[leningrad]

Bra skrivet:

The thickness of the bone is only one part of the equation, placement is another. Many corset makers use flat steel in the front and back of a corset and spiral steel in the sides for added flexibility. I always recommend that if you want the bones to go over the breast and retain a curve, you are best using spiral steel over the curve.

As far as flat steels go, the domestic American product is only 0.014 thick in both the 1/4" and 1/2" widths. The 5/16" wide bones are a little thicker at 0.018", but the thickest ready cut bone we sell is the European 6mm (1/4") bones which are .6" thick. If you are willing to cut and finish your own, you can get hoopsteel which is .6" thick in 6mm, 10mm and 14mm widths.

How much boning you need depends on how much compression or 'squish' you are aiming to archive. The more squish, the more boning you might want to have. Most corsets we sell off the rack have 1/4" boning rather that 1/2" boning, although some do have 1/2" bones right at the side seam for strength (a trick from the 1890s-1900s) with 1/4" bones everywhere else.

And of course, don't forget to use good fabric, since that's half the equation.

Liz from FarthingalesLA
www.farthingalesla.com