Help making a shield

[audrey1nd]

I'm planning on doing a shieldmaiden from History Channel's Vikings for NYCC in October. I've never made any sort of prop before and would really appreciate some help. Below is a photo of the type of shield I'd like to make. Since I'll be carrying it around all day, making it as light as possible (or with some sort of storage so I don't have to carry both it and my photo equipment) is a priority.

Thanks so much for all your help and advice!

 

[MrPumpernickel]

I would highly recommend looking at how Harrison Krix made his Shield of Whiterun: Volpin Props: Shield of Whiterun, Skyrim

Granted, it's a bit overkill for someone who hasn't made something like this before, but you could probably pick up some pointers along the way.

It looks like a fairly straight forward design though, so you could probably make good use of plywood as a base for it, it's fairly lightweight and pretty sturdy, and easy to work with. Especially since it looks like, with the paintjob, that you aren't that dependent on the woodgrain showing through.

 

[audrey1nd]

You're correct about the overkill. The only woodworking equipment I've ever had access to was during wood shop in school and in my undergraduate dorm, so I can't do any of the cutting or engraving that he does.
Making it look like it's made out of slats of wood is the main feature that needs to be incorporated. However, the idea of mounting the slats onto polstyrene is really great, and definitely something I can do with my current workspace.
Thanks for the advice!

 

[MrPumpernickel]

If you have access to a Dremel (or Dremel like) tool they're fairly easy to work with though. Just practice for a bit on an extra piece of material and I'm sure you'll soon get the hang of it.

If you want it to be very light weight but still keep the feeling of wood though you could build a polystyrene, or other light weight foam, base and clad it in wooden veneer. It's so thin that you can basically cut it with a pair of heavy duty scissors.

I can see how could could get this whole thing made fairly easily with nothing but handtools. Though something like a jigsaw would be of great help.

 

[Lflank]

Here's how I made mine:



The base is 1/4 inch plywood--it's light, strong, and mostly period-accurate, since the Vikings did have a simple version of plywood they made by glueing wood strips over each other with the grain perpendicular. I used a 24-inch circle, with an 8-inch circle cut out of the middle.

For the edge of the shield, I used rawhide, which I got by taking a couple dog chew toys from the pet store, soaking them in hot water, and unraveling them, then cutting them into strips. After drilling a series of holes all around the rim, I used leather thong to lace the sections of rawhide on.

For the shield boss, I used an old metal cat food bowl which I bowed the bottom out with a hammer. I drilled some holes in the rim and screwed it on. For a handle, I screwed a piece of wood across the hole at the back center of the shield.

 

[Contec]

Member familyman made this shield from foam.
http://www.therpf.com/f9/foam-shield-192576/

 

[audrey1nd]

I saw that thread, but he only had pictures, not instructions.
Thanks so much for all the help! I can probably figure out how to make it based on all three of your comments. I'll be sure to post photos here once I start working for it. Can anyone recommend a good place to get the materials for the best price?

 

[Chris Fields]

Send me a PM, I make tons of swords of shields and also do costuming and other items, so I might be able to provide some easier and cheaper alternatives to get the look you want because you don't need the functionality.