Ralchire Handicrafts

02/22/2022

A pair of benches and a trestle table for a friend of mine. Done 100% with hand tools, just the way it would have been done for hundreds of years. Chisel, drawknife, rasp, auger, axe, saw, and froe. No fasteners, just joinery which allows them to be easily broken down for transport or storage. The tabletop hinges and folds down the center as well. Flat-pack furniture is not a new thing.

02/06/2022

Finished a fairly small heater shield for a local jouster. I’m used to shields for foot combat, so this was an interesting project. Several different strap configurations present, allowing for multiple different kinds of grips.

01/30/2022

I built a simple standing medieval bookshelf, held together with pegs, mortises, & tenons.

Plus, bonus photos of Mabel being the queen of the bookshelf.

04/25/2021

Something a little bit interesting. A face shield from a French illumination c. 1418 Book of Hours MS M.919, folio 1v.

The enarmes, in a rectangular configuration, are adjustable for pseudo-centergrip or for lengthwise carry.

Plywood with wood and h**p for the facial features, covered in canvas and gesso.

01/29/2021

01/29/2021

Finished a heraldic targe this week for a customer, 20” diameter of 1/2” plywood with a canvas front & back and leather edging. Custom heraldry and motto painted on the face, with horizontal arm straps and a leather hanging strap.

01/21/2020

Replica Marburg heater shield completed for Jon Eppler. Rawhide trim for sparring with steel weapons, custom strapping based on period art & surviving originals, and painted with Jon’s heraldry:

“Per pale Vert and Sable, three lozenge brooches Or.”

01/16/2020

Replica strap arrangement from a 14th century shield in Marburg University Museum, made for Jon Eppler.

This is a very versatile strap arrangement as featured by Roland Warzecha with his reproduction here: https://youtu.be/yCy_a3KP0zo

This shield will be painted with its owner’s heraldry and edged in rawhide soon. More progress to come!

01/08/2020

Got a good afternoon of work in cutting, gluing, and bending a batch of shields. Now I’ve got to let them sit for a couple of days for the curve to set.

Still have a few unclaimed that will be in stock as soon as they are ready. Contact me if you wanna sn**ch one up before they are gone!

01/04/2020

Custom heater shield I made a year ago for HEMA use. I reinforced the edge with rawhide in order to stand up to steel sparring and prevent the edge from fraying or splitting. Here it is painted it with our school’s logo and strapped with synthetic webbing and fabric padding.

After a year of use against steel and synthetic weapons, it has held up well. No tears, splitting, or damage to the actual shield, only some minor scratches in the paint job.

I will supply most of my shields unpainted but if you would like your shield painted (with your heraldry, etc.) contact me.

01/01/2020

A pair of 14th century heater shields made and given as prizes for the Gesellen Fechten 2019 Deed of Arms.

2 layers of 1/4” curved birch ply, 22” wide x 24” long, duck canvas covering the front and back. Vertical strap arrangement, adjustable with laces (more historical) or buckles (far more convenient!).

Open to orders. Price for a basic shield like one of these is $60. Vertically or diagonally held, or I can do different strap configurations upon request. I can also edge them in rawhide for an extra fee.