A stitch up

[kissakai]

Sorry about the title

I previously ask for some advice and I've finished (?) my project

I don't need any comments about the workmanship just any additional information that will help this type of project

 

A synopsis is below but the PDF is correctly formatted

 

I took this Tare to Mike Hickman-Smith to see if he knew someone who could re-lace it. After a bit of thought he said ‘why don't you do it yourself’? I knew how hard lacing could be, so I didn't relish the idea. I'm sure as you get older the 'just do it' hormone is pared right back. I asked a few people about me having a go and thought I'd try it
                                Image in the PDF attached file

I bought the odashi ge (cord) from Japan but one person thought 
that this was not the correct cord. 
I know there are differing grades of cord but this was OK for me
http://www.morikk.jp/shop/products/detail/cn7/pg392542.html  My old cord which had almost turned to dust

                                Image in the PDF attached file

Cord length
As a beginner I had no idea how much cord to buy! I measured the cord before and after lacing one row. The lacing length of one row is 2.5” and the length of cord used was 16” so at least now you know how much to order. 

Advice from the NMB
You need to prepare the lace by thinning out the ends into a point rub in glue to make your threading needles. 
You’ll need hundreds of little hidden support braces to flush out each himo appearance. 
I didn't do this part as there was no 'padding' under my old lacing

The art of lacing armour is a lifelong learning skill. You need to suspend the mask and lames, you need to factor the spacing, and then cut your odoshi to the length you need. This is an image of one of my pieces that was restored by Dave Thatcher. You can see his rig and spacing/suspending technique. There are other ways to do this, but this way has also worked for me.
 

Knockback from the NMB
So, I'll write it hard when the others didn't have the courage. Any investment in this low level is a waste of money.

Lacing diagram and tools used
 

The process
I started the re-lacing last week and finished yesterday. Although finding it difficult it was going OK until I had a phone call! After resuming the lacing, it was not until I got to the end of the first set, I realised I'd missed two holes. It was so tight I had to cut it off and will start again when my head is in the right place and have the patience which at my age tends to run out a bit too quick. 
Apart from the obvious error the next time I left some of the lacing quite loose, so I’d tighten it up at the end. The 'loose' idea was rubbish, so I removed the cord and started again. I tried again twice until I thought it was OK.
First row completed. One person who has been a great help but wishes to remain anonymous said after I sent him the image below. Not the prettiest, but it's laced. You did OK for your first attempt. It does get easier. 
A perfectly reasonable reply.

 

Part of the problem were that some of the holes were too small. I used an old button with a couple of different hole sizes to find the minimum size hole that accepted the cord. This was 2.5mm for my 7mm cord. The button was also a guide when making my 'needle'. If it passed through the button it would pass through the holes in my tare. I checked all the holes in the tare and some just needed a little clean up with a drill.

The end result

                                Image in the PDF attached file

To sum up

A beginners attempt which in my opinion is better than having those loose plates. If I undid all the lacing and relaced the tare it would look better and it’s something I may do but for now I’ve run out of cord. If I decide to replace this, I would need to know how to knot the end, keep it flat and where to tie it off. It may be better if the cord was a bit thicker.

The grey area was the best method of tying off the cord at the end of a row. I ended up tying the ends of with a single knot with a touch of clear glue to keep it as flat as possible. I may tap the knot with a wooden punch to make it flatter. Mine did not have a knot at the bottom of the lacing and I wonder if the end of the cord is best tucked under the cross stitch a dab of glue before tightening it up as this will keep it hidden and flat

Be patient and work in a well lite and clear space

Ask for advice without being pushy. Remember this is possibly someones income source and tricks of the trade are hard learnt over may years of their trial and error

If you look on YouTube and it mentions paracord then assume the information is worthless

Don’t mess about with good quality armour

Reflections
I wonder what David Thatcher, Ian Bottomley, Bal and Mike Hickmans first attempts looked like and their thought process when starting out on the various types of restoration

                                Image in the PDF attached file

 

Help replies.pdfFetching info...

[JohnTo]

Disintegrating silk lacing and space needed for storing a collection are my main reasons for not collecting armour.  And I suspect that is the same for a lot of others people, hence the relatively low prices for armour in the auction rooms.  But good to know that there are still people out there who put in the time and effort.

 

regards, John

[Brian]

Lot to take in, in this post. Let's wait for the weekend to see who is able to give a more educated opinion than myself.

[GN174]

Well done for seeing it through to the end, and as you will have found it is a learning process with trail and error that will take time to master, perseverance is therefore key, which is a trait you seem to have. Keep at it 

[Justin Grant]

It's not easy. There are plenty of instructions on the web, and some with pictures. The crosses are critical and the termination knot is not that difficult, just takes practice. Armor, like Swords, requires expert craftsman to take care of. Silk, be it Odoshi or Tsuka Ito, rots and falls off. Many of us would discourage anyone from attempting to repair the Ito on a valuable sword, it would be recommended it be sent to a professional. Same with quality armor, it's best in the hands of trained craft-persons. But when they are not high-end items, people are less critical of home repairs.

 

I started collecting low end pieces initially, and as my knowledge and experience increased, I started to buy and collect higher end pieces. I was taught to lace armor by Thatcher and Bottomly and spent years practicing and taking criticism from Thatcher when my work was slack. He was not being mean, but pushing to ensure quality was the output.

 

The late Anthony Bryant has/had a site that walked you through lacing armor and the different styles.

 

I will point out, one should NEVER drill the holes larger on the plates, that usually means you have the wrong size odoshi. Never use anything that will chip or destroy the urushi, once that happens, moisture will creep in and start the red death (rust), and cause the urushi to lift.

 

There is a "face" to odoshi and set ways in working with it. You'll get there, if you wish, but just study how lacing on good armor looks and how it rests, and this will inform your next job. Once you've studied a lot of quality lacing, you begin to spot work undertaken by less skilled craftsmen.

[kissakai]

Thanks Justin

I take your points on board especially about the holes and I've amended my notes

An interesting point about odoshi having a face 

It may be that the tare and hanpo from my set used different size odoshi!

Do you think the odoshi I've used is acceptable for these low value items?

What schoolboy errors do you see on my attempt at re-lacing?

 

[Justin Grant]

Odoshi comes in various widths, if the holes are to small for your odoshi, then you get smaller.

 

As for errors, the crosses are to tight, and the odoshi is pulled through the holes in the wrong manner, just from a casual observation.

 

Keep learning.

[kissakai]

It all helps

 

[IBot]

All,   LIke tsukamaki, lacing armour takes a bit of practice to get it looking right. The process has been described on-line many times so I won't repeat it here. Just remember that all the cross-knots go the same way for the whole piece (on a shikoro on my desk as I write, the left is over te right). Remember also that on a heavy piece, the lacing at the top gets stretched as more weight is added when the lower lames are laced on so allow for that. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, ensure the edges of the lacing are curled underneath where it emerges from a hole to the front of the piece and that the little plugs are used to pack the lacing to the top of the holes.

Ian Bottomley

[kissakai]

Ian

Not sure what is meant with this line:

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, ensure the edges of the lacing are curled underneath where it emerges from a hole to the front of the piece

 

[IBot]

Grev,  Obviously the braid is wider than the hole, so the edges need to roll up for it to fit through it. The edges are always rolled under  / or curled downwards as it emerges  - never tolled / curled upwards.

Ian