Issue 55 - Finished.

The Final issue

There were three steps to finish this issue. First, I had to assemble and attach a tube to the back of the armour that would be used to hold a flag or standard. Next, there was a covered cord that I attached to the helmet. The ends hang down from the ears and it is used to tie the helmet to the head. Finally, as predicted, I attached the golden yellow crescent.

Despite working on three separate parts, it was very easy to finish this final issue. What took much longer was all the after completion final touches. I used a polishing cloth to remove the fingerprints and smudges from the metal plates. I cut the ends off cords and puffed them up to look nice. Several large sections of the armour came with a protective plastic film on them . I had been keeping it in place while I worked, but now it was finally time to peel it off.

I also took the armour out for a little trip to another house, this one is a bit larger than mine and it has a traditional Japanese style room. There I was able to set up my completed suit of armour and take a few photos with the additional display options I had purchased. I have decided to include some of those shots, instead of the usual close-ups of the work completed this issue, because this is the final issue and I think the work done here is not as interesting as the all the work put in to get here.

Now that the work is finished I feel a sense of melancholy at finishing this project. I had grown quite accustomed to the work and now that it's done I'm at a bit of a loss. However, despite the other emotions I feel at the end of such a long project, what I feel most is pride. I am very proud of the work I have put into this armour, and I am very proud of the result.

I am also not sure what to do next. I have been looking at the DeAGOSTINI website, but as of today I haven't seen anything upcoming that looks very appealing. Before I started this Samurai Armour I looked at a few other magazine projects, but I passed on those because they were not interesting to me. Perhaps it will be a some time before I find something else engaging enough to try again.

Although this may be the final part of the armour, it's not the end of my blog. Soon I will be attending Anime North and, if it's possible, I'll try to bring my armour with me and display it there. I think that might be a story worth a post or two.

I do sincerely hope you have enjoyed reading the story of my Making Samurai Armour and although the armour itself is done, the blog is not quite...

Display options

Once I received the box in late September I had all I needed to display the armour. However, sometimes the absolute minimum required is just not enough, and the people at DeAGOSTINI were thinking along the same lines. They had prepared a wide range display items, options, and accessories for the person who wants a little more:

The simplest item was a hand painted wooden sign with the full name of the armour and it would be personally inscribed to include either the name of the person who assembled it, or the name of the person it was made for.

This next item I called the aquarium. It is an enclosed glass case to hold the full suit of armour if you wished to keep it permanently on display, while keeping dust and fingerprints off. I don't have enough room to keep the armour up all year so I didn't really consider this option. Although I still think the black and gold case looks nice.

If you wanted something a little smaller, and at a lower price, you could select this simple display stand. It gives your box something a little classy to rest upon and helps to make your armour stand out where you choose to display it. This is not a significant display item on it's own, but you could also purchases an accessory or two to accent it.

 Perhaps something like standing display? This black wooden screen has images of a one eyed dragon on it. I must admit this was a tempting purchases for me, The monochromatic art is not superb, yet I like it. I also think with a simple display stand, and the actual Samurai Armour, the total impact can be quite a bit better then the individual parts. On the downside, it is quite large and although it folds, I don't really have a place to put it when not on display.

I also considered a scroll. These would conveniently roll up when not in use. They had two options to choose from, one with the white crest, and the other only had a large golden circle. I did prefer the crest a little more than the golden circle. Although, if they offered one with a golden crest the choice would be obvious.

Finally what good is a suit of armour without a weapon? They offered a very nice replica of Date Masamune's Katana and I was sorely tempted to purchases it. However there was one drawback, it's full size.

Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but I have made a 1/2 scale suit of armour, and placing a full size sword next to it would look out of place. The sword appears too big while the armour too small. They don't look like they belong together. I really wanted to get the sword, but the mismatched size was pushing me away.

Finally was the most outrageous items DeAGOSTINI had for sale. A 1/2 scale replica of Date Masamune himself. He could wear the armour, rather then display it on a stand and empty box. There were a few conditions to consider before ordering it: First the minimum order was 30 pieces, so I had to believe that at least twenty nine other people would also want to keep a mini-Masamune in their homes. There was also the price. This extra large doll would cost a little more then the complete suit of armour he would wear!

After carefully considering my budget and display options I made my decision. What, if any, did I purchases? You'll just have to wait and see...

Mysteries Solved.

As we approach the final issue I should answer what happened at the end of September.

In brief: my box arrived about a week later and I didn't have to cut my magazines. I think it's because I was on the subscription service that I automatically received the box. The colour is a little darker then the image online showed and the clasp is a little thinner then I expected, but I am very happy with it.

The box is more than a convenient place to store my armour, it also used to display it. Issues 12 and 13 contained the wooden display stand that holds the torso section, sleeves, mask, and the helmet. That stand is designed to sit on top of this box while the thigh guards are warped around and the shin guards are placed in front to complete the presentation.

You might think that should be enough to display the armour. Fortunately, the good people at DeAGOSTINI would disagree. Last November they offered several additional options and accessories to enhance and expand the Samurai Armour display.

Issue 54

This is the penultimate issue, and it was a big one. The work here was a mirror copy of issue 51; and, although I had done it all before, it was still a time consuming challenge. However, because of my experience with issue 51 I was able to make a few minor alterations to how I did the work this time.

First, I made sure to not secure all the parts together so tightly. They were not loose, but there was a little slack left in. This was important because when the shin guard is closed the parts tighten together a bit without being under high tension. I also knew how the plates should overlap and this helped to keep everything in the right place. Finally, when making the tip of the silk string, I used less glue and I cut the point a little longer then before. This allowed me to make a narrower and longer tip and that was easier to thread through the leather and silk sections.

The rest of the work was the same as before. I first attached the armoured plates to the silk and leather with string. Then I sealed and attached the straps. Next I glued the backing in place, and finally I stitched the whole thing together. There was one minor difference between this issue and issue 51, the texture of the leather section. They are both black leather, but they don't look the same. I'm not a leather expert so I can't say why this is, but I wonder if there is a technical explanation, or if that's normal when working with natural materials.

Next time will be the last issue. The Final issue. The whole project is almost over, but first I have a few loose ends to tie up...

Issue 53

This issue was unsurprisingly simple. I used some of the leftover silk string from the previous issue to join the two new plates together, and then to join all the plate sets together.

For the next issue I'll be attaching this to another leather and silk backing. I am not really looking forward to it, but the whole project is almost done and that's keeping me going.

Pre Fifty Three.

I took a few photos of the unboxing of the parts in issue 53 so you could get a better understanding of what each issue looks like before I start to work on it.

The subscription service would deliver me two issues every other week, usually on Sunday morning. I'd receive them together, wrapped in a green plastic bag. Within this I'd find each issue in separate identically sized packages. The outside is one piece of card printed to look like the cover of the magazine and shaped like an open box. In this are all the parts of the issue sitting in a plastic tray that is also enclosed under a plastic lid that is sealed down to another plain sheet of cardboard. Finally the magazine is placed on top and the whole package is held together with shrink wrap.

  

Issue 52

This issue was similar to the combination of the final work in issue 46 and the entire work of issue 47. First I cut and the string segments, then I glued the tips, finally I attached the plates together. Not much else to say about this one.

Next time I'll finish the metal sections and then the backing.

Issue 51

This was a very difficult issue to finish. I can't decide if it was the most, but it certainly ranks near the top, and in theory it should not have been so complicated.

I first had to attach the armoured section to the silk backing. This is similar to what I have done with both the sleeve and thigh parts. However, on those parts I was working with thread and 4mm silk string,  while this time I was using 5mm silk string. I know that may not seem like much of a difference but this string got twisted quite easily and I felt it was more difficult to work with. Also, I think I attached the armoured plates together a bit too tightly. When bending the parts into place the tension in the string was quite high. In retrospect I think adding a little slack to the line would have helped the process quite a bit.

Further complicating matters was a section of leather covering about a quarter of the backing. Making holes in this and then threading the silk string through was quite difficult. The tip of the silk string is just held together with glue and that would often come apart when working on this section. This would delay the process while I fixed it and waited for the glue to dry again.

Finally, once the armour had been attached, I secured the straps in place and then glued on the backing. Of course to finish the process I also stitched the entire backing in place. Now the left shin guard is complete. In the next few issues I will begin to work on the right shin guard. I don't imagine it will be much easier, but at least I'll know what to expect.

Issue 50

This issue finished the thigh guards and it was made of several small steps. First I threaded the leather cord through the small patch I put on in the last issue. Next I made another 'knot' before securing the whole thing in place with glue and finally stitching it in place.

The other steps were to attach the buttons to the tabs on back of the piece. This it was a simple process as I have made similar parts several times on other areas of the armour, although this part was a little different. Usually this kind of thing is comprised of a button section and a second 8 shaped part, except time there was no second piece, and this makes it a little hard to keep the buttoned sections closed. However, as it's on the back on the thigh pads, and that part is unseen, I could just use a clothespin or something to keep the tabs closed.

Next issue I'll finish the left shin guard and begin the final five.

Issue 49

This issue was a fun change of pace, it was hand stitching again. I almost think I should rename my blog to "Sewing Samurai Armour" because I spend so much time with a needle and thread. The only pieces included in this issue were a long silk ribbon and a small leather patch.

First I sealed the ends of the silk with some glue then I had to first align the two thigh guards and joined them together. Next I sewed the silk ribbon to the front, carefully folded it over the top, and finally sewed it down on the back. For the last part of this issue I carefully measured and marked where to put the holes on the leather patch, I used my punch to make the holes, and then I glued it in place.

Next time I'll finish the details on the thigh guards.

Issue 48

This issue was not too difficult. It was a lot like the previous issue, but with a small twist. First I joined another two sections of the shin guard, then I started to attach this section to the parts from the other issues. Although it was more complex than average, I did not find it too demanding. This work required a degree of skill, and that skill is something I have developed while constructing this project. Unfortunately, in the future I can't foresee any circumstance where I'll need to use these skills again, so I'm doing my best to use them now.

Issue 47

There is not much to say about this issue. it was very similar to the final section of the previous issue, however this time there were less steps to complete it.

I used two short sections of the silk string from the previous issue to join these two parts. I wish I could say more, but that's all there was to do this time. Next, I will be joining two more parts of the shin guard, and then joining all the sections together.

Issue 46

There were a lot of little steps to finish this issue and although none of them were really complex, some were time consuming. First I finished the final two strips of armoured plates and I attached then to the thigh guard. This step yielded an unexpected development, I discovered that an extra armour plate had been included. I double checked my guide to insure this was not a mistake, but indeed it was. I have no idea what to do with this tiny keepsake, perhaps I'll make a phone strap out of it later.

Anyway, after completing the final two strips I again glued and stitched a backing to the thigh guard. Although not a difficult a task, it does take some time to finish. With that done I began the final step of the issue, to start working on the shin guard. Two metal plates and a length of silk string were also included in this issue and I had to bind the parts together. Although this step had a similar feel to the many metal plates I attached together on the body of the armour, it was not the same.

For the next few issues I'll continue to work on this shin guard before returning to the thigh guards. Also this issue included 250cm of 5mm silk string, and I only required 60cm to finish this issue. I will be using the remainder in the next few issues.

Issue 45

Really not much to say here. I made two more strips of small armoured plates and then I attached them to the thigh guard.

I fell this issue may be the last simple one and the next few will begin to involve a lot more complex instructions and many time intensive steps. I have only ten more to go and there is still lot of armour left to be built.

Issue 44

This issue was a true surprise. Although the work did match what I was expecting, the process was quite the opposite. When I completed the left sleeve in issue 34 I had so much difficulty with threading the leather cord through the holes in the armoured plates.

However, for this issue the instructions included one tiny change: rather than cutting the cord square, it's cut on an angle. This apparently minor alteration had a major effect on the work. It was much easier to thread the cord through the holes because the the thin edge could fit in the narrow gap much easier, and once it was about halfway in I could grab it with my pliers and pull the rest through. This greatly cut the time need to make this part.

The rest of the steps to finish this issue were not overly complex. I once again made two 'knots' in the cord on the back of the hand guard that are actually just twisted and held in place with glue. Once I finished the removable joint section at the top I closed the sleeve by gluing the backing down and then stitching it shut. To finish the issue I attached the other half of the removable joints to the main body of the armour.

In the next few issues I'll continue to work on the thigh guards and soon I'll start the shin guards.

Issue 43

This issue was a tough one. It is basically the same as issue 33 and despite having the experience of doing it once already, it still took a lot of time and energy to complete. This issue also used so many different tools and supplies (including: scissors, a punch, white glue, a needle, thread, a hammer, a hole punch, instant gel glue, 500 grit sandpaper, a black pen, masking tape, clothespins, a copy of issue 33, toothpicks, sellotape, and a hard rubber plate) it felt more like working on three issues instead of just one.

First I added the wrist strap and then I glued and stitched the blue backing on the sleeve, next I glued and stitched  the leather section in place. After that I punched holes along the edges and laced the sides together. I recall this final step gave me a lot of trouble before, but fortunately now it all came together correctly the first time.

The next issue is one that worries me because it's another copy of issue 34. That was the most difficult issue I have done and I'm not anticipating it becoming any easier the second time around.

Issue 42

In this issue I attached the armoured parts to the silk section of the sleeve. This involved a lot of stitching. First I anchored the top and hand sections down, then I carefully attached selected links in the chainmail. Enough to keep the chainmail loose, but not fully detached from the sleeve. This was made difficult for the same reasons as before; combining black thread, black metal links, and black silk makes it hard to see exactly what you are doing. However, compared to when I did the same section on the other arm, this time it was completed faster. I hope that continues to hold true for the next few issues because they were very difficult the first time I did them.

Issue 41

This issue was rather simple. I have worked with chainmail parts several times before and this issue was not very different from what I did in issue 31. First I attached the thumb section to the hand guard by using some left over links from previous chainmail parts. Then I shaped and attached a larger section of mail to the back of the hand guard. Finally I attached that to the existing right forearm guard from issue 38.

I think I have finished all the armour and chainmail sections of this arm piece. Next I'll attach it to the leather and silk backing. Although this looks like something I have done before, and despite having the experience of already completing this once, I am still anticipating a lot of little work to finish it again.

Fifteen to finish!

When working on this Samurai armour project I've always been working a few issues behind the current one. I took a long break shortly after I started, and another one recently. These rests have created a backlog of unfinished issues because every other week another two issues are added to the 'to-do' pile. Although this gap between my working issue and the current issue has grown and shrunk, it has always remained.

However, that is now going to end. A few weeks ago I received the final issue. It is actually a bit larger than the others, and it makes a nice visual end for this project. From now on, when I complete an issue I am moving one step closer to the finish. I am about to start issue 41, and that means I only have 15 to do until I am done.

I'm now closer to the last issue than I was to the first when I started this blog.

Issue 40

Regular readers may note the similarity between this issue and issue 35. This armour set, like the body it is designed to protect, is made with a few parts that are mirror opposites. I am referring to parts such as the left and right arm, and shin, guards. These parts are, or will be, reversed copies of each other.

However, as near as I can determine this part, the other upper leg guard, is totally identical to the first one I was just working on. The parts are the same size, cut, and stitched in the same manor. Also, like I said about issue 35, there is not much more to say about this piece.

Issue 39

This issue was not overtly complex, but it was rather time consuming. For this issue I had to assemble and attach the final two strips of armoured plates to the leg guard. As I've made several of these before it was a known process for me. After that I stitched along the edges of all the strips to prevent them from coming loose or flipping over.

When that was complete I glued the backing in place and then I glued the leather trim down along the edges. Once the glue had dried I began the longest step in this issue, the process of securing the trim it in place with close tiny stitching.

It occurred to me that with both the backing and trim already held in place with glue the added stitching is probably not a significant boost to the structural integrity of the part. This armour is destined to be placed on display and not actually worn, so the glue alone should be sufficient. Furthermore, considering the location of the stitching, it will likely not be visible in the final product. Thus further diminishing the necessity of spending so much time stitching the parts together.

After I had fully considered this, I did it anyway.