Chatting with some friends as we're wandering through a local surplus store, one of the guys held up a sanding block handle
a wood-handle version of ....and we got to talking about it being used as a handle on a shield....
the discussion pretty much left off with the thought of removing the handle and making it a bit taller to accommodate a gloved hand, then bolting the deck to the shield, then re-attaching the handle... or something like that.....
Well that's a mighty fine idea. you might not even need to make it any taller really. depends on where and how it'll be mounted. Raise the mounting surface or dish an area for the hand and no modification needed, either of those might be your best shot.
I have the same handle for my wife's shields. - seen many a practice and war - holds up just fine. One is wood, the other is plastic. (all hidden by the hand cage)
I removed the pad on the bottom, drilled out the screw holes to fit the carriage bolt I used to secure the handle.
Also cut a little "L" to make a shelf for the nut and washer for the carriage bolt.
Cut 1/2" spacers (plywood scraps) to lift the handle from the shield back a little - I found it helps a lot. The clearance on the handle is designed to fit just your fingers into it, not the whole of your hand gripping it from the bottom of the handle.
I don't think I took progress pictures, but I can see about taking a few if you think that will help.
