Making leather shield armour - Impenetrable? Part 1

I have made traditionally constructed shields before and the slow arrows, but they do not stop them completely and then I came across an original recipe for protecting your shield from "spears and edged weapons".
Now that is something I have to try, so here I make the leather protection according to the recipe and in the next film I will shoot it, spear it and stab it.
And yes, I know the 'axe' I show is in fact a sword.....
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[@Stephen_Curtin]

I thought when I saw the title, couldn't be... he's not going to make that thing I shared years ago. Wow great stuff as always Tod.

[@GrandMarshalGarithos]

If it isn't the man of the hour, nice one.

[@brianreddeman951]

Thank you for sharing that with Tod

[@tods_workshop]

Thanks Stephen - appreciated and enjoy the shout out

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Outstanding contribution - thanks to you and Tod

[@sirwi11iam]

Nice one

[@notfeedynotlazy]

Todd, medieval sources from XIII century Castille specifically mention that the glues used for leather shields were *NOT* the common animal glues but _"engrudo de queso"_ ("cheese glue paste"), that is, medieval casein glue. Casein glues are far superior to common hide (collagen-based) glues. You might want to have this in mind if you wish to revisit this test. EDIT: (Source: MENENDEZ PIDAL, GONZALO, _La España del siglo XIII leida en imágenes,_ Real Academia de la Historia, Madrid, 1986.)

[@davidroomes9087]

Casein glue comes from milk, right? Milk, all by itself, is an excellent glue for sticking paper labels on glass. Perhaps it was milk that they boiled the leather in for armor. I would love to see a comparison of leather being boiled in different liquids and compared for final toughness: wax, water, oil, milk, fat, etc. Which one produces the best hardened leather armor?

[@jancello]

That's known from other sources (like Theophilus) but is most likely meant for the glue to join the planks, not necessary for the facing.

[@notfeedynotlazy]

@@jancello nope, specifically to glue the facing to the planks

[@jancello]

@@notfeedynotlazy Oh, thanks. IIRC Theophilus suggests casein for the wood joining then hide glue for the facing.

[@adifferentangle7064]

Casein would make sense, hide glue is not a good filler glue at all. It's strength comes from the physical connection between different surfaces, so if you have gaps it gets weaker. Not to mention if left in the weather for extended periods hide glue can break down and your knight could wake up one dewy morning to find his shield a sticky mess.

[@Daylon91]

Us native Americans made Buffalo hide shields that when held at the right angle could deflect musket balls. Both the Sioux and Comanche had these shields and said their shields protected them so men would aim low to kill the horse or go under the shield

[@billmiller4972]

Hypothesis: The iron filings will not only blunt sharp edges just as the glass but contain iron-ions on their surface that will form metallocomplexes with the aminoacids in the glue, thus crosslinking everything with quite strong bonds.

[@someidiot6545]

RIP for the shield maker who had to follow this recipe before fume hoods were invented.

[@tamago3131992]

Setting everything aside, I just love the fact that the only thing you "advertise" is your own hardwares, no sponsorship, no advertisement, it's really rare these day on yt.

[@tods_workshop]

Thanks and fortunately I can use YT to support the business rather than relying on income from YT which is vary variable and ultimately not much at my scale

[@JosefGustovc]

Cool! One of the paveses in a German museum (can't remember wich, sorry) actually has crushed iron ore in it's covering. Bichler did a reproduction and shot at it with a crossbow. Similar concept to that English recipe =). I'll post the link here when I find it!

[@tods_workshop]

Thanks Augusto I will check it out

[@JosefGustovc]

@@tods_workshop Found it! But text is in german =(. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fWO1nWx6gbqZl9E

[@AggelosKyriou]

@@tods_workshop It's still up in his channel Medieval Crossbows with the title "Shooting a 1200 lb composite crossbow" 3:21 seconds starting with the recipe for the pavise

[@medusa1147]

Since the bottom half of your shield was empty in the video, it might be interesting to do a layer of the double leather and glue, but skip the glass and iron on that section. Then during testing you could compare the two and see if the glass/iron mixture actually helps, or if all the extra strength just comes from the leather

[@ArgonZavious]

I think the brass mortar is important. A mortar would create blunted glass balls and not shards. would make it much more pleasant to use. The actual shape of the particles in a mixture can affect the properties.

[@madmanthepope6448]

Also, get a large piece of cloth and put the glass balls inside to pound into a fine powder finish with a grinder like you would grain or motor and pestle.

[@andrewsock1608]

I think it is to allow the glass to dig into the mortar and that allows it to be crushed finely without chunks like Todd got. The brass traces will also help protect the glue and leather from insects ,bacteria and mould. The glass is probably used to dull edges and stop the glue from cracking. Same reason they add sand to clay when making pottery. If there is no sand the pot cracks when it dries. Glad I could answers all these questions for the modern experts😉😂🤣

[@2adamast]

Simply using sand?

[@Arachnoid_of_the_underverse]

Just a thought, but these could be swapped out with glass beads as used in high pressure cleaning

[@daviddavidson2357]

Yeah, I would assume the glass would need to be dull, you aren't going to work with something that shreds your hands after making two or three shields. Glass beads used in composite plastic manufacture could work, or if you can get brass balls you could use those to ball mill the glass into powder.

[@eirikronaldfossheim]

There is an interesting text from Heimskringla on arrows penetrating shields. It is Magnus Erlingsson saga, chapter 40, the Fall of Nikolas. It happened in 1177. "... the Birchlegs went and filled the whole courtyard and then went to the upper loft from all sides. They shouted to each other. The Birchlegs offered Nikolas quarter, but he refused. After that they fought. Nikolas and his men defended themselves with bowshots and handshots and stones from the chimney, but the Birchlegs knocked down the buildings and shot as often as they could. Nikolas had a red shield with gilt studs in it and stars on it, a hiálms made. *The Birchlegs shot so that the arrows stuck in as far as the binding of the heads.* Nikolas spoke: ‘The shield is now proving false to me.’ There Nikolas fell and a large part of his company..." Just that last part about arrow penetration, "The Birchlegs shot so that the arrows stuck in as far as the binding of the heads." "Nicolás hafdi raudan skiölld, oc gylltir naglar í, oc stirnd hiálms-giörd á. Birkibeinar skuto sva uppi stód á reyr-böndunum."

[@rexbarron4873]

A bittbefore the 14th century longbow which is different animal altogether

[@Knoloaify]

​@@rexbarron4873 Longbows from the 3rd century have been found in Scandinavia. Since they were self-bows (bow made from a single piece of wood using the natural qualities of the wood), they were most likely no different from the ones used during the 14th century. In fact the Royal Armouries state the following: "In addition, a 2 m (6 ½ ft)-long Viking bow from the 10th century, found in Hedeby, is almost identical to those 16th-century longbows found on Henry VIII's sunken warship The Mary Rose." So the bows in this extract from the Heimskringla were probably identical to the "English" longbows.

[@jancello]

@@Knoloaify The principle and material of the bows was the same but the poundage was in general lower (more in the 70-90# range rather than 110-160). Which implies lower penetration. The surprising element is that the heads have binding, which is reminiscent of the construction of earlier, tanged arrowheads (which were the most common type in the Viking Age but not before and not after). A mention in the Heimskringla would prove that they were kept in use longer...

[@eirikronaldfossheim]

@@jancello The complet hedeby bow is 4 cm wide, 3.3 cm deep and 191 cm long and _could_ have been as heavy as 130lb at 28 in, depending on the elastisity of the wood.

[@another3997]

The world is a big place, and mankind has been around a long time, so it's almost inevitable that most variations and combinations of armour have been tried somewhere, at some time. The availability of materials and (relatively) local knowledge, means that multiple variations would exist in isolation in different locations. Each would be considered a "good" method if it improved protection, until they found something even better. Today we have the benefit of hindsight and a few thousand years of shared learning to draw upon... and we still can't agree on what's "best".

[@lukaslambs5780]

Combining rigid hardness with tear resistant, shock absorbing material is the best combo for any sort of armor, modern or ancient!

[@jamesfrankiewicz5768]

Some time ago, ThegnThrand did a video on making a viking round shield (center-bossed), with near-authentic materials. He used a homemade "cheese glue", but he filtered milk instead of using moldy, leftover cheese. It was leather-covered (as with your shield), but only a single-layer each side, but no fancy "additives" to the glue. Even with that construction, it was pretty darn resilient. Also, ThegnThrand is producing videos again!

[@2bingtim]

That was an amazing result. But it was rawhide rather than tanned leather he used to cover, front & back, the shield. Tremendously effective. The 6mm pine wood just served as the "skeleton" to support the rawhide as it dried.

[@tomp6548]

There must be something to that crushed glass mixture; here's a reference to making Persian rawhide armor: "When dry, four layers of a special glue compound were applied to the surface of each plate, allowing drying-time between each coat. This ‘glue’ included granules of red copper and crushed corundite (emery), as well as two other substances that have not yet been identified by translators" - Mike Loades, The Composite Bow. I also recall references to crushed rock being used instead, off the top of my head

[@morgansmith1930]

That's so cool! Shot in the dark, but crushed sandstone would contain a lot of silica - basically glass. It's so neat to know that leather armor is actually a thing!

[@tods_workshop]

Marble was part of that mix too I think - there is a full translation of the Arabic in these comments somewhere

[@mountaindave01]

the plains tribes of American natives used to make rawhide layered shields that were so tough that they were said to repel musket balls. they didn't use the filling mixture, but they did, to the best of my recollection, use natural glue.

[@edwardbear3683]

An amazing example of composite leather armor! I never even knew such a recipe existed! I already can't wait to see the tests done against such tough-looking stuff.

[@daviddavidson2357]

I like how you wore the big sandblasting helmet every time you dealt with the glass except for the time when glass powder was going everywhere.

[@AllanMacMillan]

I noticed that as well. Fortunately for Todd, glass is amorphous not crystalline, so the body can get the dust out the lungs. If this were a dust of a crystalline solid like some sort of rock dust it would have been more worrisome.

[@ShiningDarknes]

@@ProperlyParanoid yeah that guy is being way too optimistic, glass, that is to say crudely crushed glass, is nothing but jagged edges. He even mentioned he could feel his hands getting loads of tiny cuts... yeah those tiny cuts on the skin, that will also happen to your raspatory system if you inhale glass dust from crudely crushed glass, this isn't like glassworks recycled glass that has been churned against itself which causes it to become thoroughly blunted, he put some glass in a tube and crushed it to powder, not nearly enough to blunt the hundreds of thousands of tiny glass knives that creates.

[@daviddavidson2357]

@@ProperlyParanoid Yeah the structure and particle size matters. It's why asbestos dust is much more harmful than silica dust. You can still get silicosis however.

[@AllanMacMillan]

@@ProperlyParanoid As I understand it, it does matter, but the how isn't well understood.

[@wonderboy2402]

Amazing they used glass.

[@SlitherThing]

The things people have tried when it comes to composite materials are always interesting. Fandabi Dozi just had a video recently where they tested 3 different construction methods for the Scottish Targe against musket balls, and some of them included a layer of wool between the layers of wood. Fascinating stuff!

[@2bingtim]

Great stuff SlitherThing. Do you have a link to that please?

[@SlitherThing]

@@2bingtim Sorry about the wait, here you are: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h2LOlXV6g9OXabc

[@markiobook8639]

In the text "Conservation of Leather and Related Materials": Kite & Thomson: Routldge (2006) pp94-96: postillon boots used heated colophony pine resin, bees wax, and p98 details pitch being used on the raw flesh side. Apparently the "pitching technique" used for carriage boots was accurately duplicated from: De Garsault (1767) "Art du Cordonnier" in Arts du Coir (1984) Geneva, Slatkine.

[@T0ghar]

Part of my work is selling those 3M Versaflow mask and filter systems to the automotive repair industry. Even though it is worse for the audio recording for the video, I recommend keeping the mask on with activated fan or using a textile FFP3 mask when applying fine and hazardous materials on things like the shield.

[@tods_workshop]

Thanks and for the record for anyone out there - these masks are amazing and worth every penny

[@billp3337]

It's amazing how Tod makes worn out work clothes look cool.

[@cammobunker]

A master craftsman and scholar, educating the KZbin masses while looking homeless. Truly a Renaissance man indeed. Somebody make him a leather apron!

[@derstoffausdemderjoghurtis]

He doesn't even wears his legendary sweatshirt jacket in this one^^

[@tods_workshop]

Hoodie is still not dead and will come back out this winter. It has failed to die

[@bobthegoat7090]

It is amazing how Tod can make something he has never done before, yet he still looks like a master craftsman that has done it for decades.

[@fastenbauer]

Tod just cutting the leather instead of throwing it all out and starting all over, is actually a nice call back to the previous videos about the quality of craftsmanship. Just doing the quick and easy solution probably is exactly what a craftsman back then would have done.

[@tods_workshop]

Probably as in fact it would be covered and nobody would know, but we just have to discount any hits on exactly that area

[@MonkeysEmperor]

Primitive Technology and Tod's Workshop both keep me alive

[@JoramTriesGaming]

The first thing I thought on seeing the glass-coated leather was "this looks like roofing felt" - can imagine it felt similar.

[@doppel5627]

Dear Tod, there is something extraordinary in watching your videos. You awake a boy in a 53 years old man. Thank you for that!

[@jonathanbridgstock4033]

Very cool, can’t wait to see the rest of the process and the testing. Also, requesting “cooking with tod” 😅

[@triskeldeian4989]

Basically the medieval recipe for composite armour :)

[@sepeck2]

This is neat. Having used the wax method for armor 20 years ago, I kind of want to try this glue method now.

[@tods_workshop]

It is fabulous and it has so many decorating benefits too.

[@BasMeek]

I sort of feel like if you listened to this 'recipe' while you were in the kitchen, you'd end up with a completely edible meal.

[@Dagonius.]

In Germany, someone taking far too long to get their job done, is called a "Leimsieder" (pronounced almost like: "laim seeder", which means "glue boiler". Because you have to keep an eye on the glue at all times, heat it up very very slowly and can't leave it on it's own, otherwise it will overheat and be spoiled... Bit too late for this information, isn't it?! LOL Thanks for your awesome work!😘

[@guildofsayntlukemedievalar9024]

Love German idioms, the one about a man winding a beard in the cellar makes me laugh every time.

[@ModernKnight]

superb find of that text, and fascinating experiment. makes me rethink cuirbouilli horse armour.

[@tods_workshop]

Thanks Jason, I think it was really a very good material, I just think it is not generally done right

[@David_Fellner]

Seeing that glass powder wafting up in the air was truly scary. I'm glad you were wearing that helmet/mask for that. Also, here's to hoping Shad sees this and makes an Underappreciated Medieval or Fantasy Rearmed video on it. I think we all knew leather could get hard, but I had no idea just _how_ hard.

[@ilari90]

He didn't, when he spread it on, I was wheezing watching that.

[@tods_workshop]

Yeah, I was too. I didn't realise it was so much in the air until I watched the film

[@jasond1433]

Here in America, there are many stories of Sioux and Comanche buffalo hide shields being effective against old flintlock style firearms, until Colt Walkers and Winchester repeaters came on the scene and rendered them obsolete. As an example, Sitting Bull is rumored to have deflected a shot with his shield during a duel with a Crow chief when he was a young man. Interesting video!

[@SasoriZert]

Tod the amount of effort and love you put into yours videos is evident in each everyone. The fact you are not only such a skilled craftsman but have such passion and love for the history of your work and bring that to us to watch and learn from I praise you my guy your a true legend.

[@tods_workshop]

Thank you, that is very kind and the bottom line is that I enjoy it

[@SasoriZert]

@@tods_workshop I'm so glad you do enjoy it Tod it's evident that you do cause of how excited you get when testing things out it makes me want be right there helping you. Please never lose your drive for this kinda work you are an inspiration for us all to find work we all enjoy to do in life.

[@euansmith3699]

A teaser trailer for "Man Shoots Shield 2"? Count me in. Tod's experimental videos are always cool.

[@bryangrote8781]

Leather can be amazingly strong if treated the right way so this is very interesting. On a related topic, I've wondered for a long time about how effective leather shields used by various indigenous tribes such as the American Indian and African tribes were at stopping edged weapons, arrows, or even bullets. I've read a few accounts that claimed the shields carried by American Plains Indian tribes were able to deflect arrows and even bullets at times and were usually made of hardened buffalo hide. One such account I recall is in "The Last Captive", the memoirs of Hermann Lehman who was captured as a boy by the Lipan Apaches in the Texas Hill Country in the early 1870s. He later also joined the Comanches in Quanah Parker's tribe (very unusual as these tribes were mortal enemies) near the end of the Indian Wars, soon after which he was re-captured. After he (mostly) adapted to rejoining White society again he spoke of his experiences after his capture which were recorded by a biographer. This biography has been reprinted, revised, and re-titled at least 3 times, the above version being the most recent and which also includes quite a bit of original research in the footnotes by the author or this addition (A.C. Greene). At any rate, Lehmann claimed that the rawhide shields they used did in fact deflect arrows and even bullets shot at him on more than one occasion (but not always IIRC). He also described the technique used to make the shields using buffalo rawhide. I believe the rawhide was hardened using buffalo brains, urine, a type of glue made from the hooves and a heating technique and I think they may also have been multi-layered, but I don't recall the exact method he described. I tend to believe that at least if hit at an oblique angle that perhaps these shields could have in fact deflected arrows and bullets under some conditions as some of the techniques he described sounds similar to what you did in this video. Your channel is the only place I've seen that has actually tested the effectiveness of leather shields or armor so I really appreciate your work on this topic (as well as all the others you've covered). First rate and unique work as always!

[@mysticonthehill]

Also the Spanish have many interesting comments on leather armor made by the natives during their time when guns were less common. Essential they were made of 6-8 layers of leather usual bison or elk hide. Similar to what Todd is doing here it was repeatedly faced with glue and then sand or fine rock dust several times. You can see very simple depictions of this armor in rock paintings in the Midwest.

[@tods_workshop]

Thanks - I didn't think of that and thanks for bringing it to my attention

[@Kheldul]

Reminds me a bit of asphalt roofing tiles.

[@osarkthegoat7038]

this is the second time this week i have come across a reference to this recipe. a tiny channel called Malcom P.L. made a small armor panel from the same recipe and tested it out. (kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6XPh4p_g9qgn7c) he also made a suit of native American wooden armor, which is quite interesting.

[@tods_workshop]

I will check it out

[@smokerxluffy]

Malcolm is a great guy and knows his stuff.

[@osarkthegoat7038]

@@smokerxluffy yep. i came across him last Sunday, and basically spent the entire day binge-watching his channel. his essay on back shields was especially interesting.

[@russmitchellmovement]

@@tods_workshopDavid Nicolle also references similar recipes in "A Companion to Medieval Arms and Armor."

[@Brandeena233]

Genuinely one of my favorite channels on KZbin.

[@retovideogames]

What a great composite armour! Tough, lightweight and what I think, due to the layer of glass shards / powder and metal filings, very abrasive to any edged tool. I am very curious to see how quickly sharp implements get blunt when hitting that layer. Wonderful work as always!

[@jansenart0]

So happy you went and got a second pair of hands!

[@nevyngould1744]

Could you use Quartz sand rather than glass? contains about 20% iron I think.

[@RyanWolfNZ]

Tod have you thought about a podcast? I think it would be a massive winner. Speaking with guests about all the same things you’re doing here but the luxury of even more depth. Absolutely love this channel. Cheers

[@tods_workshop]

Thanks and just not enough time

[@ericmitchell985]

Really looking forward to seeing what this does! Just to echo everyone else, I'd love to know how much weight this adds in the end. Cheers!

[@teblack2]

“Hi! Welcome to Tod's Workshop, today we are cooking a Shield recipe of the XV century or so” :D

[@LuisAldamiz]

Looks like it will work: the medieval theory seems solid to me. Also you clarified a question I had about boiled leather: cooking does not make things tougher (all the opposite unless you burn them maybe) but cooking in glue... that's a wholly different thing.

[@MrTankton]

This might actually work well. If you think about modern body armor, there is also a tough (kevlar) and a hard (ceramic plate) layer. The tough part slows/catches while the hard layer distributes the impact. I have a feeling this leather works as kevlar, while the glass/iron/glue mix works as a ceramic plate.

[@toddgreener]

omg, I'm only 2 minutes in and I've never been more excited for a Tod's Workshop video. I'm SO INTERESTED

[@ungraa2149]

Yaaaay, this is wonderful. I cannot wait for you to shoot stuff at it. Please bring back the javelin guy to throw stuff at it as well

[@QuartzChrysalis]

I always want to remind everyone that a shield is not to protect you from all harm, it is to keep you from dying. If the arrows pierce through your shield into your arm they haven't gone into your head, chest or belly. You have been maimed, you might even be crippled, but you aren't dead.

[@TheLoveTruffle]

Very cool that you've gone back to the cuir bouilli and covered shields with the questions those raised in earlier videos. This was an entertaining video and I can't wait to see the results!

[@zantakio]

"This is what I do for you." And we really appreciate you for it! Thank you for so many interesting videos.

[@tods_workshop]

a pleasure - without you I probably wouldn't do so much and certainly would not read all the amazing comments and get ideas for videos

[@molochi]

Saw a neat video yesterday testing 3 differently (all very nicely) designed Scottish targes against a couple of period 18th century firearms at close range. these were made with two layers of wood planks aligned perpendicularly to the grain and covered in leather with studs. One of the designs sandwiched a layer of felt between softwood planks and was able to prevent a 69 caliber charleville's musket round from getting through enough of the time to be notable as effective. This, of course, isn't a medieval shield but it is interesting as an illustration of what level of protection could be generated when people put their minds to it.

[@TheWtfnonamez]

If I was in medieval times I would tack a small, chubby peasant boy to my shield for added protection.

[@joshuadarling7439]

One of my favorite KZbin channels. A man just testing different ways to not die. Classic. ❤

[@jc-d6179]

We used a thick pvc sack for smashing glass prior to ball milling for composites at AERE Harwell.

[@christopherrobinson3857]

A shield doesn't solve all problems, really good lesson. A shield doesn't need to stop anything sharp from getting through it, especially if the person using it has an armored forearm underneath. Yes, it probably did get cumbersome to maneuver the shield the more arrows it had sticking out of it, that didn't change how many injuries a shield probably stopped.

[@MrPlainsflyer]

Slaps shield "this can stop so many edged weapons itll blow your mind"

[@cgamejewels]

I was able to read the whole thing without the modern translation. I love it. He forgot the "e" on the first syde, but he corrected it on the second. Spelling is important. I need to learn how to write like this.

[@theeffete3396]

People today: "Why was the average life expectancy in the middle ages 35 years?" Medieval armourers working with powdered glass: >shrug

[@rodneymiddleton1044]

Keeping an eye out for part 2 Tod, stay safe.

[@APV878]

We need an episode of Cooking with Tod that includes some of his hand-made knives and implements.....

[@Kenjitsuka]

Now the shield has a ceramic and metal layer, amazing!

[@StevieB8363]

This is awesome! The practical experiments and testing of historic weapons and armour that most of us can only wonder about. And that "recipe" is somewhat vague as to proportions, times, temperatures - I'm sure there are many variations that would need to be tried to achieve the best result. But the basic concept seems promising. Many thanks Tod for putting in the effort to bring history to life and show us how things worked centuries ago.

[@tods_workshop]

Thanks and yes a great deal of testing would be required to perfect it, but all I can hope for is to show that it has a significant effect but perhaps not the maximum effect

[@StevieB8363]

e@@tods_workshop I don't doubt that it will give additional protection. But it's worth noting that the weapons and armour used in historical times had been used for CENTURIES! Literally hundreds of years of real-world experience, and experimentation by blacksmiths and similar. Furthermore, the spread of information was much more limited back then. Most people were illiterate, so knowledge spread through word of mouth - which drastically limited the number of people who could be informed. Additionally, insider knowledge like this would have been confined to the trades who used it, and even then, a craftsman who had a good method for making armour would have strong incentive to keep that knowledge to himself. There are doubtless many "trade secrets" that have been discovered and lost because there was no single library that made this information availible. While I greatly admire your efforts to experiment with historical weapons, we both know that you can't replicate centuries of trial and error within a couple of months. But your real-world testing and documentation provide a valuable insight into the past.

[@ptonpc]

Welcome back to the Lockdown Longbow! The explanation for 'boiled leather' armour makes sense. I watched a video by Fandabi Dozi a few days ago where they tested different methods of making targes. One had wool between the layers as a form of protection against musket balls.

[@grindsaur]

I'm thinking that the "dry the half-tanned leather" part is about getting the tanning liquid off, not using actually dry leather. So soaking it well makes a lot of sense.

[@tods_workshop]

A good thought - thanks

[@lanasmith4795]

Look at Todd using his PPE to avoid getting his lungs shredded.

[@m1k3y48]

Glue, glass, and iron filings sandwiched between leather sheets, it’s like ye olde composite armor. That’s so cool

[@Tennouseijin]

Cooking with Tod? Sign me up!

[@tods_workshop]

Thanks but might be a bit weird - lets see

[@galileopotato167]

Fun fact, the best animal glue is bone glue because it is on average less deamidated than hide glues. In other words, bone glue demonstrates higher protein stability on average compared to hide glue. Good video Tod.

[@tods_workshop]

Thanks

[@TheExalaber]

If you ever want to do this again, ground glass can often be purchased from pottery supply stores because it is used in gaze formulation.

[@beezo2560]

Fascinating Tod. The glass and metal powder was totally unknown to me. Thanks for the upload.

[@line8124]

Always a good time when Tod releases a video.

[@unclebob540i3]

This is fantastic stuff. An exercise in period composites. As a materials geek I am fascinated. Can't wait for the testing!

[@wellywanderer]

Awesome experiment. I love the use of an original "recipe" - fascinating

[@andrewphillips6147]

Would be really interesting to see the other half the shield covered with just the leather - no glass/filings - to see the impact they have.

[@tods_workshop]

I am actually going to just finish it in the normal way and see the comparison

[@nihang8422]

You need to be a Spartan King to break the arrows off the shield

[@romanbrough]

I was looking at a site mentioning the T72, Apparently, the more modern versions have a layer of crushed glass glued together. So steel, a composite with glass or sand, then more steel. Of course with the " reactive"boxes on top. It shouldn't be surprising that our medieval ancestors had worked out an effective composite armour.

[@Voelund]

Remember that it is said in the Iliad that the shield of Ajax the Greater was made of many layers of leather and an outer layer of bronze.

[@elijahsanders3547]

This is exciting! Can't wait for the next episode :) Thank you.

[@phillipallen3259]

I believe you hit the nail on the head! That is a composite shield. Not at all strikingly different from the body armor used today and considered high tech. It boggles the mind how this technique and technology was forgotten. If the compounds were adjusted over the years, the combat losses throughout history may have been dramatically reduced!

[@thefatefulforce8887]

Brilliant as always Tod. I will soon be conducting a personal experiment on my channel, testing arrows against a shield as well. I will be using an 87lb and 100lb bow. The Poplar shield is 10mm thick. So lighter bows than Tod's lockdown longbow as well as a bit thinner shield. The purpose of this test is to gather additional data on the effectiveness of different arrow types and add those data points to the conversation The arrows I will be using include heads made by Will Sherman and Hector Cole, such as Type 9's, Crecy Warbodkins, Type 7's, and Type 10's. Again brilliant work Tod.

[@tods_workshop]

Thanks for letting me know and will watch out for it

[@nenesundog]

Does anyone else woot loudly when you see Tod's new video in your feed?

[@manfredconnor3194]

Oh, this is grand! I can hardly wait.

[@thcdreams654]

My man Tod cooking crack in the backyard. Thanks for the solid content.

[@gushlergushler]

Excited to see where this one goes!

[@guillaume9783]

That cliffhanger...

[@DanteYewToob]

When I saw powdered glass in the recipe, I assumed it was for grit to stop arrows.. essentially adding a sort of sandpaperey layer that would grab onto the wooden shaft and stop any further penetration… that’s my theory.. also it would dull weapon’s making them less effective. That’s actually a good idea! A sandpaper coated shield, to destroy your opponent’s weapons and make them useless pretty quickly.

[@davidroomes9087]

Another fantastic video, Tod. I love seeing these actual experiments in medieval craftsmanship. Can't wait to see the final product stand up against different types of arrowheads. Also, curious what the weight of the final shield is. Finally, thanks to Jenny for helping out.

[@Ranstone]

Imagine someone hits your shield and you get a cloud of glass in your eyes...

[@Vahlsten]

The glass powder and iron shavings are basically for making variable grit sand paper when glued to stuff, I worked in a firm that made slash and stab proof vests and it was basically just 5 layers of gritty sandpaper on top of eachother.

[@tods_workshop]

Interesting - thanks

[@Vahlsten]

@@tods_workshop I mean, you don't need to take my word for it, just buy 5 sheets of sand paper and stack em and tape em on something and stab it :D I do wonder if that would work on arrows tho

[@Reginaldesq]

WARNING: Do not use powdered glass without a decent mask. People are dying from silicosis. Silica goes in but it does not come out. Otherwise a great video Tod.

[@tods_workshop]

I am with you and apologise for the clouds at the end, I did not realise there was quite so much until I watched the vid back

[@Reginaldesq]

@@tods_workshop Good on you Todd.

[@danielwarren8539]

Cool to see you passing on the skills.👍

[@SB-qm5wg]

Great topic. TY For making this Tod! 👏

[@yunyng]

I think the glass and iron filings are to add something hard to the outside of the shield, which can blunt arrows and spear tips.

[@TheLordGhee]

49 years ago a Larping friend decided to build leather vambrace. he decide to Cuir boilli them. he heated up oil and started to boil them his mother thought he was cooking something. until he dunked the second one and the pot of oil burst into flame. :} like a turkey dropped into hot oil it was as he said exciting. The Vambraces came out rock hard and he used them for years. just oil.

[@greyareaRK1]

I randomly came across the Fandabi Dozi (YT) channel. They made a Targe comprised of wool sandwiched between sheets of soft wood, then bound in leather. It was tested against flintlock pistols and muskets and did quite well. Probably nothing you don't already know, but thought I'd mention it.

[@sirave6017]

Awesome job. Looking forward to it!

[@backonlazer791]

I just want to say that while the shield might not have had a metal plate behind it, the arm of the warrior wielding it could've very well be wearing a metal bracer.

[@akoponen]

Many years ago I read a book wherein it wrote about an ancient middle east shield recipe that had a layer of glue holding granite or quartz dust under the outer layer.

[@tods_workshop]

A full translation has been given in these comments somewhere

[@rickinielsen1]

Crushed glass and iron filings. That does NOT sound like the intention was to create a strong composite materials. The material properties just doesn't support that. It wont work anything like glass fibres. However, it does sound a lot like it is added as "grit" to the glue layer, to increase friction of a penetrating object. Once an arrow etc. penetrates the first layer of leather, it would get covered in this sticky grit. This might greatly increase the friction of penetrating the second layer of leather, as the arrow coated in glue will try and pull this grit with it through the small hole in the leather. Just imagine small sticky sharp bits stuck between the compression of the pierced leather and the wooden shaft of an arrow. I suspect the idea is that the glass and iron filing layer is meant to be saturated with glue, so the grit is suspended in it. And I suspect the glue has to be formulated so it remains somewhat tacky and resin like.