From 17 to 30, a progress check

In this blog when I finish a piece of the armour I just take a photo of that part. However, I have not shown any full progress shots since issue 17. So today I took my armour outside and I took a few shots of the main body, mask, and helmet. I still plan to keep detailing the progress made in each issue, this is just a chance to show all that I have done so far.

Issue 31

This issue only had just a few parts, so it it did not take very long to finish. I added the hand and thumb guard to the chainmail and armoured sections of the sleeve. It was fortunate that I did not throw out the extra chainmail that I removed from the parts from issue 29, as I needed to use some of it to complete this issue. Although I believe somewhere in the instructions it said to keep it, I can not be sure because I am unable to fully understand them. Fortunately,  I do tend to keep the scraps and extras anyway, so I had enough extra links in my toolbox.

With this issue the armoured sections of the sleeve is complete. Next, I will begin to sew them to a silk and leather sleeve. I examined some of the parts for the next issue and I suspect one of them, the lining,  may have been cut incorrectly. This could result in a delay in completing that issue as I attempt to contact the company and get a replacement part.

Issue 30

This issue is the final time I will be making armoured plates. The parts in this issue made a full set of six plates, and that's it. Just six metal plates, six backings, about 255cm of blue silk thread, 70cm of gold, and two tiny metal pieces to make a removable joint. Those are required because this set is attached to both the back and side armour.

I have now finished making all the armoured plates for this project. In total there are eleven sets of six plates, 66 plates in total, that I have joined together. They add a lot of weight to the armour, but the whole effect also really looks good. With the golden thread outlining the edges of each set, the overall impression is quite striking.

The main body of the armour is almost complete and the rest of the details to finish, except for the standard attachment, are all quite minor. For the next few issues I'll be working on the sleeves.

Issue 29

This issue felt more like a typical issue to be working on. I made some plates, then I joined them to the ones from issue 27, and finally I attached the set to the body. I feel a touch of melancholy when considering the next issue, for it shall be the final time I will be working with these plates.

This issue also used the leftover part from issue 27, it's the large piece at the top of the chainmail sleeve. As you can see the main work in this issue was to add more chainmail to the arm guards. I still have to attach a hand and thumb plate, then I'll work on the sleeve itself where this armour will be anchored. For this issue all the chainmail came in one large sheet. I had to count and remove exactly the right rings to give it the correct shape, then open and close all the rings at the top and bottom to join it to the other pieces.

Collecting Issues

When I started this project I knew it would be difficult because I can not read Japanese well. Fortunately most of the instructions are accompanied by excellent photographs and that has been a great help in working on this project. Although the building instructions are only a few pages in what appears to be a very interesting magazine. There are many different sections and chapters chapters of what I assume are: Stories of historical armour building techniques, famous Samurai and notable battles, the life story of Date Masamune, and much more. However, for now all I can do is scrutinize some tiny images on a few pages from each issue. There is much more unexamined content that will just have to wait until my language level improves.

So what do I do with these issues after I have assembled the parts? When starting this project I bought four special binders to keep them. They are hardcover binders with the magazine logo on the cover and an embossed family crest on the back. Each binder holds 14 issues so the complete set of 55, and the series guide, should fit exactly in four.

Issue 28

This issue involved doing something different for me. Unlike the previous 27 issues, this issue stands apart because of it's unique process. There was nothing to glue. Every other issue has involved using at least one of three kinds of glue. The most common is regular white craft glue. A small vial was included in issue one, and I have purchased a larger bottle because I use it so much. The other glues are a fast drying superglue gel for doing detail work, and a thick rubbery type for joining the metal parts together.

This issue also included a new tool, some craft pliers. They are like regular needle nose pliers, but the inside edge has no ridges or teeth, it is smooth. I used them, and my own craft pliers, to open and close many very tiny metal rings to assemble part of the chainmail sleeves.

Issue 27

This issues marks the halfway point for this project. There is not much to talk about in this particular issue, only because there was not much in this one. Of all the issues I have done so far this one is, by far, the simplest. I made three plates. Usually I do that and something else, however the only other part included remains unused for now.

Fortunately, I am well practised at assembling plates. If you ignore time spent waiting for glue to dry there was, at most, only one hours work to finish this issue. Even the instructions were only six steps covering a page and a half.

Issue 26

The mask is now complete. Although I am almost half way into my armour project, I now have my first finished part. There are still 2 more sets of plates to attach to the body of the armour, and the helmet still needs it's straps. Soon I will begin to work on the arms. I am looking forward to that, as it's the start of an all new part of the armour.

Anyway, about this issue. The first part involved finishing and attaching another set of plates. It's not my favourite part of the job, but I have become rather proficient at it. Attaching the neck guard was like a miniature version of attaching the bands to the helmet. As I have already done that, working on this part went smoothly. The helmet was difficult because of the large number of strings I had to work with. The neck guard had less strings, but they were closer together, so it was difficult because of the compact size.

Issue 25

This issue was a continuation of the work done in the previous issue, I was again adding facial hair to the mask. There was also the side job of working on another set of plates, but ultimately it was nothing new. This is the last time that I will have to attach hair to the armour, and despite it being very intensive work, I feel the result is worth the effort as the finished piece looks quite good. The next issue is the neck guard, and that should finish the face mask.

Issue 24

It took a little while longer to get this issue done then I was expecting. This was partly due to a long cold that I still have, and partly due to the rather high level of difficulty in this issue. The main action was putting the beard together. I assembled the mask way back in issues one and two, but since then it has just been sitting in my toolbox. Finally with this issue, and the next few, I should soon finish the mask and neck guard.

The main action of this issue involved tying the hair into bunches of 40-50. I had to count out each pile because I found it very difficult to guess. If I had too many then the bunch would not fit in the hole. However, if I had too few then the bunch would not stay in the hole. It took a long time to separate and count the hairs,  tie them together, thread the bunch through the mask, and then glue it in place. Fortunately, after about the 12th time, I became familiar with the right amount and I could estimate the correct size without counting.

Anyway, after threading and gluing the bunches into the mask I had to give the beard a much needed trim. I think it turned out quite well. The next issue is more of the same as I add a small soul patch, and finally a moustache to the nose guard. Date Masamune was clearly a man of great style.