Issue 36

This issue was almost exactly like the the last issue. I made two more strips of armoured plates and then I attached them. There is nothing else to say about it. Next time I will be starting work on the armoured sections of other sleeve. Although it's a new part, I expect it to be the same as my completed one.

Also, astute readers may note a slight delay in getting this issue finished. It had nothing to do with the difficulty or technical demands of the work. Usually around this time of year I have less free time. However, I am excited about the progress I have made these last few months, and I am not ready to stop again.

Progress may be slow, but it continues...

Issue 35

This issue is the start of the next part of the armour, the upper leg guards. I found that after completing the plate sets that were attached to the body,  working with these is far easier. The main action of this issue was to create two strips of 11 corrugated plates then to attach them to the silk backing. Fortunately all the points where I had to punch through the backing were already indicated with tiny silver marks, greatly simplifying the process. This is the start of two identical pieces, each with six strips attached, for a total of 132 tiny corrugated plates.

There is not much else to say about this one, and I think I'll have even less to say about the next issue.

Issue 34

I assumed, when starting this issue, that things would proceed smoothly and simply. The only parts included were four very small pieces to make two opening joints and 105cm of leather cord. I don't think any previous issue has contained so few parts. Even issue 27, although it had almost no work, still included a handful of pieces. This issues was going to be the antithesis to that one.

It started rather tame, cutting the cord into 3 pairs of smaller segments. However, that would be the only easy part of this entire issue. Next, I did the finger and thumb loop attachments. This involved aligning the holes in the metal pates with the corresponding holes in the leather and silk layers, and then pushing the leather cord through each one three times. This process would be a reoccurring theme for the entire issue, forcing more and more leather cord through progressively smaller holes. Although was not impossible it was very exact, and if things were not done perfectly, they were not going to work at all. Had the designers of the armour increased the diameter of the holes by about 0.5mm I don't think any of the the visual or structural effects would be diminished, but it would have made the process so much easier by adding a tiny bit of much needed 'wiggle room'.

Eventually I completed the process. I am particularly pleased with how the knots on the back of the hand section turned out. Although I refer to them as knots, the cord is not actually tied. It is only twisted and held in place with glue. This issue also completes this piece of the armour, so now I have my second finished part. In the next issue I am returning to my classic armour building techniques. I'll be cutting and gluing silk string and then lacing together some tiny plates. Again...

Issue 33

This was a complex issue, and one that required more unique different steps then I have seen in a long time.

First I had to assemble the wrist strap. This part is like several similar pieces I made when assembling the plates that are attached to the main body. The second step involved the most labour intensive action of the issue, attaching the blue lining to the inside edge of the sleeve. This required gluing the lining to the leather edge and following almost the entire perimeter with close hand stitching. Several times I used a little too much glue and attempting to push a needle though became quite difficult. At these points I used the craft plies to better hold and push the needle. It took a long time, longer then I was expecting, because I tend to be very precise with the stitching. Third I had to attach the leather section over the lining in the hand area. This was also done by gluing it in place first, then stitching.

For the third step, after the stitching was completed, I used some new and old tools. A new punch, included in this issue, and my old hammer to make a series of holes along the edges for a cord to bind the two together. When starting this project the series guide included a list of (...and as I would discover, it's only a partial list of...) the tools and equipment needed to complete the project. On that list was a hammer and I spent a lot of time carefully searching for just the right one. However, until now it's just been sitting next to my toolbox unused.  Also for this issue bought a very hard rubber plate to strike the punch into. I found this was quite helpful, as I did not damage my work surface, or the punch itself.

The fourth, and final, step of assembling this issue involved threading the cord in the newly punched holes. This often felt like it was just beyond my ability. It was not a complex process, but I still made several mistakes. I had to reverse and try again several times before I finally got it right. Compounding the problem was the end of the cord was just encased in masking tape and that had a tendency to come off as I was working. I had to re-attach a tape tip several times to complete the process.

Now that this entire sleeve is nearly finished I'm starting to get excited about the future. Despite all these difficulties I feel that I have learned a great deal about the assembling of sleeves and I'm excited to get another chance to apply what I have learned when I assemble the other sleeve. What new mistakes will I make? Only time will tell...

What is the final piece of the armour?

Issue 55 is going to be the last one for this project. For a while I have been wondering what parts are going to be in that final issue. Today I am working on issue 33. In my to-do pile I have up to the current issue, 41. Furthermore, on the website I can see previews of upcoming issues, up to 44. However, the contents of the remaining issues, 45 to 55, are unknown.

So what parts are in those last issues? I know the upcoming issues have some parts for the other sleeve and the upper-thigh guards. However, I have not seen an issue yet that has any pieces of the shin guards. Those must still be coming in 45+. I don't know how many it will take to finish each shin guard, or what order the parts will come, but I don't think that really matters. What I am wondering about is the last issue, what will be in it? What final part, or parts, will it contain to complete the armour?

I think it will be the golden "moon" crescent that attaches to the helmet. It is the most identifying signature piece of the whole armour. Images of Date Masamune always feature the black armour topped with a golden crescent. I think it would be quite fitting for the final piece of this armour project to be that signature crescent, and because it was not in the first few issues they are probably saving it for the last.

Issue 32

This issue was not as complex as I thought, although one step was quite time consuming. I have mentioned that one part was incorrectly manufactured in this issue. To correct this problem I called the company and they sent me a replacement part within 72 hours, at no cost. However, upon further examination this particular part is unneeded until issue 33.

So about this issue. The main construction involved attaching the metal sections to the silk of the sleeve. First I stitched the top and bottom parts. I found this to be tricky. I had to reattempt the thumb section twice as I was not happy with how it was progressing. Next, I had to carefully stitch down some of the links in the chainmail sections. This part was less technically demanding, but finding and attaching the correct rings took a lot longer then I expected. I believe working with black thread on black silk and counting black rings did nothing to alleviate the difficulty. However, the finished piece did turn out correct.

The next issue looks like a long and complex one, the instructions cover six full pages and I bought 2 new tools to to complete the work.  I'll also finally get an excuse to use my hammer.