Second Viking shield part 1

Second Viking shield part 1

After finishing my first Viking shield art project, I decided to make another one as I had found more timber up in my loft. So I started building it, but then realised I just did not have enough wood. As you may remember, this timber was used for the blind carving and my Viking shield. It came from a large industrial pallet that I took apart and put up in my loft over ten years ago.  The timber was warped, cracked and really rough, but I always knew I would use it for something other than cutting it up for firewood. 

Anyway, as I was saying, after starting to second shield, I now find I just do not have enough wood and also some it is just not usable. So I went down to the nearest DIY store and bought the cheapest cladding wood I could find and now have enough to also make a third shield as well.  As this new shield will be covered in canvas or linen and painted, as some original Viking shields would have been made, I went down to the local curtain shop and bought some large curtain liner cloth as this will do the job at a fraction of the cost, as linen and canvas is expensive. When the Vikings made this kind of cloth covered shield, they would then paint it with Viking / Celtic designs. This is what I intend to do once this shield is complete.

 

 So here are some of the construction processes that go into making my shield.

I did the edging the same way the Vikings would have done it, but used jute webbing instead of raw hide, as I just can not afford to buy raw hide. I feel the jute webbing looks every bit as good and as it is a sculptural art project and not going to be used for battle, I feel the jute works and looks authentic.

I have to say that putting the edging on the shield took me about 5 or 6 hours as it is made up from individual over lapping pieces that are nailed and sown on. After a few hours of working, I gradually found my rhythm when it was half way finished. Then it only took about an hour to complete the rest. 

I recon if I make this again, I will complete the edging in 1 ½ hours instead of 5 or 6.

So this photo shows the comparison between pre and post ageing. Also as you can see, I have temperately put a boss in the center of the edged shield, to give an indication what the finished piece will look like.    By the way, the two photographs were taken at different times of day and also by different cameras. 

Now all I have to do is research and create a Viking / Celtic design that I will then paint on, using natural earth colours like burnt sienna, red and orange ochre and colours that would have been available a thousand years ago.

So once again, thank you for reading my blog and I will show the completed shield in my next post.

Blind Carving part 3. New sculptural wood carving from a wooden pallet

Blind Carving part 3.  

New sculptural wood carving from a wooden pallet

 

I am glad to say that I got the blind carving project finished, and considering the materials and tools I used, I am very happy with it. Before I go any further into describing how I finished the project, I would like to show you some of the carving tools I used and also ones that I just could not find at the time.

 

I went up into the loft today and found some of my carving chisels, the ones I didn’t use on this piece. I do have a few more, but sill need to locate them.

These are two Ashley Iles chisels that I bought when I was still an apprentice in 1989. They cost me, I think, about £18-£22 each, which works out at €22.86-€27.94 in Euros. When I bought them, they were reasonably priced at the time and I also got a trade discount from the tool shop I bought them in. They are fantastic chisels and came already sharpened, honed and ready to use. They also keep sharp when in use.

 

Now in comparison, this is a full set of 12 carving chisels that I bought in Lidl in 2012. They cost me €16 for the whole set which is an average on €1.34 each as compared to between €22.86-€27.94 for just one chisel. In many ways it seems a no brainer that the Lidl woodcarving chisels I bought a few years ago are good value, which indeed they are. But I have already spent about 7 or 8 hours, grinding, sharpening and honing them, and even with all that time I still haven’t been able to get them even a fraction as sharp as the Ashley Ilse chisels. When I can get them sharp, they just don’t hold a keen edge as the tool steal is too soft. In saying that, they are an OK starter set for anyone that is willing to put the work into grinding, sharpening and honing.

 

So back to the blind carving project.

I was able to get the nine sections of the coin finished and as I did each piece, I stained them with the iron oxide, vinegar mix. 

 

I then put a coat of wax on as each piece dried and am glad to say it looks OK.

As all the sections are separate pieces, I had to join them up together. I used MDF flooring to make a back and used hot melt glue to stick the carving on it. Although it made the carving sturdy, it also made it very heavy and I think the weight would have been too much to hang it on a normal domestic wall. I decided to take the MDF off and use an old curtain liner as a backing. So I cut the curtain liner into strips and then glued and stapled it to the back of the carving. Once this had dried, I then glued the rest of the liner over the whole back, which covered the staples and made it all look neater. I then put some picture hanging wire on the back and it was almost finished and ready to hang on the wall.

I felt that the carving looked a bit grey, so I put some brown wax on and buffed it off when it dried. To be honest, I now feel that it may have looked better before the brown wax went on, although the brown does make the finished piece look warmer.

 

So this is the finished piece that was made out of a wooden pallet.

I know it is not perfect, but I do think the imperfections add to overall look. As you can see, not all the pieces match up and some of the wood has started to warp and crack. I have to say I am very happy with it and for the first time since 1997, I feel like doing wood carving again. The reason I say 1997 is because that is when I made my first and up until now, my last carving. Now that's another story that I will talk about some day, and the reason my good carving chisels were in my loft.


Thank you for reading my blog and please feel free to make a comment if you wish.