Captain America’s shield is probably one of the most talked-about superhero props of all time. Debates rage on about whether or not the shield might withstand a Jedi’s lightsaber, and how well it might measure up in fights against other iconic heroes made of steel. Cap’s shield is a heavy vibranium defender that our modern-day iteration attaches to his armored forearms using powerful electromagnets. Crafted by Tony Stark himself, Captain America’s bracers contain electromagnetic panels to “catch” his shield with ease after an offensive attack.
While the shield’s functionality may have been one of the coolest parts of the opening fight during Avengers: Age of Ultron, it took until this month’s release of Captain America: Civil War for some crafty individual to start re-creating the iconic prop. To achieve this, one wouldn’t just have to build the shield — they’d have to create a glove powerful enough to hold onto its full weight, as well.
YouTuber and garage genius James Hobson (known online as The Hacksmith) did just that, and then he took to his blog to explain the details for anyone who wishes to put in the work to make their own. Using a pair of shin and knee pads as a base, Grebey and his team built his glove by welding a frame around the bracer with a handle to hold onto. “A good strong handle is essential for holding the 30lbs of magnets and shield,” explained Grebey. “The handle is also a good place for the button so we cut out a pocket and dropped in a 50A momentary push button. A little bit of hockey tape and was good to go.”
The electromagnets themselves were a completely different story. After some research and debate, the team selected a set of powerful electromagnets from Amazon. The project was powered by 3 lithium polymer battery packs that can power up to 175A at 24V. In the end, the tests went great:
“At just 12v and 1.5A they will lift over 260 lbs. That means by running them at 72V, each magnet will pull close to 1600lbs… for a short period of time before they overheat and burn out. I love safety factors.”
After everything was put together, it was time for the full test — and test Grebey did, picking up massive steel pipes with nothing more than the gauntlet his forearm. But don’t just watch the video for its technical aspects and the fact that Grebey smashes stuff with Captain America’s shield; the editing is hilarious, too.
Captain America: Civil War is in theaters now. Doctor Strange opens November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man: Homecoming– July 7, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; Black Panther – February 16, 2018; Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018; Ant-Man and the Wasp – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel – March 8, 2019; Avengers: Infinity War Part 2– May 3, 2019; and as-yet untitled Marvel movies on July 12, 2019, and on May 1, July 10, and November 6 in 2020.
Source: The Hacksmith
