Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Starting Materials

Okay, here I will just begin to describe the I am gathering to begin our armor fabrication. Pictures will be accomplished this week-end.

The aspis (shield) will be formed by making a master shape from housing insulation then shaping chicken wire over the master to create the shield itself. The chicken wire will be covered on both sides by paper mache which may then be covered by paperclay, if deemed necessary. Then regular acrylic paints will suffice for decoration.

This first image is the three layers of insulation glued together.



The insulation with the shield shape superimposed.



Insulation cut to shape the form.


Chicken wire base molded to the form.


The chicken wire base removed from the form, displaying the characteristic aspis bowl shape.


And, finally, the base with paper mache exterior.




The dory (spear) should be much easier, in comparison. I am starting with a 10-foot length of 3/4-inch PVC pipe, reducing it to eight feet, and fashioning the spearhead itself from leftover insulation foam, shaped and inserted into each end. The ends will be tapered by removing diagonal slices then compressing them down to grip the spearhead and present a more aesthetically pleasing appearance.

The plain pipe and marked to remove wedges for tapering.




The pipe with tapering wedges removed and in tapered status.




And the insulation spearhead, already shaped, with the tang inserted into the pipe and everything will be secured with glue and bonding tape.





More to come as the prototyping begins!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Statement of Intent

As part of the rebirth of the UTSA Classics Club, an idea was bandied about to stage a public demonstration of hoplite style warfare. Sounds great, but obtaining at least a semi-authentic panoply--aspis, dory, cuirass, greaves, helmet--is not cheap and we are college students, after all.

The goal is to document the creation of the equipment using paper mache, modeling clay, and chickenwire. The results may not be super cool but should convey the proper impression of a fully-armed hoplite ready for battle. Also, by selecting readily available materials and easy-to-duplicate processes, we can create a wide variety of gear and everyone can paint their own shield.

Safety note: None of the weapons are functional. They are intended for visual appeal only and should be very safe as designed.

More to come as work progresses!