been peened.

Lastly, a picture of the finished project.

This was a really fun project. I really enjoyed sharing it with all of you. I hope that it proves to helpful.