Hi guys,

It's been a long time since I posted my scale mail arm bracer but here is finally the full armor set!
This project took me a lot of time.... Really!!!! Well OK, I took a lot of breaks too.

I didn't took pictures during all the process but there are no particular method to learn here. You just need the materials, an idea and a lot of patience. So if you want to see how to assemble scale mail, I'm inviting you to check my previous Instructable : Scale-mail-arm-bracer

As for where you can get the materials, please check my previous post too.

For your information, when used to it, it took me around 1h to assemble the big scales for a piece like a shoulder and around 2h30 for small scales for an armlet. The cost of this full set is around 250$ (plus shipping fees). But it can be greatly decreased if you only use big scales.

The only technical difference are the contractions I put in place on the bust but I'll introduce them in the dedicated chapter.

Step 1: Arm Bracer

No need for long speeches, this is exactly the one presented in Scale-mail-arm-bracer/

I only did the second arm.

Step 2: Greaves

They are based on the same model as the armlets.

The only difference is that they are longer and the bottom is not fixed on the jeans. Like this, the bottom rests on the ankle and move with the feet.

It could have been done larger and attached with belt buckles for example, but where is the fun if you don't let place for improvement?

Step 3: Bust, Shoulders and Backbone

This has been the most difficult part but I should say I'm quite happy with the result.

I first need to thanks ScailleMaille as I based my design on their creations. If you really want a similar armor and money is not an issue, please buy it on their shop.

I started by building a model so I could work freely. Mine was custom made, thanks to TeamRocket14. It has been a fun part and I would advise anybody who needs one to not hesitate to use this method.

The main difficulty of this part lies in the bust. Until now, all parts were made by putting the scales straight. But if I did that for the breast too, the scales would only hang down vertically and wouldn't show the breast shape (see difference between picture 1 & 2). To solve this, I had to make some contractions right under the breasts. I didn't find lot of information about contraction and expansion but the most useful I found is gathered in the guide joined. It was even more difficult to find where to place the contractions and I had to make several attempts before finding satisfying positions. If you need to add some contractions or move them, I can't give you any tips except this one : Courage! Do not give up!

All this part has been made as a single piece and I added some clasps right next to the backbone to allow to put it on easily.

ScaleTutorial.pdf
Download

Step 4: Skirt

The skirt has been the most easy part, It's a simple sheet of scales. And as I did it with big scales, it went quite quick.

I tried several way to make it hold around the waist and the best was simply to attach it on a real belt. This allowed the skirt to be sustained all around and not let the scales hang down.

To attach it, I made regular holes in the belt and hung the scales using bigger rings.