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Boss construction
#1
Hi, 
My son is currently making a 3/4 size scutum from scratch. It's not perfectly authentic but it's his first attempt at it and he's really keen to do as much of it as possible himself. So far he's formed glued 3 layers of Ply together around some old 26 inch bike wheels we had lying around. and that's worked fairly well.
Today he tried to make a Boss out of 0.6mm gal' plate. He hammered the dome from by placing it over an old paint tin and it came out OK (one slight tear) but when we tried to fasten it to the shield the flat part of the boss buckled, I believe because the dome wont bend around the curve of the shield. 

Any ideas on how a 10 year old can get the boss to match the curve of the shield?


(Yes I know that Ply is cheating and that the gauge of the steal is too light but he's 10. I can't see him hammering 12 gauge steel.)

Any help would be appreciated.
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#2
You need to bend the plate to the curve first, then make a curved former with the boss hole cut in. I would make the former as robust as you can to get the job done and help to support the metal for him. I would say this would be easier to do than trying to do it flat   Smile  I use a metal flat former but use a heavier gauge plate.
   
The bosses on some of the shields of the RMRS ( from RMRS website gallery ) I made years ago on a flat former.
Still hat of to a budding armourer  Wink good luck.
Regards Brennivs Big Grin
Woe Ye The Vanquished
                     Brennvs 390 BC
When you have all this why do you envy our mud huts
                     Caratacvs
Centvrio Princeps Brennivs COH I Dacorivm (Roma Antiqvia)
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#3
(01-02-2017, 11:31 PM)brennivs - tony drake Wrote: You need to bend the plate to the curve first, then make a curved former with the boss hole cut in. I would make the former as robust as you can to get the job done and help to support the metal for him. I would say this would be easier to do than trying to do it flat   Smile  I use a metal flat former but use a heavier gauge plate.

The bosses on some of the shields of the RMRS ( from RMRS website gallery ) I made years ago on a flat former.
Still hat of to a budding armourer  Wink good luck.
Regards Brennivs Big Grin

Thanks, 
Just had a brain wave after reading this. I got him to do a trial run with the ply off cuts (they were about 150mm to short for a second scutum) It just so happens it has the right curve for a curved former.
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#4
I was going to ask if you had a off cut from the scutum  Wink  so great happy hammering.
Regards Brennivs Big Grin
Woe Ye The Vanquished
                     Brennvs 390 BC
When you have all this why do you envy our mud huts
                     Caratacvs
Centvrio Princeps Brennivs COH I Dacorivm (Roma Antiqvia)
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