How to make Cuir boulli with extra glue hardening

[adriangaitan420]

thanks great video

[adriangaitan420]

you should cut your nails before recording

[Fargbollen]

@adriangaitan420 not just for videos. My brother always tells me to cut my nails. ;)

[amylea122]

Will this method of hardening work with chrome tanned leather? I have 10 lbs. of chrome retan leather and I want to make armor out of it.

[e3con1]

I was wondering if you ever tried hide glue instead of casein and what results that would give? Great video btw!

[Fargbollen]

@e3con1 , thanks! The video actually shows me using hide glue, being stretchy instead of just strong but stiff like the casein it's probably better after all. I was going for casein because it was said to be water proof and non-sticky, but I've found out it really isn't. So use hide glue, it seems to make the couir boulli the most difficult to penetrade with blades. Still nowhere near steel plate though, these would be useable only as lightweight armour with moderate to decent protection only.

[Fargbollen]

I've ben experimenting with casein glue lately and when it dries it becomes a glossy clear and lacquer like finish. I expect this can be used instead of ahistoric (for europe) lacquer of the otherwise sticky hide glued lamellar.

[Fargbollen]

I'm putting together a batch of cassein glue now so I'll make another video with the right glue. This one works but gets sticky in wet weather. Cassein glue is water resistant but also stronger than epidermic glue.

The result compared to waxed leather is like cutting a carrot compared to a car tire. Both can be cut, but it's much harder making it a far more likely material for practical armour.

[Fargbollen]

If you want to do this, try a small test piece of pure vegeable tanned leather of 3-5 mm thickness. This will show the best results. Soak in Natron sated water for a few days (room temp or something). Bake in oven up to max 85 degrees celsius with a digital thermometer with alarm to warn if it gets too hot. Set alarm to 75-80, not 85 or it'l burn and shrink excessively. It always shrinks some though. Then make a pot of cassein glue and soak the piece in it. Take out, let dry. Finished!

[burningreach]

Well you might be the one to ask, I bought a pair of leather bracers from darkknightarmoury full leather called "diamond" bracers

They are a little too big... is there a way to shrink them perhaps by soaking and drying? Afraid of ruining them, couple of layers of stitched leather.

[Fargbollen]

@burningreach multi layers of leather might not be pretty after shrinking. If you wan to chance it, try this method: Carve a lenght of wood to the same basic shape as your lower arm, doesn't have to be pretty just about the same circumference, soak the leather thoroughly for an hour or so, then strap it on tight, then heat with a hairdryler. That's how I fit leather coverings onto sword scabbards.

[crocgator44]

@Fargbollen due u soak the leather in hot or cold water?

[Fargbollen]

@crocgator44 doesn't matter with this method. Just don't use boiling water or anything over 85 degrees Celsius. It's the baking soda that de-tans the leather togehter with the oven baking that makes it hard and still strong. Compared to this result the simple "water hardening" some still advocate as all you need is just a temporary way to form leather into shapes before baking. The dry-bake-glue method I show here is many times more cut and tip penetration resistant than any other I've tried.

[hayyalife]

baking is a good idea...thanks!

[Fargbollen]

@hayyalife make sure you have an oven thermometer and never go beyond 85 degrees celsius, I'd put the limit lower to have some heat spike margin, about 80. Remember this is Celsius so you may need to recalculate it.

Don't use the epidermic glue I used in the video because it gets sticky from moisture. Instead you should use casein glue (made from cheese crystals). It's still made industrially today you can buy it in crafts and some paint stores. It's water resistant and still historical.