How To Make A Leather Arm Guard

An arm guard is one of the most important pieces of rubber equipment when practicing archery. The problem some people have is finding 1 that fits them. In some cases it makes more sense to just make your own, rather than buying multiple arm guards trying to find ane that fits.

Steps To Make An Archery Arm Baby-sit:

Assemble Materials
Brand A Pattern
Cut The Leather
Round Leather Edge
Punch The Holes
Form The Leather
Add Lace Hooks
Lace The String
Cease Up

Step 1. Get together Materials

Most archers arm guards are made out of leather. I adopt a softer more pliable leather material (1/16″), merely these steps will too use to a thicker heavy duty leather (1/8″) besides.

You lot volition too need some blazon of cord or string to tie the arm guard to your arm when information technology's finished. I will exist using a bungee string in this example, but yous tin utilize a shoe cord or some type of flexible string if you lot prefer.

I volition be installing hooks onto the arm guard in this example to arrive easier to take the arm guard on and off, but it'due south not required. Yous could always just lace a string, attaching the arm guard to your arm every time you use it. I find it a lot easier to but stretch the bungee cord over some hooks to secure the guard to my arm.

Material List:

Piece of leather
Bungee string (4 anxiety or so)
3 Lace hooks (or more than)
Beeswax (optional)
Pen and paper

Tools List:

Sand paper (or Dremel sanding tool)
Dremel polishing tool
Dial pliers (punch tool)
Utility knife (sharp blade)
Pin (thumb tack or needle)

Step 2. Make A Blueprint

The typical arm baby-sit for an adult male person is five″ wide and virtually 8″ long. This can vary between brands and sizes, I just wanted to give you lot an idea. The most important thing to remember, is that the arm guard needs to comprehend the inside of your forearm to prevent the bow string from slapping against your pare.

Make the pattern on a piece of paper that you will so lay on top of the leather to trace out the pattern. I find it easiest to draw the pattern on paper, cut information technology out, and lay it beyond my arm to make certain everything I desire covered will exist covered.

Hither is a template I made for you as an example. I added a download button then yous tin print this off and apply it as well. You will most likely want to modify this template to be a custom fit for you. At present's your chance to make a cool design out of your arm guard.

Step three. Cut The Leather

Now that you have your template made and sized exactly how y'all like, you lot will accept to trace that design onto the leather you lot're using. I've had luck just using a pencil to trace the template onto a piece of leather. I've also heard that a slice of chalk works really prissy for this. Mark the template outline onto the back side of the leather.

With the template traced onto your piece of leather, utilise a precipitous bract similar a utility knife or sharp pair of scissors to cut the leather to the correct shape. Cutting into the back side of the leather piece where you traced your template outline.

Make sure the leather is the right size for your arm and make whatsoever adjustments if necessary. If you're someone who needs to fine tune every item, it might exist best to cutting the leather a bit big to start with and adjust from at that place.

Stride 4. Round The Leather Edge

You might discover the edges of the leather seem a footling crude after you cut it. You will demand to sand the edges of the leather with sand paper or a dremel sanding tool. Just focus on smoothing the edges of the leather to prevent it from snagging on clothing while you're using information technology.

After you lot've smoother and rounded all the edges, y'all're going to want to smoothen the edges of the leather. This step isn't entirely necessary, but polishing the edges of the leather will give you a nice smooth terminate and darken the leather a bit.

But apply a dremel (or any rotary tool) with a polishing bit and some beeswax. Utilize the beeswax to the polishing tool, plough it on, and run it beyond the edges of the leather. The beeswax will melt on contact and requite you nice durable leather edge.

Stride five. Dial The Holes

Now y'all want to punch out the holes for your lace hooks and cord. If you marked out the holes on your template, you tin simply lay your template dorsum onto your leather, and mark where the holes need to be. Try to marking equally close to the center of the template hole as possible with a small thumb tack, pin, or needle.

At present use the punch pliers to punch out a piece of leather where you marked from the template. Punch pliers typically come with assorted size punch holes. Attempt to make the hole just pocket-sized plenty for the cord to fit through, merely enough room that it volition easily slide through the leather. Make the lace claw holes large enough to fit the lace hook fastener.

If y'all don't desire to use the lace hook method, just mirror the punch holes on both sides of the arm guard. Yous will have to manually tighten upwards the laces on the arm guard every fourth dimension yous put it on. But making the arm baby-sit is a lot easier with this option. You can skip footstep seven, and instead of using bungee cord, you can apply any string or cord yous'd similar, similar shoelaces for example.

If y'all are not using the same lacing method I used, consider some other options to secure the arm guard to your arm.

Example Securing Options:

Bungee Cord
Shoelace
Buckles
Velcro

Footstep 6. Form The Leather

This step is more important if you chose a thick leather to brand the arm guard out of. With a thinner more flexible leather, you might non even demand to do this step at all. The goal is to shape the leather effectually your arm until it resembles that shape all the fourth dimension. This makes it more comfortable and easier to take on and off.

Start past soaking the leather in hot water and work the leather with your hands while it soaks. Once the leather feels easily bendable, take information technology out of the water and form it effectually your arm. Find a mode to keep the leather in that shape, like using condom bands, until it completely dries out, maybe overnight.

Soak Leather
Form Effectually Arm
Let Dry out Overnight

With the thicker leathers, you may demand to do this over again over time every bit the leather looses its shape. But typically the leather will habiliment out the more yous use it and become more than easily manageable. This process is similar to how you would break in a new baseball glove.

Step seven. Add Lace Hooks

You tin can really use anything you want for this office of the arm baby-sit. I like the lace hooks you typically see on hiking or outdoor boots. Y'all really just need something that will hold the bungee cord.

The idea is that you lot will pull the bungee cord around your arm from one side of the arm guard to the other and the hooks will hold the bungee cord tight to your arm, keeping the arm guard firmly in place.

You tin notice lace hooks online for pretty cheap, sometimes referred to as eyelets or grommets. Keep in mind that some lace hooks volition require you to rivet them in identify, while others volition only snap into place.

Footstep 8. Lace The Cord

Now you can lace the bungee cord or shoestring through the arm guard. Y'all want the bungee string to create 4 loops, one for each lace claw. You will have an easier fourth dimension getting the bungee cord through the holes in the leather if you lot melt the tip of the cord with a lighter first.

If you are using a shoestring or non-elastic cord, you will lace the arm guard effectually your arm the same style you would lace your shoes. At that place are some fancier ways to lace your shoes and your arm guard, find something that works for you and stick with it. You won't need to lace the arm guard every fourth dimension you use it, you will just demand to slide your arm in and tighten it upwardly.

Stride 9. Finish Up

This stride is optional as yous should take a completed arm guard at this signal. Merely now is when a lot of archers like to add some decoration with a soldering iron. Also, some archers will punch extra holes throughout the arm guard in a pattern. Mainly to add some decoration, but also some extra air period to their arm for condolement.

I found this cool video of someone making an archery arm brace themselves. This arm caryatid is slightly unlike than the one I talked about, simply the process is very similar. Mayhap watching can give y'all some ideas.