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Children\'s kit
#1
Each year I go over to Leicester on Good Friday to be part of the compliment of Roman soldiers at the annual 'Christ in the Centre' passion play.
http://www.felthamassociates.btinternet ... /index.htm

At my own church the children perform the annual passion play but of course I never get to see that. However, last year some photos were put up on a board and I was mildly horrified to see that the 'Roman soldier' in the children's play had been wearing grey plastic 'knight' equipment, similar (but duller) to that shown here:
http://www.toysrus.co.uk/Toys-R-Us/Toys ... me(0012191 )

Naturally I decided that a better Roman soldier impression could be produced so I set about making one. In particular, I felt that a clipeiu type shield, a conical helmet and scale armour would be appropriate for soldiers recruited and stationed in the east.

The armour will not be done for this year. However, the shield and helmet should be. I have something of a dilemma though. I have more or less finished the shield but need to edge it. Me being me, I decided to make the shield fairly accurate. It is made of 9mm ply-wood and faced with linen. The grip is copied from the Dura examples. The shield is about two thirds scale but as I could not get a small boss, the boss is full size. It is now painted (although there are one or two pieces of tidying up to do) but I now come to the problem of edging it. I intend to edge in in rawhide and to that end have two rawhide dog chew soaking at the moment. However, these are only about a foot long. Therefore, I need some advice.

[Image: Clipeiusjunior.jpg]

Firstly, as the edging will have to be made of several pieces, how much should I overlap them (to avoid gaps after the rawhide has dried and shrunk)?

Secondly, how do I go about firstly securing the rawhide on the shield and secondly stitching it in place?

I look forward to your advice.

Crispvs
Who is called \'\'Paul\'\' by no-one other than his wife, parents and brothers.  :!: <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_exclaim.gif" alt=":!:" title="Exclamation" />:!:

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#2
Well, since you're dealing with theatre, try using regular white felt instead of rawhide. Cut the felt to twice the width you want, plus the thickness of the board. Mix some yellow carpenter's glue about 40% with water, and soak the felt. Then press it into place on the wood, checking from time to time to make sure it sticks everywhere. When it is dry, give it a light sanding with some 100 grit to take down the sharp bits that stick up from the ends of the fibers. Then you can drill and sew as you normally would.

Add a coat of varnish or acrylic sealer to the sewn felt (to protect the glue from moisture), and it will look and feel just about like old rawhide, but without the expense, or the fuss of dealing with rawhide's propensity to do whatever it wants instead of what you want. Just a thought, of course, you might want to go to the extra trouble of rawhide for this stage prop.

If you adopt this technique, your dog will thank you, too. :wink:
M. Demetrius Abicio
(David Wills)

Saepe veritas est dura.
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#3
A very nice project. Good to help improve these events!

Here is how I do it: (although I work with cut 2m sections of raw-hide, which I let overlap about 4 to 5 cm.)

I hold the rawhide in place using clamps and let it dry for 2 days. After that I'll drill the holes for the stitching and do the sewing. I found I had 2 pictures of the progress.

Attaching wet Rawhide to a clipeus:
[Image: DSC05474.jpg]

Having the first half of a scutum sewed:
[Image: DSC05573.jpg]
________________________________________
Jvrjenivs Peregrinvs Magnvs / FEBRVARIVS
A.K.A. Jurjen Draaisma
CORBVLO and Fectio
ALA I BATAVORUM
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#4
Thanks very much for that Jurjen,

The edging is now in place.

[Image: ClipeiusjuniorB.jpg]

Next comes the drilling of the holes for stitching. How far apart would you drill the holes?

Crispvs
Who is called \'\'Paul\'\' by no-one other than his wife, parents and brothers.  :!: <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_exclaim.gif" alt=":!:" title="Exclamation" />:!:

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.romanarmy.net">www.romanarmy.net
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#5
A colourful workshop! Big Grin

I needed to finish that clipeus in a hurry (as it had to be ready for some filming session), so I went for a fast and easy way and used the width of my little fingers nail as the distance to drill the holes apart. When I had to do it again, I probably would choose a little bit smaller, like about every 7 mm.
________________________________________
Jvrjenivs Peregrinvs Magnvs / FEBRVARIVS
A.K.A. Jurjen Draaisma
CORBVLO and Fectio
ALA I BATAVORUM
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#6
very nice shield it looks like it would be an Auxilia shield or Calvary ^_^
Dan DeLuca

ROMA VICTOR!

S.P.Q.R
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#7
I thought it was time I put up a picture of the finished shield. Sorry the resolution is not so good in this picture. I suppose that is what one gets from taking a photo on a mobile phone under electric light.
Thanks for the helpful comments everyone.

[Image: ClipeiusJuniorC.jpg]

In length the shield measures 25 1/4 inches / 64cm and the grip is copied from the Dura examples. I have drilled the stitch holes an average of about 10mm apart. I think this is too far apart and so when I do a full size version the spacing will be smaller. This is for a child though and will probably only be carried once or twice per year (one for the children's Good Friday passion play and possibly once for a sermon concentrating on the 'Armour of God' passage, which tends to come up every year or so) so I do not expect it to really need the level of strength a shield subject to regular use would need. That said, it is probably far more accurate than it ever needed to be for a children's play, but the experience of making it has been useful for me.

Crispvs
Who is called \'\'Paul\'\' by no-one other than his wife, parents and brothers.  :!: <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_exclaim.gif" alt=":!:" title="Exclamation" />:!:

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.romanarmy.net">www.romanarmy.net
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#8
Very nicely done, Crispvs.

For futures, if you like the idea, I discovered something that works for "rawhide" edging on non-renactor shields. Cut a strip or two of regular craft store white felt. Twice the width you want the edging to be, plus the thickness of the shield stock. Dilute some yellow carpenter's wood glue until it's about the thickness of house paint. Soak the felt in the glue slurry, then hang it up over some paper to drip until the glue begins to turn tacky. Stick it on the shield, and watch to see that it stays where you want it. a few of those pretty clothespins you used will to the trick. When the glue is dry, hit it with some medium sandpaper to take off the sharp bits that stick up, drill and stitch. From 5 feet, it's a good match for color and appearance. It even feels pretty much like rawhide.

Worth the effort for the effect without the trouble. Great for stage performances. And if you don't tell anyone that's what you did, well, we'll keep your secret, bro.
M. Demetrius Abicio
(David Wills)

Saepe veritas est dura.
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#9
Racecraft in the UK makes some nice plastic (and quite affordable) stuff of Celtic, Roman, Viking and Medieval periods:

[Image: shields1.jpg]
(the image is too big, right click and "show image" should do the trick)

Of course, nothing like your shield Confusedhock: but it's well above the standars of the usual "toys". I own the norman helmet, it fits any adult with a head of less than 55cm ...
-This new learning amazes me, Sir Bedevere. Explain again how
sheep´s bladders may be employed to prevent earthquakes.
[Image: escudocopia.jpg]Iagoba Ferreira Benito, member of Cohors Prima Gallica
and current Medieval Martial Arts teacher of Comilitium Sacrae Ensis, fencing club.
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#10
I saw at least 2 segs in child sizes at TORM last weekend. A tad expensive though...
That clothspeg system is how I attach my cheekpiece leathers.. :o
Visne partem mei capere? Comminus agamus! * Me semper rogo, Quid faceret Iulius Caesar? * Confidence is a good thing! Overconfidence is too much of a good thing.
[b]Legio XIIII GMV. (Q. Magivs)RMRS Remember Atuatuca! Vengence will be ours!
Titus Flavius Germanus
Batavian Coh I
Byron Angel
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#11
Thanks for all the ideas everybody.

Anyway, back to my own ongoing project. Having now finished the shield it was time to start on the helmet bowl I had purchased at the same time as the shield boss. The helmet is a conical one, as we believe that most of the soldiers stationed in Judea at the time would probably have been recruited in Syria or somewhere similar.

Drilling the necessary holes was easy of course. Next I made the cheek guard hinges. I had never done anything like this before so they were far from plain sailing, but I think I managed a reasonably job in the end.

[Image: Helmetjuniorhinges.jpg]

Today I started on the cheek guards themselves. Again this was all new to me, but having now finished one and cut the other out I am quite pleased with these too, although I am sure a practiced armourer was would smile gently and try not to laugh. They are based on Robinson's Auxiliary type 'B' cheek guards.

[Image: Helmetjuniorcheekguards.jpg]

Sorry about the quality of the photo - mobile phone picture again in the failing evening light.

I have hot fitted a blunted spear head to a broom handle as well, but I don't have a picture of that yet.

Crispvs
Who is called \'\'Paul\'\' by no-one other than his wife, parents and brothers.  :!: <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_exclaim.gif" alt=":!:" title="Exclamation" />:!:

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#12
On rawhide for shields I may add that a good many suppliers have the "mega" dogchews rawhide "bones" with a length of about 70 cm. After unwrapping them (soak in water) these yield strips of well over a meter. I do the overlap of the two pieces at top and bottom, nailing those first and then stretching the rawhide over the curved sides. I suppose that when trying to make a reasonably accurate shield, there is little difference between grow-up size and kids size. Jurjen does a good job on his shields, I use the same clothpin methode to hold in place when drying, but with the slight stretch, I have found these are hardy called for. I prefer to use wooden clothpins, as they have a larger surface and do not tend to leave indentations in the rawhide.
Salvete et Valete



Nil volentibus arduum





Robert P. Wimmers
www.erfgoedenzo.nl/Diensten/Creatie Big Grin
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#13
Well, the helmet is now finished, complete with a mail neck guard. This means that the Roman soldier in this year's children's Passion Play will have a fairly accurate helmet, shield and spear. Scale body armour will complete the panoply but I won't get that done in time for this Easter (as I am also currently working on a new sword scabbard, spear for myself and two 'theatrical' spears [with wooden heads] for the temple guards in the Leicester Passion play, not to mention looking for a new job and trying to spend time with my family.

[Image: Helmetjunior.jpg]

[Image: Clipeiushelmetspear.jpg]

Ah well, time to get on with something else now. I'll post up pictures of the scale armour when I get it done, hopefully later this year.

Crispvs
Who is called \'\'Paul\'\' by no-one other than his wife, parents and brothers.  :!: <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_exclaim.gif" alt=":!:" title="Exclamation" />:!:

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.romanarmy.net">www.romanarmy.net
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#14
Cool childrens helmet! Big Grin
________________________________________
Jvrjenivs Peregrinvs Magnvs / FEBRVARIVS
A.K.A. Jurjen Draaisma
CORBVLO and Fectio
ALA I BATAVORUM
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#15
avete


the idea is great..I did for the son of my centurion that have 6 years this small gladius and pugio...

valete
PierPaolo siercovich
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