how to make a boss

[stephan]

i want to make a boss give me hints i have some ideas but want outher peoples opions as well

stephan

[Víkarr]

I got a big hammer then grinded one of the ends of the head to a nice round face. then went all the way out to woodhill forrest and rolled a huge dirty muddy pine stump over cross country in the dark (while trying to ignore mental images of scenes from the Blair Witch), somehow managed to lift it into the boot, came back grinded a bowl shaped hole into the top of the stump and now use it for dishing. then I got a of 2x4 beam, put it in a vice, rounded one end and use that to planish the metal. Wear leather gloves, cold working metal is a real pain on your hands.

I have a crap load of mild steel scrap you can have for bosses. If you want it just ask.

btw there is a good article on how to make a boss at the armourarchive.

V.

[Bogue]

I started with a piece of three mm plate, a stump not to disimilar to that which Victorious previously posted, a big hammer and a pile of thread on tow balls (Ground to different shapes)

If at all possible do it hot rather than cold, Even a gas ring will be enough.
The 3mm makes it the most solid part of the shield (Broken a couple of Dave Smith's target arrows on it).
Also with that thickness you can grind it back rather than plenish it out for a smooth surface.

Cheers

Bogue

[Bogue]

oooooopppps sorry wrong "V" person




Bogue

[Victorius]

That's OK, we know who you meant...
It's funny having two Victors in Auckland re-enactment, and to avoid confusion it was Victor's Dark Company who came up with calling me Victorius. It kinda works, so I went along with it.

[stephan]

thanks all good points that i will take into considertion


need to find a big stump......

[Oskar der Drachen]

Hi all,

I needed to start another project to bleed off some stress, so I'm making a Buckler. I'll be constructing over the next few weeks, and if anyone has suggestions or comments I'd be most grateful!

I'm using 2.5mm mild steel for the boss to give some heft, a plate of aluminium for the face (to be painted) , and a transverse handle rather than straps on the back. I'm planning on facing the back with boards or 25mm ply, and edging with leather. The dimensions are about 35cm in total diameter, 20cm across the boss disk, and the raised section about 14cm across. Not sure what the total weight is going to be, but I'm aiming for "chunky". I will give thought to how it moves as I progress, and vary the materials accordingly.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/oskar_der_drachen

YIS,

Oskar

[Boyd]

Hi O.D.D

May I recommend that you leave off the aluminium and go for a leather face instead? The leather helps slow someones blow across your buckler face. Also lighter is better - I have a chunky one I purchased from MLH in Taranaki and it wears you out a bit!

Cheers

Boyd

[Phil Berghan-Whyman]

[Oskar der Drachen]

I'll be sure to have a good swing with it before I get the weight finalized.

I'm building for SCA combat, so I want the thing to be sturdy enough to weather all thos stick strikes.

With the edging and the raised boss I dont think there will be enough of the face exposed to make a difference in composition. The face is going to be flat instead of domed too.

I've posted some 2nd pass pictures on the Flikr site now, the boss is 5cm high in the centre, and will end up close to 6 cm.

[Oskar der Drachen]

Hi All,

I'm well advanced now, have a look!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/oskar_der_drachen

I've decided to go with the idea of facing with leather, but I'm still going with the aluminium face, and a plastic backer. Before you go **ICK** please have a look at the pictures! The plastic is black, and has a randomly textured finish, kind of like suede. The plastic/aluminium layers are for structural stiffness and "spring" to avoid edge deformation. I have also dished the face wich also adds structure & strength. These will be the principle layers. No wood in this construction after all.

I have yet to decide to go with just a folded over edge, and then secured, or cut the face to the edge and add a seperate edging. Not a lot of difference to the edge proofing, and the seperate edging would add weight, but look nicer.

Opinions?

[quentin]

Looks significantly over engineered to me! Espicially for padded sticks.

but going to be a nice piece for all of that.

You sure its not too heavy for the usage ?

[Oskar der Drachen]

Ahhh, Over-Engineering is my middle name!

I'm still not convinced it's small enough. I was looking for evidence of scale in the drawings I was able to find, and this seems to be in the "large" category at 35 cm across, but certainly not the biggest I have seen evidence of. Maybe if there were some examples out there that people liked, and might be willilling to measure and weigh for me?

Please?

The total weight is going to be close to four pounds or about 1.8 kilos and that will be at present dimensions complete with the leather cover.

I'm not sure yet what "too heavy" for me means. All my gear tends to be heavier than the average so I'm really no judge. I'm seriously considering taking the overall diameter down by an inch off the edge.

the link again is here, all advice appretiated!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/oskar_der_drachen

[Stuart]

Making a boss is not too difficult if you have the gear. Start with mild steel about 3mm. Raise to medium red heat on a forge and hammer. Try to hammer from the outside edge of the plate towards the center, not the other way around.
If all this is too much trouble, and you want a quick shield boss, try asking your local scrap metal dealer for car or washing machine clutch plate covers. They make really good instant shield bosses.

[Boyd]

If you are going to be doing any MS 1.33 style sword and buckler grappling then 350mm is really big and it will get in the way of everything! You'll also want a raised / stepped handle.

Cheers

Boyd