Domewarden Hand Forged 14 Gauge Steel Viking Buckler with Mjolnir Engraved Boss & Rolled Rim | Norse Reenactment Gift | RK-1577

A deep dished dome of polished steel with Mjolnir and a band of knotwork engraved across the crown, riveted through its flange to a flat steel disc that finishes in a rolled rim. This is a small all steel buckler built around a Viking style shield boss, hand dished from 14 gauge plate in a Czech Republic workshop, then engraved and polished in the same workshop. The leather strap in the photographs is a studio prop. The boss is the one part of a shield that reliably survives in the ground, and our guide to Viking shields explains why.

Specifications

What the boss does on a buckler

The dome sits at the centre of the disc and is deep enough that the steel stands well clear of the face. The boss flange is riveted through the disc with four rivets, which also stiffens the middle of the plate where it takes the most load. The rolled rim does the same job around the edge, adding stiffness and turning what would be a raw cut edge into a smooth round bead.

Steel, dishing and gauge

The 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.

Display

The buckler hangs well on a wall on its own, and plenty of buyers pair it with a sword or a seax as a display piece. Hang it from a hook behind the rim rather than through the boss, so the polished face stays clear of the wall.

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 goes out in the rain. Dry it properly after wet events rather than putting it straight into a bag, because moisture trapped under the riveted boss flange will corrode the steel 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. If the buckler is going on a wall, choosing a shield for display covers the mounting.

Made in the Czech Republic

The work behind this piece happens in a Czech Republic workshop that has kept to the old methods. Steel is forged and heat treated by hand, the grind is taken down by eye rather than by machine, and the handle, fittings and sheath are cut and finished one at a time. Because of that, every piece carries small marks of the hand that made it.

Ransack Viking is a United States company. We import direct, check each piece when it reaches us, and ship from our Chicago, Illinois warehouse. Engraving is added here in the United States after arrival, so the piece you receive is finished to your order.

A note on handmade variation

This buckler 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

What exactly is included?

The steel buckler shown, with the engraved boss already riveted to the disc. The leather strap in the photographs is a studio prop and is not included.

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?

It is built for reenactment dress, costume and display. Whether it passes for contact depends on your group rules, so check it against your group standard rather than assuming it does.

How long before it ships?

One to two weeks of processing, since each buckler 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 made 14 gauge steel buckler with a riveted boss carrying an engraved Mjolnir and knotwork crown
• Care card covering oiling, polishing and storage
• Forged and finished in the Czech Republic

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. Shields, bucklers and their history are covered in the guides.

If this one is not it

Closest to this in the range is the Stormwheel round shield. If this one is not quite right, there is the Rimbind shield boss. Also in this group is the Spikerim shield boss.

If you are putting a set together, the Ringward Viking shield sits alongside it. Pick the steel, the length and the fittings yourself on the design your own page.