04-12-2011, 07:27 AM
As a basic guide, try this.
Firstly, get your hands on goat skins. To be on the safe side get four, as some may be smaller than others and you will not be able to use the entirety of each skin (leather merchants will often sell leather by the square foot but this footage will include part such as th legs which will not be useful to you in making a shield cover).
Secondly, decide whether or not you want to make a separate part to cover the shield boss.
Thirdly, the cover should be flat and slightly larger than the shield.
Fourthly, if you have decided to make a separate piece to cover the boss, cut a circular piece of goatskin slightly larger than the flange of the shield boss. You can give is a smooth edge or you can decide to cut small triangular dags into the leather , giving 'sharks tooth' edge to the boss cover. You will also need to stretch the leather to fit easily over the boss. To do this, saturate the leather and stretch it over something of the right shape. You could use a shot put or something similar or you could even use the boss on your shield (but be prepared to have to sand rust off it afterwards if you do. Leave the leather to dry thoroughly before you sew it on to the rest of he cover.
Fifthly, having decided how you want to arrange the goatskins to make a cover of the desired shape (preferably having first looked at pictures of surviving covers such as those from Valkenburg), sew them together using linen thread. If you have not sewn leather before, you will need to run your thread through a piece of beeswax to stop it fraying and separating as you sew with it. If you have decided to make a separate piece for the shield boss remember to leave a space in the middle of the cover to accommodate this piece. Sew the boss piece on once you have sewn the rest together so that it is on the outside.
Sixthly, when flat the cover should overlap the shield itself by two to three inches all around the outside. Fold over the edge to make a tube around the outside. Do not sew this with thread. Instead make small cuts with a knife to thread a leather lace through to hold the leather edge in the tubular form. This is the way the Romans did it. This rolled edge/tube is for the insertion of a cord to act as a drawstring. You may wish to cut out a few sections around the edge to allow for contraction when the drawstring is pulled tight. If you do this, make sure that you do not remove any leather which would cover the face or edge of the shield.
Seventhly, sew narrow strips of leather (you should still be using goat skin) around the shield about an inch or so in from the drawstring tube. These should be sewn on along the line of where the cover bends over the edge of the shield when the cover is on and act to reinforce the cover along the edge area which is most likely to make contact with the ground and other surfaces. After this you can also sew on any unit insignia such as a tabula ansata with you unit's name or a representation of the unit's totem animal. I would suggest doing these in a contrasting colour leather. These things can also be done with decorative stitching.
Here are some drawings by Mike Bishop:
http://s129.photobucket.com/albums/p239/...fig020.png
http://s129.photobucket.com/albums/p239/...fig050.png
Hopefully you should find this of use when you make you shield cover/tegimen.
Crispvs
Firstly, get your hands on goat skins. To be on the safe side get four, as some may be smaller than others and you will not be able to use the entirety of each skin (leather merchants will often sell leather by the square foot but this footage will include part such as th legs which will not be useful to you in making a shield cover).
Secondly, decide whether or not you want to make a separate part to cover the shield boss.
Thirdly, the cover should be flat and slightly larger than the shield.
Fourthly, if you have decided to make a separate piece to cover the boss, cut a circular piece of goatskin slightly larger than the flange of the shield boss. You can give is a smooth edge or you can decide to cut small triangular dags into the leather , giving 'sharks tooth' edge to the boss cover. You will also need to stretch the leather to fit easily over the boss. To do this, saturate the leather and stretch it over something of the right shape. You could use a shot put or something similar or you could even use the boss on your shield (but be prepared to have to sand rust off it afterwards if you do. Leave the leather to dry thoroughly before you sew it on to the rest of he cover.
Fifthly, having decided how you want to arrange the goatskins to make a cover of the desired shape (preferably having first looked at pictures of surviving covers such as those from Valkenburg), sew them together using linen thread. If you have not sewn leather before, you will need to run your thread through a piece of beeswax to stop it fraying and separating as you sew with it. If you have decided to make a separate piece for the shield boss remember to leave a space in the middle of the cover to accommodate this piece. Sew the boss piece on once you have sewn the rest together so that it is on the outside.
Sixthly, when flat the cover should overlap the shield itself by two to three inches all around the outside. Fold over the edge to make a tube around the outside. Do not sew this with thread. Instead make small cuts with a knife to thread a leather lace through to hold the leather edge in the tubular form. This is the way the Romans did it. This rolled edge/tube is for the insertion of a cord to act as a drawstring. You may wish to cut out a few sections around the edge to allow for contraction when the drawstring is pulled tight. If you do this, make sure that you do not remove any leather which would cover the face or edge of the shield.
Seventhly, sew narrow strips of leather (you should still be using goat skin) around the shield about an inch or so in from the drawstring tube. These should be sewn on along the line of where the cover bends over the edge of the shield when the cover is on and act to reinforce the cover along the edge area which is most likely to make contact with the ground and other surfaces. After this you can also sew on any unit insignia such as a tabula ansata with you unit's name or a representation of the unit's totem animal. I would suggest doing these in a contrasting colour leather. These things can also be done with decorative stitching.
Here are some drawings by Mike Bishop:
http://s129.photobucket.com/albums/p239/...fig020.png
http://s129.photobucket.com/albums/p239/...fig050.png
Hopefully you should find this of use when you make you shield cover/tegimen.
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
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.romanarmy.net">www.romanarmy.net
