Glueing a Linothorax

[Matthew Amt]

1) How did you keep it from gluing to the layer it was drying on? Did you just glue it on cement and then pry it off the cement when it was done drying?

Uh, not sure I'm following, here. I laid a sheet of plastic on the floor, I think, laid the first layer of linen on it, brushed on the glue (not too heavily), laid the second layer on, and repeated for a total of 3 or 4 layers. Then strapped it all around my form to dry. Putting the glue on the first layer is a little aggravating because the linen just wants to stick to the brush and wrinkle up and flip over and glue to itself and...

3) How many layers of glued linen do any of you think could still be cut through with scissors or a razor?

Phooo, don't really remember. Pretty sure I had the whole 15 layers together before cutting out the armholes, though, but I may have used a coping saw for that. But also pretty sure I used an Xacto knife on the pteruges, 7 or 8 layers each. Might have taken a couple passes to do each cut.

4) Matt, you mention that you would find out if they freyed after use on your LARP site. Do your flaps frey over time or did the glue keep them together neatly?

They are fraying some. In retrospect, it would have been better and probably more authentic to cut a narrow slot between each pair of flaps, and finish all the cut edges with linen tape, but... Eh, my linothorax really doesn't get all that much use, so it's not something I'm going to go and rebuild!

Khairete,

Matthew