Zen_Hydra
Moderator
Born with a heart full of neutrality
Posts: 2,632
|
Post by Zen_Hydra on Dec 13, 2019 22:44:59 GMT
I picked up a few things in the recent KoA November sales event, and several of those things are going to become parts of the hybrid shield I have in mind. I'll show progress as I make it. To start, I bought a Lord of Battles shield boss ( this one). I removed the ugly black finish, and did some etching to antique it in a manner more my style. Update: 11-FEB-2020 The cattle-skin rawhide facing and backing have been glued in place. The front and back surfaces have been sanded and cleaned in preparation for the initial painting. Before I put down any paint, I've decided to glue and sew the rawhide rimming in place. I intend to do it in sectional pieces, because I think a single contiguous strip would honestly be more trouble than it's worth. The shield is currently 39.5 inches long (100.33 cm), and 28 inches (71.12 cm) at its widest point. The weight of the shields body and boss together comes out to 7 pounds (3.175 kg). With the fronting and backing on, the shield is about 1 cm thick at the boss aperture and about 8 mm thick at the edge. The wood core started out at 1/4 inch (6.35 mm) thickness, and was thinned radially before adding the facing/backing. I was quite surprised by how much thickness and weight the rawhide has added to the shield. Update: 11-MAR-2020 I've done quite a bit since my last update. The rawhide rim was glued and hand sewn in place (the sewing did a number on my poor hands). I have the boss in place and the rivets have been set (though not completely finished yet). The decorative wood pieces for the front have been cut and sanded into shape. Three of the four decorative leather pieces have been cut and etched. The handle/cross brace/pokey bits are mostly complete, with three sections which have been cord and leather wrapped (the grip section includes risers). Everything seems to be coming together nicely. Update: 30-April-2020 It's been slow going, but the shield is finally complete. The back (obvs) The front (towards enemy) Detail of the decorations
|
|
|
Post by Sir Thorfinn on Dec 13, 2019 22:54:35 GMT
Is that gold paint, or did you braise brass into it? Great look so far, this is cool!
|
|
pgandy
Moderator
Senior Forumite
Posts: 10,296
|
Post by pgandy on Dec 13, 2019 22:54:50 GMT
I'll be reading your progress.
|
|
christain
Member
It's the steel on the inside that counts.
Posts: 2,835
|
Post by christain on Dec 13, 2019 23:09:50 GMT
Da boss is da BOMB! Beautiful work! I'm curious too....how did you do that?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2019 23:15:56 GMT
Damn that's dope. How did you get the brwss/gold look?
|
|
Zen_Hydra
Moderator
Born with a heart full of neutrality
Posts: 2,632
|
Post by Zen_Hydra on Dec 13, 2019 23:31:02 GMT
I had a gold leafing pen, and wanted to test the contrast of the color against the etchant darkened steel.
I used several washes in different dilutions of ferric chloride, along with markings made with several different types of resist to create artificial character in the metal surface. As a result, there now appears to be welds and folded layers of steel, along with some mild pitting. The etching didn't do much with the poorly implemented "hammer marks" the boss came with. IMO, they look obviously artificial and purposeless. I intend to use a variety of hammers to try and improve the hammer marking pattern.
My heraldic hydra device and the Elder Futhark runes were first painted on with an acrylic enamel, which is the most durable etchant resist I use, and over the various washes in the solutions became deeply etched into surface.
My next step is to clean up the lines of the runes and device with my gravers, and once that is done I will probably color them in some manner to make them stand out.
I have some exciting things I'll be attempting for the fist time with this project. Among them are making my own glue, and making ultramarine paint out of ground lapis lazuli.
Edited to add further detail.
|
|
|
Post by legacyofthesword on Dec 14, 2019 5:35:38 GMT
Damn! I knew this project was going to be good. Already off to a great start.
|
|
christain
Member
It's the steel on the inside that counts.
Posts: 2,835
|
Post by christain on Dec 14, 2019 20:43:06 GMT
Are you going for a round, wooden Viking-style shield face, or....something more *exotic* ? Some cool fantasy LOTR's-style of shield face would be awesome with a boss like that.
|
|
Zen_Hydra
Moderator
Born with a heart full of neutrality
Posts: 2,632
|
Post by Zen_Hydra on Dec 14, 2019 21:56:07 GMT
Are you going for a round, wooden Viking-style shield face, or....something more *exotic* ? Some cool fantasy LOTR's-style of shield face would be awesome with a boss like that. I intend for it to have notes of Galic/Germanic and Saxon/Viking shield design, but it won't be a based solely on one historic example. It will definitely have exotic elements, but they will at least be historically plausible.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2019 22:15:09 GMT
Are you going for a round, wooden Viking-style shield face, or....something more *exotic* ? Some cool fantasy LOTR's-style of shield face would be awesome with a boss like that. I intend for it to have notes of Galic/Germanic and Saxon/Viking shield design, but it won't be a based solely on one historic example. It will definitely have exotic elements, but they will at least be historically plausible. Like an oval viking shield?
|
|
Zen_Hydra
Moderator
Born with a heart full of neutrality
Posts: 2,632
|
Post by Zen_Hydra on Dec 15, 2019 0:06:10 GMT
I intend for it to have notes of Galic/Germanic and Saxon/Viking shield design, but it won't be a based solely on one historic example. It will definitely have exotic elements, but they will at least be historically plausible. Like an oval viking shield? That's a guess in the right direction. I haven't decided on the exact shape yet, because I'm still waiting on my rawhide side (a half cow hide) to arrive. Once I examine it, I should be able to evaluate what shape is possible. I'm curreny considering an oval, an elongated hexagon (almost diamond shaped, but with a flat top and bottom), and an hourglass shape. Again, what is viable will depend on the quality of the facing material when it arrives.
|
|
Scott
Member
Posts: 1,676
|
Post by Scott on Dec 15, 2019 1:08:23 GMT
Lovely work! Looking forward to seeing it when it's finished.
|
|
christain
Member
It's the steel on the inside that counts.
Posts: 2,835
|
Post by christain on Dec 15, 2019 1:29:54 GMT
"Historically plausible"------I'm a major fan already. 'Historically correct' can get boring at times. Show me something new that 'could have been'. Hell yeah, Bro. The shield boss alone is over the top. The final product will be a masterpiece.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2019 4:02:44 GMT
Yea count me in as a fan. I wanted tk make such a shield for a while
|
|
|
Post by wlewisiii on Dec 15, 2019 5:31:48 GMT
Like an oval viking shield? That's a guess in the right direction. I haven't decided on the exact shape yet, because I'm still waiting on my rawhide side (a half cow hide) to arrive. Once I examine it, I should be able to evaluate what shape is possible. I'm curreny considering an oval, an elongated hexagon (almost diamond shaped, but with a flat top and bottom), and an hourglass shape. Again, what is viable will depend on the quality of the facing material when it arrives. Sounds like you might take some styling tips from the Celts - the battersea shield comes to mind. Just make one for use out of thin wood covered with leather and then paint the decorations with your boss for the hand grip in the center. Fun project!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2019 7:22:55 GMT
That's a guess in the right direction. I haven't decided on the exact shape yet, because I'm still waiting on my rawhide side (a half cow hide) to arrive. Once I examine it, I should be able to evaluate what shape is possible. I'm curreny considering an oval, an elongated hexagon (almost diamond shaped, but with a flat top and bottom), and an hourglass shape. Again, what is viable will depend on the quality of the facing material when it arrives. Sounds like you might take some styling tips from the Celts - the battersea shield comes to mind. Just make one for use out of thin wood covered with leather and then paint the decorations with your boss for the hand grip in the center. Fun project! Damn that's gorgeous. I wanna make one now. Would be so easy
|
|
christain
Member
It's the steel on the inside that counts.
Posts: 2,835
|
Post by christain on Dec 15, 2019 12:46:23 GMT
All it takes is a cheap boss---usually around $20- $25 ---and a piece of plywood to start. You can use canvas cloth for a facing if you can't get leather. Just glue it on, then paint it with your own design. Just be careful and take your time when measuring and centering the boss. I'm really one to be talking....I need to get off my butt and finish MY OWN shield project.
|
|
christain
Member
It's the steel on the inside that counts.
Posts: 2,835
|
Post by christain on Dec 15, 2019 12:51:21 GMT
|
|
pgandy
Moderator
Senior Forumite
Posts: 10,296
|
Post by pgandy on Dec 15, 2019 13:56:22 GMT
I'm really one to be talking....I need to get off my butt and finish MY OWN shield project. ;-| I’m beginning to think you are making a career out of that shield. Hehe
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2019 20:26:33 GMT
Was that a tough project? If I had the tools it feels like it wouldn't be too hard, but everything is always tougher than it looks haha
|
|