Finished!!! I did not permanently attach the bronze (nu-gold) rim. It added some serious weight. I will save my money (again) and replace it with lighter gauge bronze. I will post the final weight tomorrow after I weigh the aspis on our freight scale (digital) at work. Yippeee!![attachment=0:1sz2tnge]<!-- ia0 smallfinishedaspiscu.jpg<!-- ia0 [/attachment:1sz2tnge]
The weight of the aspis at present is 24 lbs. (10.91 kg). I think a lighter gauge rim would take off 1.5 lbs. (.68 kg). I think I will change it out - or do some serious strength training. Before adding the rim, I could hold the aspis straight out on my arm. I have to support it with a knee, now. Matt, Athena is accepting applications for baggage carriers...
I did not know there was an aspis in display in Boston- wish I had. Maybe some of you are close enough to go see it.
Paul M. Bardunias
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A Spartan, being asked a question, answered "No." And when the questioner said, "You lie," the Spartan said, "You see, then, that it is stupid of you to ask questions to which you already know the answer!"
I finally got to use my aspis. (Athena guest-appearing as a Spartan)[attachment=2:24urpf4l]<!-- ia2 AtRest.JPG<!-- ia2 [/attachment:24urpf4l][attachment=0:24urpf4l]<!-- ia0 SoloShot.JPG<!-- ia0 [/attachment:24urpf4l]
I read the entire post and not until the end (finished photo) did I realize who you are, I have seen photos of you and your beautiful shield many times at 300SPW! You marched with some friends of mine from Tennessee this past March at the record hoplite gathering in Baltimore, do you remember Gary and his wife Rebecca? I had not seen the interior painting of your aspes until now though, very nice! hock:
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Mark Hayes
"The men who once dwelled beneath the crags of Mt Helicon, the broad land of Thespiae now boasts of their courage"
Philiades
"So now I meet my doom. Let me at least sell my life dearly and have a not inglorius end, after some feat of arms that shall come to the ears of generations still unborn"
Hektor, the Iliad
Yes, I remember Gary and Rebecca. I was impressed by their willingness to drive all the way to Baltimore to join in the parade. I am also jealous that they are in Tennessee - much closer to the Nashville Parthenon than I am. ( I based my aspis on photos and drawings of that particular Athena's shield.)
Cheryl, that's absolutely beautiful! Your determination is incredible
And after seeing/reading this thread, there's no way in hell that ancient shields were turned on a lathe! It seemed like a chore to do it with modern machinery, I can't imagine this on a wooden pole or bow lathe. No way.
I disagree. The one piece of pottery showing a shield-turning (that I know of) has it spinning horizontally on a lathe like a potter's wheel. That is more do-able than the vertical lathe we were using. Then gravity is your friend. I don't know if horizontal lathe is even an option in modern times. I was lucky to find even one guy with any lathe big enough to handle the blank. Like blacksmithing, wood turners make the specialist tools they need at the time they need them. Since this was a one-off, Edric worked with what he had. With patterns and calipers, roughing out the blank before turning could be done as a preliminary step. The final turning (horizontally) would not have been much then. If the rim were added after the turning (a possibility not known to me back then) it would have been turning a giant Vermont or Michigan wood salad bowl. No biggie.
(08-06-2017, 02:32 PM)Athena Areias Wrote: I disagree. The one piece of pottery showing a shield-turning (that I know of) has it spinning horizontally on a lathe like a potter's wheel. That is more do-able than the vertical lathe we were using. Then gravity is your friend. I don't know if horizontal lathe is even an option in modern times. I was lucky to find even one guy with any lathe big enough to handle the blank. Like blacksmithing, wood turners make the specialist tools they need at the time they need them. Since this was a one-off, Edric worked with what he had. With patterns and calipers, roughing out the blank before turning could be done as a preliminary step. The final turning (horizontally) would not have been much then. If the rim were added after the turning (a possibility not known to me back then) it would have been turning a giant Vermont or Michigan wood salad bowl. No biggie.
Interesting. I guess I shouldn't have stated my opinion with such authority -- it should have been more of a comment or theory.. Do you have an image of the pottery piece by chance?