Cobaltward Hand Made Steel Heater Shield | 30 Inch Height | Blue Painted Face and Riveted Polished Border with Engraved Celtic Knot Band | Reenactment Gift | RK-1901

Cobaltward is a steel heater shield, the tall narrow shape that replaced the long kite shield across Europe once mail gave way to plate on the legs. The body is sheet steel dished slightly along its length, painted deep blue across the face, with a polished steel border folded over the whole rim and set with domed rivets at regular spacing. A band of engraved Celtic knotwork crosses the shield horizontally at the widest point, cut into a polished strip that runs from edge to edge. A leather arm strap and hand grip are included.

The heater shield got smaller for a specific reason. A Norman kite shield was long because a mounted man needed cover from shoulder to shin, and mail alone would not stop a lance. Once plate defences appeared on the leg, the bottom two thirds of that shield became weight the rider no longer needed, so the shape was cut back to a broad top and a tapering point and the weight dropped by a third. Cobaltward is cut, dished, painted, engraved, bordered and riveted by hand in the Czech Republic.

Board, boss and rim each did a job, and how Norse shields were built goes through the construction. Insular knotwork travelled with the Norse and came back changed, and the symbols guide covers the shapes that recur. Spare shield bosses are stocked separately if you are building a board yourself.

Specifications

Why the shield is dished and why the rim is folded

Two details here do all the structural work. The dish, that gentle curve along the length of the shield, is what turns a flat sheet into a stiff panel. A flat sheet of this size flexes under its own weight. Curve it in one direction and it becomes rigid in both, which is the same principle that makes a corrugated roof stiff. The folded border does the other half. A raw sheet edge is the weakest part of any steel panel, because a knock at the edge starts a crease that runs inward. Rolling the polished border over the rim doubles the thickness exactly where impact lands, and the rivets lock the two layers together so they cannot peel apart. Neither feature is decorative, though both happen to look right.

The steel, the paint and the leather

The body is sheet steel, cut to the heater profile, dished on a form and then dressed by hand at the rim. The face is sealed and painted in a deep blue, which is a modern finish rather than a period one, and we say so plainly. Historical shields were painted with pigment in oil or in a size and they needed regular attention. This one does not. The border and the engraved band are polished bare steel, which means they will need oiling in the same way any bright steel does. The arm strap and hand grip are vegetable tanned leather, riveted through the body with washers on the face side so the load spreads rather than tearing at a single hole.

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, the leather or the wood. 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 Cobaltward the polished band across the middle is the engraved surface, so a name, a date or a house motto runs there in place of the knotwork. A shield is the one piece where a longer line of text actually fits. See the engraving page.

Mounting and display

Most owners hang Cobaltward rather than carry it. At around nine pounds it needs a fixing into a stud or a masonry anchor, not a drywall plug on its own. Two hooks taking the rim at roughly the widest point will hold it flat against the wall and spread the load. If you want the arm strap and grip fitted for reenactment or costume, they are included with the hardware and are straightforward to rivet through the pre marked positions. Worn on the arm, the strap should sit just below the elbow with the grip in the hand, which is the standard arrangement and is what lets the shield be angled by rolling the forearm.

Care

The painted face needs almost nothing beyond a dust and an occasional wipe with a damp cloth. Avoid solvent, which will lift the paint. The polished border and the engraved band are bare steel and will spot with rust if they are left damp or handled with sweaty hands, so keep a light film of oil or a paste wax on them and refresh it a couple of times a year, more often in a humid room. Do not hang the shield on an exterior wall or in a garage where condensation cycles. The leather strap should be fed once a year with a neutral cream. Rust removal notes are in our guide to steel care.

Steel like this wants the same light oil that mail does, and caring for steel armour covers storage.

Made in the Czech Republic

This is a handmade piece from the Czech Republic, made in a workshop that still forges, grinds and finishes by hand instead of stamping parts out. The smiths there have kept the older way of working, and the wood, horn and leather are shaped and fitted by hand as well. Two pieces of the same design will never be identical, and that is part of what you are buying.

Ransack Viking is a United States company. We handle the import ourselves, look over every piece when it lands and ship from our warehouse in Chicago, Illinois. Engraving is done in the United States after the piece arrives, so your design goes on before we send it out.

A note on handmade variation

This shield is hand made, not machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. The dish is formed by hand so its exact depth differs, the rivets are set individually and their spacing varies by a fraction, the engraved knotwork sits at its own depth and the blue reads slightly differently depending on how the paint flowed. The dimensions, the material and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a usable shield or a display piece?

It is built as a display and costume shield. It is real steel and it is solidly riveted, but we do not sell it for full contact reenactment combat, where shields take repeated deliberate impacts.

Is the arm strap fitted when it arrives?

The strap, grip and hardware are included, with the fixing positions marked. Fitting takes a few minutes and lets you set the strap to your own forearm.

How heavy is it to hold?

Around nine pounds. That is heavier than a plywood shield of the same size and lighter than most people expect from solid steel. It is comfortable to hold for a photograph, not for an hour.

Will the blue paint chip?

Paint on steel chips if it takes a hard knock on an edge. The folded border protects the rim, which is where chips normally start. Touch up is straightforward if it ever happens.

Can I have a family crest engraved instead of the knotwork?

Yes. Send us the design and we will cut it into the polished band in place of the knotwork. Simple line artwork reproduces best on steel.

Does it need any wall hardware I do not have?

You will need two hooks and fixings rated for at least fifteen pounds between them, going into a stud or a masonry anchor. We do not include wall hardware, since it depends on your wall.

What is in the box

• Cobaltward steel heater shield, 30 inches, blue painted with a polished riveted border
• Leather arm strap and hand grip with fixing hardware
• Care card covering paint, bare steel and leather
• Lifetime warranty against defects in the build, the riveting and the fittings
• Made and finished in the Czech Republic

Explore the range

See the rest of the Viking shields, the Viking armour, the home decor, and the guides.

Worth a look beside this

Worth putting side by side with this is the Kiteward Viking shield. In the same category sits the Yggdrasil Viking shield. A near match for this one is the Ringwall Viking shield.

For a different piece from the same family, look at the Aquilorn Greek shield. Or start from a blank sheet on the design your own page.