Linothorax vs Quilted linen vs spolas

[John Conyard]

This does sound very interesting. Rawhide armour would be very tough.

Does the rawhide need to be weather proofed? My experiance of using it is limited. I have a McClellan saddle from WWI which is covered in it. And it's still going strong. But I am aware that some McClellan's were also covered in leather to protect the rawhide from the weather.

But I do have a cowskin two man coracle made back in 2004. The hide was socked in a saline solution for ten days before been sewn over the wooden frame - in effect rawhide but with the hair still on it. The rawhide shrinks onto the frame. Coated in lanolin once a year, it is water proof. If it goes in the water every day for a week you can feel it getting softer, but other wise it's fine. This rawhide is designed to be immersed.

But if I had a yoke made of rawhide, and tried fastening down at the front, I have a suspition the rawhide wouldn't allow me to do it, or just may crack. When it's moulded and dried out it does not allow for flexibilty. Perhaps your project to could the validity of this.

I fear I may be sold on the idea of glued laminated leather. Leather thickness or quality wouldn't be an issue. Just add more leather to the required thickness. Goat or cow could be used. The leather could be stuck together by it's own gelatins as done in India, or by dairy glues as in Europe to produce a stiff cuirass, but one with some flexibility.