Glad you sorted it out great work regards Phil

I do like this build the knots i`m not familiar with but i like the one thats crossed excellent work can`t wait for more regards Phil

Just caught up with your build, some very nice work going on

Mark

Moving on to the kusazuri (skirt armor). I started with a bit of prep work on the parts.

I sprayed the faux leather backings and odoshi (lacing or braids) with a Kiwi brand water repellent. My primary reason was to reduce the effects of ambient moisture from degrading the backing and braids.

The secondary reason, was to keep moisture out of the material that came into contact with the metal parts. My concern was that dampness of fabric parts would promote rusting of the metal parts over time.

To make spraying the pieces more efficient, I lined them all up. I taped the faux leather backing end to end, on a piece of cardboard. I grouped the odoshi by similar lengths and taped their ends together. I then taped the groups to a piece of cardboard.

In the picture below, you can see the navy blue laces that run the length of the kusazuri taped together. By grouping the pieces this way, it allowed me to easily flip 33 braids at the one time, and easily spray both sides.

For all the painted parts, I polished them with a couple of coats of automotive polish. I used NuFinish.

Really great update good idea to use the tape can`t wait for more Regards Phil

Thank you all for the compliments and encouragement!

Very interesting update. I never realised how delicate this model is to put together but yours is coming pn really well.

Thank you for the compliments and words of encouragement. And thank you all for following along.

Now on to lacing the plates.

The bottom plate of the kusazuri (skirt armor) has two rows of decorative odoshi (lacing) – a row of running lace and a row of x's or crossed odoshi below it. Based on the instructions, the bottom row starts with a knot on the outside of the plate.

Although the “knot out” pattern does exist, I didn't like the aesthetic. I also worried that my knots wouldn't be neat enough.

After a bit of research, I found a lacing pattern that would allow me to keep the knots on the backside of the plate, fit with the number of pre-made holes, and is based on traditional lacing patterns.

I tested my lacing pattern on an extra plate using some thin vinyl cord. The vinyl wasn't wide enough for a proper appearance but was good enough for me to test my intended lacing pattern.

Once I figured out my lacing pattern I was ready for the actual odoshi.

As I pulled the odoshi through, I was careful not to over tighten the odoshi, this prevents the lace from rolling.

I used a technique I read about from David Thatcher, a professional armor restorer. I used my finger to work the lacing into position as I pulled it.

When I got close to the final position, I used my finger to hold the lacing in place as I pulled it tight. This allows me to tighten the weave but not over stretch the odoshi in the front. This allows the lacing to form “boxes and lines” rather than “x's and train tracks”.

Instead of knotting the ends to complete the lacing, I folded and glued the ends – what the instructions refer to as “sealing.”

I followed Dave's process also. It helps to dampen with a little water and a few seconds thumb pressure to get the cross-laces and the tops of the vertical laces to lay flat.
Did you see his notes about paper plugs? I'd sent him a spare tasset plate and lace sample, he advised me to use the plugs as it helps prevent stretching and gives a nice rounded top to the laces. It's fiddly and a lot of extra work though (quite a few plugs fell out when it hit the floor also).

All looking good, very nice progress being made....

Regards

Alan