Captain America WWII USO Shield Build Thread.

[Draphin]

Ok.... Here we go Starting at the Begining... Naturally...

This project started as a secret Santa Gift for j0wE. I follow Super heros but I am more of a SciFi kind of guy. So when I was given the task of finding a Super Hero Prop to give as a gift I really had to scratch my head as I have little Experience with manufacturing anything in Metal. Which is a medium most Super Hero Props Require. So Searching through Google Images and Web Sites I finally came across the Old Style Cap Shield.

[Draphin]

Now there's an idea!!! and I am sure, well almost sure, his USO Prop shield could be made from wood. So I went to the Garage and found a scrap piece of Luan. Then I realized Shoot I dont know how big this thing is... Hmmmmm... Ok back to the drawing board, Errr Sketchup. I imported the picture with the Shield on Chris Evans Back, sized and rotated it and figured out the dimensions. I then went back to my Luan and did a test to see how wide it actually had to be to get the finished Bent Dimension. I figured if I bent it from 22" to 21" then it had a nice curve to it. Sorry no pics of this process but I just put the Wood in a band clamp and tightened it down till I got the dimensions I liked. Next I Adjusted my measurements and Laid out the Shape. Cut it out and Whala...



Now I am going to Jump here a bit but I had to figure this out while I was Laying it up because, well frankly, it's easier to draw on a flat surface than a curved one. How to Draw a nice Perfect Star??? Well I started with a Pentagon and found this nifty You tube Video on how to Draw a Pentagon with just a Compass and a straight edge

[Draphin]

Ok Looking good but one little problem as I started to think about painting it. The Luan has some nifty Grain in the wood which is gonna require alot of work to flatten out. So back to the Scrap pile where I found a big sheet of 1/8" Masonite. Nice and Smooth... So we Lay out again and...

[Draphin]

Now to create the Stifiners so the Bend stays in the Masonite. I turned to my old friend 2x4 and a scrap of Luan. Again using the Band clamp I bent the Masonite to the Correct arc and size. I then Scribed the curve to the Luan. (If you want a description of Scribing then Ask and I will try to Take some pics and post a demo) Next I cut the curve and used the Luan as a template to mark out my curve on the 2x4. I got lucky in that I needed just 1" of thickness so I was able to get both my supports out of one 2' section of 2x4. For the curve on the back sides of the supports. I just marked some points and then bent and traced a thin scrap of Masonite.

[Draphin]

Next came time for a layout of the Braces and the straps plus some good old glue, clamps, and Screws!

[Draphin]

While that Dries I started to think about how to attach the Straps to the back of the Shield. I decided that just screws and bolts would look funky so I made these little blocks I could sandwich the straps in and then Screw through.

[Draphin]

I also had to make the Straps which I happen to have some old Belt buckles and some leather from an old project. The Buckle strap was easy enough. but the Handle I had to do some research on and I found this YouTube Series on hand stitching a piece of leather. This guy has a nice series so I watched a few and learned some really cool things. I also made these. The color of them is a funny story as well. I had some Brown Leather dye but it dried up so I tried using the Dark Brown Rit Dye to stain them. I simply mixed the Dye with some Denatured Alcohol and it took to the leather well. However the Dark brown dried with a Purple hue to it. So to save it I went and found some Yellow Leather Dye that had not dried up on me and toped it with that. I think the Color came out great.

[Draphin]

now that the Shield was Glued up and Dry I wanted to do something to finish the back. I decided to go back to my Theatre days and cover it in Muslin. I cut a few strips and mixed up some watered down Wood Glue then laid it on like you would with Fiberglass. I painted the back with the Glue then placed on the muslin then Painted over top of it with more glue to flatten it down. I started with the support bars and once they were dry I trimmed the muslin and added the filler sections. (Side note: I did use the water down glue on the hole thing except for the edges where I followed the same process except I used full strength glue. I was worried about it peeling from the edges.) Once Dry I trimmed it with a Sharp razor and cut out mounting points for the blocks, as I wanted to glue them as well to get a good bond. Finally a coat of paint and on to the next step.

[Draphin]

Next I mounted the Straps and Filled the Screw Holes with Bondo Spot Filler. ( thanks to Matt Munson and ep 18 - Batman Arkham City / Arkham Asylum Grapple Gun Prop Build. I knew just what to use.

[Draphin]

Unfortunately Next I hit a bit of a learning curve bump in the road. I sprayed on my base coat of White and completely covered my Stars I laid out so nice.
DOAH!!!!!!
So I figured out I need to trace them back on somehow so I grabed a big sheet of Velum, laid it on, and rubbed out the outline of the shield. Next I took it off and laid out my stars again. Then I put it back onto the shield and with a small pin I marked the transition points of the stars and stripes.

[Draphin]

Now onto masking and Painting! Yeah!!! My Favorite Part!!!! (unfortunately their is no Sarcasm face.) I tried this new frog tape stuff I found in the store. Which after I read it realized the marketing gurus got me again. On the back of the package in small print It says this powder stuff on the tape reacts with Latex paint. not the water. so I had to use it like good old Masking tape even though I paid significantly more for it. Basically I used another trick which I think I read about somewhere on the RPF. After I masked it I sprayed it with another base coat of white just to seal the edges of the tape. Then I went onto Colors. (by the way masking with the Walmart Bags was quick idea and a bad Idea as the ink of the bags transferred onto the white beneath. Opps...)

[Draphin]

No More pics of this Particular Shield. as I had some mishaps with paint. While putting down the White I noticed the paint taking on an orange peel texture. I was not that concerned at first but after the color layers Dried I applied a Clear coat which crackled the paint in a few areas. Some of which looked exactly like where I put the Frog tape. I suspect the powder in the tape left a residue which prevented the Color from bonding... Yet another Lesson learned. After using this stuff you should really clean the surface. So it really only crackled in the blue so I sanded down and tried to repaint but it looked ugly so I stripped it down to wood and then repainted the top portion. This time though instead of White Krylon Spray I used some old white interior house paint I had. I broke out the old Spray gun and went to town. Nice flat base and after the Color went on it looked Sweet! So I took off the making and when I looked at the Orange peel bottom compared to the nice smooth top. I just shook my head and said well I was gonna make one for myself any ways looks like this is it. I then started all over again and made a nice new fresh one for my secret santa. Having done it once before It was easy. Then It came time to paint. all went well although while putting on the blue I did notice some lines that were not taking the paint and coincidentally they stemmed from the points of my stars where I trimmed off excess Frog tape and forgot to wipe clean. Good news is with a little scuff sanding and an added coat they disappeared. I was still to Chicken $#!+ to clear coat it but every one at home said it looked fantastic as is.

[j0wE]

and it's new residence...



Thanks so much Draphin!! it will go well with the bucky rescue outfit stuff i'm getting!

[Draphin]

That as thay say is That. How I built a Captain America WWII USO Shield any questions??? I'll be happy to answer them. till then I am taking a break as my hands are cramping from all this Typing.

CAIO!!!

[Draphin]

Originally Posted by j0wE

and it's new residence...



Thanks so much Draphin!! it will go well with the bucky rescue outfit stuff i'm getting!

This is the Real Bonus!

[winghead]

That's Amazing work!! Great Job!!

[ONEYE]

Rated thread 5 stars, will give REP when I can!

[jimjimmyjones85]

Would love to see a battle damaged one

[Draphin]

My first one came close as I was constantly screwing up the paint on it. Their were a few times I wanted to fling it somewhere!

[antman84]

That's a great shield Looks fantastic really like the green on the back

[Draphin]

Originally Posted by antman84

That's a great shield Looks fantastic really like the green on the back

At first I was going to go gray but I too Like the Green better. Plus I figured a military basic is O.D. Green. (although in this case it is "Italian Olive". Guess they don't like the word Drab when describing their product)

[Monk]

Very very nice! I'll use the screw and bondo method and perhaps even your technique for the leather handles.

Well done!

[Draphin]

The real trick with the screws is to countersink them just right so they are slightly below the surface so the Bondo gives you a good smooth surface but not to far so they still have some meat to grab the shield. In my case I was using the 1/8" Masonite and 3/4 Brass Wood Screws (they were the smallest I had on hand) the screws had probably had a 1/16" or 3/32" tapered head. Not much room. I did notice that even with the bondo because I was using a water based Primer the wood Swelled out and caused dimples either that or after a bit of use the screws pulled in a hair and left the dimples. Hardly noticeable but the Gloss Paint is what called them out to me.

[nog3]

That's a very nice build! Congrats, it looks great on the mantle.

[stromo]

Great job. Looks fantastic.