RomanArmyTalk

Greetings,

I saw a very nice replica of a late roman shield last weekend (approximately third cent. ad).

It was an oval convex/dished type of shield, now I'm wandering, is it possible to make this "at home"??? Or does one require "specialized equipment" do do so?

How do you get the dished shape? How do you bend in all directions?

I know Vortigern was planning on making him one of these shields, did he have any luck?

Thanks,

Caius Titius Verus

I only know his scutum showed at [url:15hc2u8i]http://www.fectio.org.uk/articles/makescutum.htm[/url]

Jurjen

Thanks,

Great manual!!!!

I can use large parts of this to make my dished shield, in fact all, but how do you bend the wood in a dished shape?

Has anyone done this?

Vale,

Caius Titius Verus

I'm preparing to make my 5th shield - I'd LOVE to know the 'secret of dishing'.

HOw do you do that ... with planks!

It really seems impossible to do that to planks doesn't it?

Quote:I know Vortigern was planning on making him one of these shields, did he have any luck?

We dropped it when some problems occurred with our 'plan'.
Soon after that we were able to buy our dished shields from Jean Olivier Bourbon (at the time they were very reasonably priced) so we did not try again.

There seem to be several methods, but what I remembered from the explanation was that several planks are glued together with very good (industrial) glue, while bent over a dished shape. At some point they're dry and stuck together.
Here's a picture of the process ([url:1e33rovh]http://cannesetbatons.free.fr/html/5_reconsrealis.htm[/url]):


Jean Olivier Bourbon has recently done a new shield:

Thanks, these pictures help !

I'll experiment a bit this weekend, hoping it will work...

Ok, I made the wooden dished shape last weekend, though I'll have to wait till wednesday to see whether the wood keeps its form when taken out of the press...

Now some questions about the linen covering and design of this kind of shields;

Were both sides covered in linen? Or only the front?

Also is there historical information about the shield designs that were in use? And where can they be found?

Thanks,

Caius

Most of what we know of late Roman shield devices comes from a document known as the Notitia Dignitatum.

There is a great website listing all the designs here;

http://www.ne.jp/asahi/luke/ueda-sarson ... terns.html

Regards,

WOW!

Thanks a lot! I think I'll find something to my liking!

Caius

WOW!

Thanks a lot! I think I'll find something to my liking!

Caius

My first try with convex shields...

That looks perfect, Octavianus !

Will you make more and sell them ?

Yes, that looks beautiful! How did you make it? hock:

Salve!!
Very good job Octavianus!!!
It's fantastic I hope to see you and your shield in Tarraco Viva 2005 , marching with the Legio I Germanica and the Cohors Prima Gallica.
Fa molt de goig, una abraçada.