Hey Lee , James 's shields are paintable . I'm glad you like them . James has really done a fantastic job on them .
He's got plans for a full line up of shields . James , stop posting and get to work ! Opps I guess that would aply to me to .
lol.

As Allan said I just use a light stain, not a coating or penetrating varnish. I mostly just apply it to protect the wood and bring out the woods beauty, but I know that once everyone gets their shield they will want to paint it with their own design. Although historically they were also covered with cloth or leather and that was painted, so on the off chance it did see more than one battle the old material could be removed and a new cloth covering could be applied and painted. I try to finish them as much as I can, but still leave them as unfinished as possible, so once you get your shield you can make it "your shield." Hopefully that made sense. Oh and Allan it is 110 degrees out there, you go work in it!!

thanks for the info guys

The straps and guige look great on the shields.

The stuff I got to see at bladeshow was very nice too.

Any chance of you guys doing historically accurate-ish riveted mail?

Just wanted to give a big thumbs up to Harlan and the boys. Just got in the 15th century legs, and I must say I am pretty impressed! The finish is pretty good and the quality of construction excellent for a "munitions" grade piece. For those on a budget, looking for a good piece of armor for recreation, WMA use or even collecting, I cannot recommend Mercenaries Tailor enough. I had previously seen a couple other pieces of their work, so I can say in all 5 pieces that I have run across, the quality has been very consistent. Good job guys!

JB

Heads up guys....

Prices on products from The Mercenary's Tailor will increase 20% on August 1st!!
Place your order before August 1st and still get the lower prices!

Steve We weren't consulted about this so as far as i'm concerned your Anglo-Saxon helm is still in stock at the original price through tommorow . We built 'em we know whats around . Feel free to contact us about any other items your interested in .

I received my Anglo-Saxon Helm today. A beautiful piece, exactly as specified - that is, munitions grade, not something that one would expect a king to wear on his throne. But a work of art in meeting its purpose. Even my wife, who rolls her eyes at the pointy things that I am starting to accumulate, commented on that the helm is beautifully done.

This is also a substantial, functional helm, and would clearly withstand a lot of abuse, such as pitched battle. I can't imagine why the box was marked "fragile". I guess that marking must have been for the box, itself.

Well done, Allan.