I have had a few duels with this shield and it has plenty of padding really thick foam on the face and edge on purpose bumped my chin on it like being in a skirmish line and head just like being hit with a sword plenty of foam I don’t really see any problems myself but is there anyone on here that does weapon checks or has had something like this pass/refused
“A rigid former may be used during 2013 Empire events, but shields should preferably be of full-foam construction”
and
“For events in 2013 you will able to use shields with a rigid former at Empire. We will be monitoring rigid shields on an ongoing basis and it is possible that they may be removed as an option in future years. Therefore if you are making or buying new shields avoiding rigid formers is strongly recommended.”
I don’t know if any weapons checker would be able to make a call on that absolutely without getting their hands on it. But right now it looks legal according to the current rules on the safety page (note: I am not a PD weapons checker).
Let me see if I can get a clarification if that rule is changing.
“A rigid former may be used during 2013 Empire events, but shields should preferably be of full-foam construction”
and
“For events in 2013 you will able to use shields with a rigid former at Empire. We will be monitoring rigid shields on an ongoing basis and it is possible that they may be removed as an option in future years. Therefore if you are making or buying new shields avoiding rigid formers is strongly recommended.”
I don’t know if any weapons checker would be able to make a call on that absolutely without getting their hands on it. But right now it looks legal according to the current rules on the safety page (note: I am not a PD weapons checker).
Let me see if I can get a clarification if that rule is changing.[/quote]
not definitively so in your opinion would you say yes no more no than yes we would rather have to remake it now than take it down to an even and not be able to use it at all
I don’t believe a weapons checker from any system would ever commit to anything past “maybe” without actually seeing and handling the item in question.
Some general observations, non wood-core related.
(I’m not qualified to speak on that issue, and it seems to have been covered)
Your handgrip is in an odd place. For a strapped roundshield, (ie one with a handgrip and an arm strap) In my experience, (and certainly historically speaking) you want the handgrip and the armstrap to be on the central axis of the shield. It makes the shield much more manoeuvrable.
With the offset grip you have, your left shoulder and the left back of your head are more vulnerable than you might think.
Be prepared to block your head. with a big shield, you are going to be taking a lot of headshots. If it’s the only open target…
(I am all in favour of Big Shields, but I don’t mind getting whacked on the head, and I wear contacts when I fight)
and lastly, That’s not the Final design for the front of the shield is it? All I see is Joy Division…
NB I’m not saying you are doing it wrong. - I’d just do some of it different.
The common way to build a large shield these days when you want to make it super-safe is to use laminated foam and linen, several layers thick. Add extra brackets onto the back and do all the gluing properly, and you can make a 40" shield more than rigid enough for combat without particular difficulty.
It’s easier again if you’re willing to dome or curve the shield instead of purely making it flat, of course.
I had to google ‘joy division’… That’s quite funny Hob, sorry but it was a little before my time…
This design is my monstering cover… I will paint the face of it when I get a chance some other time…
The plastic inside is about 2mm thick and is corrugated to some degree… The core itself is only 38 inches across, which means it has a border of atleast 1 inch…
Are we talking about the kind of stuff they use on “For Sale” signs? and 2mm sounds pretty thin. Did you laminate them at all, (personally I would opt for 3 layers with the corrugations at 60 degree angles for maximum strength without being too bulky. Have you looked into how Viking shields were made?)
My main concern was that you weren’t using something like acrylic. It would be far too brittle for the job.
