Wilde_Night
Scholar
I think it would be creepier if he was singing a rendition of "Believe it or Not" aka The Greatest American Hero theme song. 
Shield Plastic
- Thread starter Frank Wiccan
- Start date
Duke Frost
Baron
Let's stay on topic you crazy kids!
The house insulation foam works great, as Matt has said. It's also pretty inexpensive. The 2" stuff is much sturdier. Go with that if you can as you'll then save time and money in glue. You also don't need saws or other more serious tools to work with the foam, so it's good for people in apartments or on a budget.
At HQ, we allow strips of camp foam to be used instead of the 5/8" foam, usually doubling up to make it 1" of foam around the edges. It's easier to find than the 5/8" and can give the shield a nice "square" look to it, without the weird edge overhang you can sometimes get.
They are super light too, which has kind of changed the game a lot over the last two decades.
We use these almost exclusively in NPC camp too. And a quick way to finish the front is to just put contact paper on it. They make all different colors and patterns, even nice wood finishes that don't look too horrible.
Scott
The house insulation foam works great, as Matt has said. It's also pretty inexpensive. The 2" stuff is much sturdier. Go with that if you can as you'll then save time and money in glue. You also don't need saws or other more serious tools to work with the foam, so it's good for people in apartments or on a budget.
At HQ, we allow strips of camp foam to be used instead of the 5/8" foam, usually doubling up to make it 1" of foam around the edges. It's easier to find than the 5/8" and can give the shield a nice "square" look to it, without the weird edge overhang you can sometimes get.
They are super light too, which has kind of changed the game a lot over the last two decades.
We use these almost exclusively in NPC camp too. And a quick way to finish the front is to just put contact paper on it. They make all different colors and patterns, even nice wood finishes that don't look too horrible.
Scott
Telokh_Amdo
Baron
Wilde_Night said:I think it would be creepier if he was singing a rendition of "Believe it or Not" aka The Greatest American Hero theme song.
He'd have to fly sloppy and crash into things and that just ruins the Dark Elf Cool factor.
Frank Wiccan
Adept
Yeh I had hoped that I wouldnt have to use any of my presious susply of 5/8ths
I was going to ask if i could use diff foam and Scott beat me to the punch
Sneeky DE's
FW
I was going to ask if i could use diff foam and Scott beat me to the punch
Sneeky DE's
FW
Alliance CT sells Corrugated plastic sheets big enough to make whatever shield type you want. We do not ship it though, so you either have to pick it up, or arrange for it to be brought to a game that a CT staff memeber is attending. Which is pretty much any game on the EC.
Sorry WC guys. But when I come out there I will be more than happy to birng you some shield plastic love too.
Sorry WC guys. But when I come out there I will be more than happy to birng you some shield plastic love too.
Tzydl Zhitelava
Baron
wynn and now ithica have both lost their shields to Fevergrey 
i've seen many a sled turned shield...i like them but they're very barbarian looking...if you want a different shape i would suggest plexi or wood..metal is gonna rust no matter how much paint you put on it and its harder to work with in a non-workshop environ. but i don't make shields so i'm not sure what works best. i'd ask people who's sheilds you've seen and admire how they made it...
i've seen many a sled turned shield...i like them but they're very barbarian looking...if you want a different shape i would suggest plexi or wood..metal is gonna rust no matter how much paint you put on it and its harder to work with in a non-workshop environ. but i don't make shields so i'm not sure what works best. i'd ask people who's sheilds you've seen and admire how they made it...
Saucers can be pretty easily dressed up to look nice if you like fighting with a round. Two good ways of dressing up are extra foam (yea more weight but you can afford it if your starting with plastic)bands of pipe foam crossing like spokes on a wheel can make for a nice 'reinforced' look, the other way being a cloth cover. Just grommit the edges of a round piece of cloth and cinche it with light rope around your shield, fabric paints or aplique (sp?) for designs and its washable.
For other designs wood is good but heavy I've seen it done out of layered cardboard (like enough to make it an inch or two thick) but wetness would suck for that. For plastics its tougher. Most places you'll need to just look for localy that deal in custom plastics for boats, car interiors, whatever, harder to find but light and very customizable.
For other designs wood is good but heavy I've seen it done out of layered cardboard (like enough to make it an inch or two thick) but wetness would suck for that. For plastics its tougher. Most places you'll need to just look for localy that deal in custom plastics for boats, car interiors, whatever, harder to find but light and very customizable.
Tzydl Zhitelava said:wynn and now ithica have both lost their shields to Fevergrey
i've seen many a sled turned shield...i like them but they're very barbarian looking...if you want a different shape i would suggest plexi or wood..metal is gonna rust no matter how much paint you put on it and its harder to work with in a non-workshop environ. but i don't make shields so i'm not sure what works best. i'd ask people who's sheilds you've seen and admire how they made it...
Metal's not so bad, but most metal shield blanks I've seen are aluminum to begin with, so rust isn't a problem. Aluminum's a bit overkill for boffer LARP, though.
Laguna Hallik
Adept
How much do the sheets go for, Jesse?
http://www.caldaria.com/costs.html
$6 per sheet. You usually use 2 to make a shield.
They are of an appropiate size to make any max size shield design I have ever seen.
Larger sheets can be made available at a negotiated cost.
$6 per sheet. You usually use 2 to make a shield.
They are of an appropiate size to make any max size shield design I have ever seen.
Larger sheets can be made available at a negotiated cost.
Laguna Hallik
Adept
If I purchased some sheets off of the Caldaria site, would you be able to bring them to the HQ event at the end of the month?
Collin
Collin
Frank Wiccan
Adept
Laguna Hallik said:
for me too
FW