Bucklers (Homemade)

[Norm Rayos]

Hi all,
I am new to the discussion group so bare with me...
I would like to make my own buckler, a simple one made out of wood, can anyone tell me how or know of a website with directions?

[Jeremiah Backhaus]

I would direct you to www.armourarchive.org those guys are all about armour making in various forms. Welcome to the ARMA forum!

[Brian Hunt]

I would start with 1/2 inch plywood. You are also going to need a steel boss for your buckler. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shield_boss You can either make one or buy one. The boss can be attached to the plywood with bolts or rivets. You will also need a grip for your buckler, a wood one is fairly easy to attach with either bolts or rivets as well. Be sure that your grip is oval and not perfectly round, or more of a square with rounded edges (be sure it is wider than it is thicker 1 & 3/8 inches wide by 3/4 inches thick or round about there). Your buckler should be 8 to 14 inches in diameter, I like about a 12 inch buckler, with a round hole centered in the middle of it large enough for your hand to fit through as a fist, but small enough it can be covered by your steel boss. For the nicest finish, you may also want to edge your new buckler, a nice way to do so would be with a piece of 1/2 inch rope glued to the rim of your buckler and then covered with leather or better yet, rawhide that is either sewn or clinch nailed down.

Here are a couple of websites that sell shield boss's.

http://www.windrosearmoury.com/zc/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=63&zenid=46f28f7937d0fed63a5f8afc3ece6748

http://www.geocities.com/madmattsarmory/

http://www.viking-shield.com/bosses.html

though at 13 and 14 gage steel they will be a little on the heavy side. Most things like this are built thicker than our needs because of use in the SCA. You might try contacting madd matts armoury and see if they will make you a 16 gage steel boss, or try making your own. http://www.armourarchive.org/essays/madmatt_shield_boss/

good luck

Brian Hunt
GFS

[Jeremiah Backhaus]

Brian,

You really think that a 16 gauge buckler is heavy enough to hold up to our kind of practice? I am going to be making one as well, and I only have 16 gauge, but I was leery of making one in that thin of material. (I am making it entirely out of steel, it is easier that way). But 16 gauge, really?


-Jeremiah

[Allen Johnson]

Though there was not a historical equivalent of our moden gauge system (they didnt buy steel in sheets of equal thickness), most armor and shield parts weren't much thicker than 16 ga, if I understand correctly.

[Norm Rayos]

Thanks for all the input guys...Now that you have wet my appetite I of course have more questions...
I understand steel and the forging process and have made a few knives. Do I have to forge a boss out of 16 guage steel or do I just hammer it to shape and polish it?

[Norm Rayos]

One more thing, I read the boss making article in the "Armour Archive" and it doesn't say what size of steel to begin with. Anyone know what dimension it should be to start with?

[Norm Rayos]

On the ARMA homepage there are two combatants, one has what appears to be a buckler with no boss. Is it just a piece of wood with a cross section of wood attached to it? If anyone knows of course?

[Brian Hunt]

Brian,

You really think that a 16 gauge buckler is heavy enough to hold up to our kind of practice? I am going to be making one as well, and I only have 16 gauge, but I was leery of making one in that thin of material. (I am making it entirely out of steel, it is easier that way). But 16 gauge, really?


-Jeremiah

Hi Jeremiah,

16 gage is a heavier thickness than most historical armour pieces. Most historical pieces I have handled are about 18 gage. Keep in mind that historical armour is not of a uniform thickness. Breast plates were often about 15-16 gage in the center of them and thin out to about 18 gage on the sides. Helmets are often about 13-14 gage in the brow area and thin down to anywhere from 18-16 gage in areas most likely to not be hit. I have a buckler I pounded out of 14 gage steel It is a little too heavy for proper use. A 16 gage buckler will get dented up over time and will have to be hammered out and eventually replaced (like all training tools). If you really want a nice, fairly indestructable buckler make one out of 16 gage spring steel and then heat treat it. The reason why the SCA uses 12-14 gage on things likely to take a beating such as shield boss's and helmets is because they are essentially fighting with round rattan clubs. These will cause deeper dents than a steel blunt. Also, I would not reccomend using wasters against a steel buckler, as the waster will take damage, especially from the steel rim of your buckler. I would also be careful of using wood bucklers against padded weapons for the same reason. This is why I developed the plastic bucklers that I make. They work well against padded weapons, wasters, and blunts.

A 16 gage buckler that is well formed, properly hammer finished and then polished will be a solid piece of protection. Much like a sword the buckler is used more for displacements than stop blocks (though you can do these if you so desire and you know that the trick is to stifle their attack and not just stand back and recieve their attack after they develop their full power and efficacy).

all the best.

Brian Hunt.
GFS

[Brian Hunt]

Hi Norm,

IMO, the problem with a flat faced buckler is that you have to build a grip that stands back from the face of your buckler and exposes your hand to attack.

With steel, you can do all of your work cold or hot as you please. Cold is easier for ease of handling, while hot allows you to work quicker but you need tongs or something to keep from severly burning yourself. Beware of over stretching your metal, you can actually thin it so far that it tears. If you are going to work hot, you would be better off learning to do raising rather than sinking or dishing.

As for the starting size of steel to start with, it depends upon how deep you dish your shield boss, and how big you want the final size to be. For a buckler I like a boss that is about 6 to 6 1/2 inches in Diameter with a depth of about 2 1/2 inches at the center. If you start with about an 8 to 8 1/2 inch diameter circle this should leave you just enough of a rim to attach the boss. For a viking shield I prefer a larger boss, about 8 inches in Diameter and about 3 to 4 inches deep. If you want to hammer out an all steel buckler you will want to start with a 12 to 14 inch diameter circle, roll your edge first, then dish out the center of your buckler. Remember to properly planish everything as this helps work harden it, the closest you will get to hardening low carbon steel unless you want to start messing with super quenches (which often warp things) or case hardening.

hope this helps.

Brian Hunt
GFS

[Norm Rayos]

Hi Norm,

IMO, the problem with a flat faced buckler is that you have to build a grip that stands back from the face of your buckler and exposes your hand to attack.

With steel, you can do all of your work cold or hot as you please. Cold is easier for ease of handling, while hot allows you to work quicker but you need tongs or something to keep from severly burning yourself. Beware of over stretching your metal, you can actually thin it so far that it tears. If you are going to work hot, you would be better off learning to do raising rather than sinking or dishing.

As for the starting size of steel to start with, it depends upon how deep you dish your shield boss, and how big you want the final size to be. For a buckler I like a boss that is about 6 to 6 1/2 inches in Diameter with a depth of about 2 1/2 inches at the center. If you start with about an 8 to 8 1/2 inch diameter circle this should leave you just enough of a rim to attach the boss. For a viking shield I prefer a larger boss, about 8 inches in Diameter and about 3 to 4 inches deep. If you want to hammer out an all steel buckler you will want to start with a 12 to 14 inch diameter circle, roll your edge first, then dish out the center of your buckler. Remember to properly planish everything as this helps work harden it, the closest you will get to hardening low carbon steel unless you want to start messing with super quenches (which often warp things) or case hardening.

hope this helps.

Brian Hunt
GFS

Hi Brian,
what is "planishing"?

[Brian Hunt]

Ok,

basic armouring 101.

most flat steel is formed it two different ways, either you roll it (this is accomplished by using a specialized tool such as a set of rollers or hammering the piece around an appropriatly sized form such as a large piece of pipe, the horn on your anvil, etc.). Rolled pieces can be good for lames in spaulders, gutter rebraces on 14th century arms, simple vambraces, etc.

For things like helmets, knees, elbows, shoulders, you need complex curves. This is generally done one of two ways, either you dish/sink the piece in a sinking form of some kind, or you raise the piece over a stake. After you are done with your basic shape it will be rough and needs finish work. The first thing I do is bouge it. I like to work from the inside of the piece and make sure that the surface is even and work out any lumps. Then you planish it. This involves the use of a ball stake and you work on the outside of your piece with a flat faced mirror polished hammer. You need to go over every square inch of your piece making sure that the entire surface is even and smooth. When you get finished the surface of your piece will somewhat resemble the surface of a golf ball. From there you can leave the piece as is (ie. a hammer finish) or you can then sand and polish it.

here is a website with a link to a book on a basic armour how to. http://www.brighthelm.org/armour/

hope this helps.

Brian Hunt
GFS

[Stacy Clifford]

That would be me with my buckler, and it does have a boss, you're just seeing it from behind. Mine is probably about the 16 ga. that Brian describes, and although it is battered and dented after a lot of use with both wood and steel, it still serves just fine. After all the abuse it's taken I refer to it as the "ugly buckling", but I figure as long as it looks like that, I don't. You can see more pictures of it here:

http://www.thearma.org/photos/texrennfest04.html

Sydney Yarbrough in Houston also makes some nice sturdy bucklers with a heavier boss on them, seen here:

http://www.armanorthhouston.org/

Mine is an old one from a maker we no longer do business with.

On the ARMA homepage there are two combatants, one has what appears to be a buckler with no boss. Is it just a piece of wood with a cross section of wood attached to it? If anyone knows of course?

[Norm Rayos]

Ok,

basic armouring 101.

most flat steel is formed it two different ways, either you roll it (this is accomplished by using a specialized tool such as a set of rollers or hammering the piece around an appropriatly sized form such as a large piece of pipe, the horn on your anvil, etc.). Rolled pieces can be good for lames in spaulders, gutter rebraces on 14th century arms, simple vambraces, etc.

For things like helmets, knees, elbows, shoulders, you need complex curves. This is generally done one of two ways, either you dish/sink the piece in a sinking form of some kind, or you raise the piece over a stake. After you are done with your basic shape it will be rough and needs finish work. The first thing I do is bouge it. I like to work from the inside of the piece and make sure that the surface is even and work out any lumps. Then you planish it. This involves the use of a ball stake and you work on the outside of your piece with a flat faced mirror polished hammer. You need to go over every square inch of your piece making sure that the entire surface is even and smooth. When you get finished the surface of your piece will somewhat resemble the surface of a golf ball. From there you can leave the piece as is (ie. a hammer finish) or you can then sand and polish it.

here is a website with a link to a book on a basic armour how to. http://www.brighthelm.org/armour/

hope this helps.

Brian Hunt
GFS

Brian,
thanks for all the input. Although I am familiar with forging I have never done metal shaping or armour making...This really helps, and I am definantly going to check out the website...
Norm

[Norm Rayos]

That would be me with my buckler, and it does have a boss, you're just seeing it from behind. Mine is probably about the 16 ga. that Brian describes, and although it is battered and dented after a lot of use with both wood and steel, it still serves just fine. After all the abuse it's taken I refer to it as the "ugly buckling", but I figure as long as it looks like that, I don't. You can see more pictures of it here:

http://www.thearma.org/photos/texrennfest04.html

Sydney Yarbrough in Houston also makes some nice sturdy bucklers with a heavier boss on them, seen here:

http://www.armanorthhouston.org/

Mine is an old one from a maker we no longer do business with.

On the ARMA homepage there are two combatants, one has what appears to be a buckler with no boss. Is it just a piece of wood with a cross section of wood attached to it? If anyone knows of course?

Stacy,
thanks for the correction, I look forward to making my own buckler and checking out the websites you recommended...
Norm