11-26-2008, 06:47 PM
As far as I know, all Medieval shields are double "grip" unless bucklers. I lack any meaningful experience fighting with a center-grip shield. I always assumed that they were inferior--but I guess I better try it before I become dismissive!
Giannis, I agree about testing. I will add falling and getting up to my list of tests for when my panoply is complete. But I can get to my feet in plate armor with a double "grip" shield--without either hand touching the ground. It's something you learn to do rather quickly...
Is it possible that we're talking about conditioning and core strength? Men (and women!) who fight in armor (the SCA comes to mind) get what they call "armor conditioning" whereby they learn to conserve energy in armor--and also when to expend it, and how to, say, get to their feet without their hands.
I'll take this opportunity to note that so far, our 36 inch Aspis, with bronze fittings, rope, porpax, paint, and linen and glue--weighs about 12 pounds. The 32 inch version (Lorica's) weighs just ten pounds exactly. The wood blanks (the core) weigh between seven and eight pounds. I suspect that a bronze-faced version would weigh LESS than the gesso and linen and glue. It'll be a year before I have the skills to make one (or Lorica does) but we're working towards it.
We could make the aspis even lighter by making the "dish" shallower. Giannis is right in saying ours are deeper than most--not deeper than is authentic, just deeper than perhaps is average. A shallower bowl would probably knock another pound off the thing. That said, the finished shield weighs less than my Brown Bess musket (my other period)...
Giannis, I agree about testing. I will add falling and getting up to my list of tests for when my panoply is complete. But I can get to my feet in plate armor with a double "grip" shield--without either hand touching the ground. It's something you learn to do rather quickly...
Is it possible that we're talking about conditioning and core strength? Men (and women!) who fight in armor (the SCA comes to mind) get what they call "armor conditioning" whereby they learn to conserve energy in armor--and also when to expend it, and how to, say, get to their feet without their hands.
I'll take this opportunity to note that so far, our 36 inch Aspis, with bronze fittings, rope, porpax, paint, and linen and glue--weighs about 12 pounds. The 32 inch version (Lorica's) weighs just ten pounds exactly. The wood blanks (the core) weigh between seven and eight pounds. I suspect that a bronze-faced version would weigh LESS than the gesso and linen and glue. It'll be a year before I have the skills to make one (or Lorica does) but we're working towards it.
We could make the aspis even lighter by making the "dish" shallower. Giannis is right in saying ours are deeper than most--not deeper than is authentic, just deeper than perhaps is average. A shallower bowl would probably knock another pound off the thing. That said, the finished shield weighs less than my Brown Bess musket (my other period)...
Qui plus fait, miex vault.
