Domewarden Hand Forged 14 Gauge Steel Viking Shield Boss with Mjolnir Engraving & Riveted Flange | Norse Shield Build Gift | RK-1577

A deep dished dome of polished steel on a wide flat flange, ringed by set rivets, with Mjolnir and a band of knotwork engraved across the crown. This is a shield boss, an umbo, and it is the one component on a Viking round shield that absolutely cannot be left off. The reason is structural, not decorative. A Norse round shield is gripped in the centre, not strapped to the forearm, and to make that possible the builder cuts a hole clean through the middle of the board and fixes a crossbar behind it. Your fist goes into that hole. Without a boss over the top, the hand holding the entire shield is sitting in an open window in the middle of it.

The archaeology is unusually clear on this. The Gokstad ship burial in Norway, excavated in 1880, produced sixty four shields hung along the gunwales, and the iron bosses from that find are the pattern almost every modern reconstruction follows. They are hemispherical, they have a flange with rivet holes around the rim and they sit over a centre grip. This one is hand dished from 14 gauge plate in our Memphis, Tennessee shop, engraved and polished here, and it ships with the rivets you need to fit it. It is a component, sold on its own for a build or a repair. No shield board is included, and the leather strap in the photograph is a studio prop.

Specifications

What a shield boss is actually for

Three jobs, in order of importance. First, it covers the hand hole. That is the whole reason it exists and it is why the dome has to be deep enough for a closed fist wrapped around a bar to sit inside it without touching the underside of the steel. A shallow decorative boss looks fine and transmits every knock straight into your knuckles.

Second, it stiffens the middle of the board. The centre of a plank shield is the weakest point because that is where the hole is, and riveting a two millimetre steel plate across it with six fixings puts a rigid ring around that hole and stops a split running out from it. On original finds you often see the boss flange bridging the joint between planks for exactly this reason.

Third, and this is the part people forget, a boss is offensive. A centre gripped shield punches. Drive the dome into an opponent face or shield arm and it does real work, which is why period bosses are conical or hemispherical rather than flat, and why the crown on this one is left thick rather than thinned out in the dishing.

Steel, dishing and gauge

This boss is dished by hand from 14 gauge mild steel, around 2 mm. Fourteen gauge is the working number for a boss. Thinner and the dome deforms when it takes a real hit, which is the failure people see on cheap imported bosses where the crown caves in and traps the hand. Heavier than 14 and you are adding weight at the worst possible place, right where the shield pivots around your fist, which makes the whole shield feel dead.

Hand dishing means the dome is hammered into shape over a stake rather than pressed in a die, and then planished smooth. That process work hardens the steel as it stretches, so a hand raised dome ends up stiffer than a pressed one of the same thickness. The faint texture across the crown, visible under raking light, is the planishing. The engraved Mjolnir and the knotwork band around it are cut into the steel and then polished back, so the lines are below the surface and cannot rub off.

Engraving, runes and your own design

Use the rune converter on this page to turn a name, a date or a short phrase into Elder Futhark and we will cut it into the steel or the leather. If you would rather have a Viking pattern than a rune line, choose your own design in the engraving option above the add to cart button and tell us where it goes. Where a piece already carries an engraved design, your chosen engraving replaces it rather than sitting alongside it. On a boss the crown is the panel everyone sees from the front of a shield wall, and a rune line curved around the dome or a house device on the crown both work well there in place of the standard hammer. See the engraving page.

Fitting it to a board

This is a component and it needs a board. Cut a hole in the centre of your shield sized so your closed fist clears it comfortably, usually around 4.5 to 5 inches for an adult hand, then fix a crossbar across the back of that hole so your knuckles sit clear of the wood. Set the boss over the hole, mark through the six punched holes in the flange, drill, and rivet through the board with the washers on the back face. Peen the rivets over the washers rather than into bare wood, or the head will pull through the first time the shield takes a hit. The flange should sit flat on the face all the way round before you set anything. If your board has a crown to it, gently dress the flange over a curve first rather than forcing the rivets to pull it down.

For display use, the same boss will simply screw to a flat board with the supplied hardware, and plenty of buyers fit one to a plaque as a wall piece on its own.

Care

Polished bare steel spots quickly with fingerprints and rusts if it is left damp. Wipe the boss after handling, and put a thin film of light oil or paste wax over it two or three times a year, more often if it lives on a shield that goes out in the rain. Dry it properly after wet events rather than putting the shield straight into a bag, because a damp boss riveted to a damp board will corrode from underneath where you cannot see it. If it does freckle, fine steel wool and oil will clean it up without hurting the engraving, and a light re polish brings the crown back. Our full guidance on oils, rust and long term storage is on the steel care page.

Forged in Memphis

This boss is dished, planished, engraved and polished in our Memphis, Tennessee shop. The plate is cut here, the dome is raised over a stake here, the flange is trued here and the rivet holes are punched here. It is not drop shipped from an importer catalogue and it is not bought in finished and relabelled. It carries our lifetime warranty against defects in the forming and the metal, with no end date and no receipt needed. If a dome cracks or a flange splits in normal use, send it back and we will replace it.

A note on handmade variation

This boss is hand made, not machine made and not bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. The planishing marks fall differently on every dome, the polish takes light in its own way, the flange has its own faint hammer texture and the engraved lines are cut by hand. The dimensions, the material and the build are the same every time. The character is not, and a hand raised dome will never look like a pressed one.

Frequently asked questions

Does this come with a shield?

No. This listing is the boss and its six rivets and washers only. There is no board, no crossbar grip and no strap. It is sold as a component for a build or as a replacement for a damaged boss. The leather strap in the photograph is a studio prop.

What size hole do I cut in my board?

Big enough that your closed fist wrapped around a crossbar clears the edge, which is usually 4.5 to 5 inches for an adult hand. Cut it, fit the bar behind it, then set the boss over the top and mark through the flange holes.

Is 14 gauge heavy enough?

Yes, and it is the right number. Fourteen gauge at about 2 mm is the working thickness for a boss. Thinner domes deform inward under a real hit and press onto the hand. Heavier ones add dead weight right at the pivot point and make the shield feel sluggish.

Can I use it for full contact combat?

The boss itself is built to a working thickness and hand dished, which work hardens it. Whether your finished shield passes for contact depends on the board, the grip and your group rules, so check the completed shield against your group standard rather than assuming the boss alone settles it.

Will it fit a curved board?

The flange is flat as supplied, which suits a flat board. If your board has a crown, dress the flange gently over a curve to match before you rivet, rather than pulling it down with the fixings and leaving the flange under permanent tension.

How long before it ships?

One to two weeks of processing, since each boss is dished, planished and engraved to order. Custom engraving adds a few days. Shipping inside the United States is free and returns are accepted within seven days.

What is in the box

• One hand dished 14 gauge steel shield boss with an engraved Mjolnir and knotwork crown
• Six steel rivets and six washers, sized for the punched flange holes
• Fitting notes covering hole size, crossbar placement and riveting
• Care card covering oiling, polishing and storage
• Forged and finished in Memphis, Tennessee

Explore the range

More hardware is in shield bosses, finished boards are in round shields, the long boards are in kite shields and bucklers, and the body kit is in Viking armor. Shield building, hole sizing and riveting are covered in the guides.