Uh let's go something comedy
Shields are good.
Hi it's Tod from Tod's Workshop and Tod Cutler here and today we're back with part four of
the leather shield covering. So this is basically where I found a recipe, thank you comment section,
found a recipe for a 14th century covering for your shield that really intriguingly
uses half tan leather. So I've explained that in the previous films, go check it out
and iron filings and glass, powdered glass stuck between the two sheets of leather,
nailed to the front of your shield. And I quote "it will make your shield impenetrable
to edged tools". Well that's quite a boast. So in part two I had another look at it because
actually there were some questions that I wanted to address, part three I shot the heck out of it
with arrows, that's what all the holes are about and part four now is - I have a whole table top
full of edged and hitty tools, you know because if I'm gonna do it, let's do it in style, and we're
gonna see what happens. This is a 15th century style shield, 14th/15th century style planked
shield. Poplar not oak, not ash not elm, poplar. Nice and light, all glued together and then it's
faced with canvas inside and out it weighs in at 5.1 pounds/ 2.3 kilos. This is pretty typical for
the kind of shield they would have been using at the time. Now this red and orange section
had the leather, in the case of the red it had the powder and the iron in it as well and that offered
fantastic protection against the arrows, far more improved than over the regular shield area in the
yellow that I showed in part three of the films. Go check it out. But, and this is the big but,
it came in at a massive weight disadvantage. So this is 11.5 pounds/ 5.2 kilos for that shield
this shield 5.1 pounds/2.3 kilos. Less than half the weight of that. So the thing is there's got to
be an advantage to it if you're going to use it so is that advantage that it is impenetrable to edged
tools? I think we'd better find out haven't we? I'm going to start with a nice rondel here, it's
a short one, short rondel, very stout blade. Is it going to go through? Well that's right on the top.
Okay so that's a pretty stout rondel blade and it hasn't gone through. So I did a fantastic
film with Matt Easton where we took one of these Wallace roundels, a custom-made one,
but nonetheless very similar in blade shape to this. Let's give it a go.
Now actually, interestingly I think the added mass on that didn't help me let's just try that again.
Nah not so good. Oh I'm feeling defeated though. This is no good at all.
Yeah so we're not getting through there now. Interestingly what I haven't done of course,
it does bind though, ah okay now that is interesting I was not seeing
scratching on here on the arrowheads, but now this is a polished blade and I'm seeing
scratching. That's got to be coming from the glass and the iron presumably increasing friction. I'm
just going to have another go now actually on this see if I can even get through it.
Okay so we're now sticking out about an inch, about two and a half centimeters on the back face
so there is a difference,
there is a difference between the top and the bottom of the shield.
So at the moment that is impenetrable.
So those are both quite stout blades. I'm gonna go for
a more leaf-shaped blade so we've got this antenna dagger here
and a finer leaf-shaped blade. I don't know if you can see that clearly, now, clearly the grain on
the shield goes downwards so my best chance of getting through is aligning the blade with the
grain rather than across the grain so that's what I'm going to try and do in these cases.
Ah well that's actually quite interesting; the chance of battle.
Hasn't gone that far through, it's gone about an inch through but the point is it hit a
previous hole and it's that sort of thing, it's like the Arrows versus Armour films,
gets a bit dangerous when arrows get close to other impact points so let's go again.
Okay so that time wasn't near another hole hasn't gone through, so we'll go
into the yellow at the bottom.
About through about a centimeter. So the point is, against dagger impacts unsurprisingly, I suspect
it's pretty resistant. So in my hands at least the daggers are clearly not going to go through
the shield. A little bit at the bottom, but not importantly, but not at the top at all.
So I'm not going to bother with any of the rest of the daggers,
they're not working. So let's look at other things. So you might find yourself a medieval
Gordon Ramsay if you attack the wagon trains, so we've got a meat cleaver. So let's just
see I'm just going to go and try and hit the the point of it and just see if we can get in there.
Actually just about the bottom, uh
so we're going to go at the bottom now where there isn't any armouring.
Yeah so it's just breaking through, but again not very excitingly. Let's shake it up a bit we're
gonna go for a spear now. I'm gonna throw this, not the world's best thrower we've established
that, but I'm also going to lance, lunge with it. So I'm going to throw it, see how we do.
Well
45mm, one and three quarter inches out the back
it is interesting though I love showing these things.... blimey, where it binds, oh dear.
Really would be difficult to throw these things back in the heat of battle, but also,
oh goodness me that's sticking, there we go,
sticking out of your shield. It shows how easy it is to incapacitate an opponent. But anyway,
so this went through oh maybe 35/40 mm something like that, maybe a bit more. Let's go on the red.
Okay first thing to say is the blade orientation which is difficult obviously for me too
predict, blade orientation has gone the other way here, so
I'm gonna do that again. Let's see if I can get that vertical like the other throw was.
45 but no chance is that going through.
It's just not doing it it, really. Is it impenetrable? Yes but let's
see how the bottom does because there is no leather covering.
Okay that is quite different 50/50 millimeters,
two inches. There's no point here I suspect but it's good fun; fletched dart. Let's see how we go.
Not doing it, but again
just shows I mean you can't operate with one of these things poking out the front.
Uh let's go. Some comedy. So we've got a flail here, nice Hussite flail,
let's see how we do. It's not exactly edged, but you know.....
Well, made some marks.
Shields are good. Hammer. Goodness me. Right, hammer.
That penetrated.
But again, centimeter out the back. That really isn't enough to matter
actually, not much more. So the dragon hammer was no good, flail no good,
but they're sort of not really meant to penetrate shields that's not really what they're for,
but while we're here because it is interesting to know the sort of the destructive potential
as well, so I'm just going to take this hammer here and I'm going to go sort of
along the edge there and see basically if I can try and break off a section in essence.
No, and
in no cases have they penetrated the back.
Nor has that. So I mean that is the thing,'m in love with poplar shields, really am,
they're just amazing. Little light mace here, don't suppose it will do much, but it's faster.
Well okay went through.
No. So little mace is not doing anything, wouldn't want to get my flesh hit with it,
but shield? Nothing at all. Okay, sword nice falchion so obviously you might want
to chop down there. I'm going to save that a little, bit I'm just gonna see if we can go in
like this, hitting on the percussion point. Well certainly done a nice slice.
No, but you can see the construction a bit well it's going to have to come,
so we've got an axe, it's not actually a period appropriate one, but it's
nice Gransfors axe. Let's see if we can get this to go through.
I don't have a Viking battle axe, wish I did, should have one. Owen, James,
if you're listening, Christmas is coming, but I have a felling axe so let's see how we go.
Well that penetrated.
Well,
I say that, but actually not really, so its cracked the shield,
but you know we're still there. Let's see if we can get the yellow to go
and we're through. Again an inch through, two and a half centimeters. So here's the thing. Is this
covering impenetrable? Well actually largely yes, again I'll come back to the weight of the thing,
I think it's too much. However basic shield construction is the same as that other one
I've got, just seeing the battering this thing has taken it is still a functional shield,
so it's a pretty straightforward conclusion. The leather shield covering works
well actually or does it? Because actually the shield itself is pretty indestructible you know,
the the construction of these things is amazing. They are tough as heck,
you put tough as heck and you cover something else tough over the front of it well it's more tough,
yeah right I get it, but it's actually basically tough enough as it is. I can't get through it
with any ease at all. So I think that's really about it, before you go though remember sign up,
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this all going because you know it's not cheap. But before we do anything else I'll see you
again but I have one last superhuman weapon. Witcher Sword! Let's see what this does.....