Leather Shaping Questions.

I am working on a costume right now wherein I need to make leather (faux leather would also be acceptable) earcups for a pilot's helmet. Think along the lines of a WWII pilot's helmet like this

but the earcups would only need to be in the shape of essentially a pie pan. I have read on the web that one needs to soak leather and then stretch it over a form to shape it. How could I achieve this? I mean I could buy two small pie pans and attempt to stretch the leather over one while pressing it inside the other but I am not sure how well that would work. If I could get the same effect with fake leather or vinyl that would be just as good the material isn't really of any consequence.

I've done a little leather work for my Zam costume. Real leather has very different properties from vinyl or other fake leather. Real leather could be wet-formed into that shape and it would hold. Vinyl would have to be glued down onto something else to keep that shape. Good luck.

Go to your local library and check out a book on Mask Making by Thurston James. Don't remember the title of the top of my head, but he only has one out. Or better yet, go to the book store and buy one. He has a whole section on wetforming leather for masks.

use water and the shape you wish to make it into. I used to do replica holsters and belts eastwood and the duke. I simply wrapped my colt clone in saran wrap and saturated the leather blank no wrap it around the shape in may case the gun find some means to keep it in place and wait 12 hours I used 500 gr wieghts when done the leather should still be a bit plyable so now you can dye it or leave it au nateral. I used neatsfoot iol tinted with saddle tan 90% oil 10% tint. holler if you need more help

Thanks for the recommendations. They seems like it may be easier than I thought.

I, too, am very interested in leatherworking. I have been frustrated by the lack of information on the web regarding even different grades of leather like rawhide vs. cowhide and how to work them.

There's some bodyarmor I'd love to make from rawhide and cover it with a fine leather, but not sure how to actually do this (or where to get the right kind of leather.).

chairman...
i think your idea with the leather and the piepans should work... maybe make some sort of press or clamp...or just put a brick on it to make it more true to the form. i agree with MaulMaus above. I dont think it'll work with vinyl.

Ghost Host, i agree with you about the rarity of leatherworking info on the web...in print as well.. I look at the 4000 different woodworking magazines at the bookstore and cant imagine why there isnt at least one for leatherwork.

<div class='quotetop'>(WookieGunner @ Jul 13 2006, 01:51 PM) [snapback]1280125[/snapback]</div>

Go to your local library and check out a book on Mask Making by Thurston James. Don't remember the title of the top of my head, but he only has one out. Or better yet, go to the book store and buy one. He has a whole section on wetforming leather for masks.
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Thanks for the book recommendation. I just got his book on vacuum forming. Some Borders book stores are carrying this title as well as the casting and forming book.. I am hoping to pick one up over the weekend.

Bobby

There are two major methods of tanning leather. One is a vegetable process and the other is a chrome process. The Chrome tanned is usually cheaper and pre-dyed. Most of the time it comes in the lighter weights like ‘glove’ (2-3 oz) leather or ‘boot’ (4-5 oz.) leather. Vegetable tanned leather comes heavier (6-7 and 8-9 oz) ‘belt’ weights.

http://www.tandyleather.com/ will have more info that may contradict what I just said :$ , but the gist of what I’m trying to say is this: Shaping leather by wetting with Acetone produces excellent results. It works better with vegetable tanned, but works on chrome tanned as well. It will stain the dye on pre-dyed leathers if it is allowed to soak all the way through. I usually try to apply it to the back (suede) side. With un-dyed leather this is less of an issue. The other thing to keep in mind is that leather likes to be compressed more than it likes to be stretched. To shape an ear-muff like the one in the pic, I would try to shape a thicker piece of vegetable leather with the pie-tin method (and use a lot of weight –raid the workout room ), then after it is dry, I would sew the perimeter of the piece to the smaller diameter circle on the helmet itself and let that hold the shape. The forming in the press will mostly be to define the edge of the circle from the ‘top’. Does this make any sense at all? It’s hard to tell sometimes. One might need to glue (Barge Cement) a disc on the backside to help keep the shape. The remaining challenges are getting everything dyed the same color, and not having to buy ½ a cow to get the small pieces you need. :confused But that is a topic for a different day.

I may have rambled on here, but hopefully there is something useful.

I've worked with shaping thin leather before by soaking it in a water/white glue mix, shaping, and letting dry. The glue really helps the lighter weight leather stiffen and hold its shape.

Gen

Here are a couple of articles that may be of use to you.
One uses water forming and the other alcohol forming I'd suggest working with scraps first to see if you can achieve the look you want and one thing you need to remember the longer the leather soaks the harder and more dense it becomes.
Hope to see the finished project.

http://www.ehow.com/how_15425_shape-leather.html

http://www.iilg.org/lkb/articles/faq288.html

Great links SD, very informative.

<div class='quotetop'>(Hero of Canton @ Jul 14 2006, 04:25 PM) [snapback]1280907[/snapback]</div>

Great links SD, very informative.
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You're most welcome.
We're all here to enjoy and help eachother if we can, right?

Ah hell, this would have been perfect had I found it earlier. :eek