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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2007 7:19:11 GMT
Actually, the pics are deceiving...The copper sticks out to the front and back - I was gonna hammer it down around the edge, but I figured that the protruding edge would catch a blade pretty good - It's really soft, and I took a hack at a spare peice with a good knife, and it sunk in quite a bit... the plywood is only 5/8" - apparently still thick compared to some re-enactors', and the copper when flattened is over an inch.. I still have some wood, so I may contact a local blacksmith to have a plain boss made that's about 6.5" on the inside to accomodate these meathooks Then I'm gonna use a peice of wood down the back for a handle. More like this:
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2007 14:41:47 GMT
Karma +1 Sandman for your fine work. I am impressed.
Don't worry about any shortcomings, the next one will be better. I have made 11 shields in the last year, each one successively better. The first eight were horrible. My shield # 3 was 12 lbs made out of plywood. I strapped it diagonally at the forearm. Even with the increased leverage that comes from the forearm, I found it impossible to hold it up and cover my head after 5 minutes of fighting. With your center grip and punch out style you will have a much harder time defending yourself. With my forearm strap, I don't wear armor on the shield side because the arm is solidly behind the shield. If you wear arm armor or a full mail sleeve, you will be adding another 3 lbs to that arm. So that is 15 lbs on an arm you will be punching out with.
On your next shield, if you make a center grip, try to make the handle oval shaped or square, not round. This will give you some control against the handle rotating in you hand if your shield is hit on the edge. This is exactly what you opponent will try when he realizes you have a center grip.
Once again, congrats on a great job. I love to see people doing their own work.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2007 23:04:14 GMT
Tsafa, thanks for the karma, and the square handle i actually half the reason I added to the buckler handle, you just can't tell because of the copper strip...
my next shield will be a heater, and I was wondering if I should try and make it curved: I remember trying to bend a thick peice of plywood to make a snowboard for towing behind a skidoo, but the main problem was trying to bend the last 8 inches, not in the middle. I soaked in water for two days, then put in a jig with weights, but to no avail.....Shoul I even bother? Any tips?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2007 0:12:20 GMT
My heater shield is curved, and I am trying to get it flat. The flat shield does a better job of distributing the pressure on you forearm on the inside. My curved heater contacts my forearm at two points, the elbow and the wrist. Sometimes when I am pushing through a line this can be stressful on the wrist. If you then try to build it up on the inside, you add more weight. Flat is better.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2007 3:58:18 GMT
Excellent! That is the only reason I could think of to make it flat - obviously an important one.
One more question: do you use a cage over your hand on your heater shield? - I just saw a guy using a hockey facemask - it looks the exact same as ones you can buy....
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2007 20:07:44 GMT
In the SCA you must have your hand and elbow behind the shield protected. Hits there are not likely but do happen. These are very delicate areas that can result in broken fingers of chipped elbow. On the elbow I wear a kneepad with a hard cover over a regular elbow pad. I also wear a pad on my forearm, because I have been hit there too by wraps. For the fingers, I use Ascroft/Bakers shield hilt, $15. It is also recommended and required on some kingdoms that you use a half gauntlet with this basket. You can use a full-size hockey glove. The problem I find with hockey glove is that you have to build up the handle to allow the glove to pass through. Here is a picture of my shield hilt (don't mind the insane look in my face, I don't know what is going on there, that is not what normally I look like). In both the SCA and Live steel, most serious injuries are broken fingers, so cover you paws at all times.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2007 21:53:30 GMT
One of the first thoughts I had after handling it was "Wow! The ultimate boxing glove. I should buy another, so I'll have a pair." I think you've just invented a rather unique (and somewhat hilarious to visualize) medieval fighting style...! ;D ;D LOL! maybe you could attach spikes to them like some Scottish targes, it would make them more effective against armour
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2007 21:58:08 GMT
Tsafa, thanks for the karma, and the square handle i actually half the reason I added to the buckler handle, you just can't tell because of the copper strip... my next shield will be a heater, and I was wondering if I should try and make it curved: I remember trying to bend a thick peice of plywood to make a snowboard for towing behind a skidoo, but the main problem was trying to bend the last 8 inches, not in the middle. I soaked in water for two days, then put in a jig with weights, but to no avail.....Shoul I even bother? Any tips? sorry to double post but i have heared of a way to make a rounded shield, after you soak it bend it around and out door air conditioning unit and tie it there with rope/or twine
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Post by Deleted on Aug 22, 2007 2:47:26 GMT
I don't know about that.
I did see a very interesting buckler this past weekend. It had a small center boss just like yours. Riveted to that was a boiled leather. It was cut like a big donut. The boss fit perfectly into the center hole. The boiled leather had dried very hard and stiff. I saw its owner use it for rapier fencing. The hardened leather was very adequate. Naturally you can give the leather any shape you want before it dries.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2007 19:39:19 GMT
Surely I'm not the only one who's looked at these little bucklers and thought they looked like boobs. Just saying. Actually no, I'm not just saying, I'm doing- Used one in a renfair act this Fall, where one was a part of my cleavage while in drag. After being revealed for who I am it did see use as a buckler. More pictures up at www.fightdesigner.com/foiledagain or myspace.com/fightdesigner
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