2011-11-20

Viking Shield Progress







After careful research, the viking shield project has turned out nicely. I opted for as much historical accuracy as possible. Shield body was constructed with 1/4" poplar planks, joined edge to edge with glue and dowels. The back was covered with canvas. Initial canvas placement caused a lot of bowing in the planks because I had forgot to varnish the wood first. I removed the canvas, wiped off the glue, waited for everything to dry, sanded, varnished and reapplied the canvas with glue. Bowing still resulted but I managed to remove most of distortion by pressing between two pieces of plywood for a few days. The shield should be completely straight after the handle is added. Tasks remaining: sew leather edging around interior and exterior rim, attach shield boss and handle, paint back canvas, paint design.

2 comments:

Cryptozo said...

Nice! I've been looking to replace our old shields and really liked what you did.

Cryptozo said...

Nice! I've been looking to replace our old shields and really liked what you did.