Hello. In this instructablle, I am going to show you how to make light, effective riot shield for use in airsoft. I began making these shields because the ones provided at my local airsoft arena are bulky an heavy (Made out of Plywood). This will not be a painted boogie board, those look like crap and don't work very well. Anyway, let's get started.

Materials:
1 Large TriFold (Walmart)
500 ft of Duct Tape (Walmart)
300 ft Drywall Tape (Home Depot)
1 Large Gate Handle (Home Depot)
4 3/8 Bolts and Nuts (Home Depot)

Step 1: Taping the Board

Now we will start adding the main ingredient for this riot shields success: tape. Open up the trifold and begin adding the drywall tape to the middle section. Do not tape the two flaps down! Apply 3 layers of tape, leaving no empty space. Then, break out the duct tape, and cover the drywall tape with 1 layer of this miraculous substance. See photos for help.

Step 2: Adding the Handle

Now for the hard part. A handle is crucial for the portability of a riot shield, therefore, it is logical to add a handle. First, close the flaps over the trifold. Then. position the handle on the right flap where you want it. I positioned mine slightly above the middle of the board. The, trace the outline of the handle along with the holes. Extend the bottom lines further than the actual handle. Then make one vertical line of the drywall tape covering the outline, and wrap it around the flap. Make about 3 layers, like before, and cover the outside with duct tape. Re-position the handle and mark the holes again. Punch these holes out with a pen and insert the bolts from the back of the board. Put you handle back on and tighten it down with the nuts. Now we have a handle!
See Pictures for Help

Step 3: Making the Strap

Now that we have a handle, we must add a strap to aid in the carrying of the shield this is a rather simple affair made from duct tape, but it is durable and should last you a long time. Position you arm on the shield and make 2 rectangles, made so that you arm fit between them with extra room. Cut these out and add duct tape to reinforce the inside and outside. Make you strap from a length of duct tape with more duct tape attached to the inside, leaving two patches of sticky duct tape at either end. Feed it through the holes, and we now have a strap.
See Pictures for Help

Step 4: Final Steps and Testing

Tape the top and bottom of the trifold closed, and we are now done. Paint it whatever color you like, an added bonus is when a bb hits the paint it makes a cool bullet effect. We tested this by shooting a couple thousand rounds at it. As a sidenote, they do leave small indents, however they cannot pass through the mesh layer. Anyway, Have Fun!