Very light shield.

[Roland Brokentooth]

There's a female friend of mine that's trying very hard to get into SCA. She's doing very well so far and she's attended more practices than all the male friends I'm trying to get started combined.

She's got the form and the fighting spirit (she's also a very aggressive fencer) and it seems that the only major hangup she has is that all of the shields we have at practice are a bit too heavy for her.

I have a piece of fiberglass cored aluminum that is very light and should be ok to make a shield out of. However, the reason I got this piece was because a tractor trailer ran into it and dented it (it was the corner off of one of those gas station shelters.)

Is there a way I could strengthen the shield without adding too much weight?

Or, are there other light weight materials that would make a better shield?

(sorry for such a long post)

[Skutai]

The lightest shields you'll tend to find are aluminum with a low profile edge. Use leather for the straps if at all possible.

Any chance she'll be at Kingdom Crusades? I've got a small aluminum heater I could donate.

[william]

Hmmm. Is it *really* a weight issue?

On the first glance it looked like a weight issue when my lady started fighting. Lots of complaints about the shields we gave her to use - but those were made for people bigger and stronger than her and did not have a strap geometry suiting her anatomy. I therefore made her a custom shield tailored to her. As she's about 5'6" I ended up with a 16.5" by 24" heater. Not big enough for a purely defensive style, but she likes to chase the boys around for a beating anyway.

The shield is made from 3 layers of 4mm birch plywood glued together in a curved way. The front is covered with a layer of cotton fabric, the edge protected by rawhide. In general I tried to reduce the small "weight killers": No excessive amount of glue when doing the blank - just a carefully spread thin layer. Same with the front - a thinner cloth than usual and again a thin amount of glue only. The rawhide was a ready-made strip of very homogenous thickness - not the rather uneven, thick dog-bone stuff. The shield basket was made from cuir bouilli - very protective and weighs next to nothing. Metal was only used for 4 small L-shaped brackets to rivet it to the shield.

Finally, I took great care to do delicately and cleanly paint her arms onto the shield. This alone did drop the weight considerably. Seriously, Katherina is using her shield 8 weeks now and authorized last weekend. From what it looks like it works well both for defense as well as for offense. I have never heard her make any complaints about the shield's weight - whenever she gets tired all we hear is a "Grrr - I've got to build up more strength!".

Good luck,

William

[mrks]

hi

try .080 7075aluminum in a curved heater. I just made eight .071 shields(the edge needs reinforcing but its the gauge I could get at boeing for cheap)of these for various light weight fighters( including five ladies) around here.

its very durable and weighs in around 4 1/2 -5 lbs for a 22" by 32-36" shield. edge it with heavy hose and add a handle and you have a shield that weights from 8lbs to 9 1/2lbs.

you probably could easily adjust the wieght (if it was an still an issue) by using lighter weight edging and a lightweight handle.

I will be making a batch of 3/8ths pound alum heater shield hand gards($35 shipped) soon and can throw an extra in the run. goto tiarmour.com if you are interested.

there is also some good handle design information posted here:
http://tiarmour.com/help%20making%20a%2 ... handle.htm
http://tiarmour.com/price%20list%20ti_shield_basket.htm
http://tiarmour.com/help%20hanging%20a%20shield.htm

as to hanging I have a new way of shield hanging. I make the handle I am going to use. I then hot glue it into place and gently try it out. if it needs adjusting I take a propane blowtorch and heat the front of it until the glue remelts and then move it into the new position. I retry it out. and repeat the process of necessary.

mrks

[Kevin]

Mandrake has good aluminum shields, and I'm certain that the aluminum blanks from them, or Red Falcon, or Ice Falcon or many others would do just fine.

You don't want it too light. All new fighters have problems with their shield arms not being strong enough to hold the shield for long. This takes a long (in terms of the new fighters' expectations) time to overcome. In reality, it shouldn't take more than a month or two.

Light shields are easily knocked away by your opponent and they can even act like sails (blowing open) on a windy day.

They also don't absorb blows as well, and your friend may be feeling impacts much more - perhaps even painfully.

Get a good aluminum shield at the lightest and tell your friend to work on building the muscles.

[Magnus The Black]

I've had aluminum shields. I now use laminated birch covered in canvas and it is MUCH lighter. I also only cover the edges with some alluminum edging and 2 layers of canvas. I fold the edging ftom the back so the front surface is rounded. This meets the requirements of edging while looking clean and not adding 15lbs of rubber hose.

[adric]

Birch ply wood laminated. If it needs to be lighter cut out sections of one ply before gluing it to the first but leave the edges for impacts. Pad the edge with rope and cover the edge in glue and canvas. Plastic basket and a nylon strap. Same for a center grip but use a kydex/plastic boss. The only metal you will need is the bolts on the hardware. My 8 yr old can use my full size shield if needed.

[william]

Guys, would you agree that strap placement and grip position and style is more important for a shield that "feels right" than (minor) weight reductions?

Cheers,
William

[adric]

Yes very much so but i had to cut weight due to injury and was able shave pounds off with a bit of work so if it has to be light it can be too. Keep in mind it knocked around a bit too so if you are cutting mass that is needed it's not such a good idea.

[mrks]

hanging is critical to proper feel.

a low weight is negated by a improperly hung shield.

the balance point of the shield should feel even when hung properly. it will move easily tip out and back again.

some people hang it "too high" and it seems much heavier because the tail(bottom) of the shield hangs in at an angle and you have to use your arm to rock it out.

this is one of the most common hanging errors and leads to early fatigue.

shields are rarely hung too low" but I have seen/fixed it a few times.

[DELETEMYACCOUNT]

I dunno how to strap a shield, I use a center boss. But I do know that if the shield is strapped wrong its all kinds of uncomfortable. I'd think that would be more of a consideration than weight.

[Maelgwyn]

I am told by women who should know that men tend to like their shield grips roughly perpendicular to the forearm while women tend to like them tilted forward a bit, sometimes almost parallel to the lead edge of the shield. YMMV

Sheilds made with birch, linen, rawhide, and hide glue. Add gesso and paint to taste. Authentic, lightweight, durable, and tolerably inexpensive. What more do you want?

[Thorbjorn]

My blanks should weigh in ~10lbs, but hen again a heater shape cuts about 1/3 of the material mass. If hung properly and sized for the fighter, it should be pretty light. I'm hoping to get started on these very soon and I'll let you know what the weights end up being via PM if you're interested.

[Kiena]

Pad the edge with rope and cover the edge in glue and canvas...

"De-Lurking*

I have a basic wood shield with metal C-Channel around the edges. So rope would be a sufficiant padding instead of good 'ol rubber hose? Do you just find a rope the width of the shield edge and then glue it down? Or do you tie it? (then followed by a canvas covering). how do you keep it from becoming displaced when hit?

Curious because I very much so dislike the bulky rubber hose and would love an alternative.

-Kiena

[InsaneIrish]

I have a basic wood shield with metal C-Channel around the edges. So rope would be a sufficiant padding instead of good 'ol rubber hose? Do you just find a rope the width of the shield edge and then glue it down? Or do you tie it? (then followed by a canvas covering). how do you keep it from becoming displaced when hit?

Personally I would remove the "C Channel" and get a piece of approximate width (same width as the shield) nylon (light weight) rope.
Run it around the edge of your shield, hot glue tacking it in place about every5-8 inches or so.

Then cut off the excess and cover the edge in Rawhide leather edging.
Do this AFTER you put your canvas down and you will have a really nice edging around your shield.

[GardenGnome]

Well in my local group we have a simple shield press. About 5 or 6 years ago we used to use 2 sheets of ¼â€Â

[adric]

Pad the edge with rope and cover the edge in glue and canvas...

"De-Lurking*

I have a basic wood shield with metal C-Channel around the edges. So rope would be a sufficiant padding instead of good 'ol rubber hose? Do you just find a rope the width of the shield edge and then glue it down? Or do you tie it? (then followed by a canvas covering). how do you keep it from becoming displaced when hit?

Curious because I very much so dislike the bulky rubber hose and would love an alternative.

-Kiena

I used the fairly thick but cheap "Climbing" rope from Home Despot. It is like $10 for50 feet? or something like that. Its nylon and mine is purple. I uesed shoe goo to glue it to the edge. Nothing special just slathered the edge of teh wood in glue and stuck the rope to it. I had to do one side at a time or the rope slippped before it ste up.

As t0 the canvas glue bit. I cut strips of canvas and mixed up elmers glue and a touch of water to thin it. I don't know if this is needed but it seemed like a good idea at the time. Then i just wrapped the edge and stuck the sides down real good. It needed to be smoothed several times but 2 coats of canvas/glue and thats it. NO hose or anyhting else. It has held up for several years of sporadic fighting. I have an oval and a round that weigh in around 4-5 pounds each mabey??? I don't have good way to weigh them. I have more chips out of the face of teh oval than the edge has ever tried to get....

[rameymj]

Several people have commented that my heater shields (37" x 24") are very well balanced. Since you are all my friends, I'll tell you my secrets.

DRAFT

Requires:

_ small G clamp
_ string
_ laser level (or plumb line and light)
_ pencil (or sharpie)
_ shield basket and (3) 3/16"x1" machine screw/washer/nut (or leather strap & 2 A"xB" screw/washer/nut; which I haven't done yet)
_ leather strap, 8-10 oz, 2" - 7" wide, about 12" long (see below before you cut it) -- an old belt will in a pinch
_ owner's gambeson or left arm padding (assumes right handed)
_ owner's left vambrace (assumes right handed)
_ wood scraps from cutting the heater shape & (4) 3/16"x1" machine screw/washer/nut
_ optional: flexible straight edge

Finding the Balance Line:
You need to have the edging in place before doing this, otherwise the balance will be wrong. After we attach the shield basket and armstrap, the shield is finished and ready to use.

Set a small G clamp at the highest point of the shield. This is usually the right corner (for right handed shield). Set the clamp so it points to the center of mass.

Tie a string to back of the G clamp. I usually use the adjustment nut.

Tie the other end to a rafter in the garage. When it hangs, half the weight will be on one side; half on the other.

Set up the laser level to create a vertical line that goes through the G clamps pad (where it holds the shield). You can use a plumb line and flashlight to create a shadow for the same effect.

Carefully mark this line with a pencil. The easiest way is to use a sharpie and put several dots on the shield, then use a flexible straight edge to connect the dots. The straight edge needs to bend with the curve of the shield or you need to be very careful. A tailor's tape measure will work. Check your work against the vertical laser line.

Turn off the laser level.

Attaching the Hand Grip
Have someone (or the G-clamp) hold the shield in front of the owner.

Usually I place the right corner on my nose (head turned to the left in a closed heater form), and bottom point on my left knee. My hand holds the shield basket. My arm is vertical, with my elbow resting on my hip. This puts the sheild in a "good" position when I'm resting. I can seem to holding the shield at the ready, while the weight rest on my hip and shoulder; not my arm. YMMV.

Lay the owner's arm lenghtwise down the line. Half on either side. Place the shield basket where you want it. Mark, drill, and mount.

HINT:
Use a backing block when drilling to reduce tear out.

NOTE:
From some experimenting, I like the grip rotated clockwise about 22.5 degrees from perpendicular to the drawn line. This allows the grip of a shield basket to follow my hand. Others use a perpendicular arrangement.

FYI:
90 degrees is a right angle
45 is half of that
22.5 is half again
11.25 is half again (this is the minimum I'd ever use for a newbie)

NOTE:
I use a 3/16" machine screw that is 1" long. Put it through the shield, shield basket, washer, then nut


Attaching the Forearm Strap
NOTE:
This is not hard to do, but a bear to explain without pictures.

NOTE:
The forearm strap holds most of the weight of the shield, therefore I like a wide strap, about 1/2 the distance between the elbow point and the outer wrist bone, usually 4-5".

Take a scrap of wood that was cut off to create the heater shape. The curve will mate with the shield back. Cut two diagonal strips (about 1 1/4" - 1 1/2" wide). they should be about 1/2 the distance between the elbow point and the outer wrist bone, usually 4-5". (Sand the edges so they are not sharp.) These will act as giant washers to hold the leather strap.

NOTE:
Some people use a rectangle of leather (straight strip) to create cylinder shape, then add a strap with buckle to tighten. I use a trapeziodish shape to create a truncated cone. This conforms to the shape of the forearm, holds well, weighs less, and is easier to remove (not that I'm biased).

Have the owner put on their arm padding (gambeson) and armour (vambrace).

Lay the owners arm lengthwise down the line. Half on either side. Mark the width of the forearm. (These will be where the inside of the wood washers align.) Note where the widest part of the forearm is. Make sure the upper part is THE SAME DISTANCE (greatly preferred) or CLOSER to the line than the lower part.

NOTE:
If the top is further, you could get a shield that is top heavy, tiring, and difficult to control IMHO.

NOTE:
I usually position the wood washers/scraps and drill them now.

Cut a piece of leather ... this is easier to do with two people.
Wrap the leather around the vambrace/arm. Position the "wood washers". The left edge should be positioned at the widest part of the forearm (noted above). Trace the washers on the leather. Draw a line at the back and front.

NOTE:
The leather should come over the arm & straight to the back of the shield. The top washer can be tucked in slightly, but this will create a tighter fit.

NOTE:
When you flatten out the leather, you should see a large curve on the left side, two straight sides on the top and bottom, and a smaller curve on the right side. Generally a trapezoidish shape.

Cut out the leather. Check the fit by repositioning the arm, leather, and wood washers. Note that the insides of the wood wasters should line up with the width of the forearm marks made above. The left side of the wood washers should line up with the widest part of the forearm/vambrace.

Hold, drill, and mount the top wood washer. Check the fit and hold, drill, and mount the bottom wood washer.

Use.


Why it works.
The shield is held with the right corner pointing up. The point is center on your nose to protect both sides equally. Your forearm is vertical, and your elbow may rest on your hip. This is good against other sword and board.

The weight of the shield is balanced left and right of your forearm, requiring little energy (hand strength) to keep it centered. The weight rests on the bottom of your palm, and is transferred to the forearm bones. When your forearm is tipped toward your bicep slightly, the weight centers on your elbow, requiring little energy (bicep strength) to keep it from tipping forward. The weight is transferred to the bones & large muscles of the shoulder, through the back etc.

With a little practice, you should be able to hold this position for 15-20 minutes easy.

Most upper blocking is done with the top point. You shouldn't have to move it more than 3" in any direction. Use the large waist & shoulder muscles to move it.

Lower blocking is done with the elbow.

PS - This position does leave some opening that you need to cover with your sword. It doesn't work well against great weapons. YMMV.

SKA Wilhelm von Frankfurt
MJRamey

[Barnet]

Maelgwyn,
Do you have a tutorial on you rabbit glue shield making? Looking to make a slightly curved heater out of laminated birch with a cloth covering.

[Maelgwyn]

I still use wood glue to laminate the layers together. Bring a couple pieces of 2'x3'x1/4" birch plywood over and we can make one on my press.

I want to try some destructive testing to compare shield edging and facing techniques. Rawhide edges stitched through the linen-covered shield were used on the late Roman shields found at Dura Europos. I wonder if that will work as well as the rope-and-canvas approach Adric suggested. I'd like to set up a test with & without rope, wooden edge rounded or square, light or heavy linen. I may just have to make a buckler or two in order to test all the possibilities.

Note: After 40 years of this game you would think we could find a way to make historically accurate shields that are still safe for what we do without adding any kind of hose. As with so many other things, expedience and inertia seem to have taken hold. Resist these forces!

PS Adric, I just checked the archive for our conversation back in February and your plastic shield bosses weigh 5-7 ounces while my 4130 steel boss weighs 8 ounces. For no more than 3 ounces difference I'd sure rather see steel bosses on the field.

[Barnet]

Ok, will give yhaa a call and try so we can try this out.

[adric]

I still use wood glue to laminate the layers together. Bring a couple pieces of 2'x3'x1/4" birch plywood over and we can make one on my press.

I want to try some destructive testing to compare shield edging and facing techniques. Rawhide edges stitched through the linen-covered shield were used on the late Roman shields found at Dura Europos. I wonder if that will work as well as the rope-and-canvas approach Adric suggested. I'd like to set up a test with & without rope, wooden edge rounded or square, light or heavy linen. I may just have to make a buckler or two in order to test all the possibilities.

Note: After 40 years of this game you would think we could find a way to make historically accurate shields that are still safe for what we do without adding any kind of hose. As with so many other things, expedience and inertia seem to have taken hold. Resist these forces!

PS Adric, I just checked the archive for our conversation back in February and your plastic shield bosses weigh 5-7 ounces while my 4130 steel boss weighs 8 ounces. For no more than 3 ounces difference I'd sure rather see steel bosses on the field.

Thats cool. I have the ability to make the plastic but don't have the skill to make the steel Oh well, painted you cant tell the difference....

[Trevor]

Here's a great way to lighten a shield.

Get pairs of dumbells in 3, 5, 8, 10 and 12 lb. weights.

Do side raises (and on alternate workout days-front raises) standing, with straight arms in the following manner:

12 reps with 3 lb. dumbbells, rest one minute
10 reps with 5 lb. dumbbells, rest one minute
8 reps with 8 lb. dumbbells, rest one minute
6 reps with 10 lb. dumbbells, then immediately do
12 reps with 8lb. dumbbells (or as many as you can to muscle failure)

When you can do that easily, start with the 5 lb dumbbells and work up to 12 lb dumbbells.

[Thorbjorn]

*nod* at that point a 15# shield will feel like paper once your arms have recovered.

Now to go get some freeweights...