well this is a conglomeration of all the experiments ive conducted and are planning on conducting with common household tools and such into weapons or shields
first experiment...shield....status: SUCCESS
i was constructing a shield for holloween and this is what i did
it was a snow sled roughly 27 inches long and 16 inches wide, it seated one person, i cut up belts for the handle and forearm support, and for a sling... no real planning just measured my arm width and length....i fought off 2 of my friends when they took my sword and mallet, i held them off and even scored a few shield smitings^^....so overall in my opinion it was an astounding success...if your looking for something relatively light and mobile this is a good option...my shield was called a Ziffy Whomper i believe because i covered it in duct tape to make it look like a shield... i tested driving nails into it....kicking it... jumping on it...and it was very durable...i doubt it could take a sword thrust or an axe though...but zombies don't wield those do they? lol... ONE MAJOR FALL BACK....if you need to swim this thing is your own personal titanic as it just loves to fill with water and sink
it was a similar model to this http://www.sportsunlimitedinc.com/paris-hill-torcher-winter-snow-sled.html
second test....polearm: results...failure at this time
i used a branch from a tree roughly 52 inches in length and 1.5 inches in width...i then used a machete blade without the handle and screwed the blade onto the branch and wrapped it with rope to hold it better....the machete blade never fell off, and the branch never showed any wear but by the time i had finished my test...mostly on branches, and railroad ties...the polearm had a better resemblance of a spoon then a weapon... if i struck perfectly the blade would hold, if i was just the slightest bit off the blade bent like a noodle... overall i have concluded that a stronger metal is required but a branch is just fine for the job, using screws and a rope firmly held the blade on, after further thought and deciding... i decided that a simple branch would be stronger and hold longer then a polearm unless you either bought a good quality one or made one with a strong metal...i am open to suggestions though
Halloween sword as a beating stick: results...limited success
i used a long plastic sword id guess 40 inches in length that resembled the orcish swords used in LotR, i duct taped thoroughly paint mixers to the blade to hold it firmly so it wouldn't wobble or bend, and used athletic wrap to give the plastic handle a better grip....it worked well, except the paint mixers needed to be longer or the overall blade would wobble and eventually (with great use) snap... i liked where it was going before i had to throw it away
starting product http://cgi.ebay.com/HALLOWEEN-40-ORC-SWORD-NEW-ACCESSORY_W0QQitemZ160069722067QQihZ006QQcategoryZ82161QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting
now im contemplating building a mace, and possibly a flail although the mace is a higher priority i haven't begun designing or testing it yet so ill try to keep you posted
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A word of caution about the branch. Keep in mind Nature will take it's course with a standard Branch from a tree, unless you treat it with some weather resistant coating.
I am not sure how available these treatment chemicals will be after Z-Day, so you may not be able to find them later. I just don't want you to be using a weapon and have it rot through... and eventually it WILL rot.
The type of wood you choose will go a long way toward how long it will last. Oak is one of the best choices if you have it.
Interesting choice on the shield. If it works, great. As you said, it would not survive a direct hit with a weapon, I think... but if you are using it to keep Zeds at a distance you should be ok. Can you get a picture of the finished product? I would like to see it.
Creativity will help you survive in a crisis. Keep up the good work and get all your experimenting done before Z-Day.
Good Job - Keep at it!
On Z-Day, the first thing I am going to do is scream like a little girl. Once that's out, I will be ready to function.
haha thanks just a bunch of crap from a man with too much time on his hands and not enough money to buy things lol ......yah...upon removing the rope that helped the screws secure it the branch split right down the middle so NO ON THE BRANCHES...unless like Lykos said a treatment... but a straight branch is definitely going to shatter eventually.... however ive had a baseball bat for a decade its wooden and ive beat it against everything, concrete posts, ground, railroad timbers
and yes the shield is quite nice....id say sharp objects, it would slow them down a little but it will fall apart eventually... blunt objects it can take, i took the tape off so you could see it completely
and all of the duct tape that had to die for me lol
Not bad. Interesting, but I would like to see it in action. I am concerned about the handles... Do you think a Zed would be able to grab those and hang on, dragging you down with them? If your arm were caught in the strap, and they were pulling on it... I worry you would not be able to get away.
If you had a decent melee weapon in your right hand (Which I assume you would) then you should be ok. You could whack the crap out of anything that grabs your shield.
Good work. I like seeing people trying to think outside the box (No relationship to your name of course
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On Z-Day, the first thing I am going to do is scream like a little girl. Once that's out, I will be ready to function.
haha nice pun though...well that was a halloween prop i haven't even begun working on it as an effective zombie shield...and ya id probably get hauled off by the zeds...i can just cut those off though
EDIT: if you plan on using a machete get something thats of better quality then what you would find in a wal-mart....they're insanely flimsy and for anyone who was interested in what the machete blade ended up as....
AcK! That is scary. Thanks for the warning.
On Z-Day, the first thing I am going to do is scream like a little girl. Once that's out, I will be ready to function.
well i guess if you devoted your life to proficiency with a blade and was an ace than you could use it...but a millimeter off center on a strike against anything harder than an .5 inch branch causes severe warping... im brainstorming the Mace right now...ill keep you guys posted on the progress and results
UPDATE...SHIELD
i told you i tested it but i never said how
well today i did an official test to the shield
i took a baseball bat, and stuck it 4 times not quite full swing but close didn't even dent the shield
took several swipes at it with my good quality machete, nothing except some hairline cuts, even thrusts didn't make it through (a spear should prove otherwise lol), even the axe didn't do much damage, a full war probably would do damage lol but 5 axe strikes and its not even cut open (not full strength though parents would get pissed lol)....one major drawback though since its both hollow and plastic when it gets struck the sucker is VERY loud
i want to test its ability to take a bullet but my enviroment prohibits me lol...i think it could take small rounds like a .22, maybe
I dont like the sheild... I love it!!! Its a great idea, things like that will keep you alive. Im not too sure if it would be able to take on firearms... a .22 would probably go threw it but idk...
haha thank you well it should be noted that i have zero firearms experience im just making a judgement based on bullet size vs shield thickness.....i did my first person vs person test with the shield today....i had my mom hit me with a baseball bat as hard as she could....no problems at all.....but one... cushion is desperately needed lol i feel like my forearm just had one monstrous hand slap the crap out of it lol but the shield was unfazed and the knockback was minimal
Sounds good. You should realy try to test a firearm on it, but dont go like steal your dads gun or anything ... You should also increase the padding, on the inside of course, by using like the inside of a car seat or something like that. Just use your noggin, man!