How do I make a corflute shield?

I’ve finally got round to trying this with my latest roundshield, using some fairly open weave beige cloth. It works fine, with no need to paint it. Up close and straight on, you can see that there is tape under it, but from an angle, or any real distance, it just looks beigeish and not like corflute. Certainly better than the flaking, brown-painted back of my first one.

So, I’ll be doing this to all my shields from now on. It will mean changing the order I do things in, but it shouldn’t mean too many problems.

(I’m now working out whether I can retrofit to any of my existing shields. To which the answer seems to be "not unless I unpick the edges)

Latest one. Soon I will have enough for my own shield wall.

And the back:

(The fabric covers most of the sins, and works better at a distance or an angle. The leather tags are to attach rings to, so I can clip on a detachable shoulder strap).

Looks great. I think I’d still be inclined to avoid staples though, I favour of glue (possible hot melt?). I just worry about staples coming loose and either jutting out or falling underfoot. Also, glue wouldn’t be visible.

As an update on this: 2.5 years on, and my first (and favourite) shield has just lost its first staple. Where “lost” means “partially came out, no-one got stabbed with it”.

I seriously don’t think we have a safety risk with these.

Anyone got any sheets of corflute spare? I’m looking to make a tower sheild to hide behind.

Thread necromancy: seven years on, and the handle of the black and red shield I constructed in February 2011 (picture upthread ) is finally failing, so I’m working on a replacement. Meanwhile, I’ve also just made my first 80cm shield. Photographed on the usual chair for scale:

Its difficult to get corflute this big, and I needed to use 4 layers instead of 3. Even then, I’m concerned that the torque from edge-hits will be too much for it. But there’s only one way to find out.