loto
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Post by loto on May 14, 2008 21:47:58 GMT -5
Has anyone attempted to use Polystyrene for a lightweight shield? I've got a huge piece of it, but am skeptical of how durable it maybe. It's definitely solid, and really light, but not sure if it can take the abuse of too many shield kicks. I've punched this chunk I've got, and it's held up, but haven't bothered to kick it.
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Rowan
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NS Chieftan
Only by death of sword will I get into heaven!
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Post by Rowan on May 14, 2008 22:40:09 GMT -5
Polystyrene would start to crumble and deteriorate after a very quick time... also, you would still need to cover it with "blue" foam because it is hard stuff.
Rowan the Fluffy
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loto
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Post by loto on May 14, 2008 22:58:44 GMT -5
Ya, that's what we were starting to determine. The polystyrene that I've got is incredibly dense and seems like it can take some decent abuse before breaking down. Covering it with some blue foam isn't a huge issue, we're just a little more worried about it taking a kick or two more then anything.
*Edit* We cut off a 2' x 2' section and have kicked it around a bit and it's holding up much better then we thought. We're going to try and make a round shield out of it and beat on it just to test it out.
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Rowan
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NS Chieftan
Only by death of sword will I get into heaven!
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Post by Rowan on May 15, 2008 8:04:03 GMT -5
I hope it works out for you. When I get my next college loan I'm getting a few pieces of lamanat flooring backing (stuff they use for ethellen shields) to make some warboards for the NSers to use. I'm prolly making two 3 foot dia. rounds and a couple 3x4 towers.
Does your group have a website coming along yet?
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loto
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Post by loto on May 15, 2008 11:56:12 GMT -5
No website yet.
We've got a 2 foot diameter round shield cut out of this polystyrene. We're testing it to see what sort of adhesive works on it. Spray adhesive eats through it, checking contact cement now. Gorilla glue works, but is honestly too expensive to use on this. We think we might hafta go get some insulating/wood paneling glue to use on it, but that's acceptable to us. We're hoping to have a couple of these made by today to test out.
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Post by Syr Kaigar Vegulfr Lodbroksonr on May 15, 2008 13:25:30 GMT -5
Yeah, definately let us know how the DAP works, or if it doesn't, any alternatives.
What's the cost like for that stuff?
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loto
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Post by loto on May 15, 2008 16:42:10 GMT -5
Ok, here's the news. DAP and the spray adhesive both melt this foam. Gorilla glue however works just fine. What we're doing is making this like the shields that use polyethylene in a way. Since this stuff is a little harder, we're just gonna add some blue foam.
On the back, we cut out a grove about 1 1/2 inch deep for your hand. Mine is teardrop shape, about 4 feet in length and 2 feet wide. For mine we used close to a 4 foot section of 1/2 inch schedule 40 pvc as a support/core. Cut a grove 1/2 inch deep in the foam, down the length of the pvc and glue it in with gorilla glue.
Since DAP and spray adhesive both melt this stuff, we decided to get a foam board adhesive that's in one of those tubes that you need the squeeze thing to squeeze it out, like calking. We're just now getting to the point where we're gonna put on the blue foam. Hopefully 1 layer is enough on the face, with a second smaller square on the spot where the grove for the hand hold is. Then we'll run a length of blue around the edge.
As for cost, we got a 4' x 8' sheet of it from Menards for 20 dollars. However, the stuff we got technically is $24 for the sheet, but they screwed up on the pricing so we got it cheaper. The stuff we're using is a big pink sheet of polystyrene Foamula R 250. The number indicates the density of the foam. 250 was the highest they had. The 150 stuff is the $20 foam normally. I'll give you guys and update once we get the blue foam on, and pics of of the two shields we currently made and a comparison to my plywood core shield.
Since we're a college group who tend to have little money, we're cataloging the construction prices of everything so we know how much everything costs in case one of our members wants to buy something, and we plan on offering a starter set which will contain a tunic, small buckler which is made of entirely blue foam, sword, and possibly a 4-5 foot short spear for about $20.
I'll post updates in a few hrs.
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greybeard
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The perminant indentity informs the temporary ones
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Post by greybeard on May 15, 2008 17:42:02 GMT -5
This is what I've been doing with shields It's the 2" pick stuff woodglued to 1/8" hard board. Yup 1/8" seems thin... it's not. glued in place it's more than enough backing. I've used it full speed into Wolfgar and Finn and it's still rock solid. It's faced and edged with blue foam. (gorilla glued) I also cut a pool noodle in half and glued it around the edge. I then spray glued the face and covered it with green open cell foam for some curtesy padding. A nice cover after that and you have a great light shield that will hold up to the big guys. Oh... the handle is PCV carefully cut into the pinbk foam and "great stuff" ed into place. A can of "great stuff" spray foam os very handy. Two small screws through the hardboard are not necessary, but I think they have helped stabbleize the handle. The straps I use are fabric and run through and around the pink foam and tie on the back side.
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loto
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Post by loto on May 15, 2008 19:52:07 GMT -5
I like the shield, but the problem we're trying to avoid is the outrageous cost of the green open cell foam. The only place we can get it at the moment is Joann Fabrics, and it's $22 a yard. That's horrible, and makes anything but the smallest shields outrageously expensive.
We've made 2 shields using plywood backing, with the green open cell and blue closed cell, following the Roman shield design (except that it's square, FTR!!! "frak the Romans")
We've made a 3rd buckler/small shield that's oval in shape. 14" wide and 20" in length. It has 2 straps, using DAP to sandwich the straps between the 2nd and 3rd layers.
The small buckler cost about $6 or so to make. It's actually much bigger then you would think. It might be one of the starter shields we give in our starter pack.
We're just looking for cheaper ways to make shields, cause the vast majority of large shield designs cost 30-40+ because of either the polyethylene, boogy boards, or green open cell. We're considering just saying that if a member wants a large shield, they'll need to pay for the materials on their own, and we'll help em construct it. But if we can make large, cheap shields out of this stuff, we will.
although it's good to see that this stuff can be used. We may consider using a panel backing, like you mentioned. But we want to avoid the green stuff as much as possible.
What exactly is this great stuff spray foam?
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greybeard
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The perminant indentity informs the temporary ones
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Post by greybeard on May 16, 2008 12:48:58 GMT -5
The green open cell in my drawing in only 3/4" curtesy padding... you could use any cheep foam for it... And you don't really NEED it. It's just for curtesy... You could make the same without it... or dubbel the blue.
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