Our own riot shields?

[JKP]

Here they appear to be using shields cut out of barrels. Is there any more information on the construction and employment of these shields? Any reports on their effectiveness?

[apathy maybe]

The Shieldbook (linked to from RevLeft before) has information on making shields. It can be found at http://www.devo.com/sarin/shieldbook.pdf (mirrors of this would be welcome as well).

This thread http://www.revleft.com/index.php?showtopic=52353&hl=shield also has various ideas on shields and other things.

edit to add *this* thread as well, nice links and stuff
http://www.revleft.com/index.php?showtopic...7&hl=shieldbook (http://www.revleft.com/index.php?showtopic=27587&hl=shieldbook) (though the link to the shieldbook in here, doesn't work).

[bcbm]

Jesus fucking christ people... mask up.

[RedAnarchist]

I like how they've painted them as well. How effective are they?

[An archist]

EDIT: sorry, the shield manual said that already

[Red October]

Originally posted by [email protected] 23, 2007 12:09 pm
I like how they've painted them as well. How effective are they?
they arent as good as the cop's professionally made shields, but theyre still pretty damn good for shoving.

[OneBrickOneVoice]

another way to make shields is to layer-ductape inflatable pool rafts. These shields were pretty good, but didn't matter at all once the police attacked us from the back

[Fawkes]

Anyone that is thinking about making one of the construction barrel shields as shown in the first picture of this thread, I would advise you to line the top of it with styrofoam or some other soft material as some of the people in that picture had done because if the shield is hit up into your face without a padded edge, it can hurt a lot.

[Red October]

Originally posted by [email protected] 23, 2007 01:05 pm
Anyone that is thinking about making one of the construction barrel shields as shown in the first picture of this thread, I would advise you to line the top of it with styrofoam or some other soft material as some of the people in that picture had done because if the shield is hit up into your face without a padded edge, it can hurt a lot.
im thinking of making one once i can find a proper barrel. does anyone have tips on how to ahold of thse?

[Fawkes]

Originally posted by Red October+March 23, 2007 01:13 pm--> (Red October @ March 23, 2007 01:13 pm)
[email protected] 23, 2007 01:05 pm
Anyone that is thinking about making one of the construction barrel shields as shown in the first picture of this thread, I would advise you to line the top of it with styrofoam or some other soft material as some of the people in that picture had done because if the shield is hit up into your face without a padded edge, it can hurt a lot.
im thinking of making one once i can find a proper barrel. does anyone have tips on how to ahold of thse? [/b]
Just go to any road construction site at nighttime and walk away with one.

[OneBrickOneVoice]

yeah. You'll need a jigsaw. My comrade who was at the march got inspired to make one. He said its pretty hard to cut though. I'll tell him to get styrofoam.

[Political_Chucky]

Originally posted by [email protected] 23, 2007 09:41 am
another way to make shields is to layer-ductape inflatable pool rafts. These shields were pretty good, but didn't matter at all once the police attacked us from the back
I think people in the back should also carry shields so that if they are flanked in the back, they can just turn around and split the crowd both ways.

[Red October]

Originally posted by Political_Chucky+March 23, 2007 11:07 pm--> (Political_Chucky @ March 23, 2007 11:07 pm)
[email protected] 23, 2007 09:41 am
another way to make shields is to layer-ductape inflatable pool rafts. These shields were pretty good, but didn't matter at all once the police attacked us from the back
I think people in the back should also carry shields so that if they are flanked in the back, they can just turn around and split the crowd both ways. [/b]
ideally should have one so the bloc can use a toroise formation if the cos start firing gas and rubber bullets.

[manic expression]

Originally posted by Red October+March 24, 2007 02:32 pm--> (Red October @ March 24, 2007 02:32 pm)
Originally posted by [email protected] 23, 2007 11:07 pm

[email protected] 23, 2007 09:41 am
another way to make shields is to layer-ductape inflatable pool rafts. These shields were pretty good, but didn't matter at all once the police attacked us from the back
I think people in the back should also carry shields so that if they are flanked in the back, they can just turn around and split the crowd both ways.
ideally should have one so the bloc can use a toroise formation if the cos start firing gas and rubber bullets. [/b]
Well, quite a few people would need shields (so at least the first 4 lines would have shields) and people would have to know what they're doing.

Here's an interesting link about the tortoise (testudo) formation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testudo_formation

[Political_Chucky]

Originally posted by manic expression+March 24, 2007 08:34 am--> (manic expression @ March 24, 2007 08:34 am)
Originally posted by Red [email protected] 24, 2007 02:32 pm

Originally posted by [email protected] 23, 2007 11:07 pm

[email protected] 23, 2007 09:41 am
another way to make shields is to layer-ductape inflatable pool rafts. These shields were pretty good, but didn't matter at all once the police attacked us from the back
I think people in the back should also carry shields so that if they are flanked in the back, they can just turn around and split the crowd both ways.
ideally should have one so the bloc can use a toroise formation if the cos start firing gas and rubber bullets.
Well, quite a few people would need shields (so at least the first 4 lines would have shields) and people would have to know what they're doing.

Here's an interesting link about the tortoise (testudo) formation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testudo_formation [/b]
From reading the wikipedia article, it seems that the formation would only slightly help if rubber bullets, bean bags, and other projectiles were shot out, being hindered by the shields. But hand to hand? Or if the cop is in your face? Forget about it.

[PRC-UTE]

I've seen that done in a riot once. They used a shield so they could move forward under fire from plastic bullets to throw a petrol bomb :wub:

[OneBrickOneVoice]

Next time there is a mass rally or march, we should call on everyone who plans to join the shield bloc to actually bring a shield. That way we'll be able to make one of those tortoise shits.

[Red October]

if you have lots of shields and enough force behind them, you can actually box the cops in so they cant do anything.

[OneBrickOneVoice]

yeah in the shield book PDF Fawkes posted, there was a picture of some anti globalization protestors in Genoa using plexiglass to box cops in. Question is, how'd they transport it without looking reaaally suspicious

[manic expression]

Originally posted by [email protected] 24, 2007 04:53 pm
From reading the wikipedia article, it seems that the formation would only slightly help if rubber bullets, bean bags, and other projectiles were shot out, being hindered by the shields. But hand to hand? Or if the cop is in your face? Forget about it.
Good point, but the formation can be broken quickly if the participants know what to do (as long as the first lines break the formation and the flanks are defended, it could be done).

Anyway, the testudo is about being able to move in the face of projectiles, so the situation is important.

By the way, are there any other formations that could be used? The phalanx formation could be useful if people have longer sticks.

Oh, and this is something I found:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrXOIb5lvQw...related&search= (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrXOIb5lvQw&mode=related&search=)

(the interesting part starts at around 1:05)

[Red October]

Originally posted by [email protected] 24, 2007 02:47 pm
yeah in the shield book PDF Fawkes posted, there was a picture of some anti globalization protestors in Genoa using plexiglass to box cops in. Question is, how'd they transport it without looking reaaally suspicious
i have no idea how they got the huge plexiglass shields in the middle of a protest. they could be transported in a pickup truck, but i dont know how you would be able to move those quickly on foot.

[An archist]

those people who use the shield formations to attack police have had training, just asking everyone to bring a shield might be cool, but it won't be terribly effective, everyone has to have about the same idea about what you're going to do. So make sure you meet in advance (just before to protest begins is good) to make sure you're all on the same page, willing to do the same thing.

[Knight of Cydonia]

Originally posted by [email protected] 24, 2007 01:20 am
Just go to any road construction site at nighttime and walk away with one.
nice idea Fawkes :D and i think we should bring some friends to carry that thing....in a car.

[Ander]

Originally posted by manic [email protected] 24, 2007 10:02 pm
Oh, and this is something I found:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrXOIb5lvQw...related&search= (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrXOIb5lvQw&mode=related&search=)

(the interesting part starts at around 1:05)
They definitely gave them a beating, didn't they?

If they had used petrol bombs though it would have been over for the police.

[Red October]

Originally posted by Jello+March 25, 2007 11:10 am--> (Jello @ March 25, 2007 11:10 am)
manic [email protected] 24, 2007 10:02 pm
Oh, and this is something I found:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrXOIb5lvQw...related&search= (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrXOIb5lvQw&mode=related&search=)

(the interesting part starts at around 1:05)
They definitely gave them a beating, didn't they?

If they had used petrol bombs though it would have been over for the police. [/b]
everything is better with petrol bombs :D
all the videos i've seen of riots in south korea are much better than in america. they seem alot more organized and better prepared. plus, they have big sticks to beat the cops with.

if we had had molotovs in DC on the 17th we could have done so much more. but all i had was a tin of lighter fluid for burning a flag.

[OneBrickOneVoice]

Originally posted by An [email protected]March 25, 2007 12:01 pm
those people who use the shield formations to attack police have had training, just asking everyone to bring a shield might be cool, but it won't be terribly effective, everyone has to have about the same idea about what you're going to do. So make sure you meet in advance (just before to protest begins is good) to make sure you're all on the same page, willing to do the same thing.
in the picture in the OP of this thread, everyone was on the same page, going to do the same thing. Our problem is that we were too stupid to think that they would flank us in the back so we concentrated what few shields we had in the front

[Circle A]

Originally posted by [email protected] 24, 2007 12:40 am
yeah. You'll need a jigsaw. My comrade who was at the march got inspired to make one. He said its pretty hard to cut though. I'll tell him to get styrofoam.
Jigsaws are for wood.

A reciprocating saw coupled with a bi-metal blade will slice that barrel up easily.
One can be had for less than 100$ new.

http://img.shopping.com/cctool/PrdImg/images/pr/177X150/00/01/e4/82/d5/31752917.JPG

*Edit
reciprocating saw also known as 'sawz all'

[OneBrickOneVoice]

Originally posted by Circle A+March 25, 2007 07:47 pm--> (Circle A @ March 25, 2007 07:47 pm)
[email protected] 24, 2007 12:40 am
yeah. You'll need a jigsaw. My comrade who was at the march got inspired to make one. He said its pretty hard to cut though. I'll tell him to get styrofoam.
Jigsaws are for wood.

A reciprocating saw coupled with a bi-metal blade will slice that barrel up easily.
One can be had for less than 100$ new.

http://img.shopping.com/cctool/PrdImg/images/pr/177X150/00/01/e4/82/d5/31752917.JPG

*Edit
reciprocating saw also known as 'sawz all' [/b]
well that's what he told me he used.

[Ol' Dirty]

A mahvelous idea guhd suh.

[Sir_No_Sir]

I'm bumping this because it's a marvelous idea.

[An archist]

also, shin protection, or any kind of sports protection is handy to wear.

'why are you wearing that son?'
'just came back from soccer practice officer'

[Red October]

Originally posted by An [email protected] 08, 2007 05:16 pm
also, shin protection, or any kind of sports protection is handy to wear.

'why are you wearing that son?'
'just came back from soccer practice officer'
thats a good idea. pads and shin guards are really easy to get too.

[gilhyle]

Originally posted by Red [email protected] 25, 2007 04:41 pm

all the videos i've seen of riots in south korea are much better than in america. they seem alot more organized and better prepared. plus, they have big sticks to beat the cops with.

Dates back, I think, to the fight against Tokyo Airport thirty five years ago

[OneBrickOneVoice]

in the NYC its illegal to have sticks made of anything hard like metal or wood during rallies, even for flagpoles or signs. Also in DC and NY, especially NYC, its illegal to have a mask on or a bandana. I nearly got arrested a while back for wearing a red bandana and taking pictures of the amount of cops there were

[Psy]

Originally posted by [email protected] 09, 2007 12:29 am

Also in DC and NY, especially NYC, its illegal to have a mask on or a bandana. I nearly got arrested a while back for wearing a red bandana and taking pictures of the amount of cops there were
Then hold the rallies during winter, if everyone in the city is covered up to keep warm the police can not single out the protests, yhea it is no fun being out in bad weather but there has been strikes during winters where picketers warmed up around drums with burning wooden skids.

[The Advent of Anarchy]

I have an idea! I have an idea! Ooo! Ooo! I have an idea!

Make a shield like the Anarcho-Syndicalist demonstrators in this photo, but add Kevlar to the front! Tis more expensive, but it's GREAT protection.

[Fawkes]

Though I'm not sure, I'm guessing that Kevlar is fucking expensive though. For body armor, a great thing to wear is a life jacket (one that covers the back as well), because it offers 1-2 inches of padded protection for the entire chest, back, and kidney area. Also, if people wear helmets, try to be sure to get ones that cover the ears as well as the head.

[The Advent of Anarchy]

Ah, I guess you're right.
Anyways, where could I buy steel helmets on the internet?

[An archist]

army surplus stores near you are allways a good guess

[fashbash]

To cut an old oil drum in half you need an oxy-cetaline cutter. It's like a reverse welder, very hard to get hold of and even harder to use. But if you are making you own, for fucks sake wear goggles and MAKE SURE THE DRUM IS EMPTY OTHERWISE YOU WILL DIE. My old mate Foz used to help his dad make barbecues out of old oil drums, and if it's not completely empty before you cut it, it will ignite and possibly explode. Any residual flammable liquid will ignite very easily, but as long as you are careful and wash the barrel out with soapy water, you should be fine.

As shields though I don't expect they'll be much use. Sure they're tough and you can hide behind one but they are heavy, clumsy and they will hurt if you've got hold of them when something hits one. Metal shields are daft, you're more likely to break your arm with one than without but having said that you're less likely to break you're head. My advice, and I think it's good advice from someone who knows about makeshift weapons, is to use wood or tough plastic. Plastic doesn't dent easily, and offers good protection form rubber bullets or thrown bottles etc. Don't make the mistake of attaching it to your arm, actually hold it in one hand. And don't make it so big you can't see around it.

[The Advent of Anarchy]

Maybe I could just search around the internet for a Police Riot Shield, spray paint the "POLICE" word off, and decorate it with Communist symbols.

[bcbm]

Originally posted by Comrade [email protected] 13, 2007 08:33 am
Maybe I could just search around the internet for a Police Riot Shield, spray paint the "POLICE" word off, and decorate it with Communist symbols.
You get more points if you steal them from the cops at a protest.
http://blog.jinbo.net/files1/33/CINA/images/200701/131210171.jpg

[OneBrickOneVoice]

albeit its a bit harder

[Red October]

Originally posted by Down-For-People's-War!@May 13, 2007 01:23 pm
albeit its a bit harder
yeah, but it's really badass.

[An archist]

Those people got arrested while trying to dump the shields.

On the other hand, they have huuuge street credibility :P

[bcbm]

Originally posted by Down-For-People's-War!@May 13, 2007 12:23 pm
albeit its a bit harder
Not always. If you can push the cops back enough, or have a wide area of confrontation, there will probably be an unguarded equipment truck somewhere that you can steal the stuff from (and then torch the fucker).

[Fawkes]

I was just outside when I thought of another good weapon to bring to riots: skateboards. They serve the pragmatic purpose of fast, easy, and free transportation, and they are a very powerful weapon if used correctly. The only problem is that skateboards are often comprised of upwards of $130 worth of equipment, meaning that if it gets confiscated, you just lost a shit load.

[Red October]

you can buy a crap skateboard and it will still be a great weapon. expensive trucks and wheels don't make a whole lot of difference to a pig's skull.

[Question everything]

Originally posted by Red [email protected] 13, 2007 09:06 pm
you can buy a crap skateboard and it will still be a great weapon. expensive trucks and wheels don't make a whole lot of difference to a pig's skull.
:lol:

[OneBrickOneVoice]

http://blog.jinbo.net/files1/33/CINA/images/200701/131210171.jpg

oh yeah i forgot to say,

big fucking respect to these revolutionary comrades.


Not always. If you can push the cops back enough, or have a wide area of confrontation, there will probably be an unguarded equipment truck somewhere that you can steal the stuff from (and then torch the fucker).

oh werd? yeah I got one of those blue "police line do not cross" wooden things that was just lying at a rally once for some reason and crossed out police and wrote rioter on it, but i didn't think they'd leave those shields. Do they leave other shit in that magical truck like say helmets and gas masks? I need a gas mask


I was just outside when I thought of another good weapon to bring to riots: skateboards. They serve the pragmatic purpose of fast, easy, and free transportation, and they are a very powerful weapon if used correctly. The only problem is that skateboards are often comprised of upwards of $130 worth of equipment, meaning that if it gets confiscated, you just lost a shit load.

usually if you're in the middle of a crowd of people or something there's not much room to skate though

[The Advent of Anarchy]

Anarcho Syndicalists... I wonder if communists can work with them.

[Red October]

Originally posted by Comrade [email protected] 13, 2007 07:09 pm
Anarcho Syndicalists... I wonder if communists can work with them.
Of course you can. Don't be sectarian. You won't get anywhere if you only work with your own special vanguard.

[The Advent of Anarchy]

Twas only a question. I don't know much about their theory except that they think that countries should be run by trade unions.

[Red October]

Ok, back on topic. My friend and I are going to be making some of these shields this weekend. We've decided to use the tall, traffic barrel type and I have a few questions.

Is it possible to put shoulder straps on these so they can be carried on one's back?

And how sturdy are they?

[redcannon]

Originally posted by manic expression+March 24, 2007 05:02 pm--> (manic expression @ March 24, 2007 05:02 pm)
[email protected] 24, 2007 04:53 pm
From reading the wikipedia article, it seems that the formation would only slightly help if rubber bullets, bean bags, and other projectiles were shot out, being hindered by the shields. But hand to hand? Or if the cop is in your face? Forget about it.
Good point, but the formation can be broken quickly if the participants know what to do (as long as the first lines break the formation and the flanks are defended, it could be done).

Anyway, the testudo is about being able to move in the face of projectiles, so the situation is important.

By the way, are there any other formations that could be used? The phalanx formation could be useful if people have longer sticks.

Oh, and this is something I found:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrXOIb5lvQw...related&search= (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrXOIb5lvQw&mode=related&search=)

(the interesting part starts at around 1:05) [/b]
hilarious. only two things really warm my heart:
1)watching a grown man cry
2)watching pigs with riot gear being chased away by civilians with sticks

[The Advent of Anarchy]

Yay! The po-po's getting their ass-asses kicked! ^^ WORKERS UNITE!

[Yardstick]

I sometimes go play a sword fighting game where people make shields. You can look on the site at how to do this, just don't put any padding on them so they are useful for real life isntead of for a game :)

www.dagorhir.com

Go to the how-to section or look around on the message board.

[Tower of Bebel]

Very interesting.

[bcbm]

Originally posted by [email protected] 16, 2007 08:45 pm
I sometimes go play a sword fighting game where people make shields. You can look on the site at how to do this, just don't put any padding on them so they are useful for real life isntead of for a game :)

www.dagorhir.com

Go to the how-to section or look around on the message board.
In, I believe it was Phoenix, a group of anarchists joined a LARPing/Medieval battle reenactment society to practice tactics for fighting riot pigs. :lol:

[An archist]

Originally posted by black coffee black metal+May 18, 2007 04:45 pm--> (black coffee black metal @ May 18, 2007 04:45 pm)
[email protected] 16, 2007 08:45 pm
I sometimes go play a sword fighting game where people make shields. You can look on the site at how to do this, just don't put any padding on them so they are useful for real life isntead of for a game :)

www.dagorhir.com

Go to the how-to section or look around on the message board.
In, I believe it was Phoenix, a group of anarchists joined a LARPing/Medieval battle reenactment society to practice tactics for fighting riot pigs. :lol: [/b]
:lol:

[silentprotest]

Originally posted by Red [email protected] 17, 2007 12:40 am
Ok, back on topic. My friend and I are going to be making some of these shields this weekend. We've decided to use the tall, traffic barrel type and I have a few questions.

Is it possible to put shoulder straps on these so they can be carried on one's back?

And how sturdy are they?
It would most likely be possible, though you may have a problem with the size of them, they look very cumbersome.

Being plastic barrels they are most likely not very sturdy, though they should be relatively light. If you want something sturdier you may be able to make something our of sheet aluminium, which you can get fairly cheaply from ebay, this, however, will add to the weight. I think you need to experiment, and find a compromise.

Good luck.

[The Advent of Anarchy]

Couldn't we just use garbage cans, or personalize a police shield?

[Red October]

Originally posted by Comrade [email protected] 18, 2007 06:53 pm
Couldn't we just use garbage cans, or personalize a police shield?
Police riot shields are hard to get unless you buy them off the internet, and that stuff is really expensive. You don't need something that is going to stop gunshots, you just need something that will stop pepper balls and rubber bullets. A plastic shield should work fine for that.

[apathy maybe]

Originally posted by Comrade [email protected] 19, 2007 12:53 am
Couldn't we just use garbage cans, or personalize a police shield?
For gods sake man! Second post, ShieldBook! Read before posting. That resource is the greatest resource there is that I know of regarding this sort of stuff. And would you believe that it covers exactly what you mention?

It talks about garbage cans, lids and various other stuff. It explains problems, how to make them better, how to hold them (round metal lids should be held with the curve out) and so on.

And good luck getting a police shield...

[Tower of Bebel]

Someone got frustrated.

[The Advent of Anarchy]

I did read that, but I had absolutely forgot about it.

Actually, there are sites on the internet.

[Red October]

I started work on the shields, and they really aren't that hard to make. I thought I would need power tools, but a regular hand saw works just fine and doesn't take to long. If you have a handsaw for cutting metal and junk like that, it goes even faster. All I need to do now is attach the handles and do a little painting to make it look cool. Really, the hardest part is just finding the traffic barrel and stealing it, and that isn't very hard. I'll post pictures when I'm done with it. Any ideas about what to paint on it? Right now its just plain black/red.

[Tower of Bebel]

We should paint the faces of the government on our riot shields. When the police would want to hit us, they would hit their fucking masters... it's symbolic.

[Red October]

Originally posted by [email protected] 23, 2007 04:17 pm
We should paint the faces of the government on our riot shields. When the police would want to hit us, they would hit their fucking masters... it's symbolic.
I like that idea. I'm working on making stencils to paint on the shields right now.

[Tower of Bebel]

Tatcher... when on a demonstration against anything that has to do with neoliberalism.
Blair... when against the Iraq war.

[Red October]

Originally posted by [email protected] 23, 2007 04:31 pm
Tatcher... when on a demonstration against anything that has to do with neoliberalism.
Blair... when against the Iraq war.
I live in the US, so it would be Bush or Cheney. Maybe Reagan.

[Fawkes]

That'd be cool if you could somehow do what they did at the megamarches in Oaxaca when they carried mirrors that said "rapist" and "murderer" on them so that it would show the reflection of the police labeled as the aforementioned things.

[Red October]

Originally posted by [email protected] 23, 2007 05:46 pm
That'd be cool if you could somehow do what they did at the megamarches in Oaxaca when they carried mirrors that said "rapist" and "murderer" on them so that it would show the reflection of the police labeled as the aforementioned things.
That is pretty badass, but I don't know how I would be able to attach a big mirror to the shield and still have it be functional. The designs on shields I saw in DC were pretty cool.

[The Advent of Anarchy]

Or just paint a picture of a pig on there, so they just hit themselves.

[An archist]

Originally posted by [email protected] 23, 2007 09:31 pm
Tatcher... when on a demonstration against anything that has to do with neoliberalism.
Blair... when against the Iraq war.
... Dewinter and Annemans for every protest in Belgium

[Tower of Bebel]

Well, not every policemen supports these fascists... so in Belgium I would still stick with social- christian -and liberal-democrats on riotshields. But I would be cool to use in the anti-NSV demo when having riots with the police or fascists ^_^.

[Y Chwyldro Comiwnyddol Cymraeg]

what stencil RedOctober?

[Red October]

Originally posted by Y Chwildro Comiwnyddol [email protected] 24, 2007 02:53 pm
what stencil RedOctober?
I'm going to use the hammer&sickle somewhere on it, but I haven't decided on any others yet.

[Y Chwyldro Comiwnyddol Cymraeg]

Put the words

Now War, but......(hammer and sicle and then below....)
Class War

[Tower of Bebel]

Originally posted by Red October+May 24, 2007 08:17 pm--> (Red October @ May 24, 2007 08:17 pm)
Y Chwildro Comiwnyddol [email protected] 24, 2007 02:53 pm
what stencil RedOctober?
I'm going to use the hammer&sickle somewhere on it, but I haven't decided on any others yet. [/b]
Would you like to post a picture if it's finished :) ?

[The Advent of Anarchy]

Here's a phrase:
NO WAR BETWEEN NATIONS;
NO PEACE BETWEEN CLASSES!

[drain.you]

i only read to page2 so sorry if someones asked this but when you cutting oil drums and such to make shields, how do you smooth them down so we dont impale ourselves on them when everything kicks off?

[Fawkes]

Line the top edge of the shield with styrofoam or something similar.

[Red October]

Originally posted by Raccoon+May 26, 2007 09:37 am--> (Raccoon @ May 26, 2007 09:37 am)
Originally posted by Red [email protected] 24, 2007 08:17 pm

Y Chwildro Comiwnyddol [email protected] 24, 2007 02:53 pm
what stencil RedOctober?
I'm going to use the hammer&sickle somewhere on it, but I haven't decided on any others yet.
Would you like to post a picture if it's finished :) ? [/b]
I'll take some pictures when I'm done, but it will be a while. I need to go to the hardware store to get handles and paint the front. So hopefully I'll be done by next weekend.

[Red October]

Ok, here are the pictures:

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z169/re...pg?t=1180294628 (http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z169/redflag94/shield001.jpg?t=1180294628)

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z169/re...pg?t=1180295263 (http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z169/redflag94/shield002.jpg?t=1180295263)

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z169/re...pg?t=1180296246 (http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z169/redflag94/shield004.jpg?t=1180296246)

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z169/re...pg?t=1180296265 (http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z169/redflag94/shield003.jpg?t=1180296265)

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z169/re...pg?t=1180296280 (http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z169/redflag94/shield005.jpg?t=1180296280)

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z169/re...pg?t=1180296294 (http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z169/redflag94/shield006.jpg?t=1180296294)

Note: The paint job is not finished yet and I haven't lined the top with foam. Other than that, these a complete. Enjoy :D

[Tower of Bebel]

Very beautiful. Too bad it's only black and red... but of course it is your choice.

[An archist]

really nice

[eXacto]

i think stencils and stuff like that may look very nice upclose , but if your on a pic , or your standing a little farther away , no one will see what it is , that's why 2 colors are better , keep up the good work!

[Red October]

I haven't finished the paint job yet, I just had to take those pictures prematurely because I was borrowing the digital camera and the owner needed it back. Hopefully I'll be able to post pics of the finished paint job.

All in all, making this was very cheap and not particularly labor intensive. You should be able to get most, if not all, of the materials for free, though I used store bought door handles. I spent about $7 on door handles and screws, and I had the paint and tools already so I didn't really need to buy a lot. If you want, you can use stuff like leather for the handles, but the bolted on metal door pulls work really well and give you a firmer grip on the shield. And since a single traffic barrel makes two shields, it's also very efficient. The barrels are thick enough to offer good protection, but light enough to be maneuverable and held with one hand too. If you can get the materials, I would highly reccomend making some of these for your next protest.

[Tower of Bebel]

Where did you get the traffic barrel from?

[dannie]

You can use some gardenhose to cover the edges too, gives a nice clean finish. We use it on axes and machetes when we store them or are carrying them.

[eXacto]

From the streets prolly , raccoon . Down here we don't have such barrels so don't even bother ^^

[Tower of Bebel]

We have much smaller ones.

[eXacto]

exactly

[Red October]

Originally posted by [email protected] 28, 2007 05:00 am
Where did you get the traffic barrel from?
They aren't too hard to find in my area. The one I used came from a construction site, but just the other day I saw one lieing unattended in the street. If you can't steal them off the streets, hardware stores often sell plastic barrels which will work fine for riot shields.

[Tower of Bebel]

I saw you have two handles? How you're going to wear it?

[Y Chwyldro Comiwnyddol Cymraeg]

In the UK there aint much riots and no need for sheilds.....yet

[An archist]

indeed, your cops are usually damn friendly, pretty hard to get pissed at.

[OneBrickOneVoice]

yo a comrade of mine made one but I don't remember what he put on. I think something like "the world belongs to the YOUTH!!" and then a hammer and sickle and RCP thing. But RO yo you should've just used ducktape rather than door handles.

[eXacto]

I thought making one with empty bottles glued together , do you think this is possible?

[seraphim]

Originally posted by Red October+March 24, 2007 02:32 pm--> (Red October @ March 24, 2007 02:32 pm)
Originally posted by [email protected] 23, 2007 11:07 pm

[email protected] 23, 2007 09:41 am
another way to make shields is to layer-ductape inflatable pool rafts. These shields were pretty good, but didn't matter at all once the police attacked us from the back
I think people in the back should also carry shields so that if they are flanked in the back, they can just turn around and split the crowd both ways.
ideally should have one so the bloc can use a toroise formation if the cos start firing gas and rubber bullets. [/b]
Ah the good old fasioned Roman formation very effective.

[Red October]

Originally posted by [email protected] 02, 2007 03:01 am
I thought making one with empty bottles glued together , do you think this is possible?
What? How would you construct it and what would it look like?

[eXacto]

You know like you have glue that melts plastic , if i use that and glue bottles together (so thy melt together) in a shield form , would this work? I saw people doing it already and they made a raft out of it...

[Red October]

That doesn't seem like it would be very effective or hold together very well. Just use a plastic barrel if you want a riot shield.

[Tower of Bebel]

Originally posted by [email protected] 02, 2007 02:08 pm
You know like you have glue that melts plastic , if i use that and glue bottles together (so thy melt together) in a shield form , would this work? I saw people doing it already and they made a raft out of it...
One good hit by a police stick and you got your ass full of glass.

[eXacto]

glass? plastic bottles he! :D Going to see what materials i can get , but the bottle-idea is officially off the road

[Tower of Bebel]

Originally posted by [email protected] 02, 2007 05:54 pm
glass? plastic bottles he! :D Going to see what materials i can get , but the bottle-idea is officially off the road
My mistake ;) .

Plastic bottles are no real problem then.

[Red October]

Originally posted by Raccoon+June 02, 2007 01:05 pm--> (Raccoon @ June 02, 2007 01:05 pm)
[email protected] 02, 2007 05:54 pm
glass? plastic bottles he! :D Going to see what materials i can get , but the bottle-idea is officially off the road
My mistake ;) .

Plastic bottles are no real problem then. [/b]
I think it would still make a really flimsy, crappy shield. Use solid plates of material. I was at the hardware store last week, and I saw large, thin plates of steel that could be turned into shields. If I had the money and tools to do that, I would definitely make one.

[humbabba]

That photograph is from the March 17th "March on the Pentagon"

I thought the shields were rather amusing, and there was one point where they were actually useful, when the march was going through a tiny bottleneck and being flanked by Gathering of Eagles fascists the shield people broke through a flimsy wooden fence and relieved some of the congestion. Other than that though it was just a spectacle.

The characters with the shields attempted to get across the bridge to the Pentagon, pushing against a police line for a half-hour or so. It was interesting, but I wondered what the shield-carriers expected they would do if they managed to get there? These were not bullet-proof shields, they were cut-in-half road-barrels. They were otherwise unarmed. At that point, and currently, the police are willing and able to raise the level of confrontation until the black-bloc is unable to match it. If there had been petrol-bombs a lot of rich white kids would have been shot through their plastic barrels.