Small Buckler (15th Century Style): Made from 0.050" (~18 ga.) 1050 Heat Treated Spring Steel (Quenched at 1500F, Tempered at 600F for 30 minutes).

Finished Oct. 2000 (Coated with baked on oil)
Finished Oct. 2000 (Painted Black) (Shown)

Patterns (Click on a thumbnail to get the full-size image)

I would build this buckler in the following order:

1. Cut out the blank (i.e. round sheet metal piece) for the buckler.
2. Finish the edge of the blank.
3. Roll the edge of the buckler all the way around.
4. Dish the center area of the buckler.
5. Make the handle and rivet it to the buckler.
6. Make the belt hook and rivet it to the buckler.
7. Heat Treating (Optional)
   • The outside surface of the buckler should be fairly smooth before doing any heat treating. Put a medium (around a 220 grit) finish on the outside to remove any marring on it.
   • Heat the buckler to 1575F/860C in a kiln and quench it in water. You need to quench the buckler within a few seconds of opening the kiln.
   • If you want a polished or painted finish then skip this step. If you want to heat blue the buckler then put a medium (around a 220 grit) finish on the outside of the plates. This assumes that you would like to leave the fire scale on the inside as a rust barrier.
   • Heat the buckler to 600F/315C in a kiln for 30 minutes to temper the buckler so it will be somewhat flexible and not crack when struck. It is very important that the temperature stays within 10 degrees or so of what you set it to. If you don't know for sure that the temperature control works correctly on your kiln then you will want to check it with an oven thermometer that can measure to 650F/343C (don't over heat the thermometer).
8. If you want a polished or painted finish on the buckler then do the finishing work.