Making a 7th-century Anglo-Saxon shield.

When I was a kid, we would get barrel tops, cut two pieces of an old leather belt to make the two straps on the back of the 'Shield". Lot more work involved here. For the life of me I cannot remember where we got the barrel tops from? John
 
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We used old wooden barrel tops from nail kegs. Also the cardboard tops from "china" shipping barrels. Trash can lids were very common when playing WAR.

Swords were either a stick, wooden slat, or a slat with a cross-piece nailed on for the guard. Besides a few bruised/bleeding knuckles, I don't recall any one of us getting hurt, and we battled fiercely. Armor was either nothing at all, a thick jacket, or a reshaped cardboard box. Grandma took and old corduroy jacket my older brother outgrew and sewed a padded patch of upholstery fabric on the left shoulder and side. I looked like King Arthur ... in my eyes anyway.
WAR did change when I stated making swords, knives, and simple axes at age 11-12. We then spared much more carefully or just whacked at bushes and chopped on or threw at trees.
 
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