S0o0o0o... doggy chew toys....

[Helias86]

I did some searching, and I saw some helpful things, some not so much..


I have an aluminum number thirteen heater from Windrose, and got the shield edging as well. I found though, with my last shield, that just the edging they sell gets tore up quite quickly. I was told that I can soak a dog's bone in water, then take the strips and put it over the shield, let it dry and it should be pretty sturdy?

I am trying to find an alternative to heater hose... heater hose doesn't look very nice. But I am a new fighter, and don't yet know the tricks of the trade. If indeed you can put the rawhide over the Windrose shield edging, how does it stay on? I saw a thread about using small nails, peened over, but not sure how well that will work with the aluminum shield that I have.

Any tips are greatly appreciated, thanks guys.

[Konstantin the Red]

Remarkably pretty shields this thread, try mining it for construction details.

In the main, a couple layers of rawhide do a lot to round the Al edge off and make it a bit resilient. Some have devised schemes to pad with resilient rubber tubing, rawhide over that, and covering the whole with a layer of canvas glued on, making the edge tough, resilient, and altogether invisible, everything being held on with modern adhesives like E6000 household cement.

From Securing trim-lock door edging to shields:

Unless the trim-loc is very secure, it will start to get cut through from the inside out by the Al edge if you tape over or use it clean. This is independent of just keeping it on.

The only system I have seen that works for >1 year or two is to sew or wire rawhide over the trimloc. In tandem, they seem to do a great job of protecting each other. The trick with the rawhide is that it has to be BONE DRY when drilled for sewing, otherwise it will still shrink a little and shred whatever you are sewing with. Then the holes in the rawhide and Al (doesn't shink) never line up again.

I didn't use trim lock, but I used a small amout of liquid nails caulk to hold some small diameter high pressure hose on the edge of my aluminum shield. I split the hose and caulked a thin bead into the hose and then slid it on over the aluminum. IT IS ON THERE. I don't know if I'll ever be able to get it off...

I use industrial silicone. (The kind from home depot) and apply it with a caulk gun I have never had any problems!

Similarly, another used Goop.

More on Trim-Lock plus rawhide over it:

It lasts if maintained with water sealant for a several years. You might get a small blow threw on a corner or point after a year or two. We get a sheet of rawhide for about 80$ Tandy / leather factory store near us.

Use tin snips to cut it in to 2 and 3/4 inch strips. Cut to length as needed & overlap seams
Dropped in water for an hour or so it will get soft like cardboard but it will not tear
Put on your trim-lock on shield and cut to size
Use B-100 binder clips (from Office Depot) to clip rawhide around the shield & trim lock( B-100 is a size not brand)
Wait a week at least for it to dry!
No really wait a week it needs to be bone dry!
Drill through face of shield and through the Rawhide, small holes big enough for a needle & thread. It will be like plastic and formed around the shield & trim lock.
Sew the raw hide down through the shield face, do not go around shield edge! Through face of shield and back of shield and the rawhide

YOU MUST treat rawhide with water sealant or it will get soft like cardboard when it get wet and cut from impact!

After all that, concealment comes from what --

This glue works wonders to secure the canvas over the shield:

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/e ... om/Super77

With the shield clean and the trim attached, you spray the glue on the shield and then apply the canvas. There should be enough glue to moisten the canvas, so you can flatten it neatly over the shield without lumps or bubbles.
When you have the face done and dry, turn it over. Cut where necessary to fit and then do the same with each part, wrapping the canvas over the edging with enough room to cover neatly, secure the edging and ensure a nice look. After you add a base coat of your choice and paint, it is very, very secure.

As for the small nails peined over bit, drill holes the nails just fit in right through everything so the holes match up, and make those small nails into small rivets, trimming to length even. I'd use the width of the nail head on the rawhide, and either numerous nails in a zigzag line all round or put washers there to spread the load as nail heads are often too narrow and the leather pops past them.

[Helias86]

AWESOME, thanks so much!!

[Gurahl]

Konstantin The Red to the rescue! I swear, as helpful as you are to everyone who comes onto this board you should be put in for recognition of some kind.