A Faun in the deep forest

The first wonderful days in october where very welcoming to wander as Faun through the orange shining forest and take a few pictures.

So here Erla doing faunthings:

Digigrate Legs

Often people ask me, how this work with the digigrate. Which paddings in which way to place...

So here a picture of my paddings. I think this will explain a lot.
The paddings are not fixed anywhere. Neither the leggings nor the furtrousers. There are pieces of hook-and-loop tape which will fix the paddings at the trousers (so the trousers will be still able to wash).

How to make resin hooves

After finding out, that the Lino-hooves are note opimal at all  weather conditions - I have to imrpove this!
Fortunately there is a instrucion from Varric (http://hawke.livequest.de/digi.html), how to make digigrate legs, and resin hooves. But actually i like the deep slot of my Lino-hooves, which is not planed in Varrics instruction, because at this point is a pipe (the underconstruction).
So I had to find another resolution. Perforated metal plate was the best idea, i could find, because this material can brought easilly in any form and the resin can fit in a good way in the holes of this plate.

So first step is to bring the perforated metal plate in the right form, so that it will fit well to the shoe.
Then cut glass fiber mat into stripes and glue this with the resin on the hoove plate. Important by doing this is, that the resin can creep trough the holes and glue everthing to one. This can drive you crazy, because the fiber mat won't do what you will that it do. XD

Now it have to dry! And dry and dry... (this can take a few days)

After drying you can fit the hoof to your shoe like the way at the Lino-hooves.

Painting, furring, ready! XD

Photo by Hagen Hoppe http://www.eifelrabe.de

Things you need:
shoes
perforated metal plate
resin
glass fiber mat
leather stripes
acrylic colour
fur

Hoof step by hoof step

What you need:
shoes
plaster bandage
clay
linen
waterproof wood glue
cling film
fabric tape, balck (no duct tape)
acrylic paint (black, white, brown)
leather stripes (not to thin, and no string)
yarn
faux fur

Tools:

brushes
scissors
tin snips
manual drill
leather needle

First stepp is to wrap your shoes into cling film...(its better for the cheese XD)

 

Note: Steel-capps are out! Now here the brand new gypsum-capps!

These gypsum-capps are very needful, because the shoes will change its form by giving pressure to it while modeling the clay.

If the gypsum is dry you can model the hoof-shape with clay on top of your shoes.

This have not to be dry before you go on with the Lino.

The Linothorax-technique is quit simple. You cut your linen-fabric in small strips and glue this in crossing lengths with waterproof wood glue on the Clay-mold.

Next step means waiting and let it dry. It don’t have to be ready dry, before you remove your linohoof from the Clay-mold. But its better you wait a day until doing this.
Then the hooves will be also wet enough that you can give the hooves a better fitting form by adjusting the hooves directly on your shoes. For stabilization you can take tape, until the hooves are really dry. This can take a few days. because with really dry i mean REALLY dry! XD.

When it’s dry you can cut off the pieces which are to long and to fringy. This will be your first pedicure XD

After this you can cover the under border with fabric tape (no duct-tape) to protect, the under border, which is „open“.
You can also glue this tape in vertical stripes on the whole length of your hooves. This will give more stabilization and will avert, that you can see the colored fabric in case of a scratch. To cover the tape stripes you can put a thin layer of modelling clay made out of saw dust and wood glue all over the hoof.

Step three: fitting the hooves to the shoes.
i have sewed three strips of leather to the hoof and then to the shoe. This will also get a excellence point for the movement of your hooves.

Last Steps: Painting the hooves. Varnishing with a clear finish and furring the shoe.