Could I get some help with a Captain America shield?

S

SnoKone

New Member
Hey, completely new to this forum and prop making in general, but I could use a little help making a Captain America shield for Halloween and cosplaying. I'm going to be dressed like Cap before he gets the official suit and shield, like this:
oI2c0.jpg


Anyway, I need some help deciding what I should make the shield out of. I want to go for the one that's not shaped like a target, but more like a crest-type design, like this:
12119998_1.jpg


I've heard either craft foam or plywood would work well, but I'm skeptical of the durability of the craft foam and the weight of the plywood. Any help would be great, especially if someone's got some build progress pictures of a shield that looks like the one I'd like to build. Thanks a bunch!
 
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Depending on your budget, you could buy sheet metal from Home Depot and cut it with metal shears.

The thickness you can cut by hand would be too thin and flimsy, but if you cut several identical ones you could glue them together with contact cement and depending on how you attach the handle binding posts as well.

Just be sure to bend the curve into the shield before you glue them together obviously because each one will bend easier then 2-3 together but also the glue bond would break.
 
James Kenobi 1138 said:
Depending on your budget, you could buy sheet metal from Home Depot and cut it with metal shears.

The thickness you can cut by hand would be too thin and flimsy, but if you cut several identical ones you could glue them together with contact cement and depending on how you attach the handle binding posts as well.

Just be sure to bend the curve into the shield before you glue them together obviously because each one will bend easier then 2-3 together but also the glue bond would break.
Click to expand...

Sheet metal is something I have zero experience in, and I'd really rather not spend that much money on sheet metal if there's a big chance I'll end up messing it all up.
 
Fly4v said:
No need for sheet metal. A little grinding and a quick repaint.

Heater Shield $38.98
Rampant Lion Medieval Knight Heater Shield Armor Chain

Here is the finished shield:
USOShield13.jpg


It was used in my build below.
Hope to see the rest of your Rescue uniform.
Click to expand...

Oh my God thank you. Would you happen to remember how long it took for this to get delivered? And how would you recommend I repaint it? Would spraypaint and a lacquer finish work?
 
Lucky I don't clean out my emails.
I ordered it on Tuesday and it was shipped FedEx ground that Wednesday.

This was all done with spray paint and hand brushes. Since my airbrush was and still is boxed up.
It is sealed with Future floor polish.

To strip the paint you can get spray paint remove at auto zone.

"Started with a coat of White primer. Then painted the entire front Krylon Indoor Outdoor Gloss White.
Masked and painted the stripes, Krylon Indoor Outdoor Red.
Cover the red and white stripes with paper, masked the stars and sprayed the blue field, Krylon Indoor Outdoor True Blue.

Completely mask the front of the shield to protect from over spray.

When the back was incorrectly silver, it was Krylon Chrome Aluminum.

To correct the color, I roughed up the silver with a green scrubbing pad.
The used Krylon Gold. First an even coating, then a heavy splotching to emulate the uneven coloring shown in the catalog.
To finish the back off, spot buffed with Nu Finish car polish.

The front was sealed with Future floor polish after all the colors were very dry and completely vented, then again after the weathering was applied.

I did not use Future on the back of the shield. "

Hope this helps. You can have this done by the 31st.

Sorry that my thread also has Ultimate and some TFA and not just pure Rescue.
 
Ask away.

The shield is 1/16 inch thick, the edges are 1/8 inch thick due to a reinforced lip.

I cut the top using a Proxxon,.... "German Dremel", and cleaned it up with a large metal file.
Could also use a metal grinding disk in a drill.
Not much needs to be done, just round the center and knock down the two top edges.
 
nice job on the build from that armory shield base!

Is there another one for the round version to start from?
 
I've decided to use the waterjet at work (I work in a granite and tile fabrication shop, we have a CAD machine) to cut out the shield and weld the strap mounts on myself. The only tough bit is going to be smoothing the edges of the shield so it can't cut anyone.
 
Print your stars on Universal Printer Labels UNV-80109. They stayed stuck, had no underspray, and very easy clean up.

Edit: The link is to Dan The Man's build. Very good quality.
 
Fly4v said:
Print your stars on Universal Printer Labels UNV-80109. They stayed stuck, had no underspray, and very easy clean up.

Edit: The link is to Dan The Man's build. Very good quality.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the quick reply - the shield is in transit - gotta get it done in 10 days..LOL
 
Abbie Rich said:
Thanks for the quick reply - the shield is in transit - gotta get it done in 10 days..LOL
Click to expand...

As long as the rain stays away and the humidity is low your could easily have it done in 10 days as long as the paint doesn't react.

Aircraft Paint remover will quickly strip everything without sanding.
To save the back and forth if you don't have the paint Dan and I used Krylon gloss indoor/outdoor Banner Red, True Blue, White for the front and Krylon Metallic GOLD for the back. I made a mistake and made my shield silver and then had to paint it gold.
 
picked up everything but the paint remover - thanks for the help - I was glad to come across the metal version - instead of having to cut and shape sintra - the last shield I painted was making a round one on a paper parasol - that just took acrylics though - I have modded weapons - so slinging paint from a spray can won't be a problem - unfortunately I live in Kentucky and the Ohio valley is a humidity mecca :unsure - do what we can do though right...lol
 
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