shield glue musings

[Carlton Bach]

Salve<br>
<br>
I found a reference to using casein glue on shields in a 12th century source and it looks like it's a good choice. I made some following the recipe (as closely as I could), stuck two palm-sized pieces of plywood scrap together, pressed them for 24 hours and have now had them floating in a bowl of water for 20 hours. They're beginning to dissolve, but the glue is holding.<br>
<br>
Is there any evidence on what kind of glue the Romans would have used? It strikes me as foolish to use bone glue when a waterproof(er) option is available.<br>
<br>
It was said here that shields were painted with casein paints. What is that based on? Can we be reasonably sure that casein glue was in use for paint?<br>
<br>
I'm just thinking out loud at this stage, but given the emphasis many writers place on keeping shields dry 'because the glue will dissolve' makes this look interesting.<br>
<br>
Volker <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

I'm at the office so I dn't have the reference right now but Simon James in his excellent book on the military finds at<br>
Dura Europos mentions (I think) not only casein paint but also gesso and encaustic.<br>
As for glue, some shields found there were reinforced with a glue mixed up with wood fibers. I don't know whether it was bone or fish glue.<br>
<p></p><i></i>

[Carlton Bach]

mixing wood fibers makes sense. It's what I sometimes do with hot glues, too, to make them stronger and more spreadable. But both fish and bone glue would be water-soluble.<br>
<br>
Gesso would be used as a base? Again, that makes perfect sense. You don't want to paint directly on your linen or leather facing. Also, it was still common in the middle ages - good ideas don't die.<br>
<br>
I don't really know much about encaustic, but IIRC it is tougher and harder-wearing than simple paint.<br>
<br>
Anything on tempera? It was the preferred method for shield painting later on. <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

After checking S.James' book, a few things on the Dura shields:<br>
First of all, the famous rectangular scutum was not covered with linen but with skin (unspecified skin, probably goat). The linen apparently was under the skin facing it and all of this stems from an editing mistake of the notes taken by the archaeologists.<br>
This shield was painted with the encaustic technique, but indeed tempera and casein were used on others, as well as a "water based" paint...(?)<br>
I don't know about this one but I do not think it's acrylic...<br>
Maybe some sort of gouache?<br>
Different techniques were observed: one consisted in covering the shield board with gesso and painting over it.<br>
The other consisted in facing the shield with skin glued with the wood fiber/glue compound. In this case the fibers in the glue were laid at a right angle to the grain of the wood planking. Which makes perfect sense.<br>
Then the skin facing was painted. Sometimes the shield was painted, then the rawhide rim added, and sometimes the rim was mounted, the painting coming in afterwards.<br>
Also. A suspension ring was mounted in the eleven o'clock position (as seen from behind the shield) about two thirds of the way from the center.<br>
Methinks every reenactor should get Simon James' book.<br>
...And a happy new year 2 758 A.U.C... <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p200.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=antoninuslucretius@romanarmytalk>Antoninus Lucretius</A> <IMG HEIGHT=10 WIDTH=10 SRC="http://lucretius.homestead.com/files/Cesar_triste.jpg" BORDER=0> at: 1/1/05 2:35 pm<br></i>