Viking shield: part I

Hello all!

I made a Viking shield a while ago, but I decided it wasn't accurate enough. Also, since it was about 32" wide, it was rather difficult to walk through doorways with it. So I decided to take it to pieces, and upgrade it.

First off, here is the original:



I had to remove all the clinched nails on the rawhide, and the few holding the handle on. It was difficult, but I did it. Here are the pieces after disassembly:



I trimmed the shield by 1.5" in radius, so decreasing the width by 3". Then I took a plane (the old-school kind) to the edges, to thin them down, making them more accurate, and also lighter. Here they are:



I ordered canvas ($2.49/yd.!), which I will use instead of leather on the face of the shield. It's considerably cheaper, and possibly authentic. I'll continue working on it when the canvas comes.

Until then,