Captain America’s iconic shield is super cool and so dead simple to make that even young kids can lend a hand.
You’ll Need
Cap’s shield is cheap to make. You’ll need the following:
- The wire frame from the front of an old fan.
- Old shoelaces.
- Nylon straps.
- Lots of newspaper.
- Flour – 1 cup.
- Water – 3 cups.
- Poster paint – red, white, blue, and black.
- Water-based varnish.
You’ll need the following tools:
- A pencil.
- Scissors.
- Brushes.
- A protractor.
Step 1 – Lace Loops
Fasten the shoelaces to the fan cover to make two loops, one to go around the arm, the other for holding onto.
Step 2 – Pardon My French
Cut the newspaper into strips, then mix the flour and water until it’s a smooth paste. Dip the newspaper into the mixture and lay it onto the fan cover. You’ll want three or four layers, alternating direction, on each side of the shield.
Note: Be careful not to cover up the shoelace loops.
Step 3 – Stars and Stripes
When your paper mache is nice and dry, give the shield one coat of white paint. When that’s dry, mark out the star and rings on the front of the shield with a pencil.
To do this, measure the radius of your shield. The rings are half the shield’s radius, starting at the shield’s edge, so draw a circle that’s half the radius of the shield. Now, divide the outside half into three equal sections by drawing two more rings. These are your red, white, and red outer rings.
For the star you’ll need a protractor. The star has five points, so 360 degrees divided by 5 gives you 72: you need a point of the star touching the circle every 72 degrees! Once you’ve marked your points, just connect them up with a ruler to get a perfect star!
Step 4 – Paint!
With everything marked out, paint the shield in its patriotic red, white, and blue colors. I edged the back of the shield in red, then painted the rest in black, as seen here:
When it’s all dry, paint the shield with varnish. I used a water-based varnish called “Tough as Nails” that didn’t give off fumes or cost much. Try your local craft store, though I got it at a hardware store.
Step 5 – Sewing
Is learning to sew some kind of cosplay right of passage? Anyway, the sewing here is easy: sew the nylon straps onto the shoelaces, to cover them up and give the shield a nice finish.
And you’re done. Go save the planet Cap!
Rodney Sloan
Rising Phoenix Games
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