09-16-2020, 07:24 PM
I really like my first aspis build, but it has a few issues that I felt could be improved. The first was the weight. It weighs 16.5 pounds (7.4 kg). From what I've read, 16-17 pounds (7-8 kg) is probably what the ancient shields weighed, and I've seen some gorgeous modern reenacting shields that weigh around 20 pounds (9 kg). So on its own the weight of my first aspis is fine. The problem was related to the fact that my porpax wasn't particularly comfortable when carrying the weight. It's an all-metal porpax, it's a little narrower than ideal, and there isn't enough space inside for padding. After seeing in-person Matt's aspis that weighs under 10 pounds, and feeling how light and agile it was, I knew that there was room for improvement in my Greek shield!
Another area for improvement was expense. That's not something that can be changed after the fact, but I knew that I could make a second shield that would cost less (in both material cost, and time spent) in it's creation. You can refer to my first build to get a sense of my materials and cost. I had enough materials leftover from that first attempt to create parts of additional shields, so I now know additional areas where I can reduce costs, and make better-informed purchases.
So I set a goal of creating an aspis that would be lighter and more comfortable, hopefully looking better and costing less. I decided that if my current shield is 16.5 pounds, I'd shoot for a 4 pound reduction in weight. 12.5 pounds for a finished weight seemed do-able. This time around I planned on putting more time and effort into creating a prettier and more comfortable porpax, making a wood porpax insert with a metal band over top. Knowing that I'd be adding a wood insert and bigger porpax, I figured I'd be adding weight that wasn't in my first shield – digging a hole to fill a hole – so I'd need to try harder to cut weight in other areas to hit my goal.
At the end of this post I list the bill of materials for the project, and I'll compare costs with the previous shield. I've included photos of most of the steps of construction, but won't describe them as much as I had in my first aspis build thread. Things that are different, primarily the porpax, will get more attention here. The method I employed to create the shield structure was the same as my first aspis, so you can refer to my first build post for the details:
https://www.romanarmytalk.com/showthread.php?tid=31290
I drew a profile of the bowl, and since I had cardboard boxes laying around, I decided to try tracing the dimensions onto cardboard, and then tracing from those onto the plywood. I figured if this set of designs worked out, I'd have a fast way to reproduce this shield over and over again. Even faster than using a set of compasses. I was wrong. There's enough flex in cardboard that it's possible to get slightly oval or ellipsoid shapes when tracing. Maybe if I had used MDF board to make the rings it could've worked out, but that would've cost alot more money. Better to stick with the compass method.
Cut out the rings like last time. This time I just ripped around the lines as fast as I could without worrying much whether it was perfect or if some edges were splintery. I learned from the previous shield that it doesn't really matter if the edges are precise or smooth, since it will all be ground and sanded anyway. Likewise, super flat, high-end, sanded birch plywood doesn't make a difference. Once glued and pressed with 130 pounds of weight on top, all bows and warps in the plywood will be pressed away. Buy the most affordable plywood they have (obviously don't use chipboard, MDF, etc. It does still need to be plywood, or actual wood planks) or find scraps when you can. I got a 4'x4' sheet from a trash pile at a jobsite. I asked them permission, of course. However, a 4'x4' sheet of plywood is only $10 USD new.
I made a point of removing as much material as I safely could without making it so thin that I risked ruining the bowl. This time I used the angle grinder on both the inside and outside. Last time I just did the inside. The angle grinder makes short work of things. The belt sander was then used to even out the irregular grinding. I know that the shields of antiquity got thicker toward the edges, so I made sure to keep that occurring in mine. It's about 1/2" thick (1.27 cm) at the rim, and get's thinner as it progresses toward the center. In the very center it get's thicker again because I wanted the inside center to stay somewhat flat so that I could get a really good seat between the porpax and the shield, therefore I didn't do as much grinding there.
In this pic I'm comparing the shape of this one to my first aspis. Though it might not look like it from the perspective in the photo, both are exactly 36" wide, and the same depth in the center (around 4.5"). I beveled the rim like I did on the first one, but the overall rim is a little thinner so as to reduce weight. At this stage it weighed around 10.5 pounds, so I had a feeling that making the 12.5 pound goal was probably a stretch.
Gathering ideas for a porpax. Everyone probably recognizes these illustrations from Peter Connolly's book of the Vatican shield and some other Etruscan examples.
Made some measurements of my arm, allowing space for additional padding, and created a cardboard template. I wanted the wood to be thick enough that it would be able to stand up to at least a little banging around. I'd be cutting a little out of the top to let the metal band be recessed into it, so some thickness would be needed there. Overall, I was just a little worried it might break if it was too thin, and I know it'd be a huge hassle to replace it after the shield was done, so I decided to go for strength. Traced the template onto some poplar board, cut them out, glued and clamped them, then sanded when dry.
As an experiment, I used a painter's drop cloth this time instead of linen. Last time, the 100% linen was $41.96 USD (and that was with it reduced and "on sale"), so I wanted to try a $12 drop cloth to save money, and to see if it makes any difference when painted. I know linen or leather is more accurate, but as a cost savings, cotton won the day. I loved the way it looked. As soon as I glued in the fabric, I placed the wooden porpax in the center, traced around the base in pencil, then used a utility blade to cut out a footprint in the fabric. I pulled off the fabric in those 2 spots, then glued the porpax in place, directly to the wood. This would ensure a strong bond directly to the shield. I then drilled pilot holes from the other side, and used bronze nails to further secure it in place. I flipped it back over (concave side up), put weights on the porpax, and let it dry overnight.
I managed to get a hold of a brass pot that would allow me to make a wide band, so I decided I'd try making it a little decorative. Considering that my previous porpax was completely plain, anything would be more decorative. I knew that I'd need a softer material behind the brass in order to impart any noticable relief when hammering, so I'd need a pitch bowl or a slab of lead. Since I didn't have either, I called auto service garages and tire shops in the area, asking if they had any used, lead wheel weights (for balancing tires) that they were throwing away. I found several garages that already had agreements with individuals who were buying their used weights to melt down for bullets. Some would sell them to me, but didn't have a scale to measure it. Anyway, after checking with 6 places, I finally found one that was just throwing them out, so they gave me what they had for free! Since lead is less common nowadays as a balancing weight for tires, I needed to sort them by material: lead, zinc and iron. I saved the lead ones, and dropped the zinc and iron off at the metal recycling center.
I used a propane torch and an electric hotplate to melt the weights in a steel dog bowl that a friend left at my house (pretty sure they won't want it back now). I skimmed off the steel clips and road grime that floated to the surface using a cheap cooking strainer from the dollar store. Obviously this needs to be done outdoors. You need to be careful about staying clear of the lead fumes, and wear protective equipment (face shield, mask, leather gloves, etc.) Once I had all the wheel weights melted and cleaned of debris, I let the bowl of lead cool overnight.
The next day I had a 10.7 pound (4.85 kg) slab of lead, ready for use. It's approximately 6 inches in diameter, and 1.5 inches thick. I put it in a plastic bag so as to reduce any lead flaking or dust from getting strewn about, which might occur during hammering (just to be extra careful).
I found a brass pot (kinda looks like a chamber pot) at a thrift store that I purchased last year exactly for this project. It's a very thick brass, which is why I bought it for use as a porpax. But at that time I thought I'd be using it as another metal-only porpax. It was a bit too thick to work any fine details into it, so I stuck to simple geometric shapes that I could easily smash into it. So I cut out a paper template, transferred it to the pot, cut it out of the pot with snips, and sanded it with progressively finer sandpaper. I sanded it at this stage since I wouldn't be able to sand in the recesses after hammering designs into it.
I initially tried to use a jigsaw with a metal-cutting blade, but the curvature and the large rim on the bowl made it difficult. In the end, using aircraft metal snips was easier (and probably safer).
With the lead slab underneath the brass band, I used a hammer and different sized and shaped metal, masonry, and wood chisels/punches to make designs in the band. Since I sanded it before adding the relief, all I needed to do was use a scotch-brite buffing wheel to polish out any remaining marks at the end.
It took some getting used to to figure out how hard I could hit the metal to impart some relief, and not just punch through the metal. It turns out that it was so heavy that I really needed to hit the metal soundly for it to make a dent (deliberate pun). So I stuck to basic shapes. I made a mockup in paper of some designs. I think if I go this route again, I'll just get considerably thinner metal. But for my first attempt at adding reliefs to metal there were no disasters. Not very elegent, but I'm really happy with how it looks.
I placed the band over the wood porpax sleeve, traced the outline onto the wood, then chiseled out the area so that the band would be neatly recessed. I then repainted the wood porpax. The good thing about hammering the designs into the metal was that it played all the edges downward, so that once I attached the band to the shield, most of the edges bent toward the shield, giving a reasonably good seam and contact to look flush (better than on my first aspis).
Here's how the band looks after being attached with bronze nails, which are clenched over on the other side (convex side).
I had more pre-made, used, brass rosettes left over from my first aspis project. They're from old drawer pulls. When I put them in place, the color of the brass was just so much darker than the porpax that I felt it'd look better if I made my own rosettes from scrap brass. That way they'd match better. Pretty fast to do. Gave them the same design from the porpax. Some simple dots to help catch the light, and same sanding/polishing.
For the rings that hold the rope, I used some leftover brass rod I had on hand, and bent to shape. The join where the ring was twisted into shape was tight, but I was worried that it might sometimes snag on the rope. So I soldered the join with a torch and plumbing solder so it was a nice smooth connection, then sanded the ring.
I drilled holes in the rosettes, and put some bent brass rod through it to hold the rings in place. Then I drilled the holes in the shield, added the rosettes, and clenched over the brass rods on the other side. Based on what I read of how Matt said he cut grooves to clench the rods and nails down, I did mine the same way. It makes things so much easier. I don't have a pic of that, unfortunately, but on each side of the hole, on the convex side, just cut some very shallow 1/2" long grooves to make it easier for the clenched-over nails to rest in. You're less likely to over-pound them and risk breaking your shield. As usual, just do what Matt does and everything will work out.
I puttied and sanded the face side (convex side), and glued down the facing fabric.
I wanted a wave meander on the rim, so I created a cardboard template. Was pretty fast to pencil it on both sides of the rim.
I used a small brush to paint the rim pattern. Took about an hour to paint each side (I painted one side in the morning before work, and the other just before bed). Went back and touched up any errors with white. Ended up being way easier than I feared it would be. Painting the rim white was actually the most tedious part, because it took many coats, and was slow to dry.
For the big design I wanted something different from my first aspis in terms of color and theme. But like my first aspis, I still wanted it to be a shield design that I could find precedent for from vases, or that would at least be plausable. So I decided on the Karkinos, and I'd use the blue field and wave pattern to tie it together. I actually decided on the design before I even started on the shield. Not sure if that's how you all do your shields, too. I'd be curious to hear how others' processes go in that regard.
I put a piece of tape on the top and bottom of the shield so that I could find the center, and to keep my design oriented in the right direction. I then just started freehand sketching the crab onto the shield using pencil. That's the same as the way I did it for the owl on the previous aspis. I just figured I could modify it as I went since I had plenty of blue paint left to start over, if needed. So you can see ALOT of pencil lines as I modified it before I found something I felt good about. Then I started in with the black paint.
All of the black paint on the entire shield was from a tiny little 8 ounce sample jar of paint, and I used less than 3 ounces, total. And all of it is only a single coat of black. By comparison, I had to put 5 coats of white paint on the rim, just to get it covered.
Once the painting was done I added the elements for the antilabe. Natural rope with linen cord to dress the ends. Grip from leather cord (same as previous aspis). This time, I splurged on the tassels and bought them pre-made. The first time, I made them from thread. I liked those, but this time I bought real horsehair tassels, which was actually one of the most expensive parts of the build at $22.92 USD, but they really look great. I attached them with tiny brass loops I bent from thin brass rod.
I made the wooden porpax larger than my arm so that this time I could properly line it. I have a sheep hide that I plan to cut out and place along the shield where your arm rests from the porpax to the antilabe. But for now I just cut up an old, super-thick, leather weightlifting belt, and inserted that. It looks very tidy in place, and feels great. Not sure now that I'll add the sheep hide. If I do, I'll update this thread with new photos.
The finished aspis!
---
I'm very pleased with how it turned out. I love the way it feels, super comfy, good proportions and feels solid but still agile. I did not meet my goal of cutting 4 pounds. The final weight on this is exactly 14.0 pounds (6.35 kg). So it's 2.5 pounds lighter than my first shield (16.5 pounds), which is a very noticable reduction, but 1.5 pounds short of my goal. Combined with the wider and more comfortable porpax, the perceived weight seems even less. So I feel it's still very much a success in terms of weight reduction (2.5 pounds, or a 15% reduction in weight), and a drastic increase in comfort.
In terms of materials, I think the sisal antilabe looks better and is more accurate than the decorative cotton one I used last time. The homemade rosettes look far better, and are definitely lighter weight. The horsehair tassles look better and are more accurate. The decorated porpax band really makes me happy. I really like how much light it catches and plays about. I'm so very pleased with the improvement in the materials used, and how much enjoyment I get just from looking at the finished product.
In terms of cost, this one is far less expensive than the first one. The 4 biggest cost savings are on wood, fabric, paint and glue. Compared to my first aspis, I saved $44.10 on plywood, $29.16 on fabric, $23.97 on paint, and $15.97 on glue. So on those 4 items alone I've cut at least $100 off the cost. On this shield I spent $70.98 for materials. The items to prepare the lead slab won't be needed on the next one (-$4.00), and if I created my own tassels (or went without, -$22.92) the cost would drop to $44.06 USD. Of course, none of this cost reflects labor, which took probably 10 hours (because of the lead slab prep). I think I cut 30 minutes from the time I spent grinding and sanding the wood, compared to my first shield. So in terms of money and time, this shield was an improvement.
I really had fun making this shield, even more than on the first. Hopefully this has been helpful to show the evolution of my shield-making process. I already have plans in my head for a third aspis.
Thanks for reading!
--- PygmyHippo
For more detail on the process on how I made the shield, check out my previous post, here:
https://www.romanarmytalk.com/showthread.php?tid=31290
or better yet, just read Matt's description (since that's what I followed to do mine, anyway), here:
www.larp.com/hoplite/hoplon.html
--------------------------------------------------
BILL OF MATERIALS
Things I had to buy for this project:
6'x9' Medium weight, painting drop cloth - $12.80
Blue paint, quart (discount/returned paint) - $2.00
1 sheet of 1/2" thick, 4'x8' Plywood - $19.80
Black paint, 8 ounce - $3.48
4 horsehair tassles - $22.92
Leather weightlifting belt, used (thrift store) - $1.99
Brass pot, used (thrift store) - $3.99
3 Steel cooking utensils (for lead straining. $1.00 each) - $3.00
2 metal brownie pans (for lead prep. 2 for $1.00) - $1.00
------
Total $70.98
Things I already had on hand:
Brass rod, 1/8" thick, 2' length
Brass rod, 1/16" thick, 2' length
Brass scrap strip, 2"x18"
1 sheet of 1/2" thick, 4'x4' Plywood, rescued from a trash pile
White paint
Linen thread
Rope
Leather cord
Wood glue
24" length of 1"x8" poplar board
Free wheel weights
Cardboard for stencils
Pencils
Paintbrushes
Sharpie marker
Peen hammer
Chisels/punches
Belt sander
Angle grinder
100-800 grit sandpapers
Buffing wheel
Electric drill and drill bits
Solder and torch
Hot plate
Stainless steel dog bowl
Bronze boat nails
Metal snips/cutters
Note: On the glue, I used the remaining wood glue I had purchased from the first aspis, which was built several years ago. So I have been using that glue for other projects over the years. I used way too much glue on the first aspis. Almost half a gallon. So if needed, one could just buy a quart bottle of glue to build this same shield.
--------------------------------------------------
Another area for improvement was expense. That's not something that can be changed after the fact, but I knew that I could make a second shield that would cost less (in both material cost, and time spent) in it's creation. You can refer to my first build to get a sense of my materials and cost. I had enough materials leftover from that first attempt to create parts of additional shields, so I now know additional areas where I can reduce costs, and make better-informed purchases.
So I set a goal of creating an aspis that would be lighter and more comfortable, hopefully looking better and costing less. I decided that if my current shield is 16.5 pounds, I'd shoot for a 4 pound reduction in weight. 12.5 pounds for a finished weight seemed do-able. This time around I planned on putting more time and effort into creating a prettier and more comfortable porpax, making a wood porpax insert with a metal band over top. Knowing that I'd be adding a wood insert and bigger porpax, I figured I'd be adding weight that wasn't in my first shield – digging a hole to fill a hole – so I'd need to try harder to cut weight in other areas to hit my goal.
At the end of this post I list the bill of materials for the project, and I'll compare costs with the previous shield. I've included photos of most of the steps of construction, but won't describe them as much as I had in my first aspis build thread. Things that are different, primarily the porpax, will get more attention here. The method I employed to create the shield structure was the same as my first aspis, so you can refer to my first build post for the details:
https://www.romanarmytalk.com/showthread.php?tid=31290
I drew a profile of the bowl, and since I had cardboard boxes laying around, I decided to try tracing the dimensions onto cardboard, and then tracing from those onto the plywood. I figured if this set of designs worked out, I'd have a fast way to reproduce this shield over and over again. Even faster than using a set of compasses. I was wrong. There's enough flex in cardboard that it's possible to get slightly oval or ellipsoid shapes when tracing. Maybe if I had used MDF board to make the rings it could've worked out, but that would've cost alot more money. Better to stick with the compass method.
Cut out the rings like last time. This time I just ripped around the lines as fast as I could without worrying much whether it was perfect or if some edges were splintery. I learned from the previous shield that it doesn't really matter if the edges are precise or smooth, since it will all be ground and sanded anyway. Likewise, super flat, high-end, sanded birch plywood doesn't make a difference. Once glued and pressed with 130 pounds of weight on top, all bows and warps in the plywood will be pressed away. Buy the most affordable plywood they have (obviously don't use chipboard, MDF, etc. It does still need to be plywood, or actual wood planks) or find scraps when you can. I got a 4'x4' sheet from a trash pile at a jobsite. I asked them permission, of course. However, a 4'x4' sheet of plywood is only $10 USD new.
I made a point of removing as much material as I safely could without making it so thin that I risked ruining the bowl. This time I used the angle grinder on both the inside and outside. Last time I just did the inside. The angle grinder makes short work of things. The belt sander was then used to even out the irregular grinding. I know that the shields of antiquity got thicker toward the edges, so I made sure to keep that occurring in mine. It's about 1/2" thick (1.27 cm) at the rim, and get's thinner as it progresses toward the center. In the very center it get's thicker again because I wanted the inside center to stay somewhat flat so that I could get a really good seat between the porpax and the shield, therefore I didn't do as much grinding there.
In this pic I'm comparing the shape of this one to my first aspis. Though it might not look like it from the perspective in the photo, both are exactly 36" wide, and the same depth in the center (around 4.5"). I beveled the rim like I did on the first one, but the overall rim is a little thinner so as to reduce weight. At this stage it weighed around 10.5 pounds, so I had a feeling that making the 12.5 pound goal was probably a stretch.
Gathering ideas for a porpax. Everyone probably recognizes these illustrations from Peter Connolly's book of the Vatican shield and some other Etruscan examples.
Made some measurements of my arm, allowing space for additional padding, and created a cardboard template. I wanted the wood to be thick enough that it would be able to stand up to at least a little banging around. I'd be cutting a little out of the top to let the metal band be recessed into it, so some thickness would be needed there. Overall, I was just a little worried it might break if it was too thin, and I know it'd be a huge hassle to replace it after the shield was done, so I decided to go for strength. Traced the template onto some poplar board, cut them out, glued and clamped them, then sanded when dry.
As an experiment, I used a painter's drop cloth this time instead of linen. Last time, the 100% linen was $41.96 USD (and that was with it reduced and "on sale"), so I wanted to try a $12 drop cloth to save money, and to see if it makes any difference when painted. I know linen or leather is more accurate, but as a cost savings, cotton won the day. I loved the way it looked. As soon as I glued in the fabric, I placed the wooden porpax in the center, traced around the base in pencil, then used a utility blade to cut out a footprint in the fabric. I pulled off the fabric in those 2 spots, then glued the porpax in place, directly to the wood. This would ensure a strong bond directly to the shield. I then drilled pilot holes from the other side, and used bronze nails to further secure it in place. I flipped it back over (concave side up), put weights on the porpax, and let it dry overnight.
I managed to get a hold of a brass pot that would allow me to make a wide band, so I decided I'd try making it a little decorative. Considering that my previous porpax was completely plain, anything would be more decorative. I knew that I'd need a softer material behind the brass in order to impart any noticable relief when hammering, so I'd need a pitch bowl or a slab of lead. Since I didn't have either, I called auto service garages and tire shops in the area, asking if they had any used, lead wheel weights (for balancing tires) that they were throwing away. I found several garages that already had agreements with individuals who were buying their used weights to melt down for bullets. Some would sell them to me, but didn't have a scale to measure it. Anyway, after checking with 6 places, I finally found one that was just throwing them out, so they gave me what they had for free! Since lead is less common nowadays as a balancing weight for tires, I needed to sort them by material: lead, zinc and iron. I saved the lead ones, and dropped the zinc and iron off at the metal recycling center.
I used a propane torch and an electric hotplate to melt the weights in a steel dog bowl that a friend left at my house (pretty sure they won't want it back now). I skimmed off the steel clips and road grime that floated to the surface using a cheap cooking strainer from the dollar store. Obviously this needs to be done outdoors. You need to be careful about staying clear of the lead fumes, and wear protective equipment (face shield, mask, leather gloves, etc.) Once I had all the wheel weights melted and cleaned of debris, I let the bowl of lead cool overnight.
The next day I had a 10.7 pound (4.85 kg) slab of lead, ready for use. It's approximately 6 inches in diameter, and 1.5 inches thick. I put it in a plastic bag so as to reduce any lead flaking or dust from getting strewn about, which might occur during hammering (just to be extra careful).
I found a brass pot (kinda looks like a chamber pot) at a thrift store that I purchased last year exactly for this project. It's a very thick brass, which is why I bought it for use as a porpax. But at that time I thought I'd be using it as another metal-only porpax. It was a bit too thick to work any fine details into it, so I stuck to simple geometric shapes that I could easily smash into it. So I cut out a paper template, transferred it to the pot, cut it out of the pot with snips, and sanded it with progressively finer sandpaper. I sanded it at this stage since I wouldn't be able to sand in the recesses after hammering designs into it.
I initially tried to use a jigsaw with a metal-cutting blade, but the curvature and the large rim on the bowl made it difficult. In the end, using aircraft metal snips was easier (and probably safer).
With the lead slab underneath the brass band, I used a hammer and different sized and shaped metal, masonry, and wood chisels/punches to make designs in the band. Since I sanded it before adding the relief, all I needed to do was use a scotch-brite buffing wheel to polish out any remaining marks at the end.
It took some getting used to to figure out how hard I could hit the metal to impart some relief, and not just punch through the metal. It turns out that it was so heavy that I really needed to hit the metal soundly for it to make a dent (deliberate pun). So I stuck to basic shapes. I made a mockup in paper of some designs. I think if I go this route again, I'll just get considerably thinner metal. But for my first attempt at adding reliefs to metal there were no disasters. Not very elegent, but I'm really happy with how it looks.
I placed the band over the wood porpax sleeve, traced the outline onto the wood, then chiseled out the area so that the band would be neatly recessed. I then repainted the wood porpax. The good thing about hammering the designs into the metal was that it played all the edges downward, so that once I attached the band to the shield, most of the edges bent toward the shield, giving a reasonably good seam and contact to look flush (better than on my first aspis).
Here's how the band looks after being attached with bronze nails, which are clenched over on the other side (convex side).
I had more pre-made, used, brass rosettes left over from my first aspis project. They're from old drawer pulls. When I put them in place, the color of the brass was just so much darker than the porpax that I felt it'd look better if I made my own rosettes from scrap brass. That way they'd match better. Pretty fast to do. Gave them the same design from the porpax. Some simple dots to help catch the light, and same sanding/polishing.
For the rings that hold the rope, I used some leftover brass rod I had on hand, and bent to shape. The join where the ring was twisted into shape was tight, but I was worried that it might sometimes snag on the rope. So I soldered the join with a torch and plumbing solder so it was a nice smooth connection, then sanded the ring.
I drilled holes in the rosettes, and put some bent brass rod through it to hold the rings in place. Then I drilled the holes in the shield, added the rosettes, and clenched over the brass rods on the other side. Based on what I read of how Matt said he cut grooves to clench the rods and nails down, I did mine the same way. It makes things so much easier. I don't have a pic of that, unfortunately, but on each side of the hole, on the convex side, just cut some very shallow 1/2" long grooves to make it easier for the clenched-over nails to rest in. You're less likely to over-pound them and risk breaking your shield. As usual, just do what Matt does and everything will work out.
I puttied and sanded the face side (convex side), and glued down the facing fabric.
I wanted a wave meander on the rim, so I created a cardboard template. Was pretty fast to pencil it on both sides of the rim.
I used a small brush to paint the rim pattern. Took about an hour to paint each side (I painted one side in the morning before work, and the other just before bed). Went back and touched up any errors with white. Ended up being way easier than I feared it would be. Painting the rim white was actually the most tedious part, because it took many coats, and was slow to dry.
For the big design I wanted something different from my first aspis in terms of color and theme. But like my first aspis, I still wanted it to be a shield design that I could find precedent for from vases, or that would at least be plausable. So I decided on the Karkinos, and I'd use the blue field and wave pattern to tie it together. I actually decided on the design before I even started on the shield. Not sure if that's how you all do your shields, too. I'd be curious to hear how others' processes go in that regard.
I put a piece of tape on the top and bottom of the shield so that I could find the center, and to keep my design oriented in the right direction. I then just started freehand sketching the crab onto the shield using pencil. That's the same as the way I did it for the owl on the previous aspis. I just figured I could modify it as I went since I had plenty of blue paint left to start over, if needed. So you can see ALOT of pencil lines as I modified it before I found something I felt good about. Then I started in with the black paint.
All of the black paint on the entire shield was from a tiny little 8 ounce sample jar of paint, and I used less than 3 ounces, total. And all of it is only a single coat of black. By comparison, I had to put 5 coats of white paint on the rim, just to get it covered.
Once the painting was done I added the elements for the antilabe. Natural rope with linen cord to dress the ends. Grip from leather cord (same as previous aspis). This time, I splurged on the tassels and bought them pre-made. The first time, I made them from thread. I liked those, but this time I bought real horsehair tassels, which was actually one of the most expensive parts of the build at $22.92 USD, but they really look great. I attached them with tiny brass loops I bent from thin brass rod.
I made the wooden porpax larger than my arm so that this time I could properly line it. I have a sheep hide that I plan to cut out and place along the shield where your arm rests from the porpax to the antilabe. But for now I just cut up an old, super-thick, leather weightlifting belt, and inserted that. It looks very tidy in place, and feels great. Not sure now that I'll add the sheep hide. If I do, I'll update this thread with new photos.
The finished aspis!
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I'm very pleased with how it turned out. I love the way it feels, super comfy, good proportions and feels solid but still agile. I did not meet my goal of cutting 4 pounds. The final weight on this is exactly 14.0 pounds (6.35 kg). So it's 2.5 pounds lighter than my first shield (16.5 pounds), which is a very noticable reduction, but 1.5 pounds short of my goal. Combined with the wider and more comfortable porpax, the perceived weight seems even less. So I feel it's still very much a success in terms of weight reduction (2.5 pounds, or a 15% reduction in weight), and a drastic increase in comfort.
In terms of materials, I think the sisal antilabe looks better and is more accurate than the decorative cotton one I used last time. The homemade rosettes look far better, and are definitely lighter weight. The horsehair tassles look better and are more accurate. The decorated porpax band really makes me happy. I really like how much light it catches and plays about. I'm so very pleased with the improvement in the materials used, and how much enjoyment I get just from looking at the finished product.
In terms of cost, this one is far less expensive than the first one. The 4 biggest cost savings are on wood, fabric, paint and glue. Compared to my first aspis, I saved $44.10 on plywood, $29.16 on fabric, $23.97 on paint, and $15.97 on glue. So on those 4 items alone I've cut at least $100 off the cost. On this shield I spent $70.98 for materials. The items to prepare the lead slab won't be needed on the next one (-$4.00), and if I created my own tassels (or went without, -$22.92) the cost would drop to $44.06 USD. Of course, none of this cost reflects labor, which took probably 10 hours (because of the lead slab prep). I think I cut 30 minutes from the time I spent grinding and sanding the wood, compared to my first shield. So in terms of money and time, this shield was an improvement.
I really had fun making this shield, even more than on the first. Hopefully this has been helpful to show the evolution of my shield-making process. I already have plans in my head for a third aspis.
Thanks for reading!
--- PygmyHippo
For more detail on the process on how I made the shield, check out my previous post, here:
https://www.romanarmytalk.com/showthread.php?tid=31290
or better yet, just read Matt's description (since that's what I followed to do mine, anyway), here:
www.larp.com/hoplite/hoplon.html
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BILL OF MATERIALS
Things I had to buy for this project:
6'x9' Medium weight, painting drop cloth - $12.80
Blue paint, quart (discount/returned paint) - $2.00
1 sheet of 1/2" thick, 4'x8' Plywood - $19.80
Black paint, 8 ounce - $3.48
4 horsehair tassles - $22.92
Leather weightlifting belt, used (thrift store) - $1.99
Brass pot, used (thrift store) - $3.99
3 Steel cooking utensils (for lead straining. $1.00 each) - $3.00
2 metal brownie pans (for lead prep. 2 for $1.00) - $1.00
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Total $70.98
Things I already had on hand:
Brass rod, 1/8" thick, 2' length
Brass rod, 1/16" thick, 2' length
Brass scrap strip, 2"x18"
1 sheet of 1/2" thick, 4'x4' Plywood, rescued from a trash pile
White paint
Linen thread
Rope
Leather cord
Wood glue
24" length of 1"x8" poplar board
Free wheel weights
Cardboard for stencils
Pencils
Paintbrushes
Sharpie marker
Peen hammer
Chisels/punches
Belt sander
Angle grinder
100-800 grit sandpapers
Buffing wheel
Electric drill and drill bits
Solder and torch
Hot plate
Stainless steel dog bowl
Bronze boat nails
Metal snips/cutters
Note: On the glue, I used the remaining wood glue I had purchased from the first aspis, which was built several years ago. So I have been using that glue for other projects over the years. I used way too much glue on the first aspis. Almost half a gallon. So if needed, one could just buy a quart bottle of glue to build this same shield.
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