08-09-2014, 01:56 AM
Hello Janas!
I too first purchased a DSC aspis from Kult of Athena, so you have my condolences. :-D
Kidding aside, there are several issues with these shields, one is the weight, as you well know, this is due to the nature of the construction (stacked plywood rings), another is the overall diameter, mine is 38 3/8" and that is much too large (unless your a very big guy, I am not). Not much you can do about the weight and diameter, but you can line the porpax, as Giannis pointed out above, a wooden core would be historically accurate, but you can also line the porpax with fleece, my newest shield is a custom made piece, made from poplar and weighing 13 lbs and 32" in diameter (as opposed to the 25 lb/383/8" DSC) and the porpax is lined in fleece and a little smaller than the DSC porpax so it fits my forearm a bit tighter, that makes a huge difference in comfort. I'll post a couple of photos below so you can see how the porpax is lined, these are leather strips wrapping the edges, that too helps a lot with comfort.
[attachment=10478]Porpax.jpg[/attachment]
[attachment=10479]Porpax2.jpg[/attachment]
I too first purchased a DSC aspis from Kult of Athena, so you have my condolences. :-D
Kidding aside, there are several issues with these shields, one is the weight, as you well know, this is due to the nature of the construction (stacked plywood rings), another is the overall diameter, mine is 38 3/8" and that is much too large (unless your a very big guy, I am not). Not much you can do about the weight and diameter, but you can line the porpax, as Giannis pointed out above, a wooden core would be historically accurate, but you can also line the porpax with fleece, my newest shield is a custom made piece, made from poplar and weighing 13 lbs and 32" in diameter (as opposed to the 25 lb/383/8" DSC) and the porpax is lined in fleece and a little smaller than the DSC porpax so it fits my forearm a bit tighter, that makes a huge difference in comfort. I'll post a couple of photos below so you can see how the porpax is lined, these are leather strips wrapping the edges, that too helps a lot with comfort.
[attachment=10478]Porpax.jpg[/attachment]
[attachment=10479]Porpax2.jpg[/attachment]
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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
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
