Cheap targe revisited

[auld argonian]

Two thoughts:

re: using the rawhide to cover the shield...I assume that they put it on wet and then let it dry and shrink to fit the form. Anybody remember the book/tv miniseries "Centennial"? The stock of a musket gets broken and Pasquinale uses a strip of rawhide to make it better than new by boiling the rawhide, wrapping the re-assembled stock with it and letting it shrink down to tighten up. It would seem to me that this would make something that was even more sturdy than one owuld expect.

...and we're using flat pieces of plywood...were the originals made of one piece of wood or a couple of pieces fitted together? Also, were they flat or were they convex (for lack of a better term)? If they were done with a gouge, they might be convex and I'd think that that would be more advantageous in many ways...

...just askin'...

Best

AA

[Woodsheal]

...and we're using flat pieces of plywood...were the originals made of one piece of wood or a couple of pieces fitted together? Also, were they flat or were they convex (for lack of a better term)? If they were done with a gouge, they might be convex and I'd think that that would be more advantageous in many ways...

The wooden cores of originals were "plywood" - two layers of planking glued and pegged together with the grains at right angles. Some period paintings and drawings seem to show convex targes, but all of the surviving originals are flat, so maybe it was "artistic license"....

[Caradoc]

The wooden cores of originals were "plywood" - two layers of planking glued and pegged together with the grains at right angles.

The piece that I remember the documentation for had three layers of planking - very thin - at sixty degree angles, not right angles.

Of course, I may be misremembering another shield type instead of a targe. I can't find the reference to that at the moment.

[Brasilikilt]

I had an idea for a couple minutes to possibly use wood flooring glued to a very thin 1/8" piece of plywood, but then decided to go with regular 3/4" (crappy) plywood. I have a rough circle of it cut out in my shop right now and will rasp the edges up a little more evenly.

I cut mine out at 24" which seems like a good size for me, but after reading some of your posts it seems that slightly smaller might be more historically accurate. I'm guessing it might be because most people were built a little smaller than we are today.

What thickness of leather is best for the front? I'm guessing that a thicker saddle weight leather would be ideal.

What is best to use for padding on the back? I already have a piece of leather salvaged from an abandoned couch, but it doesn't offer much comfort or protection for my arm.

Thanks for any help

Iain

[Bob C]

What is best to use for padding on the back? I already have a piece of leather salvaged from an abandoned couch, but it doesn't offer much comfort or protection for my arm.

Thanks for any help

Iain

Steal some of the filler material from the same couch, if you can.

[Brasilikilt]

Steal some of the filler material from the same couch, if you can.

No can do, the couch is long gone, and even then I don't think I would want 4" thick foam in my targe.
I was wondering what had been used originally, and what our modern targe makers on the forum use for padding.

I took a look around my store room and saw PLENTY of 1/2" plywood to use. After reading your reccomendations, I might just use that.

Woodsheal, if you're reading this, how many brass tacks did you use for your targe? Would 350-400 be enough for a simpler design ya think?

[Andrew Green]

Brasilikilt:
I would use some kind of fur on the back. I am thinking I might try and dig up rabbit pelts, since when they are found, they are cheap, and just stictch a couple together and tack them on (provided that I do not go with the precuts...but if I haven't found a source by next payday, precuts it is).

I was also thinking of maybe layering in some wool for padding, and then tacking in some red wool over the top of that (I read somewhere that redcoat pieces were used for such things sometimes). Thoughts from the more experienced crowd?