Scale armor is my specialty and personal favorite. I have been wearing some version of it almost constantly for over 20 years. Early on I simply made it from un-hardened, 10 to 12 ounce vegetable tan leather. It was fairly heavy, but moved and breathed okay, and handled an impact from rattan reasonably well. But over time, as happens quite frequently to all of us, the weight became a factor. So a few years ago I started experimenting with hardened leather. I tried the water method, but was not happy with the results. Then I began using the mix of carnabua and bees wax that I use today. What a difference! My first suit of hardened scale weighed only 17 pounds! And at least 3 pounds of that was from the rivets!

I have been wearing my current suit since 1999. The scales were sewn on by hand. The entire suit covers from neck to knee, uses 650 dragon scales, and weighs a total of 14 pounds! Then the caper! It was far better impact protection than my old heavier scale!!

Now a'days I use a harness sewing machine. So instead of taking 3 to 5 months of hand sewing, I can complete an entire suit in a week or less! Please bear in mind the typical completion date is set at 30 days. This is because I only do this part time, I have other orders to fill, and each suit is custom made to fit YOU! I have 3 different scale shapes to choose from, and five colors, so you can personalize your suit. To keep my costs, and therefore your costs, down I use economy grade leather, and specials when available. I get nearly all my leather from the Hide House in Napa, California. Picture a 3 story warehouse covering almost 2 acres of floor to ceiling, wall to wall, leather. Sigh. Heaven on earth to a leather worker.

So on with the scale suit details.

The canvas undercoat is made from tent grade canvas that has been treated against mold and mildew. All the seams are double stitched. The shoulders are reinforced with leather. Both to add strength and to give you a place to attach spades or pauldrons, with as little strain on the canvas as possible. The scales are sewn on with the harness machine using 2 ply Z-277 nylon thread. All armor grade scales are made from 7-8 ounce vegetable tan leather. Costume grade scales are made from 5-6 ounce leather, to give you the look and feel of the real thing without the weight. Each suit weighs approximately 15 pounds. This will vary from suit to suit.

Standard cost for a suit is $400.00 plus $35.00 shipping, there is an additional charge for extremely large suits, so please get an estimate for XL to XXXL suits

One of the most universal of all period armors, some version of lamellar was used by nearly every culture from China to Spain, and North Africa to Scandinavia, spanning pre-Roman times to the end of the Middle Ages. Many different materials were used, bone, horn, steel, bronze, and leather. Many different shapes as well. I use a fairly standard elongated fish scale with a fairly standard lacing pattern for the holes. My standard lacing pattern is for a horseman's harness, with the rounded edge up and the scales flowing upward, but you can easily just turn them over and make a footman's pattern instead.

All my lamellar scales are made from 8-9 ounce vegetable tan leather and hardened in my special mix of carnauba and bees wax, and do not soften in sunlight. They will lose some of their rigidity over time and use, but will never become completely flexible. In fact by giving a bit when struck they absorb impact a little better than if they were completely rigid. In addition the edges of the holes will round off a bit and help to protect your lacing material. I recommend latigo lacings but you can certainly use just about anything.

Typically I sell the scales in batches and allow you to do your own lacing. I can lace it together for you at an extra charge, but I would need your measurements to give you and estimate on cost. To give you and idea of how many you would need. The shirt pictured took 240 scales to fit someone 5'7" and 200 pounds, with no shoulders, and no tasses or leg protection.

Standard cost for a suit is $325.00 which covers your torso, just like a tank top T-shirt, plus $35.00 shipping, there is an additional charge for extremely large suits, so please get an estimate for XL to XXXL suits.