Sheild foam

[Frost]

I need some

Z or B

Nichtmar tells me one of you (or both?) has (or will have) a large sum of polyplank (the blue shield foam)

For how much are these?

[ATTICVS ROMANVS]

Grieg's dad (Grieg is one of my guys up here) found a bunch of the white shield foam that Edhellen uses in 2' x 3' x 2" blocks in a dumpster on campus somewhere. We're gonna figure out where this dumpster is and see if we can get any more. I'm pretty pumped about it.

[Aidan Furey]

Aye we at aethenu are in Dire need of Poly ethylene Foam (AKA the stuff maxyor sells)

[Zaron]

The place that maxyor get's that is near ft. wayne, probably less than a 2 hour drive from you guys. Bishop knows where it is. I believe a 8 x 3 piece is like $5 there.

[ATTICVS ROMANVS]

HOLY CRAP!! That's almost as cheap as ours (dumpster diving = free)

Anyways, what does Edhellen do to make their shields? Is it just one layer of blue foam on the front and sides of the white piece with a handle on the back? I know they dig out an area for your hand to fit and put a PVC pipe across it for the handle, but do they put something on the front of the white foam to strengthen it here?

Also, if anyone wants a sled to make a Greek Hoplite shield, I can give you one. I have 2 in my garage. I made another one and it looks awesome.

[Alric, son of Harland]

If you can find out where Bishop is getting that foam, it'll probably only be an hour or so for us, and we'd love to get some/pick some up for others.

Alric

[Aidan Furey]

I'll take one my Roman Friend, I have a Greek (Leander) And I need to make a shield for him.

[ATTICVS ROMANVS]

Done (*shakes hand*)

[Valkrulfr]

has anyone noticed that the blue foam has changed?

[ATTICVS ROMANVS]

We had a thread about it a while ago. Yeah, and it makes me sad

[Kelabeth]

Don't be sad.... it is basically the same stuff, just a little rougher on the surface which = better glue adhesion! ;D

[ATTICVS ROMANVS]

Oh yeah, Aidan, you want me to cut the holes in the sides? They're kind of hard to do but I have aviation shears from when I made my chainmail.

[Frost]

I speak for Leander when I say

Yes, we'd like it the exact same way yours is
Cause that things pimpin and I'm lazy.

[ATTICVS ROMANVS]

Okey dokey!

Here's what my new one looks like:





2-3 layers on the sides, 3 layers on the front, and 2 on the back for comfort. I bolted the belts to the core after I had 2 layers on the front already by digging out a section around the hole. I sprayed a crapload of glue into the holes to keep the bolts in place and used washers on the other side to make sure the straps stay put. There's also a ton of duct tape along the edges of the blue foam in addition to the glue. This thing is going to last ages

[Valkrulfr]

Looks good, but too much like a roman shield...

[Sir Berrok]

He is a Roman so I think that is what he was going for

[Lord Kensman Oron the Wolf]

Guys, not to be critical, but that shield design is Greek, and only Greek. Made famous by the Hoplites, and Spartans. Rome's version was merely a tall oval, they dropped the cut-outs (which were designed to allow shield and spear in close quarters). A tactic that the Romans never truly adopted. They preffered to use the quick thust of the gladius with their large curved war shields. The oval shield was primarily in use for cavalry and flanking units, that employed speed over sheer mass and power.

[greybeardabbot]

The sheild you made appears to have a curved surface... how did you bend/mold that into the foam?

[ATTICVS ROMANVS]

Greek Hoplite:

Round (usually with spear holes), often bronze or wood, decorated to hide the grain of the wood, intimidate, look uniform, be unique etc.

Roman Legionary:

Cavalry and auxilia had oval shields, and so did legionaries until about the 1st century BC, when they changed to the curved rectangle for forming the testudo, or turtle, formation. All painted with uniform design with the legion name on it.


Very very different, but both awesome.

The shield core is a sled with some holes cut in the sides. I just padded it with blue foam.
I need that blue barrel for the Roman shield, since it's part of a cylinder. Dominus told me that's the best thing to make them from.

Thanks for helpin me out Oron

[greybeardabbot]

A flying saucer! What a great idea.

[B-Shizzle]

goodness directly from bishops cell phone

the foam guys...they are an auction yard...you can call them and set up a time and an arrangement to get some...all you need to is slap some blue foam on the face (i didnt do this but wish i had) and put in a handle with gorilla glue (i didnt do this either) and they are pretty much ready to go

the ones i got have been modified and work good now

574.298.1371

[Sir Nichtmar]

Yes they do...

[ATTICVS ROMANVS]

If you want to make one like this, it's pretty easy and very effective. Here's a guide:


1. Get a saucer sled
2. Cut out circular sections as shown, make sure to snip the sharp corners into a curve so it won't poke through the foam

3. Cover the back (inside) with a layer between the holes, then add another layer on top of that as shown for arm comfort. Drill strap fastener holes
4. Screw in straps (backpack straps, belts, whatever you think will hold) and use a washer on the back side to distribute the pressure.

5. Insert a 2" layer into the lip around the circumference and add 2-3 layers on the front suface of the shiled with spray adhesive. You may want to cut a thin triangle near the center of the curve to help it conform to the spherical surface. Make sure to cut holes for the screws to fit, possibly filling any loose space with glue for security.
6. Add 2-3 layers (2 is probably plenty) on the outside edge of the shield and in the round cutout sections. Secure with glue and duct tape. Make sure you can pound the sides with the heel of your palm and not feel the core.

7. Glue fabric to the back of the shield over all of the padding for aesthetic effect and arm comfort. Use something soft, like felt. Cover the outer edge on the inside with a layer of foam (cut into small trapezoidal sections roughly 4"by 2")
8. Tape all foam pieces together securely with duct tape. Redundancy is key to durability.
9. Cover with something strong, like canvas, then probably fabric for a better appearance (easier to paint on as well) held down with spray glue and black tape on the edges. Use a staple gun to secure the canvas to the back of the shield tightly.
10. Enjoy

[Lord Kensman Oron the Wolf]

Excellent tutorial Atticus, that looks damn near "professional"... Could easily pass for one of the Eryndor weapons making tutorials. I was commissioned to make a Hoplite shield for an individual, although the results were very similar, I used a completely different technique.



I used the white 3" thick shield foam, and merely carved the shield to shape, added a half of a funoodle around the edge, and made it center grip, as opposed to a strap shield. Later a center boss was added to the cover of the shield, when it was completed.

[ATTICVS ROMANVS]

I like that a lot! I'll have to try something similar.