Fast and cheap steel shield edging

white mountain armoury · Mon Nov 04, 2002 12:29 pm

[img]http://www.thegreenman.net/wma/heater1.jpg[/img]
It only took 10 min to put this steel edging on my heater, and it only cost about 7.00 to do it
Its galvanized steel, somewhere between 14/15 ga.
Its the bracket strips for track style shelving, its "U" shaped with an inside diameter of 1/2 inch, which is perfect for a shield made from 2 glued pieces of 1/4 in ply.
It literaly took less than 10 min, used 4 clamps and my mig welder.
Im sure this is not a new discovery, clever scadians are always comming up with found items to serve diff purposes, but i thought id share anyway.
Once my heraldry is applied i will edge it in leather.
The shield is birch, i think it will hold up fairly well.
Sorry the pic is dark

William Frisbee · Post by **William Frisbee** » Mon Nov 04, 2002 12:44 pm

Nice heater...

You totally redoing your kit?

white mountain armoury · Mon Nov 04, 2002 1:01 pm

My wife made me a 14th cent lentner and it is such a shame it never gets worn, so i am building an appropriate harness to wear with it

Ashi · Post by **Ashi** » Mon Nov 04, 2002 1:14 pm

Is the shield curved? If so how did you bend the piece for the top of the shield? I have tried this myself and I cannot bend the top piece to fit properly.

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Build a man a fire, and he will be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he will be warm for the rest of his life.
-T. Pratchett

Steve S. · Post by **Steve S.** » Mon Nov 04, 2002 1:43 pm

Where did you get these tracks, and what are the called?

Also, can you do it without welding?

Steve

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Forth Armoury
Highly authentic, affordable riveted maille.

The measure of a man is not in the steel of his skin but in the steel of his heart. - S. Sheldon

William Frisbee · Post by **William Frisbee** » Mon Nov 04, 2002 1:43 pm

Adam,

Good to see another 14th century persona in the Barony... It's the same timeframe I am shooting for... I'm more a 1360's German timeframe, and garb is a pain in the arse... I still have yet to figure out how to get my sewing machine working... It's an evil thing. Sure I can build, configure and deploy mail servers for 10,000 people, but damned if I can figure out a sewing machine...

white mountain armoury · Mon Nov 04, 2002 3:03 pm

Well my personna is not 14th cent, i am just adding a 14th cent harness to my personal inventory.
Steve, just look in the hardware store for shelving, these are steel tracks that screw to the wall, shelf brackets with a tab hook into slots in the tracks, a board goes across the brackets, they are very very common.
It is a curved shield, i bent the top piece by hand roughly to match the curve of the heater.
I dont know if you can do it with out welding.
Part of what makes it nice (if you can weld) is that you dont need any tabs, lace, cord etc to hold ot on as the wood is now contained in a welded steel frame.

AB

Sixtus_Goetz · Post by **Sixtus_Goetz** » Tue Nov 05, 2002 2:15 pm

Just a question, is that all you will be using for edging? In Drachenwald's Kingdom rules your edging has to give some protection to your opponates rattan. It would seem to me your edging would "eat" rattan and spit out toothpicks.

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Saranac Goetz
Shire of Flintheath
Isles errr Insulae Draconis
Drachenwald

Pheylin Quinn · Post by **Pheylin Quinn** » Tue Nov 05, 2002 2:24 pm

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Depths_of_Mind:
Just a question, is that all you will be using for edging? In Drachenwald's Kingdom rules your edging has to give some protection to your opponates rattan. It would seem to me your edging would "eat" rattan and spit out toothpicks.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Excellent idea, WMA!

It is similar stupid rules that make me dislike SCA combat. Rattan is expendable.

white mountain armoury · Tue Nov 05, 2002 2:35 pm

If you read my initial post you will see the part about covering it with leather

Jacob · Post by **Jacob** » Wed Nov 06, 2002 10:25 pm

Thanks. I edged mine with AL channel the same way. I couldnt think of a local source for steel edging. shaping took a bit of time, but it worked fine. I dont have a welder so I just cut out triangles when I got to the corners. I glued mine on and then put some wood screws through it. It's covered by black hose, so you cant see it, but I suspect my shield will last a very long time. The AL channel was bought at a local hardware store.

Noe · Post by **Noe** » Thu Nov 07, 2002 12:51 am

>It is similar stupid rules that make me >dislike SCA combat. Rattan is expendable.

Yes, but in reality, the shields were. I'd rather have the sword break the shield. However, it is a neat edging idea. I think someone else already asked, but I'll repeat the question: Is that enough edging to be legal in your area?

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The defining characteristic of fanaticism is the inability to understand why everyone else is not a fanatic.

Dmitriy · Post by **Dmitriy** » Thu Nov 07, 2002 3:13 am

That's how I (and most people around here) do the shields I make. I generally use aluminium, but no reason one couldn't go with steel.
The process is as follows:

1. Drill a hole near the least-abused corner of the shield (that's where the two ends of the edging will meet).
2. Attach one end of the channeling with a loop of wire, twisted on itself.
3. Start bending the edging around the shield. It's actually easier to do this by hand than with a hammer! Cut out wedges when you get to corners.
4. When needed, add more holes and wire loops (don't overdo it -- for my whole heater, I only needed 3 or 4).
5. Cover with leather or hose, attached with brackets, rope, rivets, or whatever other method you prefer. Done.

[This message has been edited by Dmitriy (edited 11-07-2002).]

Sixtus_Goetz · Post by **Sixtus_Goetz** » Thu Nov 07, 2002 4:58 am

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by White Mountain Armoury:
If you read my initial post you will see the part about covering it with leather<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Found it, musta selectivly overread that part. My appoligies.

white mountain armoury · Thu Nov 07, 2002 7:16 am

no need to apologize, someone else has asked the same question.
No this is not legal shield edging, this is reinforcement for the shield, the edging go on after

muttman · Post by **muttman** » Thu Nov 07, 2002 9:39 am

Back in Aethelmarc, I saw and used several sheilds made that way, but without the welding. It works really well on heaters and adds a lot of life to the lead corner.
BTW, I`ve seen the lentner Marla made and it is beutifull. I`ve seen some of Marlas other work too, and have to say that the quality of her work is definitly impressive.
Steve, look in the shelving dept. at home depot or some such place. They have the rails there and as Adam said, they are quite cheap.
John

Thaddeus · Post by **Thaddeus** » Fri Nov 08, 2002 3:12 pm

Adam did you make a shield press? Or is that a purchase/trade?

Richard de Scolay · Post by **Richard de Scolay** » Fri Nov 08, 2002 4:06 pm

Is it not legal because your area still requireds 1 1/4" edges or is it not legal for other reasons? I'm in the middle kingdom and would think that that would be a legal edge here. But being a newbie I'm not real sure.

Sixtus_Goetz · Post by **Sixtus_Goetz** » Fri Nov 08, 2002 4:10 pm

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Richard de Scolay:
Is it not legal because your area still requireds 1 1/4" edges or is it not legal for other reasons? I'm in the middle kingdom and would think that that would be a legal edge here. But being a newbie I'm not real sure.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Never heard of that rule. 1 1/4" is for the sticks, otherwise all your armor that had a protrusion would have to be 1 1/4".

white mountain armoury · Fri Nov 08, 2002 4:19 pm

No thaddeus i made it, ive been making curved shields pretty much as long as ive been in the sca, my fist shield was a curved kite

Templar Bob/De Tyre · Tue Nov 12, 2002 11:19 pm

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Robert Coleman, Jr.

"Hey, guys---these gauntlets have fingernails!!

The Noble Companie and Order of Saint Maurice

[This message has been edited by Templar Bob/De Tyre (edited 11-12-2002).]

Skillet · Post by **Skillet** » Wed Nov 13, 2002 12:42 am

Whazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzup with sheild tubing edging. Some say bycicle tires (scoff)

Some say that black softer colored pvc (it has a special name which escapes me) anybody know ?

of course underneath the tubing I have alumininininiinm

just need that final touch w/out havign to resort to garden hose.

Auto Zone done turned me down. they dont see straiy 10' pieces of heater hose.

[This message has been edited by Cast Iron Skillet P-38 (edited 11-12-2002).]

white mountain armoury · Wed Nov 13, 2002 8:15 am

siloflex is a brand name of water line, thats the black tubing, you can get it at the hardware store, but they wont understand what siloflex is, they will understand what 100 psi waterline is though. Make a decent edging

Fergus · Post by **Fergus** » Wed Nov 20, 2002 4:42 pm

I've done a couple of shields with the aluminum edging and without the metal edging. What I have tried on a couple of shields and its working out great is to go to your local lawn mower repair shop and pick up the used belts from the riding lawn mowers. (Free edging if your nice to the lawn mower guys). The belts are nice, pliable and tough being reinforced rubber. Contact cement the belt to your shield edging and then I cover my shields with heavy canvas contact cemented to the surfaces of the shield. Has been working great.

Sebastian K · Post by **Sebastian K** » Wed Nov 20, 2002 5:04 pm

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Thaddeus:
Adam did you make a shield press? Or is that a purchase/trade?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I haven't made a shield for SCA combat yet, but I have made plenty of curved shields (12mm or 1/2 inch) without a "shield press". I made them for rebated steel fighting. It's easy. I can write up an essay if someone wants it.

Sebastian

Sebastian

JPT · Post by **JPT** » Wed Nov 20, 2002 5:58 pm

Relative to the comments about the heater hose. Your hardware store should have the stuff by the spool, it's used to drain things like dishwashers and such and can be purchased by the foot in a multitude of lengths. The fun part is splitting the hose down one side.

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"FORTITUDO a INGENUUS"

his vorpal sword went snicker snack ... Now who on earth would make a snack out of a sword vorpal or otherwise?

Thaddeus · Post by **Thaddeus** » Wed Nov 20, 2002 8:45 pm

Sebastian,
Please do write that up.

Adam I dont know why I asked that, I should have known the answer imediately lack of sleep.
Yeah thats my story and I'm stickin to it.