If anyone wants to make a foam shield boss for a larp shield, here is the pattern I used:
I haven’t posted the second part of the pattern; the flange that is attached to the shield. In this case, it is a circle, with a circular hole in the middle. If you were doing a different style (say Roman) it might be square with a round hole in it.
Glue with ADOS F2 or similar. Paint black and dry brush silver.
Strange. I used the search to look for “shield boss” and it didn’t find this topic.
I’m having trouble re-building the search index on 3. Will keep trying.
I printed this pattern out and used it yesterday, it worked very well. 
Not only does it work well as a shield boss, I actually used it as the basis of my space marine helmet 
I’ve just tried making one of these for a buckler, and clearly I need some practice - some facets have come out a bit concave when I fold it all together, rather than convex. But its a tiny amount of foam, and easy enough to try again.
Any hints? Should I try and bevel the inside edges for a better fold? Any any suggestions on what to fill the obvious gaps between facets with?
If I understand you correctly (and a photo would help here) I suspect you’re just not following the glue instructions correctly. If used correctly, contact adhesive will give an excellent join with no gaps. Here is what I do:
I suspect its just my general crapness at crafty stuff. I can count the number of times I’ve cut and glued foam on the fingers of one hand, and I’m not fitting the facets together properly. Will try again.
I now have two 10" buckler blanks drying in the garage. With some bosses and handles, I can try MS I.33-style combat.
[quote=“IdiotSavant”]I suspect its just my general crapness at crafty stuff. I can count the number of times I’ve cut and glued foam on the fingers of one hand, and I’m not fitting the facets together properly. Will try again.
I now have two 10" buckler blanks drying in the garage. With some bosses and handles, I can try MS I.33-style combat.[/quote]
Cool. Given that one of the people pictured in I.33 is a priest, this’d be a perfect manuscript to print out and do training with in game at St Wolfgang’s.
My second attempt, with straighter cuts and two thinner coats of glue, worked a lot better. A bit oval, but perfectly serviceable.
Next problem: what to use for a handle.
I use PVC pipe. Hosepipe could work too.
How are you attaching the handle to the shield?
For a buckler, I would cut a piece of plastic barrel (or maybe two layers of corflute) in a shape like the Greek letter Phi. You can then sandwich it between two pieces of camp mat to be the shield:
(kind of like this but in a sans-serif font)
Somewhat follishly, I haven’t thought that far ahead. I was thinking glue, but it might not be strong enough.
Nope - I highly recommend either Ryan’s approach with the fibreglas rod down the centre, or if you’re using coreflute you can cut two half-circles in the pattern Derek describes, leaving about a 1 inch strip in the middle as the handle which you can then reinforce with a length of pvc pipe (or similar) cut in half along the length. This works really well, just make sure you use lots of glue…
You really want the handle integrated into the main part of the shield itself.
A bit late for that now, unfortunately - but I’ll definitely do that with the next lot, or if I make a proper Viking-style roundshield.
Note to self: plan projects, properly, rather than just going “offcuts! I wonder what I can do with them?”
I drew a round shield because the circle tool is easy 
I assume then you’ve already cut a striaght hole in the middle? or are you going more with what you posted in the other thread so it straps to your arm?
Somewhat follishly, I haven’t thought that far ahead. I was thinking glue, but it might not be strong enough.[/quote]
I’ve had this kind of experience, it’s like putting together a DIY furniture kit and finding yourself with a piece left over. 
We really need some step-by-step guides with illustrations like Dave’s.
Do you have enough foam to make another layer of shield? If so, you could glue the rod to the back of the shield you have (AFTER attaching the handle to the centre of the rod so that it will fit into the hole) and then glue another layer of foam over the back of it.
Or if you have corflute and no rod, you could glue corflute to the back of the shield, after following Dave’s instructions for attaching the handle.
[quote=“TequilaDave”]I drew a round shield because the circle tool is easy
I assume then you’ve already cut a striaght hole in the middle? or are you going more with what you posted in the other thread so it straps to your arm?[/quote]
The former. Bucklers should be punch-shields rather than strap-ons.
Aren’t these threads helping to build them?
[quote]Do you have enough foam to make another layer of shield? If so, you could glue the rod to the back of the shield you have (AFTER attaching the handle to the centre of the rod so that it will fit into the hole) and then glue another layer of foam over the back of it.
Or if you have corflute and no rod, you could glue corflute to the back of the shield, after following Dave’s instructions for attaching the handle.[/quote]
I have plenty of materials, so its just a question of what I want to do. I have two blanks at the moment, so I have scope for experimentation.
But I’m certainly remembering all this for next time, since I’ll have similar-sized offcuts in future.
A question: where do I get appropriate carbon-fibre rod, and how much am I looking at? Since its used for weapons as well, and I’m thinking of a dagger sometime, I should probably source some.
RD1 or like agricultural store, although specialist kite makers and fibreglass manufacturers have it. Or the Field days at Mystery Creek every year. Lots of glass fibre rod to be had.
