I am attempting my first shield. I am making a viking round shield and I would like to make my own boss for it. I want it to have an overall diameter of about 71/2" with a dish diameter of 6". I have found a couple places that describe making a boss but was wondering if anyone new of a site that gave a very detailed description possibly with some pictures. I am also going to edge it with rawhide (due to lots of suggestions I have seen in other posts) and was wondering how long I should soak the rawhide before putting it on and where the best place to get the rivets or nails for attaching the boss and edging.

The first thing I would recommend you do is make a negative form (in a tree stump) to the size that you want your boss to be. If you don't have access to a stump you can use a section of railroad tie, or use steel strapping to bind four by fours together.

Another way to make your form is to take pieces of plywood and put them together. So your first sheet would have say a 6" diameter hole and your second a 5". Keep getting smaller till you have the form you want. Be ready for a tired arm also.

Here's a couple of links that may help you:
http://www.anvilfire.com/21centbs/armor/
look under raising a norman helmet

Adjust the dish to what you want. You could also weld a boss together and grind and sand it to finished state.

PS
I have another link that may help:
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~chrisandpeter/....html#Boss

That sounds a little big. Aren't most original bosses smaller than that? Roman ones have domes no larger than 5", as I recall.

Yeah, I made a dishing form from 2 layers of 1" plywood, glued and screwed together. For a little more depth I added a pair of c. 1" strips on the bottom. It has served surprisingly well for years.

Have fun!

Matthew

Thanks for all the replies. I' m thinking I may buy a boss for my first shield and then start working on one for a second shield. I mean one can never have too many shields.

I have found everything I need for my shield except rivets. I am having a hard time looking for some that have that old nonbolt look. Where might be a good source for them?

Not sure what you mean about the "old nonbolt look." The older rivets were a bit more rounded and the ones you find in hardware stores now days tend to be galvanized. You can hit it with a belt sander to make it more round or burn the galv off with hydrochloric acid.

I've always bought my rivets from http://www.rjleahy.com/

I haven't found a east coast source with as good of a selection that seems to be willing to sell to the public.

Dear Chris West,

On Thursday 17 September 2009, you wrote:

I have found everything I need for my shield except rivets. I am having a hard time looking for some that have that old nonbolt look. Where might be a good source for them?

Don't worry--rivets aren't accurate anyway. You want to use clenched nails. You can buy hand-forged nails, of which there are many sources. A quick Google search on the phrase "hand-forged nails" (be sure to include the quotation marks) will show several right away, selling both hand-forged examples and ones that are machine-made in imitation of hand-forging. Or you can hammer on ordinary nail-heads until they look right. If you're ambitious--which I guess you are, as you wanted to forge your own boss--you could make the nails yourself. The same Google search also turns up sites with directions for making nails.

As R D Moore mentions earlier in this thread, Peter Beatson's article The 'Viking Shield' from Archaeology is an excellent source for construction details. It should be the first reference for anyone who plans to build a historically accurate replica of an early-medieval shield.

I hope that this information proves helpful.

Best,

Mark Millman

both of the last posts are extremely helpful, thank you.

Go to a good automobile parts store or a store that specializes in autobody tools. There are different types of forms that are used to restore dings and bumps by placing the form underneath the body panel and working it with a hammer. Place the "spoon" (that's what I seem to remember them being called) in a vice and use an autobody hammer which looks like a heavier version of an engraver's chasing hammer. This is basically the same process a silversmith uses to raise a teapot, etc. Progressively lighter taps will smooth out the surface. Another method is one used my a friend who makes Basket hilted swords. He has an old brass shotput that he uses to form the basket. I also imagine a really good quality croquet hardwood ball would work if the gauge of the brass was not too thick. Just some ideas.