How I built my Greek aspis (hoplite shield) - step by step photos

[PygmyHippo]

Hello everyone!

This is the visual journal of how I constructed my aspis.

The excellent aspis build guides written by Matthew Amt and Chris B. (and Chris's YouTube videos) were invaluable. I know that their contributions to Greek reconstructions are well known on this forum. But on the off chance that someone finds my Greek shield building thread through Google first, I urge those visitors to instead go and view all the material by Matthew and Chris first. I'm posting this as a "thank you" to those two guys for answering alot of questions for me before I ever even had to ask, and for generously sharing their time and experiences through those guides. I feel that more shield-building tutorials are better than less, that way we can pick and choose what we like from each other's methods.

Matthew Amt's Greek Hoplite Page
http://www.larp.com/hoplite/hoplon.html

Chris B. - Making an aspis, ring method visual aids
http://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat/thread-12823.html

I think the lathed/turned shields and steamed/formed lath/slat shields (like those of forum members Athena Areias and Zolis, or Huovi and Giannis K. Hoplite) are absolutely gorgeous. I decided upon using the layered ring method because I figured it would take me the least amount of time to complete with the tools and workspace I had available.

I'm 6 feet tall and weigh 175 pounds (182 cm and 80 kg) which I figure is an average build for a man of the 21st century. I decided that the current thinking of a 36 inches (100 cm) diameter shield was right for my body size. Any smaller and it wouldn't cover my thighs or the man to my left, and it might look a little tiny when I held it. I knew that if I made a 36 inch diameter shield, it would weigh more than a 34 inch shield, but I didn't - and still don't - know by how much. But since I read online that the average aspis would be around 16 pounds (7 kg) at 36 inches diameter, I figured that's what I should expect (and that turned out to be correct).

So I read through a bunch of aspis construction threads online to see what kinds of materials they used. Some are more historically accurate than others, though all of them when finished look like what we've seen on vases in terms of their width and depth. So I came up with a diagram of a cross section of my shield at 18," since I would just double it to 36" from the center point. This is the same method described by Matt Amt on his site (check out the link at the top of this post). I planned mine to be around 4.5 inches deep (11.4 cm). I planned my rim to be 1.5 inches (4 cm) wide, and 0.5 inches (12 mm) thick at the outside edge, and 1 inch (25 mm) thick where it met the bowl of the shield. I did this because I was thinking of encircling the finished aspis with a 1/2 inch wide brass band, and since I could locate 1/2 inch wide brass strips, this would save me the effort of cutting the brass. (As a side note, I have yet to purchase the brass strip and attach it, since I like my finished aspis the way it is.) I also used the Peter Connolly "Greece and Rome at War" book, plus several of the Osprey books about the Peloponnesian War and Greek hoplites for additional inspiration. Many of the images from those books can be found online using a Google search. A visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City a week prior to starting was also very helpful. Seeing depictions of shields on vases close-up and in person, rather than on a computer screen, definitely helps put you in the right frame of mind.

At the very end of the build post I list a bill of materials used, with some notes regarding where the materials were sourced, areas to cut costs and changes I would make on a future shield.

I've learned alot during this process about ways to speed things along, and have a greater understanding of why hoplite equipment functions the way it does. My aspis is, of course, an amateur's first attempt. But I'm very pleased with my end result. I hope the text and images of the process will be useful to you.

[PygmyHippo]

   

I bought 1/2 inch, 4x8 feet sanded birch plywood, and cut it to 36.25 inches while I was still at the lumber store to make it easier to handle, since I knew no piece would be needed larger than 36 inches, but still giving me an extra 0.25 inch to allow for kerf and sanding.

   

I measured the ring widths in the cross sectional paper diagram I made, transferred those rings over to the plywood, and cut them out. Obviously several rings can be cut out of a single piece of plywood if you draw additional rings within each other. Drawing a cross section helps to immediately identify which rings nest inside each other. Once I drew each ring I labeled the ring so I would know in what order it would fall in the glued stack (though it's pretty obvious when you're stacking them). I ended up with 11 layers.

Here is Matt Amt's diagram he used. I used a slightly different curve for mine, as well as 0.5 inch wood rather than the 0.75 inch he used. 
Matt Amt - Cross section of aspis
http://www.larp.com/hoplite/aspis5section.jpg 

My drawing has a bunch of scribbling on it, and dimensions changed as I was transferring the measurements, so it might not be overly helpful to you, but I'm including it for the sake of completeness. I started by just drawing a freehand curve of what I wanted for the dome (the red pencil), measured 0.5 inch (12mm) slices (purple marker), and then estimated how wide each ring needed to be based on where the red and purple lines intersected, and took my measurements from that.

   
   

There's alot of waste left over after cutting out the rings. Most of it went in the kindling pile.

   
   

I tested the stack to see if it was looking the way I planned in my cross section. All looked well so I started glueing.

   

I glued the layers in 3 batches: the 2 pieces for the rim, the first 4 layers, and the top 5 layers. I used wood glue with a reasonable working time to reposition if needed. I used Titebond wood glue. There were faster-drying options that had better ratings for outdoor use, but there were 2 reasons I didn't choose that. The first was because I knew that regular wood glue will bond fabric perfectly well from previous experience, and I knew I had to do alot of fabric glueing. The second reason is because I knew I would be coating the shield with many layers of paint, and the wood would be very well protected from moisture.

I used a combination of wood clamps and weights to hold the rings tight while they dried.

   

I let the 3 batches of rings dry for 24 hours, then glued the 2 sets of rings for the bowl together, and let those dry for 24 hours. I kept the rim ring separate at this point since it would be much easier to sand the exterior of the bowl and to bevel the rim if those pieces are separate until the exterior sanding is complete. Chris B.'s videos on YouTube help to demonstrate all of the sanding inside and out for the aspis and the rationale for handling the rim seperately. Be sure to check them out. 

Chris B. - Aspis Construction - Sanding Outside Bowl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDVqg2KEyag

I stacked alot of bricks and weights on them, and let this next group of rings dry for 24 hours.

   

Once the glue was cured, I started sanding the outside of the aspis with an electric belt sander using a 3"x18" 36-grit belt. Again, refer to Chris B.'s videos on YouTube. Keep the sander moving with the curve of the shield, and in slight side to side movements. That way you avoid gouging with the edge of the sanding belt. A 36-grit belt is best for this task. 36 takes off material the fastest, and since the bowl will be sanded, then puttied, then sanded again, then glued, then covered in fabric, then given a couple coats of paint, you will not see any difference using finer grit sanding belts. All that will happen is you'll sweat more, expend more time and go through many more belts.

This is definitely an outdoor job. It was 93° F (33.8° C) and 100% humidity when I did the sanding. Yuck! I always wear eye protection when using power tools (and you should, too) but it was really hard to see what I was doing through all the sweat collecting in the goggles. Even with a dust bag and vacuum attachment this process creates a ton of dust. Wear a mask and sand outside. If you attempt this indoors I'm not responsible for your inevitable divorce.

It took around 2 hours to sand the convex side of the shield.

   

Using some bricks or blocks to elevate the shield off the ground or work surface is important so that your sander can reach all the way to the edge for a smooth transition. Yep, Chris B.'s videos cover this perfectly.

[PygmyHippo]

   

Next step was to work on the rim. I placed the main body of the shield on the flat rim, made sure it was centered, then traced the outline of the bowl onto the rim. This would allow me to see where I could start beveling the rim outward, while still leaving a nice flat area to glue to the main body of the shield. I sanded my shield down to 0.5 inches (12mm) thick at the edge, and then rounded off the outside edges just a little. The sanding of the rim only took 10 or 15 minutes. I then glued the rim to the main shield body, weighted it and let it cure overnight. What you see above is the profile of the sanded exterior plus rim. Here's Chris B.'s video about sanding the rim of an aspis:

Chris B. - Aspis Construction - Sanding Rim

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSO_qNBbMTM

   

Once the outside of the shield is sanded, I switched to finishing the inside of the bowl completely, and returned to the exterior later.

From the beginning I always planned on using an angle grinder to shape the interior of the shield. The round edge of a grinder face with a flap wheel more easily works a concave surface, they fit together far more easily than the straight sides and face of a belt sander. If you only have a belt sander, or are unable to purchase additional equipment, all of your sanding can be done with a belt sander, which was the point Chris B. makes in his build thread, and as he illustrates in the following video:

Chris B. - Aspis Construction - Sanding Inside
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGbcR7JkU2M

I used a 60-grit sanding flap wheel on the grinder, and it worked incredibly quickly on the wood. You need to be extra careful to not cut too deep because it really, really removes the wood easily. I used an old towel and some rags to pad the ground, and laid the shield on top of them while sanding. The dust it kicks up is incredible, so you must do this while wearing a dust mask. A full-face shield is prudent whenever you use an angle grinder, since bits of the wheel can fly off at several thousand RPMs.

Using only a belt sander on the outside of the shield took about 2 hours to complete the surface. Using only a flap wheel angle grinder on the inside of the shield bowl took only 30 minutes. A belt sander on the inside bowl of the shield is not easy. I wish I had thought to use the angle grinder to knock off the hard edges on the outside of the shield first before using the belt sander. It would have saved even more time, and probably a couple sanding belts. The angle grinder, however, will not create a uniformly smooth surface like a belt sander. I knew I would be using wood putty and additional sanding all over the shield, (plus glue, linen and paint) so I decided that I was happy with the look of the inside even if it wasn't porcelain smooth. The only place I used the belt sander was after I puttied the bowl on the vertical band around the inside of the rim. That gave me a consistent transition from the center of the bowl to the rim. The wood putty only took 10 minutes to dry, and the belt sanding took maybe 5 minutes.

   

Matt Amt and Chris B. masterfully managed to get their fabric to lay flat by carefully working out any pleating. I instead opted to glue a strip of linen around the remaining exposed concave bowl and up over to the rim. Even with that effort-saving step, I still had some pleating. Unlike the cutting of the rings and the sanding, the fabric, gluing and painting all happened indoors late at night. I would glue the fabric down, spread it smooth, then go to bed. That was a mistake. While I slept and the glue was drying, the fabric would start to pleat again. The best bet is to start earlier in the day than I did, let it dry a bit, and then monitor it throughout the day as it dries to keep smoothing the fabric wrinkles out of it as they form. I used far more glue than I should have when attaching the fabric, and it pooled up somewhat as it dried. As a result there were some lumpy areas and a longer drying time than was necessary. Start earlier, use less glue, monitor as it dries.

   

I used rags to clean out any dust from the shield after sanding. I then brushed on glue and laid my linen in the bowl. I used a flexible putty knife (like you'd use for autobody repair) to spread the linen flat. Rather than drive myself insane trying to make the fabric not bunch up as the bowl turned upward, I instead cut the fabric off as evenly as I could around the bowl using a utility knife. I waited until the next morning to make sure the glued fabric was dry, then I began painting my base color into the bowl. I used a semi-gloss paint since my arm would be rubbing in the shield, and semi-gloss is a sturdier paint. After 2 coats of paint had dried I gave it 2 coats of matte clear coat to knock off the shine and give it even more wear protection. If I make another shield, I'll skip the gloss and clear coat. I've found it doesn't really make a difference.

   

Here’s the paint I used, then a pic of the clear coat while still wet (it has a milky translucent appearance when wet), and a pic of the clear coat once fully dry. I left the last 1 inch of the bowl unpainted because I was going to glue a layer of linen on the rim and overlap it into the bowl. I wanted the glue to fully adhere both pieces of linen together without the paint interfering. I'd touch up the paint in that area at the end.

   

For the porpax I found a thick brass tray at the thrift store. I used it because it was the thickest brass piece I could find that would function as a stand-alone metal porpax. I planned on making a wooden porpax with a brass band over top of it, similar to Huovi's gorgeous shield. If I could've found a larger piece of strong brass (and afterward I did) I would have done it that way. But due to the size of the brass tray I had, it wouldn't have fit over a wooden sleeve and still been long anough to attach to the shield. So I made it metal-only with a thin layer of leather inside (from scraps I had at home). I didn't think the leather made a difference, and I later removed it.

I used a piece of cardboard to make a test piece that would fit my arm, then transferred the drawing over to the metal. I cut the metal using hand snips and an electric jigsaw with a metal-cutting blade. 

I hammered the piece flat. Then I sanded off the lacquer from the brass using an orbital sander with an 80-grit pad since I felt the lacquer looked out of place, and to help it match the other brass I would use for the porpax extensions. I bent the flanges of the porax to match my carboard mockup.

   

I then used a peen hammer and anvil to flare the edges of the porpax away from my arm, bent the brass around a log to match the curve I wanted, then hammered some more to remove any creases in the metal that formed during the shaping. Afterward, I used a buffing wheel and black and white polishing compound to polish the brass, followed by hand polishing with brass polish.

   

I used a bolt cutter and some pliers to cut and bend brass rod into rings that I added to old brass drawer-pulls. These would be installed to hold the cord inside the shield. The drawer pulls were solid brass and threaded. I knew they'd be strong enough to hold the weight of the shield if I carried it using the cord, which is why I chose them (plus the price for them was a good deal). I struggled with the thought that threaded bolts are a modern addition, but I figured that peened bronze rivets buried under wood putty and fabric wasn't much different than threaded brass buried under wood putty and fabric in the long run (like using an electric belt sander versus hand rasps and chisels).

   

I used 1 inch (25mm) bronze boating nails to attach the porpax. I drilled pilot holes through the porax, then hammered the nail through the shield. I used a nail set to keep from making dents in the porpax with the hammer. An anvil makes the next step easier, but you can instead use the head of a sledgehammer, or an exercise weight instead. My anvil is made from a length of railroad rail. An anvil made constructing and attaching the porpax very simple.

   

I cut small pieces of brass and drilled holes in them to fit over the nails on the exterior of the shield to flare out the nails like rivets. I used snips to cut the nails down a bit. Then I placed the shield over the anvil with the head of the nail on the anvil, and I peened the nail on the outside so that it was snug against the shield, and slightly countersunk into the wood. This part would have been easier with some help, since balancing the shield, keeping the nail head on the anvil, and using the hammer is a little challenging if you're not an octopus.

I then cut out the brass porpax extensions from a brass bucket I found at a thrift store. Like the porpax, I sanded, buffed and polished them to remove any lacquer. I then used the same method to attach the extensions to the shield as I did the porpax.

[Pygmy_Hippo]

   

I bought 1/2 inch, 4x8 feet sanded birch plywood, and cut it to 36.25 inches while I was still at the lumber store to make it easier to handle, since I knew no piece would be needed larger than 36 inches, but still giving me an extra 0.25 inch to allow for kerf and sanding.

   

I measured the ring widths in the cross sectional paper diagram I made, transferred those rings over to the plywood, and cut them out. Obviously several rings can be cut out of a single piece of plywood if you draw additional rings within each other. Drawing a cross section helps to immediately identify which rings nest inside each other. Once I drew each ring I labeled the ring so I would know in what order it would fall in the glued stack (though it's pretty obvious when you're stacking them). I ended up with 11 layers.

Here is Matt Amt's diagram he used. I used a slightly different curve for mine, as well as 0.5 inch wood rather than the 0.75 inch he used.
Matt Amt - Cross section of aspis
http://www.larp.com/hoplite/aspis5section.jpg

My drawing has a bunch of scribbling on it, and dimensions changed as I was transferring the measurements, so it might not be overly helpful to you, but I'm including it for the sake of completeness. I started by just drawing a freehand curve of what I wanted for the dome (the red pencil), measured 0.5 inch (12mm) slices (purple marker), and then estimated how wide each ring needed to be based on where the red and purple lines intersected, and took my measurements from that.

   
   

There's alot of waste left over after cutting out the rings. Most of it went in the kindling pile.

   
   

I tested the stack to see if it was looking the way I planned in my cross section. All looked well so I started glueing.

   

I glued the layers in 3 batches: the 2 pieces for the rim, the first 4 layers, and the top 5 layers. I used wood glue with a reasonable working time to reposition if needed. I used Titebond wood glue. There were faster-drying options that had better ratings for outdoor use, but there were 2 reasons I didn't choose that. The first was because I knew that regular wood glue will bond fabric perfectly well from previous experience, and I knew I had to do alot of fabric glueing. The second reason is because I knew I would be coating the shield with many layers of paint, and the wood would be very well protected from moisture.

I used a combination of wood clamps and weights to hold the rings tight while they dried.

   

I let the 3 batches of rings dry for 24 hours, then glued the 2 sets of rings for the bowl together, and let those dry for 24 hours. I kept the rim ring separate at this point since it would be much easier to sand the exterior of the bowl and to bevel the rim if those pieces are separate until the exterior sanding is complete. Chris B.'s videos on YouTube help to demonstrate all of the sanding inside and out for the aspis and the rationale for handling the rim seperately. Be sure to check them out.

Chris B. - Aspis Construction - Sanding Outside Bowl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDVqg2KEyag

I stacked alot of bricks and weights on them, and let this next group of rings dry for 24 hours.

   

Once the glue was cured, I started sanding the outside of the aspis with an electric belt sander using a 3"x18" 36-grit belt. Again, refer to Chris B.'s videos on YouTube. Keep the sander moving with the curve of the shield, and in slight side to side movements. That way you avoid gouging with the edge of the sanding belt. A 36-grit belt is best for this task. 36 takes off material the fastest, and since the bowl will be sanded, then puttied, then sanded again, then glued, then covered in fabric, then given a couple coats of paint, you will not see any difference using finer grit sanding belts. All that will happen is you'll sweat more, expend more time and go through many more belts.

This is definitely an outdoor job. It was 93° F (33.8° C) and 100% humidity when I did the sanding. Yuck! I always wear eye protection when using power tools (and you should, too) but it was really hard to see what I was doing through all the sweat collecting in the goggles. Even with a dust bag and vacuum attachment this process creates a ton of dust. Wear a mask and sand outside. If you attempt this indoors I'm not responsible for your inevitable divorce.

It took around 2 hours to sand the convex side of the shield.

   

Using some bricks or blocks to elevate the shield off the ground or work surface is important so that your sander can reach all the way to the edge for a smooth transition. Yep, Chris B.'s videos cover this perfectly.

[PygmyHippo]

   

I marked where I wanted my carrying cord rings to be. I figured my antilabe rings should be closer together so that the shield would wobble less from the flex of the cord between the rings (the greater the distance, the more the leather could flex.) So I made those rings close, and the opposite 2 rings across the porpax would mirror that. The top 2 and bottom 2 rings would be equidistant from the first 4 I placed because I wanted to put tassels on the top and bottom rings.

I drilled holes for the pulls/rings, and used brass bolts and washers with some thread-locker on them to secure them in place. I was able to screw them all down tight enough to countersink and not leave a bump on the surface. One of the bolts, however, couldn't go in any further. It might have been a slightly thicker spot in the wood, or maybe there was debris on the threads preventing it from fully seating. I just used the grinding wheel to smooth it down below the surface of the surrounding shield. All of the bolt heads and porpax/extension rivets were then covered with wood putty, as were any chips or gouges on the shield face.

Then I switched back to working on the outside.

   

I sanded the outside of the shield with an orbital sander where it had been puttied, to make sure it was smooth. I cleaned off the dust then spread glue on it for the linen. Stretching and glueing fabric onto convex surfaces is very easy and very fast. Far easier than the concave bowl. On the face of the shield the fabric doesn't want to pinch or pleat. I used 100% linen, so it stretched readily. I used a putty knife to make sure the fabric made a crisp transition where the dome meets the rim. I only brushed the glue on the dome and the top of the rim. I left the 0.5 inch (25mm) vertical outermost edge of the rim without glue. I did this because I intended to let the fabric solidy adhere and dry before I attempted to stretch the fabric around the rim to the underside. If I did this while still tacky or wet, the fabric would have started to pull away from the seam of the dome and rim.

After 3 hours I came back to the shield to finish the gluing. I brushed additional glue on the outer edge, and then 0.5 inches (12mm) or so onto the underside of the rim. Then I could solidly stretch the fabric around the shield edge. I held the fabric in place with thumbtacks as it dried.

   

Once it dried, I used a utility knife to cut a neat edge on the fabric approximately 0.5 inches (12mm) onto the back rim of the shield.

   

I brushed glue on the rim, making sure to overlap the glue onto the fabric near both edges. Then I placed linen over the rim and smoothed out any wrinkles. After the glue was dried I used a knife to cut off the excess fabric, leaving a very smooth transition that, once covered with paint, would be very hard to spot. I wish the fabric in the bowl had been this easy to install. At this point all the gluing of wood and fabric was done. In total the project required a little less than half of a gallon (2 liters) of glue.

Once all the fabric dried I brushed 2 coats of paint onto the rim, this time overlapping onto the inside of the shield I painted before, and continuing around the rim to the outside edge. I intended to paint the front rim differently, so I didn't need to paint the front. I also added the clear coat on top of the new paint. Once the paint was dry it was very difficult to see any seam at all.

   

With the hard work of the shield all complete, I could now move onto the most enjoyable part. I gave the face of the aspis 3 coats of flat white paint as a base to start with.

   

I wanted my shield to use colors and a design which I felt would be historically plausible, so I decided upon white and iron oxide red for an owl motif like you might find on Athenian coinage. I started by penciling some thoughts onto the shield freehand, and then just dove right into the painting, making changes as I went along. Initially I was going to include the alpha theta epsilon abbreviation and an olive sprig, but I figured if I left it out I might be able to pass for a non-Athenian if I'm ever in a group on non-Athenian reenactors. I still might add it in later.

   

I finally decided on the posture I wanted for the owl, so I bulked out the form, then added in the detail. I then painted the rim in the same earth red color. It took 2 evenings to finish the owl because I needed to do 2 coats of paint to make sure all the brush strokes disappeared on the owl.

   

I couldn't find any tassels at the fabric store or thrift store, and rather than spend money on shipping by buying them online, I decided to make them. It was very quick to do. I just bought several hanks of cross-stitching thread, fed the bunch through the loop, tied a bunch of thread around it to hold it in place, and that's it.

   

For the carrying cord I used a simple twisted cord that matched the color of the tassels. I fed it through the loops, doubled it back and wove it into itself. Then I secured it by tightly winding thread around it (in the same manner you'd typically do with a cut end of natural fiber rope).

For the antilable I wanted the grip to be comfortable, so I used suede leather cord. I fed it through the brass rings 10 times or so, then wrapped it with more cord in a few layers and tied it off.

   

After finishing the shield my wife felt it could benefit from some sort of repeating key pattern, so I went back and added an olive branch laurel around the outside, which would complement the little owl.

The shield was completed over the course of 2 weeks. If you don't count the time spent waiting for glue and paint to cure (which occured overnight or when I was at work anyway) the active work time on the shield was around 8 or 9 hours. Half of that time was spent just cutting, glueing and sanding the shield.  It's a pretty simple process and I had alot of fun making this shield.


----------


This is the bill of materials for the aspis described above. The following items were purchased from Home Depot (a large lumber and hardware store chain found all over the the United States). All the tools used were those I already owned, so I didn't list any costs for those. Prices are in U.S. dollars at the time of purchase, May 2017:


Plywood, birch, sanded, 0.5 inch thick, 4 ft. x 8 ft., $31.95 each, 2 sheets, $63.90 USD
"Titebond" wood glue, 1 gallon (I used less than 1/2 gallon), $15.97 USD
Belt for belt sander, 3 in. x 18 in. 36-grit (5-Pack), $9.97 USD
Flap sanding wheel for angle grinder, 60-grit, $7.97 USD
"Dap Plastic Wood" wood filler, 16 ounces, $7.98 USD
Linen (100%), 3.5 yards, $11.99/yard, $41.96 USD
Bronze boat nails, Everbilt, 1 inch, 2 ounces, $4.98 USD
Brass machine screws #8-32 5/8 inch length, 6-pack, $1.18 per pack, 2 packs, $2.36 USD
Brass washers, #8, 12-pack, $1.18 USD
"Loctite Red", thread locker for machine screws, 0.2 ounce, $6.47 USD
Burgundy latex paint, semi gloss, Behr, 1 quart, $2.00 USD
White latex paint, flat, Behr, 1 quart, $12.47 USD
Pompeiian Red latex paint, flat, Behr, 8 ounces, $3.48 USD
"Polycrylic" matte clear matte coat, 8 ounces, $9.48 USD
DMC cross-stitch skein, cotton, size 5, $1.79 each, 5 quantity, $8.95 USD
Leather lace spool, 25 yards, $11.99 USD
Cotton cord, 3/8 inch diameter, 1.5 yards, $8.00

These items were purchased used at yard sales, salvage/thrift stores or hobby stores:

Brass serving tray, 14 inch diameter, pre-owned, yard sale, $4.00 USD
Brass bucket, 12x14 inches, pre-owned, thrift store, $5.00 USD
Cabinet handle rosettes, solid brass, threaded, 16 quantity (I used 8), pre-owned, salvage store, $12.00 USD
Brass rod, 36 inches, 4mm diameter, hobby store, $4.79 USD

TOTAL: $244.90 USD



Tools used:

Belt sander (with 36-grit belt)
Angle grinder (with 60-grit flap wheel)
Jigsaw (with metal cutting blade)
Orbital sander (with 80-grit pad)
Sanding sponge (80-grit)
Wood clamps (x8)
Weights
Utility knife
Screwdriver
Peening hammer
Anvil
Right-handed metal snips
Nail sets
Polishing wheel and polishing compounds
Vise-grip pliers (x2)
Bolt cutter
Drill
Drill bits
Pencil
Paint brushes (1/4, 1/2, 1, and 3 inches widths, for the glue and paint)
Tarp
Paper towels


Comments on the materials used:


The burgundy paint was only $2.00 because it was a returned paint and marked down for clearance. My plan was to get all the paints from clearance, but they didn't have any white, so I purchased that at its full price.

There is enough paint and wood filler remaining to make 2 more shields identical to this one, but there is only enough glue remaining to make 1 more shield. I have a large amount of brass salvage. All that's needed is additional wood, linen and screws. In the future I would buy less paint, wood filler and glue. The paint I would buy would be chosen based upon available colors already marked down for clearance. I would skip the Loctitie thread locker and the clear-coat. I would also try to get all my cordage and leather from the thrift store. I checked for cord and tassels at my local thrift stores before I started since they usually have it, but they didn't have any this time so I had to buy the cord and thread new to build my own tassels.

The biggest expense is the plywood and the linen. Scrap plywood can be found at construction sites, and on free-cycle/recycle web sites (Craigslist, for example, or neighborhood email list-servs). It might also be possible to find plywood on garbage day if you take a drive through neighborhoods just before trash trucks arrive. Gathering the wood for almost free would just take patience and time. I chose the sanded plywood because it was the flattest and lightest in stock, and I knew the rings would be well seated during gluing. Drawing upon my experience making this first aspis, I'm sure cheaper plywood would work fine since I'm stacking 130 pounds (59 kilos) on them during the gluing, and they'll lay quite flat.

100% linen is much tougher to source any cheaper than the price I got it for unless it's purchased in a very large quantity. The $11.99 I paid was with the linen already being on sale, marked down from $16.99 per yard. It's possible to substitute other fabrics, such as cotton. Cotton cloth could be acquired for practically free, but it would stray a bit further from authenticity (not that mounting carrying cord rosettes using a brass screw is authentic, neither is wood putty, electric sanders, modern plywood...) Duck cloth could be purchased for $5.99 per yard or less. A painter's drop cloth made from canvas available at the hardware or paint store is another inexpensive option that would probably look great. Probably even better looking than linen. Again, some folks might say it's less authentic, and it takes much more work to avoid wrinkles, but the cost savings is huge. Linen that's less than 100% is also less expensive. Since it's going to be painted, I suppose the cloth used is irrelevant. If I make another aspis using the layered ring method I will use painter's cloth from the hardware store, or bargain priced denim from the fabric store. If I make a shield using steamed or bent slats I would probably use 100% linen so as to make as authentic a shield as possible.

So with scrap lumber and cotton instead of linen you could save around $100.00, cutting the total build cost by 40% on just 2 items. Keep in mind the remaining expense gets you enough material to build 2 shields, so the actual unit cost per shield is only around $50.00 USD (not counting your time and labor). If I had been more certain at the time about the amount of paint and glue I would need, and bought less, I could probably have cut another $20.00 from the total. So with excellent planning you could probably build the same shield I did for less than $40.00 USD.

The rosettes and brass items I cut up for the porpax (but not the brass rod) are from secondhand/thrift stores and yard sales.

All the tools used are ones I already possessed. So if someone were to try to follow the same method I did to create the shield, they'd need to factor in the purchase price of the tools. If you don't already own one, I think buying or borrowing an inexpensive angle grinder for this project is money well spent. It needn't be fancy or new, since you only need it for 30 minutes. A new, cheap grinder is only $28.00 USD.

I hope the description of my aspis build was helpful.


-PH-

[Jehan Gelria]

Oh my, it's looking gorgeous. Love the color and your in-depth walkthrough!