[SauronOfMordor]

Additionally a good bit of armor was produced by the process of "ceur bolli" or boiled leather. When vegetable tanned leather (tanic acid from bark as the primary chemical treatment) is boiled, then pressed into a form and left to dry in the form, it becomes UNBELEIVEABLY hard. Hard enough to stop a sword slash or a glancing lance blow (layer it and let panels slip and you have a very viable and light armor system).

I belong to the Society for Creative Anachronism, and last summer attended a short class where a guy was demonstrating the process. The ideal temperature is actually 180 degrees F. The leather goes from soft and flexible to a state resembling tough plastic. It retains enough "give" that a blow with a sword blade will bounce off.

The Japanese encountered this type of armor when they were fighting the Mongols, who used it extensively. The most effective way to defeat this type of armor is to have a sword with a very sharp edge, and using a slicing blow, which is why edge-sharpness is so treasured in samurai swords

[petro45acp]

Thanks, I misspelled ceur in my post.

Ceur bolli is my favorite leather prep. I have used it to make holsters and sheaths with the resiliance of kydex. A favorite application is sheaths/holsters for fixed blade knives and pocket pistols. By building the holster or sheath suede side out, and boiling it, the suede becomes rough and hard. They stay in the pocket when the knife is pulled, and don't move around much giving a consistent presentation.

Gotta get to one of those SCA 'do s.'

Ping on the katana sharpness and slicing blows. All Japanese cutting tools are designed for pulling/slicing, a Shinto concept of drawing life/death/life toward oneself.

Cheers,
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