How to make a Viking shield. In this tutorial I’ll show you step by step how to make a shield like this
Historically Viking shields were made of planks, but since I’m using plywood I’ll carve it like this, to make it look like it’s made of planks
Since I don’t have a forge to raise this from one piece, like it was done historically, I made it from two parts instead
After you have shaped the piece a bit, bend the edges like this and then you can dish it more
This area here is a bit hard to shape with a dishing stump, so I used a cup like that for it
The shape changes a bit while dishing, so you’ll need to cut some extra out
I curved this piece a bit like that, so it will fit better with the round shape of the shield boss
Connect the pieces from 1 or 2 points, then you can shape the piece like this and drill the rest of the holes
Notice that I only have holes on one side now. The reason for this is that it’s quite hard to make the holes match, and it’s easier to make  later, as I will show you
You don’t pieces exactly like these, just use something similar to bend the other side
To make the pattern for the etching, I used a plastic tape like this, it seals pretty tight but it’s still easy to cut and take off when needed
For the etching you’ll need these
Then use vinegar to easily clean the piece
Now, you could leave it like that but I wanted to emphasize the pattern so I painted it with this gold paint
After this, there’s a few more steps to go
I didn’t have rivets that were long enough for the handle so I made a few myself
(worst joke ever)
