Shield Construction 7.5

Shields should be made from light, firm materials, should be well padded, and require a cloth cover. Hard edges may not be exposed. Good materials to use include substances with some give, such as plywood and high impact plastics. An interesting alternative is to use a plastic snow toboggan, which will produce a light shield that requires less padding. Another popular shield design uses only a thick foam disc, thus negating the need for additional padding (just a cloth cover). Be careful with these however, as not all foam materials are the same. Plank foam is a particularly durable and safe variety that makes for an excellent shield; while foam such as what ‘boogie boards’ are made of is effectively a rigid material and requires padding. Thick strips of leather make good arm straps. When using a non-foam shield, bolts should be attached with the head affixed to the exterior of the shield with washers, and then heavily padded with foam. All rigid-core shields must either have foam folded over the edges or have the shield edges recessed into the foam. All rigid-core shields must be covered with a layer of foam that is at least 1 inch thick on the face, and 1 inch on the edge. Shields must be at least as safe as the weapons we use.