08-28-2006, 08:46 PM
I finished my first lino-thorax a week or so ago. Here's what I did and as I go I'll explain some of the things that I think were period accurate and some that weren't.
1) I took paper and made a pattern of what I wanted the armor to look like. (45 mins to get everything done properly)
2) I cut out leather using the paper pattern, I did this twice so that I would have two layers. I used saddle leather (10-12 oz. leather, very thick) {After finishing the project I have come to the conclusion that leather would NOT have been the main substance used to make it. Leather does not have progressive give. If you can penetrate it a little, you can penetrate the whole way. Not so with glued cloth. More on the later}
3) I cut out some aluminum to use as an insert. {Aluminum is definitely not period appropriate but I had some of that and not steel, you can't see it and it does basically the same thing. Oh well}
4) Using contact cement I glued the leather to the metal insert and the other layer on top of that; ex. Leather-metal-Leather.
5) I then took a heavy cotton {I know, I know, linen should have been used. One layer won't make that big of a difference} and covered both sides of the leather. I wrapped the edges of cloth over so that it would have a clean edge to the piece.
6) I then took latex paint and painted the whole thing white. {Greeks could have easily done this as whitewash was readily available from bones and shells}.
7) I made the skirt bits (I forget the proper name) by covering 1 layer of leather with heavy cotton, gluing and painting it. I then riveted the leather skirting to the inside of the bottom of the panels. {This probably have instead be stitched on rather than riveted}
8) I then took sinew thread and stitched the panels together using a cross stitch weave. (Makes X's as you sew). {This, I believe, is very period accurate)
9) To finish off I took some beer bottle caps to make buttons with and riveted them to the parts that needed to be able to be undone (i.e. on side of the armor as well as both shoulders)
10) I then put it on, looked in the mirror and determined that, Yes indeed, I looked like the guy in the picture. (Just with less definition in my abs).
Here is another perspective on why they would have used linen rather than leather:
A) To make linen is a highly labor intensive activity. Slaves are cheap and so is time at night. Time in this case I don't think would have been a limiting factor.
B) Leather comes from animals that live a very long time. You get milk from them, have them plow fields, feed them for a long time, and in general don't think of them as cheap food. You wouldn't buy a car for all of the metal you could get off the frame. Just as you wouldn't think of a cow as something that you would kill for the leather.
C) Here is something that I learned from an environmental book on trash: People didn't throw everything out all the time until about 100 years ago. Everything was reused for something. I imagine that when making a lino-thorax, a lino-thorax maker wouldn't buy linen specifically for the project; especially if it's done at home rather than purchased. I believe the maker would use cloth like old children clothes, blankets, tunics, etc. What go buy brand new fabric when all you're going to do is glue it together and paint it white? (whitewash which they definitely did).
I also contend that cloth was most certainly used for the next reason:
I took some cotton (linen is better) and glued approximately 20 layers of it together using Elmer's glue (hide is better). I then took an awl (looks like a screw driver only with a nail-like tip) and tried to punch through my layers of glued fabric using a heavy hammer. The layers are less than a centimeter thick and the awl (very sharp) didn't even go in half way. Using a sample of leather and aluminum, the awl went through on the first hit, albeit only by a a half centimeter or so.
In short, I believe the lino-thorax would have been made out of linen because the linen for such a project would have been much easier to come by than leather and because it offers for superior protection.
1) I took paper and made a pattern of what I wanted the armor to look like. (45 mins to get everything done properly)
2) I cut out leather using the paper pattern, I did this twice so that I would have two layers. I used saddle leather (10-12 oz. leather, very thick) {After finishing the project I have come to the conclusion that leather would NOT have been the main substance used to make it. Leather does not have progressive give. If you can penetrate it a little, you can penetrate the whole way. Not so with glued cloth. More on the later}
3) I cut out some aluminum to use as an insert. {Aluminum is definitely not period appropriate but I had some of that and not steel, you can't see it and it does basically the same thing. Oh well}
4) Using contact cement I glued the leather to the metal insert and the other layer on top of that; ex. Leather-metal-Leather.
5) I then took a heavy cotton {I know, I know, linen should have been used. One layer won't make that big of a difference} and covered both sides of the leather. I wrapped the edges of cloth over so that it would have a clean edge to the piece.
6) I then took latex paint and painted the whole thing white. {Greeks could have easily done this as whitewash was readily available from bones and shells}.
7) I made the skirt bits (I forget the proper name) by covering 1 layer of leather with heavy cotton, gluing and painting it. I then riveted the leather skirting to the inside of the bottom of the panels. {This probably have instead be stitched on rather than riveted}
8) I then took sinew thread and stitched the panels together using a cross stitch weave. (Makes X's as you sew). {This, I believe, is very period accurate)
9) To finish off I took some beer bottle caps to make buttons with and riveted them to the parts that needed to be able to be undone (i.e. on side of the armor as well as both shoulders)
10) I then put it on, looked in the mirror and determined that, Yes indeed, I looked like the guy in the picture. (Just with less definition in my abs).
Here is another perspective on why they would have used linen rather than leather:
A) To make linen is a highly labor intensive activity. Slaves are cheap and so is time at night. Time in this case I don't think would have been a limiting factor.
B) Leather comes from animals that live a very long time. You get milk from them, have them plow fields, feed them for a long time, and in general don't think of them as cheap food. You wouldn't buy a car for all of the metal you could get off the frame. Just as you wouldn't think of a cow as something that you would kill for the leather.
C) Here is something that I learned from an environmental book on trash: People didn't throw everything out all the time until about 100 years ago. Everything was reused for something. I imagine that when making a lino-thorax, a lino-thorax maker wouldn't buy linen specifically for the project; especially if it's done at home rather than purchased. I believe the maker would use cloth like old children clothes, blankets, tunics, etc. What go buy brand new fabric when all you're going to do is glue it together and paint it white? (whitewash which they definitely did).
I also contend that cloth was most certainly used for the next reason:
I took some cotton (linen is better) and glued approximately 20 layers of it together using Elmer's glue (hide is better). I then took an awl (looks like a screw driver only with a nail-like tip) and tried to punch through my layers of glued fabric using a heavy hammer. The layers are less than a centimeter thick and the awl (very sharp) didn't even go in half way. Using a sample of leather and aluminum, the awl went through on the first hit, albeit only by a a half centimeter or so.
In short, I believe the lino-thorax would have been made out of linen because the linen for such a project would have been much easier to come by than leather and because it offers for superior protection.
Quote:Bill trully hit straight with his post.
Paul, I agree with you on livestock issue for Classical Greece and on cultivation.
Flax and Olive trees give several products with one crop that you can trade for those you do not have. Athenians relied on oil, ceramics and flax exports and grain or other food staff imports. They could just as well import weapons and armor.
In the off topic section you can find a link with a large variety of products coming from olive oil.
http://www.romanarmy.com/rat/viewtopic.php?t=8071
Some are medicinal which would add to their value.
Kind regards
