Captain America Bucky Shield Build

First of all, welcome! You certainly have put some thought into this. Can't wait to see your progress

Wow. That's incredible work. I may be seriously interested in your offer for blanks when you are ready.

I'm sure some of the other guys that did these and the other Cap shields could chime in on the brackets for the back. It's a much simpler set-up than the round Cap shield from the movie, of course. I'd love to see if Chris Fields knows some about this shield. If he knows half as much as he does about the round shield, you'd have all the info you'd need.

I thought that sswift put up some of the star patterns in his thread for painting the shield? I'd have to look, but I know that someone did in a thread where they built this.

Maybe that was Fly4v? Perhaps not, but he did a great job on his. He could probably help you with a template like his, listed on the first page of his thread. http://www.therpf.com/f24/captain-am...timate-150663/

First of all, thanks for the quick responses guys. It's impressive that someone who is so new at this is already getting some attention.

Crusaderman2004 said:

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Wow. That's incredible work. I may be seriously interested in your offer for blanks when you are ready.

I'm sure some of the other guys that did these and the other Cap shields could chime in on the brackets for the back. It's a much simpler set-up than the round Cap shield from the movie, of course. I'd love to see if Chris Fields knows some about this shield. If he knows half as much as he does about the round shield, you'd have all the info you'd need.

I thought that sswift put up some of the star patterns in his thread for painting the shield? I'd have to look, but I know that someone did in a thread where they built this.

Maybe that was Fly4v? Perhaps not, but he did a great job on his. He could probably help you with a template like his, listed on the first page of his thread. http://www.therpf.com/f24/captain-am...timate-150663/

Crusaderman2004, I will start a list of people who are possibly interested in getting an accurate shield blank. And if I eventually figure out a strap system, I may sell them as a set. But that is a ways off anyway.

As for the painting pattern, I am not that worried about it. Using the auction catalog referenced in the first post, I can get a very accurate model of the paint scheme. I actually made a model of it; however, the middle red stripe coming out weird. But the stars are in the right position (and the right size).



I was more asking the question on how to physically mask the stars to prevent the spread of paint under them when I apply the blue coat. But thanks for the reference to Fly4v's thread, lots of good information. And following your recommendation, I will be contacting Chris to see what he thinks. Finally, if you ever come across sswift's thread, send it over.

Thanks again for your enthusiasm!

It's called the WW2 Heater Shield. Not Bucky Shield... I have an aluminum blank one that I am never going to finish. I have the two sideshow versions as well.

StevenRogers84 said:

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It's called the WW2 Heater Shield. Not Bucky Shield... I have an aluminum blank one that I am never going to finish. I have the two sideshow versions as well.

You are right, it seems that I have mixed up the out fit name (Bucky rescue outfit) with the shield name. Thanks for the correction!

Battlehawk, excellent callsign.
For all my templates, I use Universal Laser Printer Labels (UNV-80109).
They come in a box of 100 8.5 by 11 sheets.
I have no paint transfer or under spray on gloss finishes and little under spray on matte. That is easily corrected by controlling spray direction.

The stripes were done with Scotch Blue Painters tape.

Really look forward to seeing your work.

Hey, got your message... I am an aerospace engineer as well, mechanical. I guess you could use double sided tape to mount the handle and such as well, just like the simpler handles on the round shields. Jb weld works as well. As far as being able to throw it on your back, the TFA ones used on the back shots had no handled, and a big magnet... this doesn't work too well in reality, lol. I double up the forearm strap and make it adjustbale, so just pull it out full length to throw it over your shoulder, and pull it to a doubled over strap when using it on your forearm. This allows for only one shoulder strap though, which is fine for this shield, but some want double shoulder straps for the round shield. Also, since you are bending the aluminum, 6061 is not the best alloy, you'll want a 5052 or so that is designed for bending, though the radius is so shallow it may not matter too much.

Also, the biggest accuracy issue I see with this shield is the thickness.. the one on film looked around 3/8 - 1/2 in thick... that's pretty thick! Not sure if you plan to replicate that.

Chris thanks for all the insight into the shield. Yea, the magnet would be impractical. I think I will attempt to go with the doubled upper forearm method. Sounds pretty simple.

As for the specific alloy of aluminum, I do not believe the actual shield is 6061. I meant to say I have had experience with aluminum, and I used 6061 a lot. However, I do not know what specific alloy of aluminum was used for the shields. I went to the machine shop, and the old guy took one look at what I was doing and knew exactly what I wanted. So, I am guessing that is was not 6061, as sheet metal fabrication is all that shop does. But good catch.

Finally, you are correct Chris; I did not get the thickness of the shield accurate. I forgot to put that in my initial post. The material is 1/8” thick; I agree, nowhere close to the hero shield. However, as this is my first project, I figured getting the process down (painting, bracket, leatherwork, etc.) was more important. But, I did put some thought into getting the thickness right. I could get a 3/8”-1/2” piece of aluminum rolled, but that would not only be difficult but also expensive. Another thought was to take two or three shield blanks and roll them as one(so they will nest inside of each other). With this method, I could still use the same original stock (1/8”). The only negative to this plan would be the difficulty in getting the aluminum blanks to stick together. Any other ideas would be appreciated!

The shields are done drying after their first coat of paint. I had to do some sanding and cleaning to get the imperfections out. I need to find a better place to let them dry, because it looks like oil or something fell onto the shield as it was drying. Thankfully, it came off with soap and water.

But I am not 100% with the color that I got. Comparing the images I have seen online (auction catalog) and my shields, the white on my shields seems too ‘white.’ The images online seem to be more of a cream. Now, cameras and monitors display colors differently, but in my mind’s eye the white should be closer to a cream. So today, instead of getting a second color onto the shield, I decided to take another pass with a different white (Dupli-Color Olympic White). I was worried that Dupli-color and the Rustoleum base would not bind well, but when I was purchasing the can the sales agent told me Duplicolor and Rustoleum are actually the same company. In theory, they should work together. We’ll see how it goes. Here is an image of the first coat after sanding and cleaning.

Fly4v said:

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Battlehawk, excellent callsign.
For all my templates, I use Universal Laser Printer Labels (UNV-80109).
They come in a box of 100 8.5 by 11 sheets.
I have no paint transfer or under spray on gloss finishes and little under spray on matte. That is easily corrected by controlling spray direction.

The stripes were done with Scotch Blue Painters tape.

Really look forward to seeing your work.

Fly4v, thanks for the advice with the printer labels. As they are laser printer labels, do you print on them with a laser printer? The easiest printer for me to use is an inkjet, but I can get access to a laser printer if need be.

As for the stripes, I plan on using Frogtape. I have used blue painters tape in the past, and have had mixed results. Someone else on the forum recommended this tape, so I plan on getting some scrap and trying it out.

Thanks for the support!

I would think that 3/8" thick alumiunum in that size would be heavy... about 14 lbs... that's heavy! The film version was a plastic sheet laminated with a layer of aluminum, the gold colored back and a painted front I believe. Finhead may know more about it, I haven't researched that shield too much yet.

Chris Fields said:

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I would think that 3/8" thick alumiunum in that size would be heavy... about 14 lbs... that's heavy! The film version was a plastic sheet laminated with a layer of aluminum, the gold colored back and a painted front I believe. Finhead may know more about it, I haven't researched that shield too much yet.

Chris, you are right the shield would weigh a lot. My math is showing 13.8 lb (the 1/8" shield is 4.7 lb), so that's scary how close you got.

Other note, where do you look to get all this information? Do you just go out and Google things?

battlehawk4 said:

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Chris, you are right the shield would weigh a lot. My math is showing 13.8 lb (the 1/8" shield is 4.7 lb), so that's scary how close you got.

Other note, where do you look to get all this information? Do you just go out and Google things?

lol, yep, about 14 lbs. I've had the chance to talk with folks who worked on the original shields, and those who's held them and such. Lot's of research on the round shields, not so much on this one though.

Fly4v said:

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Yes, I have HP laserjet.
The labels make masking so much easier. I used it for the stars, the helmet A, and the stripes on a Gee Bee Super Sportster.

Since your using Aluminum for your shield, your not using any un-isolated stainless steel hardware? Galvanic capacitance... is just a minor point.

The shields will never seen any enviroments where you would have to worry about galvanic coupling though, so it's not a problem.

Dressed as Captain America, decides to stop at the beach, and play in the waves....recreation of the Invasion of Normandy....Highly improbable, yet possible.

Also, the more I look at the back of the medieval shield... the better the idea of this purpose designed shield.

Well, I was actually thinking of welding/gluing the brackets that I need onto the back of the shield. So hopefully, no need for fasteners anyway. The only thing I would have of a different metal would be the brass buckles on the leather.

On that note, it may be a good time to bring up the specifics on how the double-up design works. One idea of mine was to have a bracket welded onto the shield which allows the straps to come through it twice, thus allowing for it to be undone for over-the-shoulder. One issue I just discovered would be getting the buckle through the brackets. Chris, would you mind providing a picture of how your system works?

In hindsight, I probably should have figured out the bracket system before I started painting, especially if it involves welding. I don't think the paint will hold up well to super high temperatures.

Wow Thats looking great!

battlehawk4 said:

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On that note, it may be a good time to bring up the specifics on how the double-up design works. One idea of mine was to have a bracket welded onto the shield which allows the straps to come through it twice, thus allowing for it to be undone for over-the-shoulder. One issue I just discovered would be getting the buckle through the brackets. Chris, would you mind providing a picture of how your system works?

In hindsight, I probably should have figured out the bracket system before I started painting, especially if it involves welding. I don't think the paint will hold up well to super high temperatures.

The paint definitely will not take the welding.

Looking back for some old pics.. I know I have them somewhere...

Ah.. here they are.. these are over a year old now.. back when I first started doing handle work on these shields. This is a super basic handle design, but the shoulder/forearm strap is the same as I use on the more updated designs if people ask for it.

Thanks for the pictures and advice Chris. Same to you Fly4v. Both of your designs do a great job at getting the job done, but I think I am going to try for a more prototypical strap system (that is until I become fed up with it and just go back to what Chris recommends haha). I took this screenshot from the auction catalog I referenced above to illustrate my idea.

It may be possible to use the brackets that Chris uses for his flexible shoulder strap and use leather instead. I am taking some inspiration from Valor's excellent design of a circular shield leather bracket system. Not 100% on my concept yet, but when I get something down that is presentable, I will definitively post it and ask for comments/critiques.

The shot from the catalog just goes to show how ugly the back of the medieval really is.

I think Chris's idea will work with leather. Certainly on your design if the mounting rings have a rounded interior.
The medieval is just a sheet metal tab that would eventually cut the leather.


Here is what I was thinking for a new front handle on mine.
The leather emergency handle brown with metal core.
Handles for briefcases,trunks,purses,luggage and more.

I use leather with this design on all my shields that use it. That prototype in the pic is only one that didn't have leather, cause it was just a quick test.

Here is one of the later designs with a leather doubled over strap.

Fly4v said:

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The shot from the catalog just goes to show how ugly the back of the medieval really is.

I think Chris's idea will work with leather. Certainly on your design if the mounting rings have a rounded interior.
The medieval is just a sheet metal tab that would eventually cut the leather.


Here is what I was thinking for a new front handle on mine.
The leather emergency handle brown with metal core.
Handles for briefcases,trunks,purses,luggage and more.

Fly4v, I think I will have to disagree with you on the back of the shield. Yes, the speckled gold paint does look bad, and it should. As in the story this shield was not intended for anything like it was used; therefore, the gold and black markings (what I would consider to be pretty bad looking if it was my equipment in combat) actually makes this prop more realistic/believable. As for the straps, I would say the simple look is elegant. Now, attaining the simple look is a separate story, which is by no means simple. Just my two cents.

Chris Fields said:

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I use leather with this design on all my shields that use it. That prototype in the pic is only one that didn't have leather, cause it was just a quick test.

Here is one of the later designs with a leather doubled over strap.

Well Chris, you continue to impress. That is exactly what I was thinking of doing for the doubled-up arm band. Did you work with Valor when he designed his system, it looks similar? http://www.therpf.com/f9/metal-movie...38/index4.html The only major difference I spot is the grip. Valor uses a piece of leather, while you use a piece of what I assume is aluminum (but wrapped in leather). Can you explain why you fabricate your handles this way? Is it for stability when holding the shield?

Finally, thanks for the advice on the bracket edges. I though of this as well, but always good to have reassurance.