thegirlsclub

Cunian

A kitchen scrubbie pad with a bit of soap and water actually does work amazingly well. Not that this shouldn't have been obvious with a bit of thought, but I hadn't tried it before.

Hakon · Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 9:23 am Post subject:

If you varnish the shield after painting it works even better, I won't tell you how many years it took me to notice this but more than it should.

H

Cunian · Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 1:35 pm Post subject:

I've been using several coats of poly on top of the paint. (But I am comforted to hear that there are other slow learners out there. Laughing

) At this point I think the major construction point I need to improve is the actual gluing of the canvas. I will have to try the truly messy soaking-canvas-in-glue-solution version, since I do still get the odd tear. Even with all the poly. But sticking the torn bit down with double-sided fabric carpet tape and then refinishing over that seems to be a pretty durable fix at least.

Arngrim · New Club Member Joined: 13 Sep 2008 Posts: 44 : Items

I don't know how you do it now, but painting the shield in glue, laying the fabric on the glue, and then painting it with glue again is not that messy, and works very well!
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rauokinn · Senior Club Member Joined: 01 Apr 2007 Posts: 484 : Items

okay, my husband just made me my first shield with a canvas covering on it -- what do you guys recommend putting on top on the painted canvas to make it last the longest without adding too much weight? we have spray verathane -- will that work?

Cunian · Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 2:54 am Post subject:

I know a lot of people use and like the spray stuff. I tried it and went back to paint-on poly because for me it didn't seem as durable. (And that was after about 5 spray coats!) But I might have been doing something wrong. And I beat up my shield something awful because I play a pretty close-range game so it gets a lot of abuse by armour and baskets and such.

Isabella E · Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 4:10 am Post subject:

I just use a spray clear coat to seal mine after I paint the primed surface. Some people say Killz primer works really well too.I have been thinking of trying shellac (sp?) but won't until I paint a new one.
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Hakon · Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 8:08 am Post subject:

Seconding the glue not being messy and when I do it the fabric is saturated with the stuff. Maybe it's because I use layers of linen on wood or maybe it's because I use so much glue but I never had the fabric tear, divots gouged out by basket hilts yes but no tearing.

As for varnish I use a couple layers of yacht varnish and then a layer of matt over the top to dull it down.

H

Isabella E · Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 3:57 pm Post subject:

I use epic amounts of glue. I pretty much saturate the fabric with watered down wood or elmer's glue then smooth it on with my hands. (for a wooden shield) When I did a friend of mine's aluminum shield I used a spray adhesive. I do a bunch of layers of clear coat though which I think helps give it some durability.
_________________
It's not the most powerful animal that survives. It's the most efficient. -Georges St-Pierre
http://windyvalleybanners.blogspot.com/