Shield construction webpages.

Here's some good instructions on making a variety of coreless punch shields.

http://www.geddon.org/index.php/Constructing_a_Punch_Shield

and plywood cored strapped shields.

http://www.geddon.org/index.php/Constructing_a_Strap_Shield

Very well illustrated.

Konradr

Their page on Shield cover's is clear and concise too.

http://www.geddon.org/index.php/Constructing_a_Shield_Cover

This is the kind of shield cover to make if you want to pull it off for cleaning or if you want a temporary 'Barad'dun' Standard cover.

Other ways to make a cover is...

a. If you have a staple gun (I do and will bring it to practice if anyone needs use of it). If you have a plywood core you can use a staple gun to staple the cloth to the wooden part. To remove, just use a pair of plyer's and yank those puppies out.

b. The illustration in the webpage is the best, but I'm lazy and when I made a removable cover to repair the Raven shield, I found you can get the same effect if you just gather the material in like 4 to 6 spots and sew them tight. This pulls the fabric tight without having to sew around the entire edge. The cover might be a little loose but it will hold and will be removable.

You can get good, cheap cloth for shield cover's at the Walmart's that still carry cloth. Get a the cotton/poly blend. It's only $1.97 a yard and a yard or two might be all you need for a shield, depending on the size of shield you want.

Shield grips can be fiberglass for foam cored shields or if money is an issue, PVC will do. white and gray conduit or the thicker "risers" found in where the sprinkler stuff is sold. I think Gorilla glue is the recommended glue for foam cored grips. It is expensive though. I have a small bottle I haven't used yet should anyone require some.

I never thought of using double sided tape to add padding to a grip handle, but that sounds like a good idea both for shield grips and sword grips.

For straps on your strapped shield. I remember Kurn saying webbing is like a $1.00 a foot at Hahn's surplus store on Lake Mead. You can also use an old leather belt, maybe laying around the house or at a thrift store. (Has to be real leather, not the vinyl leather thing. I found that tears easy from stress) Also dog collar's could work. You can get the cheaper webbing type probably from Walmart.

I'm thinking of trying to make one of those coreless shields. Big 5 has alot of snowboards and boogie boards for sale. Actually their 24" plastic round sleds are only $7.99 and I think could be a lighter substitue for a plywood strapped shield.

Konradr

well here are some more building sites that show just how to build anything..

http://www.angelfire.com/realm2/alcon/construction.html

http://www.geddon.org/index.php/Category:How_to_build

there are bel but they still wrok fine i think.. Enjoy!!

Here's S'more Grumio. This one is on building an all foam, Round punch shield. Interesting. I wouldn't mind trying this when I have some cash. Wouldn't cost much for the parts though. The gorilla glue and DAP being the most expensive as compared to $5.88 for Walmart blue camping mat's and .97 for a 24" piece of PVC.





Konradr

I like it

A good friend of mine made a shield out of a broken boogie board, was pretty interesting

Nightmare, (and Templar if you want to try it yourself) in answer to your shield making questions, here is some quick sketches I made up to help explain what me and Strider were telling you.

1. Cut your shield shape out of 1/2" or 3/4" inch plywood.

2. Put your straps on first. Use a wide leather or web strap for your arm strap (the part that will hold near your elbow) 1 1/2" to 2" wide. Old leather belts are great, plus you can use the buckle to make it adjustable. Put your arm where you want to hold the shield, horizontal or at an angle, and mark out where your hand is and just above your elbow. Put a hand grip on where your hand went. Use 1/2" criss cross leather straps or belts, or use a door handle. Use T-nuts from Lowes or Home depot that are the depth of your plywood. Drill holes, pound them in. Drill through your straps, put in a bolt and washer from the backside. (that way you can replace them). If your straps are long enough put more than one bolt on both sides for more hold. The straps will get a work out! You can also pad the wood where your arm will rest with a thin layer of felt or foam for comfort.



3. Use your shield as a stencil and draw out the outline on your foam for making the front foam covers. Buy Walmart Blue Camping mat ($5.88 a roll) You may only need one roll depending on the size of your shield. Put two layers on the front using DAP glue ($6.00 form Walmart). Then cut out a layer of 1" white open cell foam (Walmart seat upholstery foam in the sewing aisle $9.95 for the 24" squares, or $14.95 for the 24" x, I forget but large like the camp mat roll) You can glue the open cell with DAP too or splurge at Home depot or Lowes and buy the M77 Scotch brand adhesive spray glue (Red can, black cap, $10 -$12) It works good on open cell, is quick drying, but expensive.



4. Put a 1" or 1 1/2" strip of blue foam around the back edge of the shield with DAP.



5. Now measure the entire edge from back foam strip to 2nd layer of blue foam on front and cut out blue foam strips for the edge. You can make one long strip or several small ones and Dap them onto the edge all around the shield. Now cut a strip, same size, of White open cell and glue that all around the edge, then follow with one last layer of Blue camp mat foam. When done, duct tape around the edge to help stabilize and secure it.



6. Now let it stand awhile and dry to get a good bond. Then check it for safety. Place it on the ground, and using the edge of your hand, lightly at first, then harder, hit the edge all around and make sure it doesn't hurt. If it feels too hard, put another layer of blue camp mat around the edge. If it feels fine, check the front. Punch into the shield especially around where your T-nuts are and make sure you hit wood or the hardware. If it hits hard, you can feel the wood, then put another layer of blue foam. But it should be okay. Check the back edge to make sure there are no gaps and that it is solid.

7. Get some cloth, whatever color you like. Walmart sells cotton/poly blend for $1.97 a yard. You probably only need a yard but get more just in case. Measure out your shield shape, Add like a foot more to wrap over you back edge. You can staple the cloth to the wood with a staple gun, tack them with small nails, tape them down with duck tape, or sew it to make an 'elastic' type band that will tighten the cover in place, but make it removable.

8. Paint something on the front that says 'you'.

I think that's about it. Have fun doing it.

Konradr

I wanna make a new plywood strap shield =D but does it have to be plywood? Could I make a strap on style punch shield? Mostly to be light... We have some really stiff foam padding at our house I could use...

I know isk discusses on his forum (an tir dearg) how to make a strap for a foam core shield. I read it briefly but not enough to get the details in my head. The arms straps were cloth and cut slits in the foam and zip ties, those were all mentioned. I'd have to read his thread again and try to visualize it before I could describe it I guess, but it can be done.

Konradr

nice diagram on straps, but do you have to put opean cell on it i have never done that with me shields?

I always have. The first shield I built was from the Roman webpages. I believe Kurn also recommended an open cell layer. It works, its safe. That being said, I see on the shield making webpage that I linked earlier that they recommended 3 layers of blue mat foam on the face and 4 layers on the rim. This would probably work. If you made it, we would test it and if it didn't hurt, and we didn't feel anything dangerous, it would pass. Coreless shields (Yours are coreless right?) would probably need less foam over the base. It think Isk recommended only one layer, but I could be wrong. As I said, make it and we'll see if it's okay.

Konradr

Another point to make about making yourself a 'strapped' shield, thanks to Surt and his training yesterday. The strapped shield is more of a 'passive' defence. It stays close to your body, You move it very little, you move your body WITH it in defence (correct me anywhere if I am wrong Surt)

When you go to place your straps on your core, this is the critical moment in your design. Wrong placement of the straps can doom your shield to mediocrity as it is very hard to fix once you've layered the core in foam. You want the strapped area to be comfortable to you, to carry the weight in a naturally balanced way so it doesn,t wear on the muscles. However the most critical part is illustrated in this quick, cheap computer image that I'm ashamed to say, I drew up in haste:



No matter the shape of the shield you are making (Round, Heater, Oval, Rectangular, Weird) It is critical that the shield's placement can protect your shoulder area (A) and side (B) by its edge alone, just by holding it. That's called 'Passive' defence. You don't have to move the shield at all for it to protect those area's the edge of the shield is far enough away from those body parts to protect those area's from normal shots coming in from an opponant at a normal distance. Shots will hit the edge and not your shoulder/side without you having to move it. It won't protect from a very close in fighter using wrap type shot's, then you will have to move.

To get the right dimensions, lay the core flat on the ground. Put your body down on it where you think you would like to strap it and have someone using a crayon or pencil outline your shoulder area, and outer arm. Then stand up and admire your beautiful physique, er, I mean, check to see if the edges of the core are at least like 3 to 5 inches from those lines in all directions. (is that a good length for protection? Surt/Taco/Kurn/Isk??)

Then set your straps in and hold the core as if you were fighting with it. Check it now for balance and protection. Have someone whack you lightly with a stick or PVC core on that shoulder area and side. Comfort you will add later with some foam stripping or felt glued in to the arm, hand area. Remember too, that your foamed up edges will be about 2 inches higher on the edge. So a 3 inch core area will expand to about 5 inches.

Once you have the straps right where they give you that passive defence and is balanced to you, then bolt them in tight. If not, drill more holes, restrap and try again, before you foam up the front of the shield. When its set. Foam away, front, back then sides.

Good luck in your shield making endeavors.

Konradr

Taco said:

Quote :

nice diagram on straps, but do you have to put opean cell on it i have never done that with me shields?

Taco doesn't like to add some cushion to his pushin'.

A couple more points I want to make before I leave you all in peace.

1. Grumio's shield making with the layer's of blue mat foam (walmart) with PVC handle, works really well for a light, sturdy, punch shield.

2. If you make a long shield with a plywood core. Use a thicker, sturdier plywood. It will be heavy but you have to remember the physics, the longer the shield, the easier it will be to be Templared. ie; cracked by a kick or knee, or large body slamming into it. The lower part of the shield will be the most vulnerable. If you havea kite or teardrop and the bottom is cracked. Cut off the edges of foam, cut out the cracked part. You now have a Round shield. Then re-edge. As for a rectangular Scutum or Door shield. Bottom cracks, cut off the edge, cut off the cracked part, you now have a square or if you cut it to a point, a heater shield. Re-edge and go.

Wisdom from the mouth of Smithy, if I can remember it correctly. Heat will melt the dried DAP holding your foam together on weapon's and shields, so use a heat gun or heat cutter blade thing (I don't know, maybe a hot butter knife) to separate the glued foam so you can rework it and re-glue it.

Konradr

Wow, you were busy yesterday Konradr. Honestly, I look at a shield as a weapon for padding purposes so I really haven't put open cell on a shield since I stopped putting it on blades back in 90 or 91. I expect to be hit with the edge or the face and I usually test the face by whacking it against my forehead.

Strapping a shield low enough to protect that shoulder is definitely the right thing to do, but just how much is very individual. Many Amtgarders put the straps quite low to prevent skyhooks and then defend their legs with footwork. When strapping, remember you will add about 2.5-3 inches to the shield's diameter when you pad it.

A coreless round after low strapping:

Yeah, I saw the vid's with peter the quick and his round shield was strapped very low.

I guess open cell is not a requirement. When I made my first shields I used a diagram tutorial, I think Rome's Dag pages, that showed a scutum construction using open cell. I remember Kurn saying open cell too. I have always put open cell on my shields which is why they are thicker. But like you said, if you put enough closed cell and the shield is safe, then that should be fine.

I can see, in your pic, the adjustable arm strap is webbing (Walmart sells a good adjustable webbing strap for $1.88 in the camping aisle) What is the handgrip? It looks like duct tape, or is a wider leather or webbing with duct tape covering it. Second, how do you keep the straps from eating through the foam. I don't see any plastic or anything to protect the foam? Enquiring minds want to know.

Konradr

This is just a pic I grabbed to show the low strapping. I don't know what he used, but webbing, canvas, leather and old t-shirts are all solutions I have seen highly recommended. I think the info you are looking for regarding securing the straps was taken from a post by Peter the Quick and can be found here:
http://sites.google.com/site/antirdearg/construction-m/

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So I looked through the other forums, and this was the only one that actually covered shields >_>


Is it possible to put back straps on a coreless shield, or is it just more timesaving/better to make a cored strap shield?

Edit: Crap, I just found this thread, sorry about that guys xD moved it to a proper one.

Not sure what your edit means, but to answer the question: Coreless back shields work fine. Tona has been using one very successfully for months now.

Best back sheild design ive ever used. If you want to make one, i can come over and help:D

Looks kinda like this, you could put a core in this or make it coreless, however remember you still have to have are straps for it to be legal in dag.

Sasquatch wants to make a back shield that looks like a celtic cross.



Which would make a really cool back shield.

Konradr

Alyssa wants a coffin backshield, I think Taco is making it for her, kind of makes me want to make one too seeing it in the picture (btw is that you in the shield line?)

yeah, i am left of the guy with the nose helm:D

Caretaker, that seems too small to be very useful, IMO. Is it even 12" across? Please tell us what it was you liked so much about it.

Oh, and did glaive boy with the back shield just nail his own teammate in the face?

Well its small enough I'd be able strap it on and still wield two swords or a bow or a glaive...

And yes, I think isk is right. Glaive boy just face pwned that guy.

I think its a buckler.