[Regia-NA] Re: [Regia] Raw Hide on Shields

[Yolli]

I covered a ply shield in rawhide once - I'd love to know where it went. I
think Jo sold it to John the Blimp......

When wrestled into position ( it was a job ) and nailed down on the back
face, it looked great. However, when it dried it wharped the board towards
the enemy. It seemed to be a good sturdy solution and a good surface to
decorate. Next time I would sew the edge and not nail it as a finished item.

There wasn't any glue binding it to the face of the shield. I guess it would
need some penetrating 'varnish' to prevent water ingress into the rawhide.
Although, as I recall, the face of the rawhide was much finer as a sheet
than the raggedy bits they use for dog chews.

I'll have to do it again and see what I get when applied to the latest style
of Regia shield with wooden baton etc.

Roll.





----- Original Message -----
From: "TGS" <tgs@idlh.net>
To: <regia@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 20, 2003 5:04 AM
Subject: [Regia] Raw Hide on Shields


> I am thinking of facing a shield with a big sheet of raw hide, rather than
> leather.  What do you think?  I have seen a shield made in the past (some
> 20 years ago) that was raw hide stretched over a domed withy frame.  It
was
> practically weightless and seemed to be nearly proof against everything we
> threw at it. (axes, spears, swords)
>
> I wonder how raw hide would do in the rain?  What do you think I'd need to
> do to water proof it?  I mean speaking as someone in the Viking age.  I
> know a good coat of urethane would do the job nicely.
>
> My current thinking is to take a plywood board just a hair less than 1/2
an
> inch and perhaps sand the face to make it very slightly thinner at the
> edge.  (mostly so it's not dead flat like a sheet of plywood) My goal is
> the build it up to the legal 1/2 an inch with the raw hide.  I am also
> thinking of using a thin strip of copper/brass/bronze around the edge.
>
> Much of my plan is a distillation of some of the evidence of the shields
> from Hedeby that I have read described on one of Peter Beatson's websites.
>
> BTW, in the Bersu book about the Isle of Man finds, they mention fragments
> of 'gesso' from the painted front of one of the shields.  These fragments
> have not survived, so I'm wondering what you might think he meant by
> 'gesso'.  Is it the same clay (?) compound used to prepare canvases in the
> renaissance?
>
> Thanks,
> Tom