Scutum design question

[Marcus Mummius]

Does it affect brass/bronze that way too? (sorry to go off thread, folks, just this one question and I'll go away)

Salve,

Well, with brass the vinegar leaches some of the Zinc (Zn) from the surface. This results in pinkish spots because the concentration of copper is much higher in these places.

Vale

[Hibernicus]

I used to be a proponent of the black iron look since the iron sheet comes off the forge black and takes a great deal of work to remove it. (try polishing your cast tron skillet with a piece of wool and some talc) In our experiences a black seg that's been waxed and oiled or just oiled reflects light like a mirror , much like the way a window with a dark background or interior can act like a mirror and reflect light. Don't have to believe me; seeing is believing; its been debated ad infinitum elsewhere.

We're doing some experiments with tinning HR steel (hot rolled) .. see how well it adheres, and soon with some forged iron sheet.

However, we are now tinning a great deal of our gear. It solves the problems of "shiny armor" , the labor required to keep bare iron rust free and the quantity of oil needed to protect it..

[AntonivsMarivsCongianocvs]

Ave,

Does anyone have information on the material the more elaborate umbos were constructed of?

If they were brass, is it possible that these were more for ceremonies, parades, or perhaps a high ranking officer? Someone who may need a shield, might need it day in and day out?

e.g. “I’ll ask Rufus Shield-Makerus to construct a very elaborate umbo for my shield because I have the extra money, and since I’m an officer I wont’ be using it every day in battle so it won’t undergo so much wear and tear but, if the lines collapse I have it.â€

[Marcus Mummius]

AntonivsMarivsCongianocvs\\n[quote]Ave,

Does anyone have information on the material the more elaborate umbos were constructed of?

If they were brass, is it possible that these were more for ceremonies, parades, or perhaps a high ranking officer? Someone who may need a shield, might need it day in and day out?

e.g. “I’ll ask Rufus Shield-Makerus to construct a very elaborate umbo for my shield because I have the extra money, and since I’m an officer I wont’ be using it every day in battle so it won’t undergo so much wear and tear but, if the lines collapse I have it.â€

[Crispvs]

Going back to the scutum corners, bear in mind that we do not have any unequivical evidence for the look of shields at the time you are describing. Trajan's column and the Adamklissi metopes both show shields, but in one case the shields are formalised and scaled down and in the other, the figures are quite stylised and the shields are in no particular shape (which might have been the case anyway).

As far as I know archaeological evidence for shields is very thin on the ground for the period you want. I would suggest a compromise, with soldiers having a variety of shield shapes and as a consequence a mixture of rounded and sharp corners.

Crispvs

[Tarbicus]

As far as I know archaeological evidence for shields is very thin on the ground for the period you want. I would suggest a compromise, with soldiers having a variety of shield shapes and as a consequence a mixture of rounded and sharp corners.

I thought there were quite a number of shield edging parts found, and the vast majority (if not all) of the corner pieces are very square? I'll look through the books when I get a chance.

[Crispvs]

As far as I know, most of the edging pieces which have been found come from first century deposits (although I am always very happy to be proved wrong). Also, when you say "very square", how square is that? Do you mean square like a 90degree set square or something more like the right angle you can make with the thumb and forefinger of one hand when the hand is at full span?

Crispvs