(Not So) Heavy Metal

Age and injury have definitely played a factor in my limited progress as a fighter. Don’t get me wrong, my insane work schedule has conspired to only aggravate this issue which definitely has effected my motivation. But the oak ply laminated shield with the large steel boss has definitely played a role and right now I am looking for ways for me to “limit the drag on the ship” if you catch my meaning.

So I picked up an aluminum shield from Grey Cat Workshop. This is my first time buying from Grey Cat, and I will say that the communication was good and I didn’t wait forever to get my order which has been a serious concern from other armor providers. They have a lot of options, but be aware that the price of the shield may look great but shipping and options definitely inflate the end price. If this is your first time buying an aluminum shield (like me), you need to expect it. What started as a $100 chunk of flat aluminum went to $145 with the hole cut for a center grip boss, curving the shield and edging. Shipping was another $50. But they do offer some sweet powder coat options to have your artwork come already completed. Maybe I will do that in the future, but we will see if I like what I have. Here a pic of the back of the shield after painting a white base on it.

I had some concerns and needs when going to an aluminum shield:

• The overall size needed to be the same as the wood shield I am working with – 21″x29″ overall
• Had to be able to switch out the boss as needed in case what I had wasn’t working since it was going to be different than my wood shield
• The weight needed to be remarkably less
• The weight still need to be significant enough that some of the shots I take won’t just push my shield out of the way. I shouldn’t give away too much of the density benefit. With some of the bruisers I fight, this is a definite concern.
• A way to mitigate some of the noise that metal shields are notorious for propagating. I may have destroyed some of my hearing in a previous career, but that doesn’t mean I want to do more damage to miss when someone call ‘Good!’

I know this is going to be a balancing game, and I won’t get everything I want. But I understand that this will be a process, and a not inexpensive one: time and money will have to be spent trying out the different configurations, cleaning the shield up to try something new, etc.

I figured painters canvas on the front to help deaden the noise. I am cutting down my handle since I get so much hate for “how do you hold on the this thing? from just about anyone who picks up my shield. I figured I would see how the other half lives and make a smaller handle profile out of oak. I know the layers of gesso and paint will add some weight as well, but we will see what this does for me.

More to come, but in the meantime…see you on the field.