A 13th Century Leg Harness
In the Church of Santa Annunziata in Florence, Italy, there is a tomb
of one Gurliemo Beradi 
(ca
1289). On this tomb may be seen a stone relief of a mounted warrior. Strapped
over his maille chauses (leg-defenses) may be seen a three piece covering
with ornate designs carved on them. Edge and Paddock in 'Arms and Armor
of the Medieval knight' show a photo of this carving, conjecturing that
the piece was most likely made of cuir boulli - boiled leather. Cuir boulli
was used very widely in the Middle Ages, and there are numerous extant
pieces of horse barding, covered reliquaries, etc.
Recently I recreated this piece as best I could, and here present my method for anyone who would like to do the same.
You will need: Tape measure, ruler, shears, leather rivets and setter, six buckles of the "D" sort, lots of newspaper, sufficient 6 ounce (or heavier) leather to cover your legs with the pattern presented here, 10 pounds of paraffin, LARGE cooking pot, large pieces of paper for making patterns, a pair of kitchen tongs, a small bowl of hemispherical shape, an empty 3 liter soft drink bottle (sealed), rubber gloves, craft knife, and carbon paper.
1. Making the pattern:
Begin by taking the following measurements:
A. From hipbone in front of leg to one inch above knee cap.
B. From hipbone to one inch below crotch.
C. (With legs together) From where legs touch one inch below crotch
to the outside of the leg (180 degrees from where you started).
D. (with legs together) From where legs touch one inch above knees
to the outside of the leg. (180 degrees from where you started).
E. From one inch below knee cap to ankle.
F. (With legs together) From where legs touch one inch below knees
to outside of leg. (180 degrees from where you started).
G. (With legs together) From where legs touch one inch above ankle
to the outside of the leg. (180 degrees from where you started).
Now refer to diagrams and follow the sequence there presented to make
a pattern template to 
your
own measurements. Do this on the pattern making paper and try them on from
time to time to check the accuracy of the measurements. As every individual
is going to vary in the dimensions of their legs, so will the amount of
coverage each person prefers vary - make them suit you! Only when you are
certain of the fit should you even contemplate taking leather and cutting
it. Even if you can afford more in the event of a miscut, some animal gave
its ALL for the leather you're using. Most importantly, you should make
sure that you cut the leather so that you have reversed pieces for each
leg, but with the flesh side (the rough side) towards your leg (or so it
will be when the assembly is finished). There's few things more aggravating
than to cut out pieces and then discover you've cut them so that you have
two right legs. By doing all your measurements for the right leg and marking
that side with an 'R', then laying them on your leather and tracing them,
you will find it a simple matter to flip them all over (but NOT the leather)
and mark the leather to be cut for the left leg.
2. Transferring the Tooling Designs: This may be done free-hand or by enlarging the template presented here until it's as close as possible to the right size as possible. Go slowly and take your time, and don't be intimidated by the apparent complexity of the design. Think of how proud you'll be once you're finished! Once done take the craft knife and a cloth, and wet down the leather (on a cutting board) along all the lines you marked. Now plunge the leather in water for a few seconds, wipe off the excess and let it dry for twenty for hours. The leather will expand and contract, pulling back from the incisions and making the ornamentation you've carved more prominent. If you like, you can go over the edges and corners of this with an orangewood stick or other blunt object and enhance it even more.
3. Boiling in Wax: It is necessary to use or improvise a double boiler for this; I used a pressure cooker pot with two quarts of water in it and a large stainless steel mixing bowl atop it. Let the water come to a boil; in the top let the paraffin (broken into small chunks) melt, but be sure to keep it covered in the meanwhile. Always be sure to keep an eye on the paraffin so that it doesn't smoke or come near it's flash point; see the directions on the box Now wit your work surface covered with newspapers (lots of layers), tongs, bowl and coke bottle ready, place the knee cops (the circles of leather you cut out the cover your knees) into the molten paraffin. It will fizz for a moment, and then-should you look at it closely- there will be seen tiny streams of bubbles arising from the piece. Keep it submerged until these stop, and for about two to five minutes longer. The longer you wait, the greater amount of wax saturating the leather. Unfortunately it is possible to wait too long, making the leather as brittle as a popsicle. If allowed to become like this it would probably shatter under a blow of any real force. Be careful. With the tongs, the piece is removed from the paraffin and allowed to drain while being held over the pot for a moment, then placed over the back of the hemispherical bowl. Mold it to the bowls' contour while it is malleable and then wipe off excess paraffin with a paper towel. Place the bowl with the leather piece on it under the tap and run cold water on it to set the paraffin. Do this for a few minutes until the leather is cold to the touch. Repeat all the above for the second piece. When the leg pieces are done it will probably be nessecary to fold them in half to fit them into the pot, but that's O.K., because they won't stick together as long as the paraffin is molten. Just remember to keep the piece moving in the vat, and keep an eye on your temperature. The leg pieces as you probably guessed by now, are molded over the three liter coke bottle, just as the knee pieces were over the bowl. TAKE YOUR TIME!! Allow all the pieces to cool for a few hours before proceeding. The designs can be enhanced even more at this point with a stick, if you so desire.
4. Finishing: In the last diagram will be found the assembly details, as well as the entire template for the pieces. With rivets so arranged (though none are seen in the sculpture) it is possible to have articulation of a sort, making the legs more comfortable. Be sure to make the leg straps long.- remember that these were worn over mail legs- and in a manner that will permit the buckles to be at the backs or outsides of the legs. In order to facilitate the articulation, it may be necessary to curve the ends of the leg pieces that reach under the knee pieces by cutting a little away from their centers, but do so a little at a time. You can always cut off a little more, there's no way I know of to put it back on! Enjoy your new legs!
Master Johannes the Black of the Athanor 